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The Half Burnt House
If you could see the future ... would you want to?
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As a teenager, Katie Shaw failed to protect her little brother, Chris. Years later, Chris goes missing, and Katie has the chance to make amends for what happened back then.
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The police are investigating the brutal murder of a philosophy professor: an expert on determinism and free will. The case leads them to Chris, and the terrible item he stole from the dead man's half-ruined house.
But there are other, more dangerous people looking for Chris. And if Katie can't make sense of the past and present and find her brother in time, she and her family might have no future at all...
Reviews
"The Half Burnt House is Alex North at his best – a writer who can terrify you on one page and break your heart on the next."
Steve Cavanagh
"One of those books that made me wish I’d written it. North wields suspense like a blade. Breath-taking and terrifying."
Helen Fields
"Dark, gripping, and twisty."
Claire McGowan
"Deeply complex and carefully crafted, this novel is a thrilling question mark all the way to the end, and it puts North’s storytelling skills on full display.… The Angel Maker, his best so far, is a superb addition to his already impressive oeuvre."
NPR
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"A story that combines lofty philosophical inquiries about fate and free will with the grisly legacy of a sadistic serial killer. … Deep down it explores an endlessly intriguing question: Is it possible to change the course of fate?"
The New York Times
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"The Angel Maker weaves “an intriguing cast of characters across multiple time periods into a story rich with layers and plot twists and perfectly suspenseful pacing. A delightfully bone-chilling tale.”
Kirkus Reviews
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"At [The Angel Maker‘s] center is a present-day murder, but embedded in its core are the paranormal, elements of cringeworthy horror, and a riveting study of the bonds and boundaries of sibling devotion, as well as a master study on determinism… Everything in this story is connected in ways the reader can’t begin to imagine until a series of stunning parallels and revelations are disclosed. Wait for it!"
Booklist, starred review
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"Told in multiple voices and with digressions into the past, The Angel Maker is disturbing, absorbing and, in the beginning, a crazy kaleidoscope of storytelling. Be patient, though…the big picture here does come together. And when it does, it’s not one you’re likely to forget."
St Louis Post-Dispatch
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