CREEPY book that you don't want to read at night alone. Loved it and loved the twists and turns. Definitely on the creepy / mysterious side, but a book that will keep you guessing and wanting to read more.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

Knox returns with another solid outing for his hero Waits. A well constructed thriller that is a page turner until the very end.

Aidan Waits is stuck on the night shift investigating dumpster fires with a partner who he loathes. When they are called to investigate a break in at the Palace, a once posh but now vacant hotel, they find a mysterious dead man on the 4th floor. The man is found sitting in an empty room with a smile on his face; his identity is just as puzzling as his death. The security guard was knocked unconscious and Aidan is certain there was someone else in the hotel. As Aidan begins his investigation he meets resistance from everyone involved including his own department. Someone wants this case forgotten and if he keeps pushing he may just find himself the next victim.

The Smiling Man is the second book in the Aidan Waits series. Although I have not read Sirens yet, I felt that there were only a few elements that would have been better understood had I read them in order. Aiden is damaged and flawed protagonist that immediately draws you in. This novel is a gritty crime mystery that takes you on an investigation of the darker side of humanity. There are a lot of elements to the plot but the author ties everything together flawlessly by the end of the novel. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Authentically creepy, this is a solid read, but don't be alone in the house while you're reading it. Strong pacing, excellent characterizations and a well worn but also well told plot.

I received this title from netgalley in exchange for honest opinion. This was an okay book. I guess i found it to be a little all over the place, and no they kept referring to the cop's past, but didn't say what happened exactly. Just too much going on i guess. At the same time, i did finish, and as I stated before, it was an okay book.

Quickly I realized this book was not for me. I had a really tough time connecting with the characters of the story. Maybe because I hadn’t read the first book before this one? I know I am in the minority here with giving it only 2 stars but I just couldn’t continue with it. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

There are lots of things happening in The Smiling Man, including the Waits and Sutcliffe partnership, the Palace and its owners, Cartwright and the sex film, the dustbin arsonist, the boy and Bateman, the smiling man, of course, and so much more. You might think there was too much going on, but all of these stories are woven together intricately and masterfully.

I couldn’t even imagine how the boy and disturbing and repulsive Bateman would be connected to the rest of the stories, but then — holy cow! — it was. (I didn’t see *that* coming!)

Aiden Waits is definitely complicated and carries a truckload of baggage. Regarding the rest of the characters, some are likable, some not so much. All are believable.

There’s so much going on that I wondered how it could possibly come together. But then the author kicks it in gear, and it does.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Smiling Man. I enjoyed it very much.

3.5 Stars
Nothing comes easy for Aidan Waits. He’s a disgraced, dishonest, and disliked police officer in England trying to do permanent night shift job and hopefully stay alive.
If only the world would cooperate with him! Instead author Joseph Knox clutters Aidan’s life with more trouble than half a dozen detectives should have to face. A young girl being blackmailed, an unidentifiable dead man in a seedy hotel where a security guard rents rooms to call girls, drug dealers and physical attacks are some of his woes.
Thankfully Aidan is able to put pieces into their proper places and bring some order to life.
Knox offers an interesting take to these fastballs, curveballs and knuckleballs. It is up to the reader to keep an eye on the ball or Knox will slip one by you.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. This did not effect my review of this book.
#netgalley #TheSmilingMan

3.5/5 stars

As someone who never read the first book, which is titles Sirens, I found The Smiling Man to be an enjoyable read. I don't read many stories that are heavy with investigation, but I found myself to be enjoying this. It was pretty easy to follow along and unravel the mystery and also getting to understand Aidan. I do feel like I missed out quite a bit on who exactly he is, but that's most likely due to me not having read Sirens prior to this. I enjoyed Aidan as a character from what little I knew of him, but I found the supporting characters to be bothersome. This could also be because I haven't read the previous novel, or maybe I'm right and it's the characters themselves. Besides this, the plot itself was constructed very well, although at some points I felt like checking out. If you read and enjoyed the previous book, you may enjoy this much more than I did. If you skipped the prvious one and went straight to The Smiling Man, it would still be enjoyable, but I would ask that you consider reading Sirens as it feels something is missing character-wise in this novel.

I received this ARC for free by NetGalley in exchange for my completely honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I will admit , I admire and respect the effort that Joseph Knox put into his writings, including the character descriptions which honestly at times were a little over the top. Such as "After weeks of unbroken heat, he was starting to look and smell like the larval stage for something else entirely" If Mr. Knox was going for a stomach turning description of someone, he hit the nail on the head.

Even though I never read Siren's (the previous book it seems) I still didn't have any problems following along what was happening in this book. this was a struggle for me to be honest, I don't usually read investigative stories, but the book kept me interested enough.

Brilliant follow-up to 'Sirens', this is a great mystery from across the pond that hooked me from the start.

P.S. Read sirens first

I really enjoyed "Sirens" and this sequel did not disappoint. I find Aiden Waits to be an intriguing detective who is good at his job despite everything that is stacked against him.

#2 in Knox's Aidan Waits series set in Manchester and after reading "Sirens" I was eager to see where the author would take us next and it turned out to be a very good journey. Now on the permanent night shift, with the grumpiest partner known to modern man, Aiden Waits is called out to a shut down, formerly posh hotel where they find a mysterious dead man. A man with absolutely no ID......and a smile on his face. The investigation takes them to some unusual places and some unusual people, but they follow every clue no matter where it takes them, even if it takes Aidan to some dark moments from his past.

This was a very well crafted, intricate mystery where the main character showed tremendous growth in just one book to a hard working, yet still flawed policeman but certainly someone you are cheering for. As with "Sirens" take your time with this book to absorb every detail as there is lots going on and the author pulls it all together in a captivating finish. I very much look forward to #3. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of THE SMILING MAN in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This was my first time reading a book by Knox, and even though this was the second book in the series, it was pretty easy to pick up and read as a standalone. I thought it was a well thought out mystery with many twists and turns.

I am not sure if reading the first book would have helped with the characters, but there seemed to be so many players in this book I had to really focus on figuring out who was who. I felt that most of the characters I did not connect with much, but by midpoint I was starting to really enjoy Aidan Waits' personality. While I didn't care for him initially, he definitely grew on me.

There was so much going on at all times, I had to stay alert and focused, but the ending was such a great payoff. I enjoyed the second half of the book very much, once the drama really picks up and starts moving. I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book in the series!

I did not read Sirens, but I cannot wait to read Sirens.

From the first page of this neo-noir thriller I was sucked into the enthralling dark world of late night Manchester and the flawed detective Aidan Waits.

This is a police procedural with a noir bend and a grittiness that goes with the genre.

If you have not read Sirens, do not worry, this is a stand alone novel full of twists. I really enjoyed the plot, the writing, and the character of Aidan, who is both mysterious, deeply flawed, and yet has a strong moral code he lives by.

I am grateful to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my advanced copy. I cannot recommend the book enough.

THE SMILING MAN by Joseph Knox is the second book in the Aiden Waits series, and the follow-up to “Sirens”, which introduces the troubled young British detective Aiden Waits who’s been caught between a rock and a hard place, and who’s been assigned to a seemingly impossible task by his superior in order to avoid being imprisoned, with the understanding that his career is all but over at that point.

Amazingly, Aiden lands on his feet unexpectedly, and is once again assigned to the night shift with a partner no one else could work with. Peter “Sutty” Sutcliff is a despicable character, who has been hardened by injuries suffered that affect him both physically and mentally after an attempt to rescue a woman that causes his injuries by torching a building with him in it.

Sutty and Aiden are on patrol when a radio call comes in for sexual assault/harassment complaint, and Sutty tells Aiden to go interview the young woman alone, with a wisecrack about him being “good with the little girls”.

Earl, a handsome young man opens the door at the address given and lets Sophie, the complainant, know he’s arrived.

Sophie tells Aiden that she’s being blackmailed into having repeated sex with an older man named “Ollie” that she connected with at a club that caters to middle aged businessmen by allowing college- aged girls free admission along with complimentary drinks, ensuring a constant source of attraction for the older men.

Aiden learns that Ollie has threatened to publicize a video of his and Sophie’s initial sexual encounter unless she complies, so Aiden follows up by looking for him at the club they met at.

“Incognito” is a club owned by Guy Russell, an older man of somewhat disreputable character who appears to know Ollie, but refuses to give any information; yet Aiden is approached by Guy’s daughter Alicia who works at the club upon leaving, and she provides him with Ollie’s full name and address.

Soon after Aiden interviews Ollie aka Oliver Cartwright, a well known TV political personality, thereby warning him against any further attempts to blackmail or harass Sophie, he and Sutty get a call to investigate an alarm going off at the recently closed Palace Hotel, a landmark with a long history.
Aiden finds an injured guard on the third floor who’d been missing at the front desk, only to find a dead man on the fourth floor who’s apparently been murdered and is seated in a chair amidst a few unusual circumstances; one being the total lack of identification, and the other being a frozen smile-like grimace on his face earning him the nickname of “The Smiling Man”.

Investigation into the unknown man initially produces nothing in the way of results, as medical and dental procedures have been taken to hide his identity, although several years previous to his death.

Superintendent Parrs, Aiden’s feared boss, arrives at the hospital after the partners have interviewed the injured guard, and he summons Aiden to his car for a private conversation to go over the recent cases, with specific instructions; one of which is to keep Sutty out of the loop on the
Palace investigation, something seemingly impossible to do, and for reasons unknown.

Aiden, as he’s demonstrated previously, will do pretty much as he pleases ignoring orders from his superiors to get results, and past personal history and relationships become intertwined with his involvement on the cases he’s assigned to, and as a result of irking Superintendent Parrs by not following a hands-off order on Oliver Cartwright, he’s further punished by Parrs’ assignment of him to “the dustbin fires”; a minor but irritating rash of dumpster fires taking place hindered by the fact the culprit is good at hiding his identity in areas of video surveillance, thus leaving no physical or video evidence to go on.

Parrs also informs Aiden that he’s previously put a halt to an attempted hit on Waits; as long as he’s an officer, with the clear understanding that his life is dependent upon staying on the force.

Can Aiden once again overcome insurmountable odds to both stay alive and solve all of the cases, especially revealing the identity of the Smiling Man, without harm to himself or those he cares about?

Superb follow up novel to the first book in the series, THE SMILING MAN is even better than the book before it, and author Knox balances several events taking place throughout the book both past and present ; yet somehow tying everything together with no filler along the way, everything fits perfectly to create a book that’s hard to set down once started, and easily is the best book I’ve read yet this year.

5 stars.

The Smiling Man is absolutely compelling and does not allow you to put the book down. Especially the further the investigation gets. Plus, the more the main character's past begins to catch up with him the more interesting I found him. I was also loving the writing style and the narration. Not to mention, loving the touches of background story. I am a big believer in a strong, and well-built, main character. Detective Aidan Waits was easily both of those things. He had many downfalls and faults, even some temptations that he would want to give into. Each were very realistic and tied well in with the overall story. His dark past increased the intrigue a lot. I did find his night shift partner Detective Inspector Peter 'Sutty' Sutcliffe to be rather pompous though.

To note: while I have not read the first book in the series, Sirens, I did not once feel lost while reading The Smiling Man. The author did a wonderful job giving enough background information.

Lastly, the surrounding and supporting characters were well established as well. Each with their faults and strengths. Those characters helped move the story line at a good pace and give more necessary detail keeping the reading interesting.

This is the 2nd book in a series. I have not read the first but will be correcting that immediately. A real twisty mystery. Lots of little stories going on that the author never loses track of. Then he manages to pull them all together.
The characters are really 3D.
Looking forward to more from Mr. Knox.

Terrific gritty police story set in the dark dreary land of Manchester, England. Unlike many investigative stories, the lead character Aiden is not some perfect detective with a crack team of criminalists standing behind him, but a disgraced bitter guy living on the edge and haunted by his childhood and the things he does when he’s out of control. The ultimate story may be about those living in the edge, not the murder clues. From page one straight to the end, it is just an absolutely awesome read.

This was a very dark and twisty novels. I thought the author did a great job of character development. With the lead, Aiden, I felt connected to and despite his dark past and buried secrets I could relate to him and definitely found myself pulling for him in the story. The other character Sutty was a true piece of work. Excellent job of making this guy totally disgusting and creepy. No trust or love lost there. It’s a well written book when you both love and hate characters. Dark, moody, twisted and some violence. Great read!