Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

This was my first Alex North novel and probably not my last. This was a very dark and twisty tale. I liked that it had the POV of both current time and the past. It helped shape the story. It does have multiple POV's but I found them all easy to follow. Talk about a lot of trauma! The beginning is a bit of a slow burn, but worth it.

The narrator did an amazing job.

I listened to this one in under a day. Alex north is good at hooking you in like that. Just like in his other books, he twists mystery with childhood experiences and the relationships between father and son.

Didn’t expect the ending and thought it was a solid thriller.

I really wanted to love this. I have loved this authors previous works and the premise sounded so promising. But I just felt it really dragged. Very slow and I also had a hard time following. I was confused often on what was happening or whose POV we were in.

The narrator was fine but I also wish he did a little changing of voice to amp up the audio experience or to help with the POV shifts.

I started this in print and it wasn't grabbing my attention so I switched to audio about 75 pages in. This book was painfully slow for me. I could not tell whose POV I was listening to on the audio.

Alex North did a great job creating a dark tone with mystery of what happened to Dan's dad as well as John's POV. When there's a lot of internal dialogue, it losses my interest.

Shane Zaza did a good job with narration but I think if we had 2 distinct narrators would have made this a better listening experience.

Thank you @celdaonbooks @macmillian.audio for a copy of this.

I so tried to like this book because everyone is giving it such good feedback. I got 50% in and I just had to put it down. I haven’t had much luck with his books so it’s probably just me. I would say give it a try and see for yourself.

A haunting and atmospheric read—chilling, unnerving, yet utterly captivating.

What truly sets this novel apart is that it transcends the boundaries of a conventional serial killer thriller. It’s emotionally rich, psychologically layered, and deeply thought-provoking.

The pacing may start off slow, but there’s a steady, unsettling tension throughout as North carefully unpacks the story, revealing each layer like a puzzle. At the same time, he brings depth and nuance to his characters, making them feel vividly real and emotionally compelling.

I was completely drawn into the way the past and present narratives intertwined. By the end, I was struck by how powerfully the novel explores the lasting impact of trauma—how it lingers beneath the surface and inevitably finds its way back to the present.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North follows the two timelines of John and Daniel, father and son. This slow burning psychological thriller was a great concept. And while the narration by Shane Zaza was well done, but sometimes I found myself confused as to which timeline I was in. I believe that reading this book would have made for a better experience since the timelines were not well delineated in the audio.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: May 13 2025

Tags:
#MacmillanAudio
#AlexNorth
#ShaneZaza
#TheManMadeofSmoke
#Thriller
#Mystery
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Shane Zaza does a fantastic job narrating this one.

I will start with the fact that I am a huge fan of Alex North and his novels. Unfortunately, his latest release missed the mark.

Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child committed by a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler. So when his father dies under suspicious circumstances, Dan revisits the small island community determined to uncover the truth about his father's death.

This is a character driven, slow burn story that has excruciatingly slow pacing and honestly not much going on. Usually I am completely consumed by his books but I just could not get into the story. I did not like Dan. I found his incessant talking to himself and the voices in his head annoying. For a profiler, he was a bit of a nutter.

I will always be a fan of Alex North, but this was my least favorite of his books. Read it and see if you like it as this is just my opinion.

The Man Made of Smoke is a dark and atmospheric thriller that weaves together themes of grief, trauma, and folklore with a chilling, supernatural edge. The story follows two timelines: John, a man grappling with a mysterious death, and Daniel, a boy haunted by an ominous figure made of smoke while also trying to figure out what happened to his dad.

This was my first Alex North book, and I’m feeling pretty conflicted. While the overall premise was incredibly intriguing and had a ton of potential, I don’t think it quite lived up to the eerie brilliance it promised. To be fair, I listened to the audiobook, and that may have impacted my experience. The narration made the voices inside the narrators head feel overplayed and, at times, repetitive—dulling the suspense rather than heightening it.

One of my biggest frustrations was the lack of clear labeling between John and Daniel’s chapters. It made the narrative feel unnecessarily disjointed, especially when the tone between the two wasn’t distinct enough to immediately know whose perspective I was in. That structural choice, paired with the repetitive inner monologues, made parts of the book feel longer than they needed to be while being such a slow burn.

While the story held my interest and had a genuinely creepy atmosphere, the ending felt rushed and surprisingly predictable for a book that otherwise kept me guessing. I know my thoughts are likely an unpopular opinion—Alex North has a huge fan base for a reason—but this one left me wanting more finesse in the execution.

That said, I’d still be open to reading more from North. I can see why his work appeals to so many, and I think I might have had a different experience if I had read a physical copy instead.

𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 ~ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐊𝐄 ~ by Alex North ~ Thanks to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this ARC of this soon to be released thriller (Tuesday May 13th). I have wanted to read a book by this author and I am so glad this was where I got to start. The multiple POV style in this was well woven as we get to experience the past trauma of a father and son as well as experience their relationship in real time. This has a creep factor that pulled me in right from the start. It is a slow burn mystery with a psychological bent as it explores how one moment of trauma can shape the human psyche and alter the path of an individual’s journey… through the eyes of several characters. The beginning of this was like that pull to the back of your seat on a roll coaster…. You know what is over that hump up above but you feel each slow clink in that chain… as you creep up that hill. Then, you hit the drop! That is how this felt. It also gives off a tone of true-crime that amps up the creep factor even more. The way the pieces come together for the MMCs in this is so realistic and doesn’t rely on lucky guesses. The son Dan’s employment as a criminal psychiatrist works superbly here as he works through the mystery and his own traumatization from his past. I think this is one many readers will buzz about upon its release. I have already told several thriller lover friends to pick up a copy!
⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.25)
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 “𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬” 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐥𝐥! 📚♥️

3.5 stars. Nobody sees and nobody cares. Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child—narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims. So 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?
Told in a few different timelines and POVs, The Man Made of Smoke will haunt you.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*

THE MAN MADE OF SMOKE is a well plotted thriller that I couldn't stop listening to. I liked the dual timelines between father and son. It held my attention perfectly. I would have never guessed that ending and I just loved it! Overall, it was a brilliant story. If you enjoyed Alex North's previous novels, you'll be sure to love this one!

Many thanks to Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for my gifted ALC. This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.reviews) soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for my copy of The Man Made of Smoke.

Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child―narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims. So 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?

With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.

"Nobody sees and nobody cares”
Well this turned out to be heavier than I thought. A tale of childhood trauma, parent/child dynamics, guilt, grief, and redemption, The Man Made of Smoke provided thought-provoking observations. It was dark and the storyline intense. I wasnt crazy about Dan and his constant inner conversations with himself. Sometimes it was difficult to follow especially since the narrator didnt do the best job in differentiating voices. The multiple POVs were hard to follow because the chapters weren't labeled with the individual's perspective we were hearing. This slow burn was too slow for me and at times I had to make myself pay attention. That being said, I look forward to reading this author's next book.

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.

4.5 / 5 stars

Dr. Daniel Garvie had a brush with the notorious Pied Piper serial killer when he was boy. Though the killer is long dead, Dan has never been able to shake his guilt over not helping the other boy he saw on that awful day. Dan has moved away from his small island community and now works as a prison psychologist and sometimes criminal profiler, having instilled in himself the mantra that he is calm and detached.

But then Dan receives an awful, unexpected call: it appears that Dan’s father, John, has taken his own life. Dan returns to his island home and begins to retrace his father’s steps over his final days. Was John distraught over his discovery of a woman’s remains in the woods? Who was she and who left her there for John to find?

As Dan follows in John’s trail, it becomes clear that the story of the Pied Piper may not be over after all. His father was chasing something, and now Dan must pick up where he left off, even if it means confronting the darkest corners of his past.

I saw a ton of buzz around this book and ended up picking it as a Book of the Month selection. This isn’t my usual reading lane — I don’t gravitate toward books written by men or led by male protagonists — but the promise of a serial killer thriller was too tempting to pass up. And I’m so glad I went for it, because The Man Made of Smoke was really, really good.

This is a taut, suspenseful mystery that I inhaled in basically one sitting. I actually gasped near the end — and not in a melodramatic way, but in a genuinely surprised-and-impressed way. The twist worked, and it worked because North had taken such care with laying the groundwork. This isn’t just a straightforward whodunnit, though. There’s a quiet but steady thread of commentary on the people society overlooks — the unhomed, the mentally ill, the single mothers barely hanging on. It’s also a story about fathers and sons, about guilt and legacy, about who we choose to see and who we pretend we don’t.

The structure really worked for me: Dan’s present-day investigation (told in first person) is interspersed with third-person flashbacks to both his father John’s final days and to one of the Pied Piper’s earlier victims. The chapters following the victim, James, were clearly labeled, which helped with the timeline juggling — but I did occasionally find myself a little lost in the John chapters, especially since they weren’t marked out in any special way. It’s not a dealbreaker, but I was surprised the audiobook didn’t opt for a second narrator to help signal those shifts. Still, the overall pacing was excellent — at just over 300 pages, there’s not a moment of drag.

Speaking of the audiobook: it’s really well done. The narrator does a great job of grounding Dan as someone who is emotionally scarred and vulnerable, but who’s also highly competent in his field. Neither Dan nor John fall into that swaggering, macho detective mold — which might explain why this book worked so well for me even though male-led crime stories aren’t usually my thing. I love Poirot, but I don’t always love his literary descendants, you know?

Atmospheric, briskly plotted, and emotionally grounded, The Man Made of Smoke delivered everything I was hoping for in a serial killer thriller — plus a little extra. Definitely one I’ll be recommending.

<u><b>The Man Made of Smoke</b></u>
Alex North
Narrated by Shane Zaza
Release Date: May 13, 2025

ALC courtesy of MacMillan Audio and NetGalley.

Alex North’s latest psychological thriller, <i>The Man Made of Smoke</i>, set in a remote island sees Dan Garvie, whose childhood is haunted by an encounter with a notorious serial killer, now a criminal profiler, returning to his childhood town after his father, a retired police officer, goes missing.

With the story being a bit of a slow burn, the somewhat monotonous audiobook narration certainly does not help. Pretty soon, you are lulled, making the shifts between past and present storylines hard to follow. Given the popularity of this author, I would assume that reading this in print would be a better experience. Nonetheless, the story does pick up and the patient reader is rewarded with interesting plot turns and nail biting suspense. The storytelling is atmospheric and succeeds in creating a tense building dread. The novel deals with childhood trauma and the intricacies of father-son relationships. For fans of serial killer thrillers, this latest from Alex North is sure to please.

3.5 stars
2.5 star narration

I should have dnfd this. I'm not sure I could explain anything that happened. It was boring and nothing made any sense.

The Man Made of Smoke - Alex North
Pub Date - 5/13/25
Rating - 3/5
Pace - Slow Burn
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley, Alex North, and MacMillan Audio for the advanced elistener copy in exchange for my honest review. This eery story is about a serial killer who kidnaps and kills little boys on an island. This book was EXTREMELY SLOW and honestly I had to pick up the physical book and review it to make sure I was on the same page. The way it's written, it's hard to keep track of the characters and what is going on. I also felt like there were parts that were repetitive and would question if I was reading certain parts twice. Overall story was good, but I was left asking more questions about the killer than answers. Guess this story wasn't for me.

I love a good serial killer story with dual timelines but this just didn’t grab me. I think it was too much of a slow burn for me and by the end with the reveal, I wasn’t invested.

I really enjoyed how the story is organized with the stages of grief and how they correlated. I wish we had more time to get to know the main character; it seemed like most of the time spent with him was his conversations with his dad about the case.

The writing is beautiful, I just don’t think the story was for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The ending was good... I was confused on whos point of view or whos head we were in..

Description
Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child—narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims. So 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?
With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book!

The Man Made of Smoke
by Alex North
Narrated by Shane Zaza
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Pub Date May 13 2025