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.

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