The Man Made of Smoke

Creepy, Clever, and Completely Addictive

This makes book number three for me, and at this point, Alex North might as well have his own shelf in my house. Ever since I stumbled into his gritty, tension-packed world, I’ve been hooked—and loud about it. I’ve recommended his books to half my reading circle. Now that The Whisper Man is getting a movie adaptation? I’m already budgeting for popcorn.

In The Man Made of Smoke, North dials the eerie all the way up. From the moment the killer whispers, “Nobody sees and nobody cares,” the story grabs you by the spine. I had chills. North has this slow-drip style that makes every detail land. When Daniel sees a young boy in the bathroom, terrified of the man he’s with, I felt like I was standing right next to him. And later, as he searches for his father’s remains, North pulls you through every memory, every ghost of the past.

This is a slow burn, but on purpose. The creeping pace is what turns the dial on the horror. It’s not jump scares—it’s the kind of dread that lingers, like footsteps behind you when you know you're alone. And while the pacing worked for me, North always tosses in a curveball that leaves me scratching my head. In this case, it was the final twist involving the young boy. No spoilers, but I finished the book and still don’t fully get it. Maybe that’s intentional. Or maybe it just flew over my head. Either way, I was along for the ride.

Solid four stars. I really do hope there are more dark, eerie reads like this in my future—because I loved having an excuse to curl up, get spooked, and sink into a story that refuses to let go.

NetGalley ARC Review: The Man Made of Smoke.

Release Date: 5-13-25

Author: Alex North

No Spoilers

I purchased the physical book from Book of the Month. I then requested the audiobook from NetGalley and they approved it. That complete experience is something I crave. The cover, summary, and the author’s reputation immediately sold me. It’s my first book by him.

Things I loved:

1. The creepy factor. This book felt super dark.

2. The narrator’s voice matched the creepiness.

3. Multiple POV’s

Things I disliked:

1. I didn’t like the pacing. It felt like it was all over the place.

2. I couldn’t connect with the characters.

3. Chapter one was suspenseful and horrifying, but the rest of the book lacked that intensity.

4. I loved the multiple POVs, however; it became difficult to follow. I reread chapters.

Unfortunately, the book was a little underwhelming. I think many will love it, but it fell short of what I needed. My next read is The Whisper Man. The reviews have been excellent. My rating for The Man Made of Smoke is ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

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.

"Nobody sees. Nobody cares." The words seem innocuous, until you realise they are being said by a child killer, as he leads a young boy through a motorway services. Then, they take on a sinister meaning, and that sets the tone for this intense psychological thriller.

If you've read the blurb you'll know that when the protagonist, Daniel Garvie, was a child he had an encounter with the serial killer known as the Pied Piper. Adult Daniel, now a psychologist, finds himself caught up in an unofficial investigation begun by his father John, a retired police officer.

The story is told across multiple timelines, from multiple POV's. While it starts off slow, rest assured the pace soon picks up, and from that point on, it's edge-of-your-seat reading. There's a sense of menace throughout, but there's a poignancy too.

Anyone familiar with my reviews will know that I like my books dark and disturbing. This one ticked those boxes perfectly. I'm now going to have to circle back and read Alex North's back catalogue.

Thanks to Michael Joseph Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.