A 2.5 star for me. I had high hopes for this one but I just could not get into it. It had a dragging feel to it -- ready to make the jump to hyper-love this book moments, but it just did not get there. The conclusion was underwhelming. I do hear great things about this author's other books so I"m going to give those a try. Thank you to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“<i>Nobody sees and nobody cares</i>.”

Dan is haunted by a crime he witnessed as a child. He still carries guilt that he didn’t do more to save a child from a serial killer, even though he was just a child himself.

The killer drifted through the world, seemingly invisible to most… “<i>Nobody sees and nobody cares</i>.”

But if anyone sees and tells, they become the next victim.

Now, as an adult, Dan is a psychiatrist with a specialty as a criminal profiler. His father John, a police detective, goes missing and is presumed dead. Dan returns to his hometown, where the ghosts from the past still haunt him. Is it possible the serial murderer is back?

The exploration of grief, guilt, and the complexities of father-son relationships juxtaposed with a classic serial murder mystery, made this a riveting page-turner.

This is an eerie, haunting story that In the last 15% or so, had me on the edge of my seat.

Told in two different timelines, Dan and his father’s, I was deeply invested in these characters, their thoughts, emotions, memories, and their trauma. I loved the imagined conversations Dan had with his father, which helped lead him to the truth.

Narrated by Shane Zaza, he did an excellent job, adding to the chilling atmosphere.

Deliciously creepy and chilling, I highly recommended!

4.5 stars rounded down to 4. When it comes to Alex North novels; compared to The Whisper Man & The Shadows this mystery fell a bit flat. As an independent mystery novel this is an easy A++ of a novel.

Dan is haunted by a boy from his past. Not one he once knew, but one seen only once at a rest stop many years ago. A boy who was accompanied by the Pied Piper serial killer and was later found deceased. When people from Dan's community begin to go missing and bodies start piling up is there a relation to all those involved? And can Dan make the connections quick enough after his own father goes missing?

Alex North has a true gift. His novels are unlike any other I have read, drawing you in and convincing you that you know where he's going only to TRULY sucker punch you and make you feel like the biggest dummy in the best way. This novel is no exception, however I was disappointed that the supernatural element from his past few I have read wasn't present. He is a master of selling you on otherworldly beings then explaining them as mere men through a web of events.

The narrator was excellent, able to weave through multiple points of view and accents with ease; adding to the story and never distracting from it.

The Man Made of Smoke is a great addition to the North Legacy and will satiate any super sleuth looking for a page turner.🫆 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

I was intrigued by the synopsis and the beginning really grabbed my attention and pulled me in. I think overall the story is strong, but for a short book there were parts in the middle that dragged on so long. I think the excitement was overshadowed by the slower parts and not in a good way. The book is still enjoyable and I think that people who like to read about serial killers, profilers will most like enjoy it. I think I'll have to read something else by this author before I can give a fair assessment whether it's for me or not.

In exchange for an honest review, I have to be—well—honest: this one didn’t quite land for me. While there were undeniably eerie elements that evoked the unsettling atmosphere of The Blair Witch Project (being cornered by unseen forces) and Candyman (those chilling subliminal whispers of “nobody sees, nobody cares”), the overall pacing dragged.

Alex North is talented at weaving creepy plot devices into his stories, and they’re certainly present here, but the slow progression made it tough to stay fully engaged. The audiobook format didn’t help either—alternating narrators between the main character and his father, across different timelines, plus the added layer of internal voices, made it a challenge to keep everything straight. Honestly, it left me feeling disoriented more often than not.

I suspect I might’ve had a better experience reading the physical book, but alas. This wasn't my favorite by North, but I have to admit—it delivered a few solid goosebumps. So, not a total miss.

I've enjoyed 3 of Alex North's books (including this one) and found them interesting and suspenseful. Father-son dynamics are interesting and I think this is a thriller that will appeal to more men than the classic Frieda McFadden / James Patterson quick suspense read will.

Thank you to NetGalley for this gifted audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate it!

Whoa this was another great one by Alex North. It was intense and gripping. I could not stop listening to see what was going to happen. The audio was done well and I will always recommend his books.

Alex North is a must read author for me and I was excited to pick up his latest, The Man Made of Smoke. I listened to this novel on audio and it definitely provided a different experience than I feel physically reading it would have.

I enjoyed this novel but I didn't love it. There was quite a bit going on with various timelines and narrators, multiple mysteries, and layers to the (many) investigations. I think I would have been better able to keep track of everything had I been reading the novel rather than listening to it. The narrator was good but the accent was strong and there weren't multiple narrators to play each part (which is always a struggle for me).

I also slightly expected this novel to be horror-adjacent and it wasn't at all. The title was explicitly woven into the novel several times but I still don't get quite how it fit (probably a me a problem!).

North did a tremendous job keeping me guessing and ultimately tying his many storylines and mysteries all together. I appreciated that there wasn't one nice bow tied at the end, yet there were no loose strings or lingering questions.

All in all, I enjoyed this but it's not likely to stick with me. If you've enjoyed North in the past, definitely pick up but maybe grab an ebook or physical copy over the audio.

Thank you to Celadon and MacMillan Audio for the copy.

A psychological thriller about a boy, now a man, who is haunted by his bare escape from a serial killer as a child. His father was also obsessed with the case, and begins investigating it himself. When his father disappears, his son finds breadcrumbs left to pick up the investigation and face his past.

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I went into The Man Made of Smoke with high hopes. Alex North is known for eerie, emotionally layered thrillers, and the premise here is full of promise: a haunted past, a mysterious death, and the chilling possibility that a childhood monster has returned.

Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t my cup of tea. While the story had dark, introspective themes and a unique island setting, I found the audiobook difficult to follow. Like many other listeners have noted, the format may be better suited to a physical read, where it’s easier to track shifting timelines and internal monologues.

That said, the atmosphere was rich, and the emotional threads between fathers and sons were compelling. If you’re a fan of North’s previous work, you might still want to give it a try, but I’d personally recommend picking up the print version over the audio.

A huge thank you to Macmillan Audio for granting me access to this title!

I loved all of Alex North's books, but I just couldn't get into this one. I'm not sure if it's because of the dual POV of his father and him, but I just wasn't as invested as I usually am.

The audio for this was hard for me to follow - I think it was just a personal preference and nothing to do with the book itself though, as I really enjoyed eyeball reading the physical copy! Definitely check this one out, but if you are like me, it may not translate as well with audio.

I heard such great things about this one, but it just didn't work for me. I couldn't get into it at all. I didn't fully grasp what was happening, I felt it was all over the place and it just didn't do it for me. I had to DNF.

Couldn't really get into this one, but I've heard great things so if you're a thriller lover, give it a go.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 5/13
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Alex North will always be an auto-buy author for me. He manages to write such addicting and atmospheric stories, and The Man Made of Smoke was no different, it is definitely a must read.
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Right from the start this book starts off with such an intense and creepy situation. From there North builds the story by giving the readers three different POV and timelines. We get the POV of Dan - the main character and criminal profiler in both the present (when his dad goes missing/dies) and in the past (after his encounter with a serial killer) and then the recent past POV from Dan's father. It definitely takes a few chapters to get used to this format, but I promise you it is worth every second of this book to see how North intricated weaves these timelines and POV together. It's fast paced and addicting and you can't help but want to figure out who exactly is behind all of these crimes. Phenomenal story.
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I listened to this via audiobook while reading a copy of my ARC. Shane Zaza was the perfect pick for this story. I was also very happy to be able to have both formats in order to read this book because I think the shifting of timelines / POVs could be a bit confusing without both formats. If you are thinking of picking this one up though - defintiely check out the audiobook because Zaza was *chefs kiss* the best narrator.
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This is jam packed with tension, suspense and twists that will keep you up all hours of the night reading. This book is fantastic, and I highly recommend it to all of my thriller fans. You don't want to miss out on this one. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Alex North, Macmillian Audio and Celadon Books for the ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alex North is baaack!! This time, it's all about a serial killer, The Man Made of Smoke. Dark, suffocating, suspenseful... although this slower paced book didn't quite have me at page one. It did manage to seep into my psyche and wrap its creepy tendrils around me.

Dan returns to his childhood home after he hears that his dad, John, has disappeared, presumed dead. While looking through clues that led his father to possibly kill himself, he discovers a cold case that John, a retired police officer, had been working on. The case is familiar to Dan as he was a witness when he was twelve years old. He saw a young boy being kidnapped while he and his dad stopped at a restroom on a road trip. While in the restroom, he hears the kidnapper say, "Nobody sees. Nobody cares." Dan, frozen and scared, does nothing to help the boy.

This book had many layers. It was more than just a mystery thriller. It delved into guilt and remorse and the impact it had on Dan, John, and their relationship. The story was told from multiple perspectives. The audio narration was good but confusing at times using the same narrator for the different perspectives. The audio would've been more colorful and easier to follow with different narrators.

The pacing was also on the slow side. It took time to get into the first half while the second half galloped along. The mystery itself was riveting and unpredictable.

Thank you #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
#TheManMadeOfSmoke

Alex North’s newest novel is a fast paced, serial killer thriller. I started this one as an audiobook, but I was not a fan of the narrator. However, I am glad that I decided to switch to the physical book and finish this one!

The story is told from multiple POVs and had some good twists. Like his other novels, there are creepy moments sprinkled throughout the story. Overall, this one was not as creepy as his previous books, but I still enjoyed the read.

Alex north is fantastic at writing thrillers that suck you in. They are so atmospheric and really make you feel like your with the characters in his novels. This one kept me guessing until the very end and I highly recommend!

After his dad apparent suicide Dan comes back to the place where he grew up to figure out what could have driven his father to such a drastic decision. Coming back here also means facing his old demons again mostly the one that's been haunting him forever. The Man Made of Smoke. Will he finally be able to lay his guilt down and find out what really happened on that dreadful day? Or will he follow his dad on the dangerous path he found his end in.

I really enjoyed the relationship Dan had with his father. For me, a huge strength of this book his the characters, that I found intriguing and well developed. Of course the mystery is at the center of the story but the characters are strong enough to still stand out and grab my interest on their own terms.