I am sad to say that I chose many of the books I read by the cover and while it has worked out for me as I have read a lot of good books I am sure there are some great books I have missed out on because of this. And, when I look at the cover of The Angel Maker I am sorry to say, it would have been a pass, for me, on this book. I might not have even picked up the book to read the summary and, as most books no longer have that on the back, (sometimes now included on the front cover or the first few pages, a real bummer they stopped putting summaries on the back cover) I wouldn't have even picked it up to read, or look for an excerpt. And, while it is cool that the match's flame blows like an angel wing, I really had to look for something I liked in the cover, study it, to see this. As I have been reading books for forty years, maybe it's the use of only a few colors, two boldly, and a few added, but it feels as if I have seen the cover before, a real drag as I like lots of color, for the most part. And while this is a mystery and an Alex North book, I understand the use of a few, simple, primary colors but there needs to be a different picture than a match with an angel wing in the flame as I don't think it goes along well with the summary. As for the summary, after reading it, I go back and forth if I want to read the book. Has Alex North written another best seller or is he past his prime and churning out anything now as some authors fall into this, after making a name for themself. After the lack of like for the cover, the lack of excitement, really, in the summary, I wouldn't waste my money to find out. But, I could be very wrong as Alex North does rock a good book, just haven't read his work lately.