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.

I have enjoyed Alex North's books before and was so excited to read this one and it certainly didn't disappoint. The Man Made of Smoke tells the story of Dan Garvie, who had a chilling encounter with a serial killer as a child. He has since dedicated his life to becoming a criminal profiler, seeking justice for victims. When he hears of his father's death under suspicious circumstances, he heads back to his childhood island home to uncover the truth. Could it be possible that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmares has returned after all these years?

Alex North does it again! I couldn't get through this book quick enough. It was full of action, fast-paced and deliciously entertaining; it was full of suspense and kept me on edge throughout. I absolutely love how Alex North writes books and am already eagerly awaiting whatever comes next.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

I have had Alex North books on my TBR list for a while so when I saw he had a new one coming out on NetGalley I grabbed the opportunity.

Dan Garvie is a child who escaped a serial killer, needless to say trauma from that time sticks with him. This drives him to become a Criminal Profiler, keen to understand these monsters and wanting to do his best to stop more of the killing they inflict.

Dan returns to his childhood home after his father who is ex-police has vanished, feared dead. This leads to reconnections with people from his past and an unexpected journey into not only trying to find out what has happened to his father but also diving deep into the cold case his father was researching when he disappeared.

His father left him a clue…a clue that only makes sense to him. Dan dives into a search for a serial killer that has never been found, very much haunted by his past and his father’s obvious obsession with this case.

This is a bit of a slow burn to begin but it’s not so slow that you don’t get hooked in. The writing is excellent and as the plot flits between the past and present you get more and more sucked in. The book is told from various perspectives - including Dan’s, his father, the serial killer and one of the killer’s victims. I love a book that does this. Where you get parts if an overall picture that start to lock tighter as the novel progresses. A jigsaw puzzle coming together.

It wasn’t long before I was totally invested and time flew by. The plot is brilliant and the characters are extremely well done. Flawed people. Each in their own way wrestling with demons inside and from the past. The Man of Smoke touches far too many lives. Will Dan get to put some of his demons to rest? Can he find the serial killer who has evaded detection for such a long time? You’ll have to read it and see.

There are some really good twists and turns and the book keeps picking up pace. The ending was brilliant and very satisfying. I was so hoping it wasn’t going to be a dead end as was enjoying it so much. It didn’t let me down. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will definitely go on to read more from Alex North. A solid 4 star read for me and one I definitely recommend. A very talented writer.

I found this story interesting from a psychological perspective of the characters and a decent crime/serial killer story. For me personally, there was some element missing from the horror elements. It was chilling and quite disturbing in parts but I would not necessarily place it in the horror/terrifying genre. The story was well written however I did find myself losing my way through it at times and the pace seemed to alter quite a bit. Generally though a good read.
Many thanks to Michael Joseph, NetGalley and the author for providing me with an advanced review copy of the book in electronic format in return for an honest and unbiased review. The book was published on the 8th May in the usual formats.

Not as creepy as the previous book but still on that level! I would definitely recommend it as a thriller and have put Alex North on my favourite authors list.

Phew! An excellent read which had me confused almost to the last page. I’ve not read any Alex North books but will certainly add him to my reading list. I wasn’t sure at the beginning where this one was going – a story across a generation about fathers and sons. Starting with what seems to be a narrow escape and then a mysterious disappearance/death of Dan’s (the main character) father, the story slowly unfolds – in an island community with long memories. It’s not a story you can put down easily! Plausible and worrying – I much enjoyed it (and the odd red herring!). Dan escapes to the mainland to pursue his job as a criminal psychiatrist, is drawn back to find out wheat happened to his father. Is it related to that experience as a boy?

Firstly, thank you to Alex North and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book, it was incredibly thrilling, twisty and haunting at times and I felt that the writing was engaging, however for full transparency I could only read 50 percent of the book due to my kindle app and the NetGalley app having difficulty with showing certain pages.

Alex North is back—and The Man Made of Smoke is a masterpiece of eerie, emotionally charged storytelling.

At its core, this is a book about trauma: the kind that lingers, festers, and grows into something monstrous. Dan Garvie is a criminal profiler still haunted by a childhood encounter with a serial killer. When his father dies under suspicious circumstances, Dan returns to the remote island he once called home. But something about the place feels wrong—off in a way that’s hard to name.

North is a master at layering timelines, and here he plays with multiple POVs and interwoven past/present narratives to steadily unravel the island’s secrets. As Dan confronts his own buried guilt and trauma, the community around him begins to fracture. People disappear. Whispers of something ancient and malevolent begin to surface. And the smoke—always the smoke—feels like it’s watching.

This isn’t your typical thriller. It’s atmospheric, philosophical, and deeply introspective. The mystery is gripping, yes—but it’s the emotional weight that sets this apart. Themes of father-son tension, generational trauma, and suppressed memory are explored with nuance and dread.

By the time I reached the final act, I was breathless. The twist was both earned and unsettling, and the emotional fallout hit hard. This book lingers in your mind like smoke clinging to your clothes long after the fire’s out.

The Man Made of Smoke is the kind of thriller that elevates the genre. It's chilling, literary, and full of soul. If you loved The Whisper Man, The Shadow Year, or The Outsider, add this to your must-read list.

Wow I really hope at some point this book is made into a film as it’s an amazing read. Daniel as a young boy witnessed an event which caused him in a state of fear to do nothing and has lived with the consequences of that day ever since, his work as a prison psychologist and profiler has him dealing with the most dangerous individuals but a phone call telling him his dad is missing presumed dead sends him back to a past he has been trying to run from all his life and as he starts to follow his dads breadcrumbs to work out what has happened is he in more danger than he could imagine and is his past finally catching up to him! Do not miss this one!!!

What a brilliantly written twisty thriller .Fast paced ,gripping and sometime quite scary. Daniel first encounters the serial killer known as the Pied Piper when he was a child and all his life he has regretted doing nothing when he saw a small child who he knew needed help with this man made of smoke at a service station .Years later Dan is now a successful criminal psychologist working in a prison ,he gets a call that his Father has gone missing so he returns to the Island he was brought up on ,this time he will ignore his fear and try to help find his Dad. I just loved this story and all the clues that his Dad left for him to find and solve .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

A slow burn to start with, this novel picks up in the second half, big time.

I felt so bad for Dan and what he must have gone through, carrying the guilt with him for so long. And then his dad being haunted for so long by the case that couldn't be closed.

A great reflection on guilt and inaction and how that affects people and their relationships. Creepy in places and definitely one you will not be able to put down.

The writing in this book made me want to carry on reading the book to the end, despite finding the timeline a bit difficult to follow in places.
This is set in three different pov's in a variety of timelines, present, just in the past and years in the past. Sometimes it would jump without warning and it took a minute for me to catch up but the writing and the premise of the book made me want to carry on.
I enjoyed the suspense and mystery in the book.

This was a good book , kept you gripped and wanting to read more but it took me a while to get into. But once I did I couldn't put the book down

The number of disappearing children is a worldwide scandal - the pain and fear of those children and their families cannot be imagined. Dan, a psychiatrist, witnessed a child in distress when he was a child and lives with the guilt and regret of not having sounded an alarm. He uses a profiler’s technique for tracking the man made of smoke, who was believed dead. I met a profiler some years ago - Micki Pistorius, a South African forensic/investigative psychologist and author – who described the technique to chllling effect.
I loved the mental connections and conversations, and the nudges from Dan’s missing father. The voice of one of the missing children is woven throughout the search, the relationships and the ongoing murders. Some clever misdirection ensures you are likely to miss the sly introduction of The Man of Smoke. Great psychological thriller.

A haunting tale of a father and son both traumatised in different ways by a serial killer targeting young boys. Written over two timelines, it is a slow burn of a novel but the characters are compelling and I was hooked til the end.

I chose to read a free eARC of The Man Made of Smoke but that has in no way influenced my review.

I've been waiting very patiently for a new book by Alex North for a while now. So imagine my joy when I discovered a new release was imminent! I loved this authors first two books - The Whisper Man and The Shadow Friend. Loved them! I found myself comparing the author's work to another favourite author of mine, C.J. Tudor (that's a collaboration we all need in our lives!). There's a creeping, eerie edge to the storytelling. Ominous things happening to normal everyday people. A bit of a chill in the air. If you're familiar with this author's earlier books I'm sure you'll know what I mean! I was excited to see what North had in store for us next. And oh my goodness, The Man Made of Smoke is a wonderfully intense, highly emotional tale. I loved every second I spent in its company. Heartfelt and real, unnerving, unsettling and completely immersive.

Daniel Garvie will never forgive himself for not acting that day. At the age of twelve and on the way home from the zoo with his parents and Sarah, his best friend, they stop at a service station. Whilst there Daniel sees something that he immediately knows isn't right. But instead of acting, instead of raising the alarm, he freezes. Too scared to do anything. Allowing the Pied Piper Killer to claim another young victim. Now Daniel is a successful criminal psychiatrist. When he receives a call from the island to say his father has gone missing, Daniel returns home. To the familiarity of the island, to a whole host of familiar faces, to people who know exactly what happened to him all those years ago. But with nothing to do whilst the police look into John's disappearance, Daniel begins his own investigation. It soon comes to light that just before John vanished, he discovered a body. Could this be Daniel's chance at redemption? Can he finally right a wrong that has haunted him every day since that fateful day in the service station? And more importantly, can he discover what has happened to his father...?

The Man Made of Smoke is a highly atmospheric read that's chock-full of heart and very nearly had me blubbering like a baby at times! Gosh, the emotion is strong in this one. Poor twelve-year-old Dan. Not a little boy anymore but not yet a man. Seemingly all alone in the grotty service station toilets until someone further along the corridor of WCs starts to whistle a tune. Shudder. Dan immediately knows something is wrong as outside the whistler's cubicle stands a small, skinny boy. Dan knows he should do something, ANYTHING, but the fear takes hold, so he locks himself in his own cubicle and hides away until he is sure the strange man and the terrified, emaciated boy have left. Literal goosebumps. I could feel the fear emanating from the page. My heart broke for Dan. For the situation he found himself in and for the utter helplessness he felt. This one incident influences everything in Daniel's life from that day forward. So much trauma, so much for a young lad to deal with. But this is only the beginning. There is so much more to this intriguing story than initially meets the eye.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Man Made of Smoke is a chilling, eerie, atmospheric tale with well-defined characters and a highly intriguing plotline. I enjoyed the island setting, the isolation of the woods and the overarching sense of impending doom that the author has delivered so well. I thought all the characters, including the secondary characters, were strong and contributed something to the story. A special mention to the way the author has written the children in this novel. I was on the verge of tears at multiple points thanks to how believable they are and how invested I had become. My heart broke multiple times. All in all, The Man Made of Smoke is an engaging, compelling tale about the effects of trauma and how one moment can define an entire future. There's a wonderful, ever-present sense of unease which builds over the course of the book to a tense and unnerving conclusion. I loved every moment. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Man Made of Smoke. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book was incredibly slow. At first, I was really intrigued but after the first few chapters, I struggled to get through the next 100 pages. I did love the whole idea of the plot but I just wish that this book was interesting the entire way through.

This book was about Dan who had encountered a famous serial killer in his childhood. Years later, still impacted by this trauma, he returns to his small town after receiving unfortunate news about his father. Upon investigating the suspicious circumstances, he notices the links to the serial killer from his past.

I thought the writing style was quite unique. There were flashbacks and multiple POVs. I loved Dan as the MC. He had depth and was really well-written. There was also a small subplot with Dan and a girl from his childhood. The second half of thid book was amazing. It was tense and there was no way of guessing what would happen next. The plot twist was completely unexpected and the whole story was a really interesting concept and had real life lessons intertwined.

Dan has been haunted his whole life by a crime he witnessed as a child. He has spent his life dedicated to becoming a professional profiler. When his father passes away under suspicious circumstances Dan returns home to uncover the truth. Is it possible the monster from his childhood has returned.
I Struggled to follow this to start with but I think that was a me problem. Once I got into this the second half of the book had me hooked. Some of the descriptions in this book were so tense and had me on the edge of my seat. Will be looking to read more of Alex North backlist ☺️
Thank you to Netgalley, Michael Joseph and Alex North for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book as its another thriller that seems to be all the rage these days but I actually enjoyed it. Strong character development. The plot flowed at a nice speed. I liked how the main character tried to get into the heads of the other characters to try and figure out their motives. Reminded me of the characters in the tv programmes Hannibal and Mindhunter.

Will be reading more by this author.

Highly recommend this book.

Another creepy tale from Alex North. I had to read this one with the lights on. Fast paced and thrilling, I highly recommend