At twelve years old, Dan Garvie was on a family trip when they stopped at a rest area. In the bathroom, Dan found himself within arm's length of a man he later learned was the Pied Piper, a serial killer. Although Dan managed to hide and escape, he couldn't save a young boy who was clearly in danger. This event haunted Dan and motivated him to pursue a career as a criminal psychologist. His father, John, a policeman, spent his retirement working on cold cases. When Dan was called with the news that his father was believed to have committed suicide, he returned to the island where he grew up to learn more about this tragedy and a recent murder.

Alex North has delivered another chilling, atmospheric tale. The Man Made of Smoke is a gripping, dark story about evil, revenge, trauma, and guilt. This well-done thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

4.25 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North due to be published May 13, 2025.

Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child—narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. When his father passes away under suspicious circumstances, Dan revisits his small island community, determined to uncover the truth about his death. Is it possible that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmares has returned after all these years?
The Man Made of Smoke was told from alternating timelines and people and was a little confusing to catch on at first, but then, oh boy! What a wild ride! Just when I thought I had it figured out – nope! It kept my attention from start to finish, gave me cold chills, and I loved the ending!
Also recommended by Alex North: The Angel Maker!

#NetGalley #AlexNorth #CeladonBooks #TheManMadeOfSmoke

The Man Made of Smoke is the first Alex North novel I have read but it most definitely will not be the last. Such a unique thriller with an ending you won’t see coming. Highly recommend!

After reading all of Alex North's previous books and absolutely loving each one, I was beyond excited to dive into The Man Made of Smoke, and I can honestly say it did not disappoint. This novel is another masterpiece in North's impressive catalog, blending psychological suspense, dark atmospheres, and unforgettable characters into a thrilling story that had me hooked from the very first page.

The plot follows an investigative journalist named Saul, who finds himself revisiting a long-buried case from his past. The case involves a man who may have been involved in a series of bizarre disappearances, and as Saul digs deeper, he uncovers secrets that will shake him to his core. North’s trademark tension is present throughout, with a slow-burn build that keeps you on edge, constantly questioning what’s real and what’s not.

What truly stood out for me was North's ability to create such complex, flawed characters. Saul is a fantastic protagonist—someone who feels both relatable and deeply troubled, which makes his journey even more compelling. North's writing is atmospheric and immersive, and he has a unique gift for making even the most mundane moments feel heavy with meaning.

Fans of his previous work will recognize the same eerie, page-turning quality that made books like The Whisper Man and The Shadows so captivating, but The Man Made of Smoke also feels like a natural evolution in his writing. It’s deeper, more nuanced, and tackles themes of memory, guilt, and the weight of the past in such a gripping way. The twists and turns left me breathless, and the haunting conclusion stayed with me long after I finished the book.

In short, The Man Made of Smoke is another five-star triumph from Alex North. If you’ve loved his previous books, you’ll adore this one too—it’s a perfect blend of everything that makes his writing so compelling. I can’t wait to see what he does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was a quick read but I found myself skimming the portions of introspection, particularly when the main character was in his thoughts. That always feels a bit lazy to me as a way to avoid the "show, don't tell" rule.
The big reveal did surprise me but felt a bit out there with a few too many suspensions of disbelief required. The idea that "no one sees, no one cares" has unfortunately been proven repeatedly true in real life, so that was an interesting (and disturbing) plot device.
I found the storyline to be fairly compelling but ultimately this isn't a book that will stick with me.

This was so good! As a HUGE fan of *The Whisper Man*, I was thrilled to see some similar themes – grief, the father-son dynamic, a serial killer, and a small-town detective, just to name a few.

The story had me hooked from start to finish and gave me chills more than once.

It made me feel emotional, scared, and kept me thinking. I thought I had it all figured out halfway through, but there were plenty of twists left to come.

Loved the ending, too!

Daniel comes back to town when he get word that is father seems to have committed suicide but as Daniel starts looking thru his father's belongings what he uncovers could be another possible serial killer tied to The Pied Piper child serial killer from his past. This book was very captivating! I loved going along digging into this mystery of what happened to his dad and who is killing now with Daniel. Excellent book and such a great mystery!

Thank you so much to Alex North and Celadon Books for my copy of The Man Made of Smoke! This book was about Dan, a man haunted by a crime that he saw as a child. He narrowly escaped a serial killer and became a criminal profiler to find justice for victims like he could have been. When his father dies under mysterious circumstances, Dan returns home to try to find out the truth about his death. He hopes that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmares isn’t back, but knows there is something much darker going on than originally meets the eye.

Thoughts: This book was chilling and dark and so much fun to read. The pied piper serial killer was terrifying and evil, and it was sad to read about the guilt that Dan carried with him after not being able to do anything as a child. This book was about fathers and sons, family relationships, and the shadows in our pasts. It was a bit slow to start, but completely creepy and impossible to put down.

I loved this book and had no idea where it was going. I thought it was so well written and really enjoyed Dan as a main character. There were some great twists in this story, and the idea of people being killed off in that terrifying way was so eerie and horrifying. This might just be my new favorite by North, or at least tied with The Whisper Man. 4.5 stars for this one!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Man Made of Smoke.

I really like the author's premises but the stories always leave me wanting.

The Man Made of Smoke is a great example.

I love horror and the supernatural or horror with supernatural elements.

Is the story supernatural or contains supernatural elements grounded in reality?

The serial killer seems to possess supernatural abilities though his presence is minor in the plot. And he's the most interesting character!

Who is he? What is he? Where did he come from?

I don't think the author knows for sure and maybe that's why the killer is superfluous to the plot as Dan Garvie and his former ex-cop dad, John, takes center stage.

Dan is not an interesting character despite his link to the serial killer case as one of the witnesses who saw one of the victims that fateful day.

He's pulled into a serial murder case with links to the man made of smoke when his father goes missing and Dan takes over from where his dad left off investigating the death of a murdered woman.

The chapters are split mostly between Dan and his dad, John.

For some reason his dad's chapters aren't titled and I was briefly confused when he was introduced with no chapter title or context. Very odd since other POV chapters were titled.

We see how John is inadvertently pulled into the case and how he reaches his conclusions, which is great, but in some ways also repetitive.

Second, Dan has a tendency to talk to his dad or establish some kind of spiritual connection with the murderer (this happens quite often among some of the characters).

At first I thought he was just analyzing the case, using his father's voice as a guide like Dexter would hear his dad, Harry in his head.

But this literary device got old fast and I began to wonder if Dan was losing his marbles after what happened to him as a kid.

I don't mind a novel with different elements but it felt like the author wasn't sure which way he was going to go; make it horror supernatural or more of the latter than the former.

Third, the writing flowed and there was some suspense but the dual POVs of Dan and John slowed the pacing of the story.

I wasn't a fan of whodunit. Okay, whatever.

I liked the premise and if Dan was a compelling character and the story had focused on the serial killer or the identity of the bad guy was more believable I would have liked this more.

Alex North is a master of the thriller/horror genre. The Man Made of Smoke is one of his best. A serial killer called Pied Piper is the stuff of nightmares - both of children and adults. It was dark, intense, heart pounding and hard to put down (after checking the windows and doors!). Interesting characters, relationships and and surprises round this novel out nicely!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I always enjoy North's books and was excited to read his latest.

I found this dark tale gripping and compelling. I stayed up way too late to finish reading, unwilling or perhaps unable to sleep without reaching the conclusion. The story was terrifying, the whistling child abductor./murderer, but I appreciate that the author doesn't go into too much gruesome detail about the nature of the crimes inflicted on the child victims. There were several times I thought I had guessed the outcome, but there was always more story to unravel.

A really good read.

The Man Made of Smoke was dark, chilling, disturbing, and nearly impossible to put down.

Despite the atrocities committed by certain characters, Alex North humanizes them with a gentle reminder that we all carry trauma. What matters is how we handle it and the choices we make.

The theme of "Nobody sees and nobody cares" recurs throughout the book. Most people want to feel seen. Some individuals transform their trauma into a vessel for helping others, while others permit their trauma to morph them into monsters. This story examines how these dynamics can unfold for better or for worse.

I appreciate a tale with an introspective life lesson; this brilliantly woven narrative delivers that in abundance.
Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 4.5 stars rounded up.

Alex North has become one of my favorite authors in the past few years, so I was excited to read his forthcoming book, The Man Made of Smoke. It’s due out in May, but I was lucky to receive a physical arc this month.

The Man Made of Smoke has many of the themes that stand out most in Alex North’s work. It highlights relationships between fathers and sons, with all the complications and miscommunications that can come with. Here, Dan and has father John are both torn apart and united by their proximity to a serial killer two decades earlier. When that case comes back into their lives, it threatens to end their relationship forever… or bring them back together again.

I enjoyed the way the characters had conversations with each other in their minds, putting themselves into each other’s shoes. How would my dad think about this? How would my son approach the issue? Another recurring theme is the mantras people tell themselves, often in the most unforgiving, belittling way. It’s what can drive isolation and self-hate if not checked.

This novel is tragic in many ways, and especially now that I have a son myself, it was at times hard to read. But for all the horrors that occur here, it is ultimately about uncovering the real people behind the labels and healing from tragedy.

4.5 Stars

Thank you to Macmillan Publishers for the ARC copy of The Man Made of Smoke in exchange for my honest review.

As a huge fan of Alex North, I went into this one with high expectations—The Whisper Man set the bar incredibly high for me. While The Man Made of Smoke didn’t quite surpass that personal favorite, it still delivered a chilling, emotionally resonant experience that I won’t forget anytime soon.

North’s signature atmosphere is in full force here: haunting, lyrical, and layered with unease. The way he blends folklore, memory, and grief is masterful, creating a slow-burning mystery that feels both deeply personal and universally unsettling. The emotional depth really stood out—certain moments lingered with me long after finishing the book.

If I had to nitpick, the pacing did lull a bit in the middle, which is what ultimately kept this from being a full 5 stars for me. That said, the payoff is absolutely worth it, and fans of North’s previous novels will find plenty to love.

Overall, The Man Made of Smoke is another strong, haunting story from an author who consistently delivers thoughtful, suspenseful reads. Just don’t expect The Whisper Man 2.0—this is its own beast, and it’s beautifully done.

What a ride this read turned out to be. I read The Whisper Man last summer and absolutely devoured it, this book carried a similar vibe.

The multiple POVs leave you on edge as the details of the story slowly unravel, revealing an unsuspecting picture.

I loved how the MC took us through each of every step he took, taking us through both past and present as he attempted to solve the mystery behind his father’s death. North also gives insight into other characters, having those insights really got the wheels turning and helped to give the mystery additional layers.

Despite my love of the POVs, they did become a bit challenging for me to follow at points which is why I dropped the rating. Not sure if it was just the placement of certain sections but it became a bit of a mess in some places.

Overall. I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend to anyone who loves a good crime thriller.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to arc read!

THE MAN MADE OF SMOKE was atmospheric and creepy, setting the story up quickly and drawing me in right away. The various timelines were a bit confusing but the author did a nice job weaving everything together. The second half of the novel started dragging though and the ride to the finish line was a bit bumpy and convoluted.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read and review THE MAN MADE OF SMOKE.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! The Man Made of Smoke delivers a haunting, atmospheric mystery with a creeping sense of dread that kept me turning the pages. The writing is immersive, and the unsettling premise had so much potential.

That said, while I enjoyed the eerie vibes, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me the way The Whisper Man did. The tension was there, but the payoff didn’t fully deliver, and some moments felt a bit dull. Still, if you’re in the mood for a slow-burn thriller with a chilling atmosphere, this one is worth a read!

You will never recover from the creepy hair raising intensity of this book. I loved Whisper Man, but this is utterly terrifying. Alex North is the master of darkness and what lurks inside.

I absolutely LOVED The Whisper Man, and also enjoyed The Shadows, so when I saw North was coming out with another novel I knew I had to jump in.

And man, I am so glad I did. This book had me hooked literally from page 1; more literally, I was hooked from the first sentence. While not as creepy as The Whisper Man (still one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read), it had its own creep factor.

I really appreciated the way that Dan tried to get into the minds of others, like his father and the murderer. It reminded me so much of Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds, which is high praise as he’s one of my favorite characters of all time.

I will say, I do think it dragged a bit in the middle for me personally. I’m not a slow burn gal and I just wanna get to the good stuff. But again, simply a personal thing. I still devoured the book in 3 days- which is basically like finishing it in a day as I’m the mother of 2 very small children (4 and 13months). My only other beef is that the big reveal with the killer fell a little flat for me. I feel like it was here and done in the blink of an eye and I think I was expecting to get a little more from it.

All in all though, I very much enjoyed. This was the perfect little thrilling palate cleanser that I hoped it would be. Kudos on another job well done to North.

Special thanks to Alex North, Celadon books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to devour this eARC!