This was a very well told story that kept me guessing. I was engaged the entire time and wondering what was going to happen. I love that North is able to keep me guessing, but not confused. It gives the book such a suspenseful feel.

This one involves abuses to various people including children, so if you are sensitive to that be aware beforehand. The story includes discussion of people and how they handle the guilt they feel for things they had no control over and how minor misinterpretations of of other people's thoughts or intentions can blossom into something unexpected. It ends up being an emotional read as well as a suspenseful one.

Told in different timelines and through multiple perspectives it was really interesting to see it all come together. We have the point of view from Dan, the main character of the book, but we also have the POV from his father and from a boy that was involved in the crime Dan witnessed as a child. All three perspectives were engaging and worked well together.

I had the ebook and audio of this one. The audio was narrated by Shane Zaza and I thought he did an excellent job. Honestly, I would say that either format is great, but if you enjoy audiobooks then I would definitely go for this one.

I can't wait to read whatever Alex North puts out next.

I think I would have enjoyed this more if I read it vs listening. I felt bored and confused. However I know this is a great author so probably just me

We are so back!!!!

Alex North does it again with this spellbinding thriller that had me glued to every word and page. The start will hit you with a deeply unsettling feeling, a low thrum in your gut of tension that lingers until you see how the next piece in the puzzle unfolds.

This was twisty and tightly paced without feeling rushed. You have a true sense of the main character, Daniel, which makes this feel even more intimate and claustrophobic as so much of the solving happens in his head while he has imaginary conversations with his dad and the killer. It’s trippy and, in the hands of a less capable writer, would instantly feel gimmicky, but with North, it feels clever and makes use of Daniel’s backstory and trauma we’ll, while also bringing the reader in deeper, intimately involved in every thought and step Daniel takes.

As it all starts to come together, North manages to deliver right on a knife’s edge of almost fantastical and supernatural, yet also raw and gripped by the real world. It’s his typical flair and style which I was happy to stay has remained.

It’s been a bit since a thriller captured my attention this tightly and never waxed or waned. I did want maybe just a TEENY bit more in the epilogue but it was still overall satisfying. 4.5 overall and another winner from the author!

Thank you Celadon for my ARC is exchange for an honest review!

✨Happy Pub Day to Alex North

The Man Made of Smoke
Hardcover: 320 pages
Audiobook: 8hrs & 53 minutes
Narrator: Shane Zaza
Genre: Mystery Thriller

Calling all Horror Lovers & Thriller Fanatics to the front of the class - this one is for you!!!

Looking for a book that keeps on giving - a mystery wrapped within a mystery, wrapped within a mystery!! Then this book is most definitely for you!

A terrifying look into the mind of a serial killer.

💨Read if you like:
🔥Small town drama
🔥Island Setting
🔥Father/Son dynamics
🔥Serial Killer Stories
🔥Eerie & Creepy Vibes
🔥Multiple POVs
🔥A story to make you get up and throw your lights on as you run to check your locks to make sure they’re locked

I love an immersive read. For me it’s the BEST way to consume a book. This audiobook was such a suspenseful creepy listen. Maybe too creepy to listen / read in the dark. It made enjoying this one so much more! That level of creepiness totally elevated this reading experience! The narrator did a fantastic job!

A huge thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio & NetGalley
For my gifted ARC & ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Go to your favorite bookstore & pick up this killer book TODAY!!!

This was phenomenally executed! The timelines ended up lining up perfectly and helped shape the story so well

Alex North never misses. This is by far the best thriller I’ve read this year.

North’s stories are always dark but alot of the gory details are done off page in such a way that feels signature to his style. This is well plotted and there is no wasted space, the story is layered and twisty and stays in the realm of believability while also being sinister and tense.

“Nobody sees and nobody cares.”

This book is like a mystery wrapped within a mystery wrapped within a mystery. I’ve never read anything like it!

The Man Made of Smoke is the latest dark suspense novel from Alex North, bestselling author of The Whisper Man. I have read almost all of his books and they have that perfect mix of creep factor and realism as you know that these scenarios could actually happen.

Reading this book is like watching one of the most disturbing serial killer documentaries on Netflix. It’s gruesome and tragic but you just. Can’t. Look. Away. You don’t want to be fascinated by the depravity of humanity but you just can’t help yourself.

The audiobook is so good I had a hard time listening to it in the dark at certain points. It is like suspenseful creepy if that makes sense. And being able to truly make me fearful from a book is quite a feat.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books, and the author for the ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Man Made of Smoke is a slow burn mystery with plenty of creepy atmospheric elements.

Nobody sees, and nobody cares.

Dan encounters a serial killer with an emaciated, dirty young boy in a rest area while on a family day trip when he himself was still a young boy. Being a child himself, he recognized the danger but didn't know what to do other than to hide in the bathroom stall. Fast forward to the present, when Dan is called to return to his hometown after his father dies under suspicious circumstances and leaves a note saying simply "Notify my son."

It seems as though someone is taking revenge on all the people who were in the news for encountering the serial killer that day and failing to act. Dan is one of them...is he next?

This book moved slower than I would have liked, and the audiobook narrator had such a soothing, calming voice that I would sometimes zone out and have to rewind passages. But it was worth it to do so; I didn't want to miss anything.

Thank you @macmillan.audio #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

Okay, THIS ONE. Hands down my favorite Alex North book so far! I’ve read a couple of his before, but this one seriously scared the bejeebies out of me — and that’s exactly why I love reading creepy books like this. The prologue alone was nightmare fuel. I legit had to pause, catch my breath, and remind myself it’s just a story… or is it?! 😳

I’m reading this one as part of a traveling ARC and did a combo of eyeball reading and audiobook, and let me just say — the audio made it even creepier. The narrator nailed the eerie vibes which just added to my anxiety :)

What I loved most was how Alex kicked things off with the literally the most terrifying scene and then slowly, methodically unraveled the story, giving us insight into each character and how they were all connected. It was so well-paced and so tense. I especially loved the relationship between the main character and his dad — the way he would “talk” to him and reflect on things even though he wasn’t around anymore. It added this unexpected emotional layer that stuck with me.

Fair warning: this book is NOT for the faint of heart. It’ll have you double-checking your locks, peeking under your bed, and sleeping with the lights on. Thank you Alex for officially ruining my sleep schedule.

Huge 5 stars for this one, Alex! Can’t wait to see what you cook up next.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC.

I think Alex Norrh just isn’t for me. This was ok. It could be because of the audiobook. I didn’t like the narrator and found myself spacing off. I would have to rewind so I could listen again.

This book is great for anyone looking for a suspenseful and captivating psychological murder mystery. Throughout the book you find yourself looking for clues and answers, yet the twists keep you guessing till the end. I found that this books not only follows a murder’s long lasting effects, but the different psychological impact and effects on each character. Our main character, Daniel, is a physiologist that specializes on prisoners and their motives because of their own traumas. I found this fascinating, keeping me hooked from the beginning, and how his physiologist perspective might bleed into his finding in the murder mystery. The audiobook version is definitely worth a listen because the narrator does a great job performing the characters and their real time reactions and emotions to situations. This is a great book to listen to for long car rides or lovers of crime podcasts!

I checked out way earlier than I usually do if I'm going to not love a book. The opening few scenes are awesome and set up what could have been a really dark and twisted plot. Maybe it was the way the audio was set up with alternating POVs without any indication of whose brain you were in - but I found it really hard to follow. I also did not get invested in the story. It's a very slow pace, which is not what I generally like in a book marketed as a "serial killer thriller"

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an ALC of this book.

This is my first Alex North book and it really worked for me. It has an unusal pacing. Slower but still high stakes. I think some of the scenes were truly disturbing and will stay with me. Overall super glad to have read it!

“We can never know the importance of our actions, however small and innocent they might seem. An interaction that, for us, is gone in a heartbeat might be something that another person finds impossible to forget."


As a child, Dan has a formative experience involving a serial killer in a bathroom rest stop, which leads him to become a criminal profiler. That opening scene...gave me CHILLS. That set the tone for the ENTIRE novel.

Dan can't quite believe the circumstances surrounding his father's death, so he does what he's best at, he profiles his father. Alex North brilliantly captures the profiling method that's all done introspectively. It's as if Dan and his father, John, are having conversations that Dan's knowledge and experience of his father provides. It was captivating! When it seems there's a current killer at work, Dan expands the profiling to the killer also. I loved every minute of it!

As Dan traces his father's footsteps of his last days, we're also privy to what John was thinking and doing with a shift to the past. John is just as introspective as Dan and we learn what John was up to before Dan does. In the midst of all of this, is a stunningly creepy killer that is all shadows and only begins to take form as he's profiled and his behavior comes to light.

Shane Zaza's performance in the audiobook was great! His inflection and emotion infused tone for Dan expressed all the sorrow, frustration and guilt he carries. It was a bit difficult to discern the distinction between Dan and John at times, especially given the discussions that take place in Dan's mind.

THE MAN MADE OF SMOKE is not only a terrifying look into the mind of a serial killer, but a foray into a father son relationship and an examination of how one pivotal experience can shape entire lives. The themes of guilt, grief, regret, and redemption made this so much more than an intense thriller. If you enjoy a slow simmering burn of an investigation mixed with poignant nuances of human nature, then don't hesitate to snatch this up IMMEDIATELY. I LITERALLY couldn't put it down and was utterly riveted by the gripping and soul satisfying climax!
____

Notable Quote:
"I didn't know the term liminal spaces back then, but a part of me was already drawn to them: places that weren't starting points or destinations, but stopgaps a step sideways from reality, like the crossing points between worlds in a fairy tale."
____

Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for my free copies. All thoughts are mine.

This story was very interesting. However, I noticed myself start to drift in the first half. It took way too long for the story to build.

And I saw two twists coming!!

A story about a man haunted by a crime he witnessed as a child committed by a serial killer. He grows up and becomes a criminal profiler, looking to seek justice for innocent victims. Then his dad dies under suspicious circumstances, and he goes home to figure out what really happened.

I was excited to read my first Alex North novel and expected it to be great. I listened to this, and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had actually read it. The narrator sounded the same in all the characters, so it made it difficult to tell who was talking, making it confusing at times and difficult to stay engaged in others.

Thanks to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early audiobook edition of “The Man Made of Smoke” by Alex North, narrated by Shane Zaza, for an honest review. Shane did a great job with the narration, especially since there were several points of view for which he needed to change his voice.

This is a psychological thriller with Daniel, a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst is at the center. Dan witnessed a serial killer as a child and did nothing to save the child from the serial killer’s custody. He has lived with the guilt of not doing anything his entire life. When his father passes, it brings him back home and to the memories of that fateful day.

As Dan follows the last steps his father took before his death, he begins to unravel a murder mystery, one his father seemed to have solved, but never told anyone. Can Dan solve the puzzle and let the authorities know before the next victim is killed? Alex is always very good at building up the suspense while telling his story. He makes his readers think and rethink who it could be. Oh, that is plausible, wait, no, maybe not, keeping you guessing until the end.

The only downfall is that it was a little difficult to jump between the characters and timeframes while listening. I found myself halfway through the chapter, thinking – “wait, this doesn’t make sense” and then I realized it was a different character and timeframe than I thought it was. So you have to pay close attention. Overall, a good story.

The Man Made of Smoke might just be Alex North’s most haunting novel to date—and that’s saying something. What starts as a chilling mystery quickly spirals into a layered, emotionally complex thriller about guilt, memory, and the monsters we carry with us.

The story follows Dan Garvie, a prison psychiatrist and former profiler who’s long been haunted by a childhood encounter with a serial killer known as the Pied Piper. When Dan returns to his isolated island hometown to investigate his father’s suspicious death, he’s pulled into a web of secrets that might connect past horrors with a new, present-day threat.

North juggles timelines and narrators with ease, building an atmosphere thick with dread. But this isn’t just a game of cat and mouse—it’s also a deep dive into trauma and regret. Both Dan and his father are compelling, flawed characters, each trying to make sense of a moment that shattered their lives decades earlier.

The pacing is slow-burn at first, but once the threads begin to converge, it becomes impossible to put down. North keeps the twists grounded in character rather than shock value, and the final chapters deliver a payoff that’s both devastating and deeply satisfying.

If you’re into thrillers with psychological weight and a touch of horror, this one is for you. It’s not just a story about a serial killer—it’s about what happens to the people left behind, and what it costs to finally look the past in the eye.

The Man Made of Smoke starts off with Dan Garvie returning to his island hometown after his father’s suspicious death, all while still haunted by a terrifying crime from his childhood. He’s a profiler now, and the past might be catching up to him in the worst possible way. This was my first Alex North novel, and it was okay. I mostly listened to the audiobook, which helped but at the same time it often felt like nothing was happening but things were happening? This was an okay read for me!

Thank you to Netgalley, Alex North and Celadon books for an ARC and ALC of this book for a review!

Dan can pinpoint the exact moment his life changed forever. He was just a child when it happened. His father had pulled into a quiet rest stop so Dan could use the bathroom. As soon as he stepped inside and saw another boy standing there alone, he knew something was wrong. Their eyes locked—briefly, urgently—and Dan could feel the danger. From the last stall came a faint whistling, a deceptively cheerful tune that masked the malevolence waiting within. Dan should have done something. He should have taken the boy’s hand and run. But when the whistling stopped, and the man in the stall realized they were no longer alone, Dan panicked. He hid in the nearest stall, trembling, listening. Then came the chilling words: “No one sees, no one cares.” Moments later, the man was gone, his whistling fading into the distance. The boy walked dutifully behind him, resigned to whatever fate lay ahead.

“We are shaped by our pasts, not defined by them.”

Years later, Dan still lives with the guilt of that day. He would eventually learn that the man he encountered was known as the Pied Piper—a serial killer responsible for the disappearance of countless boys. The child Dan saw was almost certainly one of his victims. Now an adult, Dan works as a criminal profiler, devoting his life to saving the innocent lives he once failed to protect. But when his father dies under suspicious circumstances, Dan is pulled back to the place he thought he’d escaped. As he investigates the final days of his father’s life, a terrifying truth begins to take shape. The monster from his past may never have left.

The Man Made of Smoke sees Alex North return to the kind of chilling, standalone thriller that first put him on the map. I was introduced to his work with his breakout debut, The Whisper Man, and this latest novel draws on the same atmospheric dread and psychological intensity that made that book such a standout. Only here, it feels even more urgent, more unsettling.

North is a master at preying on the imagination, understanding that what we conjure in our minds is often far scarier than anything he could explicitly describe. In The Man Made of Smoke, mere suggestion becomes nightmare fuel. There were moments I had to pause just to collect myself before diving back in. The story alternates between Dan’s present-day investigation and the haunting perspective of one of the Pied Piper’s abducted victims from two decades earlier. North weaves these timelines together with precision, gradually building toward a final act that’s both terrifying and emotionally resonant.

This is a remarkably effective thriller—dark, original, and full of psychological menace. The Man Made of Smoke will have you second-guessing what’s real, what’s imagined, and what’s lurking just beyond the shadows. Keep the lights on for this one.