There are few thrills in this "thriller" and little suspense in this "suspense" novel. As for horror ... North is apparently so afraid of offending his readers that he uses only the vaguest terms to describe the "grisly" and "horrific" crimes. People died. There was blood. (One does not wish for sado-porn, but, it's really difficult to work up much emotional reaction to "grisly".)

Basically, the story follows a young man who narrowly escaped an attack by a serial killer when he was in his teens. Decades later, it seems he is being targeted again, and his sister is attempting to locate him and get him out of harm's way. Meanwhile, a team of investigators attempts to solve the murder of an elderly philosophy professor. How these two events intertwine forms the meat of the plot.

North tells (but doesn't show) us that the male-female detective team has a working relationship built on complementary strengths and a cynical back-and-forth kind of one-upmanship, but it never gets off the ground.

None of the Big Reveals in the book should come as a surprise to any reader who's been paying attention.

Readers seeking true horror and suspense with a quirky relationship between investigators would be much better off turning to any of the Lincoln Rhyme novels. ( )

Eerie Reading Experience
I wanted to love this as I love anything all spook and fast paced. I read the author's debut novel, The Whisper Man, a few years ago and thought it was a pretty good read. The Angel Maker once again shows off his unique storytelling ability but unfortunately, I didn't hit a nice reading groove until about 2/3 of the way into the book. The main issue is not all of the characters are clearly defined so I had a hard time keeping track of everyone. My interest level was high but it was a disjointed reading experience.

When Katie Shaw was a teenager something horrible happened to her brother, Chris. Feel free to check out the publisher synopsis if you want more details about the plot, but part of the appeal of the story for me going in blind was just watching everything unfold naturally. I will mention the action picks up with Katie as an adult and lots of different characters are followed throughout the story.

Normally, I'm a big fan of stories that bounce around between different characters but it didn't work well in this case. When certain characters aren't standing out in your mind it's like a snowball effect because then it becomes difficult to follow the backstory. I was intrigued by the content but it was also a jumbled mess. Thankfully, I had a bit of a lightbulb moment with about 1/3 of the story left to go and everything started to make more sense and it was a much more enjoyable ride to the finish.

As far as endings go, I'm just going to shrug my shoulders. Nothing horrible about it, but nothing knocked my socks off either. All and all I will be happily reading the next novel because I know the greatness that can be Alex North. For now all I can do is suggest that you click the link below to try your luck with this one.

Even though the execution was a bit off at times, it was a decent thriller. Knowing this author is capable of going in so many directions with a story is fun when you are a fan of this genre.
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A dark and atmospheric thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. The story follows Katie Shaw, a woman who is still haunted by the attempted murder of her brother, Chris, which happened decades ago. When a murder victim is discovered in her hometown, Katie is drawn into the investigation, and she soon realizes that the past is not as buried as she thought.

The novel is well-paced and keeps you guessing. Characters are complex and believable, and you'll find yourself rooting for Katie and her loved ones.

North does a masterful job of building suspense and tension, and the atmosphere of the novel is dark and atmospheric and it explores some interesting themes, such as the nature of evil, the power of family, and the resilience of the human spirit.

If you're looking for a dark, suspenseful, and thought-provoking thriller, I highly recommend it. ( )

If you loved The Whisper Man than you are in for a real treat with this one!

Starting off in the past, Kate was meant to be looking after her younger, timid, brother Chris, but on a spur of the moment decision she let him make his way home from school on his own. It is that decision that still haunts the family years later.

Set in different time frames, this story starts with a murder and introduces us to a whole cast of characters, all fleshed out, all connected in a whole host of different ways, some self explanatory, others that take you further into this dark, suspenseful thriller to find out the connections.

With both likeable and despicable characters, scenes set in high definition and a storyline that sucks you in, it might not be the fastest paced book, but it is a creeper, slowing working its way beneath your skin and working its insidious plot into your brain!

For all fans of thrillers and suspenses this is going to be a book you really aren’t going to want to miss, it could even be put forward for the winner of thriller of the year 2023! That’s how good it is! ( )

Another frightening book by Alex North. His first, The Whisper Man, scared me yet I had to read his newest one! Definitely only read this during daylight hours, never at night! It's about two brothers, whose father is a notorious serial killer who seems to know the future, and what happens to them after their father is caught. So much going on, this book certainly held my interest until I finished it! ( )