Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for sending me an ARC of The Man Made of Smoke in exchange for an honest review.

When he was 12 years old, Dan Garvie saw a terrified boy in a rest stop bathroom, but he got scared and hid rather than trying to help. He may have saved himself from the serial killer in that bathroom, but the boy was one of several later found dead, and the aftermath of the encounter tore Dan’s family apart. Now, Dan is a prison psychiatrist who’s emotionally closed himself off. When he gets a call that his father is missing and presumed dead by suicide, Dan returns home, where he learns that his father had recently found the charred corpse of a missing woman on his daily walk. Soon, Dan is following the same clues his father had followed weeks earlier before his disappearance, wondering if he’s on the trail of the presumed dead Pied Piper … or someone even worse.

The Man Made of Smoke is another solid mystery thriller from Alex North. It jumps between perspectives and time periods, but without confusion. There are a couple of obvious mysteries here—about the disappearances and murders in the past, those in the present—but there are more subtle ones as well. What happened to Dan’s father, and why was he keeping so much from Dan? Why couldn’t Dan and his father maintain a relationship to try to heal after Dan’s brush with death? There are several red herrings, and some nice misdirection; I did not see the ending coming u til quite late. And, as with Mr. North’s other books, it’s very creepy, teetering on the edge of horror. Recommended.

Alex North has done it again with his latest novel. This book was so intense and kept me guessing till the very end. I loved the multiple points of view that kept you guessing what was happening all the way till the end when the story wraps up and it all comes together.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North is as much an exploration of bystander intervention as it is a serial killer mystery. North also delves into the complicated relationship between fathers and sons and how trauma can shape a life.

I thought the story started off a bit slow, but once things began to fall into place, the pace picked up and I had to know how it would end. I always enjoy multiple perspectives and dual timelines/investigations because they’re a great way to introduce red herrings and allow the reader to piece together the clues. I was also surprised with the conclusion, as it went in a way I did not expect.

A huge thank you to Celadon Books and Alex North for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of The Man Made of Smoke!

This book had a hold on me from the very beginning. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs from Daniel, his father, and one of the victims, as well as how the author gave voices to those involved through Daniel as he tried to get into their heads.

This story is gripping and twisty, and it had me questioning who was truly a victim and whose actions were a result of their experiences the entire time. Any fan of true crime and/or documentaries, I think, would really enjoy this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

• serial killer thriller
• cat and mouse
• eerie atmosphere

Interesting plot and pretty dark/heavy themes. I was confused with the POVs - there isn't really a distinction, so I was having trouble keeping up with who was narrating. This is my favorite book by this author since The Whisper Man, though.

🗣 Thank you to netgalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

If there is such a thing as a perfect book, it’s this one. 5 stars. 10/10. No notes. If this isn’t THE thriller of the year, something is wrong with the world. Thank you for the opportunity to read an ARC of this masterpiece.

Dan refuses to believe that monsters exist - as a prison psychologist, he sees people as people, & the trauma those individuals have both endured & inflicted on others. But he may just change his mind when the serial killer sighting he was present for as a child seems to have a connection to his father’s recent death…

Alex North has done it again. Creeping me out in the best possible way while simultaneously telling a compelling story is his forte, & everytime I finish one of his books I look forward to scaring myself (& going through an emotional rollercoaster) with the next one. The recurring theme of liminal spaces was particularly well done, & the bittersweet ending had me pondering the connections we as humans have to one another.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & Celadon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Alex North never misses, NEVER.

From the very beginning you’re sucked in. We’re following Daniel Garvie, a criminal profiler who had a passing encounter with a serial killer. Dan ends up having to go home to the island he was from, because his father committed suicide. But Dan uncovers things, making him think his father didn’t kill himself, but instead had a suspicious death.

Following along multiple POVs and timelines, he weaves the horror of it all as Dan unpacks all of his shame, guilt, and trauma from the past.

“Nobody sees, nobody cares.”

Alex North delivers another chilling, emotionally rich thriller with The Man Made of Smoke. This is Alex North doing what Alex North does best! Dan Garvie is haunted by a brutal crime he witnessed as a child and now faced with the eerie possibility that the killer has resurfaced decades later. The mix of psychological depth and pure suspense kept me flying through the story.

North balances creepy, slow-burn tension with real heart, especially in the way he explores father-son relationships and how trauma shapes us. Definitely a must-read if you love smart, layered thrillers that keep you guessing.

Thank you Alex North, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

#themanmadeofsmoke #netgalleyarc #netgalleyreview #netgalley #arcreview #arc #arcreader #review #somanybookssolittletime

** spoiler alert ** Thank you NetGalley and Celadon for the eARC!

Alex North is a fantastic storyteller. The build up in this is so good. I was not expecting Craig to be involved, even though I had a feeling James was really dead. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and multiple timelines, which can get a bit complicated but it felt organized and not overwhelming. In the end you saw how everything connected

I received this book as an ARC, and I'm disappointed it took me so long to read it finally! I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense building and the multiple POVs. The various timelines also pulled the story together well. It was overall a gripping read. It may have been my first book by Alex North, but it certainly won't be my last!

Absolutely loved this book! 5 stars! No one does an atmospheric setting better than Alex North. I read this in two days and could’ve read another 100 pages.

I liked the two different point of views from John and his son Daniel. Also, I enjoyed how we ‘heard’ the killers voice. It gave me an insight to how he became who he was. I had no idea who the killer was and was shocked when I found out.

* This book does have trigger warnings for kidnapping, violence and death.

I did enjoy this thriller. It was slow burn but I ate it up and could not put it down. This is my first book by Alex North, and it won't be my last. This book really ended up creeping me out but I couldn't help but love it.

Another amazing book from Alex North!! And this one is definitely one of my favorites of his. The Man Made of Smoke is full of the perfect creepy atmosphere and layered mystery, as well as a powerful look at the relationship between fathers and sons…all trademarks of North’s books to date…and I loved every minute of it! This story was so well developed and captivating that it lulled me right in and I didn’t stop listening until I reached the end.

Dan Garvie gets a phone call that his dad has disappeared and is likely dead, so he returns to the island where he grew up, only to discover his dad has been researching the serial killer Dan narrowly escaped as a child. Dan picks up where his dad left off, and the hunt for a truly evil serial killer begins.

This got under my skin from the start. The dark vibe is set with Dan in the prison, and is added to with the island that is only accessible by ferry certain times of the day. That feeling of being trapped pervades throughout the book, and is such a great way of making readers feel the way the victims of The Man Made of Smoke must have felt. I enjoyed the complicated relationships between the characters as well: Dan with his dad, his old friend, and his old nemesis. Alex North does serial killer thrillers so well and I cannot wait to read the next one!

North continues to be a must-read author for me and this is no exception! I did stop and wonder if we were straying into the supernatural, but ultimately decided (based on the characters themselves admitting) that it was just imaginations going wild. Sure the story pushed that a bit farther than reality would hold, so know that going in. But what you get in this story is a long twisty path of redemption and retribution. The characters have depth and are definitely not perfect people. The events in the story work to bring out both the best and the worst in all of them. And who said murderers have to play by the rules? This one certainly doesn't! Get ready for a page turner!

This was my first Alex North book. I really enjoyed the pacing and the way he wrote out chapters that kinda left me feeling enough of a cliffhanger that I wanted to read the next chapter. There were a few different spots that ramped up suspense and got my blood pressure up (which I enjoy out of a thriller read). I encourage people looking for a crime drama that also tugs a little on the heart strings to check this one out.

Another great read by Alex North thanks to netgalley - I think so much of tv/movies recently has been reboots /remakes or general recycling of old ideas and concepts and I know their is comfort in routine and predictability but I really appreciate writers who have accepted the challenge to keep the reader on their toes and to find new paths stepping of the standard crime stories / murder mystery plot or breakdown and this was that, another read that really kept me guessing! I knew who, but not why, at one point but it was near the end already so it took much longer than normal and it was just when there was something (no spoilers - if you read it let me know and I’ll tell you to see if you got it too) I picked up on that gave the me the “oh no” yelling at the screen “don’t do it” vibe but again I still didn’t know why and had so much to figure out - it was really entertaining ! I liked the criminal minds / mind hunter vibes with the psychological breakdowns and interpretations but also loved how this in no way gave away the plot or the ending!
This was my running read on the tread and it was a huge help through the intervals- I can only read really good books on runs because I need the mental distraction from my suffering!

After escaping a serial killer ,Dan Garvie decides to escape his home town and become a criminal profiler to help put these killers behind bars. When his father dies he returns to his fathers house but he begins to question his fathers death. Is the killer still here.
A tense read where nothing is as it seems, it's a totally page turning read that will keep you guessing. Will satisfy every suspense readers wishes.

Alex North has become an auto read author for me. This was not my favorite of his (that is still The Whisper Man), but this is a solid spooky thriller. I enjoyed how the mystery unfolded and all the complex pieces came together perfectly. Highly recommend checking it out when it comes out (and adding the authors other books to your TBR.