Angelmaker

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But because Joe has this heritage of the cool criminal, and his father's friends, and some remnants of his childhood training in London's (literal) underworld, he has the ability to turn his role as unfortunate pawn on its head. Which he does, and oh it feels good. There's a tommy gun involved. You know what I'm sayin. In this way, Angelmaker is like a reverse coming of age novel. Like Updike, but more fun. Given the large cast of characters, all were poorly developed. Even with the main characters, the reader still doesn’t understand the desires, wants, fears of the characters. I’m still scratching my head about why some characters were included. Angelmaker is very broadly down the same eclectic path – combining elements of different genres in new and interesting ways. But the elements combined are different to his debut: a spy thriller, steampunk adventure, and coming-of-age story all splash down in a gangster-themed party. Or something!

ICU“, 2019, с превод на Мария Енчева) не обхожда спокойно това „кърваво“ поле, а се насочва към центъра, където битката е най-свирепа. Идиличната обстановка в началото на този роман рязко контрастира с мащабите на идеята, но затова пък пътят нататък е трънлив и пълен с капани. Не мога да избягам от усещането, че книгата е прекалено важна, за да я пренебрегна с лека ръка. Усещането е за лабиринт от емоции, които преминават като буря и посипват осколки, принуждавайки ме да покрия главата си с ръце. Описаното от Брайс има сложната задача да претегли доброто и злото, модифицирайки ги чрез гледните точки на науката и религията. I ended up really enjoying The Shadows as well. Thus, when I heard about this book, North's most recent release, The Angel Maker, I was over the moon with anticipation. More than anything, this book makes me sad because it could have been great, perhaps even exceptional. However, this work is clumsy and disjointed, a rough draft, not a final version. Bone cancer in children? What's that about?' How dare you? How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault? It's not right. It's utterly, utterly evil." The story is definitely engaging. Katie is a good egg, and is easy to root for. North provides her with the handicap of an unsupportive, disbelieving husband, which was cause for a bit of eye-rolling. It is such a trope these days. Maybe always has been.

BookBrowse Review

Edie Banister, former superspy, lives quietly and wishes she didn’t. She’s nearly ninety and the things she fought to save don’t seem to exist anymore. She's beginning to wonder if they ever did. I couldn't follow this plot to save my life. It apparently required way more concentration than I was willing to give it. I didn't care at all. There were so many characters, none of which I felt were developed, besides Katie. After the 60%-point, I just wanted it to end and here we are. Thankfully, she is still married to the love of her life, Sam, and raising their lovely five-year-old daughter, Siena. But lately, she's been having communication problems with her husband. When her mother calls her to inform her that her brother is in trouble, she cannot let him go, and she gears up to compensate for the mistakes she's made in the past.

A teenage girl is found dead in the woods. The kill bears a chilling resemblance to those of the Angel Maker, a serial killer caught two decades ago.Therefore, do not take my opinion on this one as anything more than what it is: one Reader's jilted opinion. While revising old crime scenes and interviewing witnesses seems tedious, it does provide some intriguing insight into a possible copycat killer. DI Johansson does not let this deter her, as some of the evidence points to a strong case of mistaken identity, or at least railroading someone into confessing to a crime they may not have committed. Joe’s status as a fugitive forces him to confront a crisis of identity foreshadowed since the beginning of the book. He has spent the past decades of his adult life actively trying not to turn out like his father and avoiding, as much as possible, associations with the criminal element. His status as “the Crown Prince of the Night Market” nips at his heels like an unwanted insurance salesman, but Joe is determined to survive on the straight and narrow. Except it increasingly seems that, if Joe wants to get out of this alive—not to mention save the day and get the girl—he will have to step up and become not Joe Spork, the grandson of Daniel Spork, but Joe Spork, son of Matthew “Tommy Gun” Spork. This inevitable transformation is almost an apotheosis of its own, albeit not in quite as grand a way as Shem Shem Tsien would like for himself. From there, the novel switches gears and becomes a wild ride from “crazy” to “insane” as Joe and his allies concoct a crazy plan to save the world. What is the secret about the triplets? Where is their mother? Why are the boys dying? And can anyone stop Dr Hoppe on his trajectory to becoming a figure of sheer terror?

It seems somewhat basic and aesthetically pleasing at first, without feeling complicated. The longer you stare at it, however, the more you begin to realize just HOW intricate it actually is...and that the staircases essentially lead you in a dizzying path that doesn't actually lead anywhere at all. Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beyond the Book

As I said above, there are many levels of meaning in this book -- thought it's possible I over-thought things as I sometimes do. No matter, it lent much to my enjoyment of this book, digging under the surface of Mr. Brijs' words, looking behind the story, no matter if Mr. Brijs intended all of this or not! A retired philosophy professor Alan Hobbes is peculiar. He brings the determinism aspect into the plot. I find this part fascinating. He died in a brutal murder early in the story but did he know this event in advance? Two detectives are investigating the case.

Katie and Chris were the siblings. Here I am at the end of the novel and those are the only two characters I would be able to talk about with any confidence at all. I cannot name one other character. While this is taking place, Joe’s client Edie Banister is also targeted and on the run. Edie is an 89-year-old retired spy and the activated doomsday machine has brought about enemies of her past to reappear. With a recent promotion under her belt, DI Jamie Johansson should be flying high. However, the elevation within London’s Metropolitan Police came at a cost, when she shot a suspect to protect herself. Muddled with the guilt, Johansson takes a leave to clear her head and reset things once and for all.

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Angel Maker is the stunning first outing for DI Jamie Johansson and will have readers on the edge of their seats. With a ruthless killer, a host of likely suspects, tight plotting, gritty characters, and a twist that will feel like a punch to the gut, this is the crime thriller you've been waiting for.