The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North is the story of Dan Garvie whose life has been haunted by a crime he witnessed as a child,narrowly escaping an encounter with a serial killer. This led Dan to become a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for his innocent victims.
When his father dies in suspicious circumstances, Dan returns to the small island community he grew up in, hoping to find answers to his father’s death. As with all Alex North’s novels there is suspense, terror and many twists and turns before the finale. A story of father and son’s and a childhood blighted by nightmares.
Highly recommended

Hmm, I'm a little conflicted on this book. I was a abig fan of North's previous book The Whisper Man. It was eerie, atmospheric and captivating all in one! So, of course, I had high hopes for The Man Made of Smoke. Unfortunately, I didn't love it but at the same time, I didn't dislike it.

The main point for me; it took me about a month to get through, which is rare. I'd pick it up, read a few chapters and it'd be a few days before I read any more. There was nothing really drawing me back. However, when I did read it I enjoyed it! I found the pacing slow but the tension and drama built nicely, it was atmospheric and there were little creepy moments sprinkled throughout to keep you spooked.

So, as I said, I'm conflicted! It felt very middle of the road to me but I'm sure others will read and adore!

Thank you to Michael Joseph for this gifted advanced copy!

Absolutely brilliant! The way the different character and periods of time all come together slowly but so cleverly to knit together such an enthralling story is genius. I read this in one sitting because it kept me guessing and I just couldn’t devour it quickly enough. The way it flits from the past to the present and casts suspicion on various characters is so smart that you’re left guessing until the very end. Even after I finished the book, I had to sit with it for a couple of minutes still to get it all right and straight in my head. Sinister but superb! Loved it!

The Man Made of Smoke is an emotionally resonant thriller which follows Daniel Garvie, a criminal psychologist haunted by a childhood encounter with a serial killer. Drawn back to his hometown to investigate a new mystery, Garvie uncovers links between this case and the one from his childhood. With themes of guilt, trauma and redemption, this is not a popcorn thriller but an intelligent, atmospheric and introspective story with multiple points of view and well timed reveals. The tension builds as the past and the present begin to converge and the stakes are raised.
I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy their thrillers with a more literary or supernatural edge.
Thanks to Micheal Joseph, Penguin Random House and netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After seeing lots of people talking about this book, I couldn’t wait to dive into it too!

I found this book very enjoyably and gripping right from start to finish. I liked reading from the multiple POV’s - especially James’ chapters as these chapters really gave us an insight and nudge towards what really happened back when Daniel was a young boy.

I did manage to work out some of the twists but still really enjoyed how they were unravelled. I did not guess who the bad guy was though and absolutely loved how that bombshell was dropped - I literally gasped out loud!

The ending was really bitter-sweet and I loved the heart warming touch of the gravestone inscription.

I would love to know which song they choose for their duet on the karaoke!

The Man Made of Smoke a novel by Alex North is the first book I have read by this author.

This book is very long drawn out and it is only when it gets to the end that the reader discovers the identity of the man made of smoke.

Dan was just a teenager when he encountered the man made of smoke in a rest room at a service station who was like the invisible man as nobody even noticed him. Soon the newspapers and media will label him the Pied Piper killer who took children away. There is even a book titled The Man Made of Smoke by Terrence O'Hare.

Dan has grown up and has become a criminal psychiatristrist who has been called back to his island home as his father has disappeared and he is on a mission to find out whether he is alive or dead when a dead body has been found.

I loved these lines from chapter 16 called Bargaining which shows how the author Alex North captures the element of air and birds. 'I stood out on the deck, watching the gulls wheeling above, like caligraphy etched on to the rose-gold sky. The sea air was freezing, and I was shivering from the cold.'

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

The Man Made of Smoke is a dark, atmospheric thriller that blends psychological suspense with emotional depth. The story follows Daniel, a criminal psychiatrist returning home after his father disappears. As he revisits the past, he’s forced to confront childhood memories tied to a local serial killer known as the “Pied Piper.”

The book stands out for its layered storytelling and complex father-son relationship. It explores themes of trauma, memory, and guilt with nuance, all while maintaining a steady sense of unease. North’s writing is tense but restrained, never relying on cheap scares. My only negative is that I would have preferred some indication when the chapters changed to a different character’s POV.

This isn’t a fast-paced thriller, but it’s gripping in a more reflective way. Thoughtful, unsettling, and memorable.

When Dan Garvie was 12 years old, he almost unknowingly came into contact with a serial killer by the name of the Pied Piper. Dan has been haunted by this moment since then. He has become a criminal profiler, desperate to seek justice for the innocent victims of crimes. Dan's father goes missing under suspicious circumstances and Dan returns to the island of his youth to find out what has happened to his Dad. Has the man from his past returned or is it something else.

This book was a gripping page turner from start to finish. The story had lots of twists and turns. The characters were good and most were likeable. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this great book.

I loved this. It's one of those books that I got into straight away. The plotline is fantastic and i didnt want the book to end, it kept me up reading into the early hours of the morning. I really enjoyed getting to know all of thecharacters. A definite 5 star book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 stars rounded up.

Daniel Gavrie was 12 years old when he encountered the serial killer, Pied Piper, who was travelling with an abducted boy. Daniel always regretted not helping the boy, and this has haunted him ever since.

He is now working as a psychiatrist in prison, treating inmates who committed serious offences.

When he receives a phone call that his father, an ex-policeman, has gone missing, he returns to his childhood home, and the memories return…

It turns out that John, Dan’s father, found the body of a burnt woman. He has been retired for a year, but he felt unhappy and a bit lost. This case has sparked an interest that he hasn’t felt for a long time.

Now, it’s up to Dan to discover the truth and put all the demons to rest.

I loved this book from start to finish.

The chapter where Dan encountered the Pied Piper and the words ”Nobody cares and nobody sees” gave me goosebumps. The message was quite unnerving but apt in the circumstances.

I didn’t guess who the killer was, which is always a bonus, as I love surprises.

If you fancy a creepy but captivating read, then this book is for you.

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for approving my NetGalley request.

Alex North never disappoints. The Whisper Man, The Half Burnt House and The Shadow Friend were all gripping, and his new novel is intriguing from the start. Mysterious, dark and unsettling, The Man Made Of Smoke centres on Dan, a criminal psychiatrist who encountered a serial killer as a child and is now taken back to the island where he grew up. Fascinating.

5 of 5 dark stars
https://lynns-books.com/2025/05/26/review-the-man-made-of-smoke-by-alex-north/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: A book that hooks immediately

This is not my first book by this author but I will say that it is without doubt my favourite. This is a creepy thriller that hooks you from the first chapters and keeps you hooked until you finish.

As the story begins we meet Dan Garvie, he’s on a family outing with his parents, accompanied by a friend when a quick stop at a roadside service station leads to a terrible encounter, a lucky escape – for Dan at least – and a tale of regret and redemption.

I couldn’t put this book down. Told with different timelines and POVs the whole story weaves together to form a dread inducing package of horror. Literally, the ‘baddie’ of this piece gave me the heebie jeebies and I was definitely happier reading this in the daylight hours, although the light of day was no shield against this despicable character.

Dan, now grown up, is a criminal profiler. He returns to his family home when his father passes away under strange circumstances and begins to uncover a strange trail of crumbs. Dan has never forgiven himself for not helping the young boy he encountered all those years ago at the service station – who was clearly in the clutches of evil and in desperate need of help. Dan was so scared that he was incapable of doing anything short of hiding and has lived with remorse ever since. The ‘evil’ man in question was a serial killer known as ‘The Man Made of Smoke’, his one constant refrain ‘nobody sees and nobody cares’.

This is without doubt a chilling tale that had me reading like some sort of maniac, desperate to know the outcome, unwilling to put the book down, but, at the same time, not wanting to sit alone into the early hours to continue reading. The serial killer is actually incredibly scary, he almost feels supernatural – although that isn’t the case – there’s just this incredible feeling of power or lack of fear, the knowledge that he can go anywhere and do anything and everyone will turn a blind eye.

The writing is good, full of tension and fear, both on the parts of the characters living out this current nightmare and the reader. I mean, I was literally afraid during parts of this story – and I was worried about the main characters who seem to constantly put themselves at risk.

I can’t really say too much without giving away spoilers but this is a dark tale with the creep factor ratcheted up. It’s also a story of guilt, misunderstood feelings, trauma and redemption.

Dan has a lot to figure out and along the way the voice of his father in his head guides him on the journey.

A really good read that I couldn’t put down.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

A great book to read but sometimes hard to keep up with. The story swaps between present day and when the main character was younger. I found it a bit hard to keep track of. Nevertheless a great story - once I got to grips with it!

A new Alex North book is always cause for celebration, and The Man Made of Smoke was no exception.

The story moves back and forth between Dan in the present, and his father, John, in the recent past. There were times when I became confused as to which point of view a chapter was coming from, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book.

I am in awe of North's imagination and how he came up with the idea and the developed it into the story I read.

I have read every book Alex North has written. I have enjoyed every single one. So, when 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙢𝙤𝙠𝙚 landed, I already knew what I was signing up for. Dark atmosphere? Check. Unsettling mystery? Check. Characters who refuse to give you easy answers? Absolutely.

The story follows Dan Garvie, a criminal profiler whose life is shadowed by a chilling encounter with a serial killer from his childhood known as The Pied Piper. When Dan’s father “dies” under suspicious circumstances, Dan returns to the island. What starts as a personal investigation into his father’s death soon spirals into something much darker. As Dan starts sifting through his father’s notes, the past begins to twist into the present.

The novel shifts between Dan’s present-day search for the truth and glimpses into his father’s own private investigation years earlier. The dual timeline works brilliantly, adding depth and making the father-son dynamic even more complicated and emotional.

Then there is the other layer the author touches on. The society’s tendency to disregard people living on the margins. The novel quietly but powerfully addresses how the homeless, the mentally ill, and the most vulnerable are often invisible to the rest of the world. The chilling refrain “𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴” stays with you.

I loved how North builds tension not with constant action but through atmosphere and psychological unease. There was a point where I was reading this at 2 in the morning, telling myself I would stop after the next chapter, then the next, but I could not. I had to know what was going to happen! And yet, I kept getting the creeps. That mix of urgency and unease was done so well.

The Man Made of Smoke is exactly the kind of book I expect from Alex North. Dark, gripping, and emotional in ways you do not see coming.

Thanks to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a journey this was. Absolutely brilliantly written, kept me hooked until the very end. And I still can't stop thinking about it! Made a change to fantasy or rom com for me and I was not disappointed.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Dan Garcia is a successful criminal psychiatrist, helping victims find closure, but Dan has a dark secret. He had been there when a boy needed help but he ran and hid and a serial killer, the man made of smoke, escaped. Told in dual timeline and from multiple perspectives including those of Dan and his father John along with the protagonist, this is a deeply dark murder mystery with some hints of the supernatural. Really well written it’s a brilliant plot that got inside my head.

Briefly, years after his close encounter with the killer Dan’s father has disappeared, days after he had found a body in the woods. Dan returns to his island home and finds a clue his father left for him and whilst trying to work out the mystery around his father disappearance he comes across information that suggests there is a serial killer operating on the Island.

Dan is a great character, still traumatised by what he saw as a child, and has spent his life trying to help other victims. But it wasn’t just Dan affected by the serial killer, his father, a former police officer, has been searching for the man of smoke for many years. This is an atmospheric, dark and unsettling read full of tension and uncertainty. A compelling read and one I thoroughly enjoyed. A very clever book.

Daniel as a child had an encounter with a serial killer at a service station. He regrets not helping a boy who he thought was in danger. Turns out there were quite a few people who did not help either. Daniel’s father is a retired policeman and Daniel gets a phone call to say they believe his father has killed himself and thrown himself off a cliff but his body has not been found yet, so he returns to his childhood home to wait for news. Memories are stirred up about that night and the serial killer who is believed to be dead, but is he as the bodies start to turn up. Will Daniel solve the case?

I did struggle in parts as it switched from the story told by Daniel and his father but I am glad I stuck with it.

I got to 43% and sadly decided not to continue.
I started off well but then found the book hard to follow and was getting lost as to who was who as the timeline switched back & forth.