The Angel Maker is Alex North’s third novel, and it will not let down fans of his previous two stories! An Alex North story is made up of compelling characters combined with thriller plots and a touch of Stephen King supernatural elements that bring the reader on an odyssey of suspense and suspicion. The Angel Maker definitely keeps things creepy and unsettling in that unique Alex North sense. And there is something so cinematic about everything in The Angel Maker, so I can definitely see this one as a miniseries or a movie!
Katie Shaw had the perfect life when she was seventeen, with a dreamy boyfriend, upcoming graduation, and a little brother, Chris, that she was very protective of. That perfect life shattered when a stranger visited Katie’s house, and in one extremely violent act changed her family forever.
Now, seventeen years later, Katie still feels extreme guilt over what happened to Chris. Even as a mother now herself, she’s still protective of the ones she loves, yet struggles to differentiate sometimes between what is an actual threat and figments of her imagination. Things take a twisted turn when Chris is reported missing at the same time as a police officer (Detective Laurence Page) reports to a grisly crime scene. A mere hours after firing his entire staff, a professor has been brutally murdered and all of the evidence makes Laurence believe this crime is connected to the attack on Chris from seventeen years ago and a serial killer who was rumored to see the future.
WHAT A RIDE!
I loved the story’s opening, the way that North sets a scene, and the imagery. You follow not only one character, but multiple ones to get these breadcrumbs of information that he cleverly drops in places, so you are left with your jaw hanging open by the finale. I could see this one being on screen in any capacity, with some dark cinematography and of course, an amazing cast. North writes his characters in an interesting way by giving you clues to their ages and some minor descriptions but doesn’t always describe their appearance, race, etc. so it was fun to be creative with this cast! So with that being said, here is who I would pick for an adaptation of The Angel Maker:
Katie Shaw – The protagonist of our story! I wanted someone who America watched grow up so it was easy to picture her as a young seventeen year old in the beginning, then into a woman in her 30s who is a wife and mother. I wanted a girl-next-door type who was equally tough and could play a full range of human emotions with little effort. I immediately imagined Leighton Meester.
Christopher Shaw – Christopher is Katie’s younger brother and being that he has a boyfriend, I wanted someone who is an actor in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as someone who is tough, handsome, and isn’t afraid of some stunts, so I thought of Ronen Rubinstein as Christopher. It reminded me a bit of his character in 911 Lone Star.
Detective Laurence Page – Laurence is tough and the kind of character you want to have save your life—but would equally be afraid of if you were his prime suspect. I wanted someone who could be caring, scary and intimidating. Similar to his character in Stranger Things, David Harbour would be perfect.
Detective Caroline Pettifer – Caroline is not one to mess with, but is completely likeable. I knew from the moment her character was introduced I needed someone who is lovable and tough—yet could be the comedic relief and pull off a dry sense of humor. I love Samira Wiley and think that she would be an amazing Caroline.
Sam Gardener – Sam is Katie’s husband, shown not only as a teenager but also as an adult. I wanted a character who could be that heartthrob at seventeen but also grow into a very handsome adult. Because Sam is also a musician and someone who has a few key scenes important to the plot and Katie’s storyline, I thought Aaron Taylor-Johnson who can play any role and also has the edginess that I could imagine him playing a musician.
James Alderson – James is Christopher’s boyfriend. I wanted someone familiar for this role as even though it is a smaller role, James is an important part of the story to show what Christopher is like as an adult. I wanted someone endearing and that could be loving and because of Love Simon, I thought of Keiynan Lonsdale.
Richard Gaunt – In the best-described character in the book, Richard is a lawyer described as being around thirty years old with a boyish look; which doesn’t fall into what you would expect a typical lawyer to look like. Because he’s adorable—but is also in the age range—I thought JackQuaid would be a great fit.
Edward Leland – Edward Leland is a character who has a lot of his backstory in this read, and is in present time, a man who was born in the 1940s and plays a huge role in this book. I wanted someone familiar looking without being over the top, who could really play on that suspicion for a viewer. Because this one has such dark elements, I picked Udo Kier who is popular in some horror films from the past!
Alan Hobbes – Alan is an older man who is a huge part of this story, yet his character is not present during a lot of the story. When I read something where a character’s role is big but they are not necessarily a “main character”, I want a big name in sort of a cameo role. For this reason, I thought Christopher Walken would be excellent to be the first big name shown on the screen when we meet Alan!
Michael Hyde – Michael Hyde is a character that is described as being in their 30s but looking older. This is someone who I needed to be creepy, a really good actor, and could also play with the minds of the viewer in a way that in a few scenes he really has to bring the heat with his acting. I picked Giovanni Ribisi for Michael because he looks the part but also has an amazing range when it comes to acting.
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