Alex North knows how to write a thriller that sucks you in and refuses to let go - with villains that keep you up at night.

For Dan Garvie, it’s the Pied Piper, the serial killer of children that he encountered in a truck stop bathroom when he was young boy. Much like the young boy the killer had with him that night, with sad eyes that begged Dan to intervene…

Years later, Dan now profiles criminals, seeking justice for innocent victims like the boy he couldn’t save that night. When his father goes missing, Dan must return to his island home, where monsters and nightmares still linger around every corner - waiting to make Dan their next victim.

Really enjoyed this new offering from Alex North. This is definitely my favorite of his novels. It was creepy, intense, and wonderfully mysterious. North is great at setting the scene and making you feel like you are in the middle of the action. Pacing was great and I had trouble putting this one down. Will be recommending this one a lot.

If you want a good serial killer read can never go wrong with Alex North! So happy to be able to read this early! Excellent as his work always is! Thank you NetGalley and publisher for opportunity to read this early!

Alex North does it AGAIN!! Nobody else writes serial-killer thrillers that hold a candle to his work, and his latest, "The Man Made of Smoke" is another banger! I've been a big fan since the very excellent "Whisper Man" and I do think this one is just as good! Unputdownable and quite dark and haunting with the same kind of cat & mouse, long buried secrets vibes - I really liked it & will continue to follow the author. My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advance readers copy - my pleasure to review it

The Man Made of Smoke was a great and I was on the edge of my seat the entire book. Alex North wrote a clever, scary, mystery thriller and I could not put it down. There were complex characters that wrestled with their thoughts in their past. This just pulled me in.
Who was this person stealing kids and what in the world was going on all these years later?? It had good twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Definitely recommend it.
Thanks Celandon Books via NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC of this amazing book.

Alex North is back with another dark, twisty, “keep you up all night” read. After a close call with a serial killer as a boy, Daniel Garvie has never been able to leave that encounter in the past. Now, as an adult, Daniel’s profession as a criminal profiler comes in handy when he must return to his roots and delve into the mysterious disappearance of his father. Daniel soon realizes this may lead down a precarious path, forcing him to revisit the trauma inflicted by the bogeyman he has feared all these years.

North is a master of building suspenseful and anxiety-inducing stories that keep his readers up way too late, turning the pages as fast as possible, unable to put it down until reaching the stunning conclusion. Full of pitch perfect dark atmosphere and characters that make it easy to become invested, The Man Made of Smoke is a gripping tale that most certainly does not disappoint.

Another terrific thriller from North about a serial killer known as the Pied Piper who kidnapped and murdered young boys several years earlier and the man who had a brief encounter with him and a potential victim as a young boy. Today, it appears that someone is seeking revenge against those who it's believed failed to take appropriate action to save one particular victim. North is one of the best in this genre and he continues that run here, with substantive characters, solid writing and a reveal that actually surprises. It's a suspenseful tale of guilt, revenge and lost opportunity. I was engaged from beginning to end. 4-4.5 stars. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everything about this serial killer thriller is haunting and terrifying. It is evocative and sinister, and it is breathtakingly good.

When Daniel Garvie was a young boy, he had a terrifyingly close call with a serial killer. This encounter has shaped his life and he becomes a criminal profiler. He must return to his roots after the mysterious death of his father, a retired police officer. As he does his own investigation, the terrors of his childhood and some long past secrets surface.

Alex North has a way of immersing his readers into the story right off the bat and keeps you glued to the pages until the shocking end. He is a must read author for me. He has a talent for conveying to the reader what is happening without getting too graphic, and I find that remarkable.

Thank you, NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advanced reader copy of this 5-star book.

4.5⭐️

I was ECSTATIC when I received the ARC for this book!!! Alex North is one of my favourite authors and his new book did not disappoint. It was creepy, dark, and anxiety-inducing - all the elements you’d want in a thriller/horror. With its fast paced storytelling and intriguing scenes, I found myself saying “just one more chapter” multiple times before bed. I was understandably jumpier and more paranoid after finishing this book; the writing was so clever that I felt like someone was right behind me…watching me. 🫣

This is my first book by this author and I was impressed with the book on a lot of levels. A boy has an encounter with a serial killer and it affects him and his father for the rest of their lives. A twisted killer, an intelligent killer is now active, how is he connected to the Pied Piper or has he returned. This book explores trauma in different forms, self hatred and the relationship between the son and the father before he dies by suicide. Suspenseful, smart and with depth, it kept me interested throughout the book

Thank you, Celadon Books, for providing the copy of The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North. This was my first Alex North book, and it wasn’t the book for me. The writing style never clicked with me, so the story didn’t catch my interest as much as I hoped it would and the characters didn’t resonate with me. I hated the somewhat supernatural visions and voices. I did like how the past and present finally came together. I didn’t like or dislike the book, I’m just neutral about it. 3 stars

Daniel Garvie has spent his life haunted by the close encounter with a notorious serial killer when he was a child. Now, a criminal profiler working in prison to psychoanalyze the inmates, Dan seeks justice for innocent victims. When his father disappears under questionable circumstances, Dan is pulled back to the small island that he grew up on to untangle the mystery of his father’s disappearance while fearing the monster from his past has returned.

The Man Made of Smoke opens with a heart-pounding scene where our young MC comes nearly face-to-face with a serial killer, terrified and barely escaping. This is one of those rare thrillers that not only gives readers a suspenseful, well-paced plot but also gives a depth to the characters so that you actually care about more than just the twists and turns. North provides sharp prose and a chilling atmosphere that is truly terrifying and made me short of breath. The Man Made of Smoke is North's best since Whisper Man; a must-read 2025 thriller.

Thank you Celadon Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available May 13 2025

Another banger for this month! I read this one in two sittings. There’s something about a serial killer thriller that just gets me speed reading. I had to know what was going to happen!!! I really enjoyed this book and I have only ever read The Whisper Man and loved that one as well! There was so much back and forth with multiple POVs in this one but I thought it was pretty easy to follow. There were definitely a few WHAT moments and I absolutely did not guess the ending! So good!!! This one will be a hit!

Probably my favorite Alex North book yet. A man who once witnessed a kidnapping as a child is faced to confront his past when his father goes missing. He follows the clues left by his father and realizes that his past has come back to haunt him in the most dangerous way possible.

This is both gripping and absolutely terrifying, the stuff that makes up nightmares, but in a good way, if that’s possible. There are so many layers and twists and turns to this. It is truly a work of art. Prepare to be shocked and terrified. For fans of Mo Hayder and Karin Slaughter.

The Man Made of Smoke is a fast paced read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. When Dan Garvie was 12years old he witnessed something horrifing and tramatic. While at a rest stop with his parents and best friend Sarah, Dan went to use the bathroom, inside there was a boy about his age waiting at one of the stall door. The person inside the stall was whistling a strange tune. The boy look scared and needed someone to help him. Dan wasn't brave enough to do so. Never being able to forget that horrible day, Dan went in to criminal profiling as his profession. Dan has been called back to the island his dad John lives. When John a retired police officer, car has been left in the car park of the Reach it is believed that he took his own life. The only note found said Notify my son. This leads Dan on a journey like no other and the truth of what really happened at the rest stop. With time running out will Dan be able to put the pieces together in time? Like with all of Alex North's book you will not be disappointed by this book and you will wanting more. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Celadon Books for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

A chilling, atmospheric read with a whirlwind of twists!

I first read The Whisper Man back in January for my book club and we all fell in love with Alex North’s ability to tell a spooky story. After I finished that book, I went and picked up The Angel Maker and The Shadows, both of which I loved.

When I got the email that my requested was accepted for this ARC, I nearly jumped in my seat with excitement! I started reading this immediately after I downloaded it and I’m very glad I did.

This was SO fun to read. Alex’s writing is purely impeccable. The multiple point of views among the characters with each chapter is done very well and flows naturally. As with all of his books, the first chapter entraps you into this unsettling dark mystery that forces you to keep turning the pages. Once you pick this up, it’s nearly impossible to put it down.

What an eerily suspenseful book this was!

This was a slow burner for me, until about 2/3 of the way through, at which point I just COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN! I found myself constantly looking at what page I was on to see how many pages I had left until the end. You know the kind of book where you’re counting down the remaining pages, knowing you’re so close to the end and the answers, but also worried that you’re so close to the end and it doesn’t feel like there are enough pages left to give you all the answers? Well, that was this book for me. And the answers did come, but I feel like I still have just as many questions.

It’s hard to say a lot about this book without spoilers, but I can say that I enjoyed the unspoken connection between Dan and his father and how it helped to guide Dan on his journey for answers. Although this is not the primary storyline in this book, it was integral in moving the story along. I enjoyed journeying with Dan as he discovered that he had a stronger connection with his father than even he knew, and I found it saddening and frustrating to learn how their relationship had become somewhat distant by each of them mistakenly misinterpreting the other’s words and actions without ever actually communicating. Again, I know that this is just a small part of this overall story, but sometimes there are little nuggets of thought provoking wisdom in the most unexpected of places. For me, it was in this story about a serial killer. I did see and I did care.

With thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book for review. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from Alex North.

I love this author's work, but this one is not his best. A prison therapist returns to his island home when his retired father dies, only to relive a childhood trauma that seems to be continuing today. The chapters go back and forth between past and present, and change points of view often, both of which can sometimes cause confusion. Although this book is lacking a bit and is not the author's best, it is still worth reading. Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing an ARC.

Second favorite novel by Alex. Read this book in one sitting! This is a must read! So well written! Kept me guessing until the end!

I found The Man Made of Smoke to be a deeply gripping and haunting story that stayed with me long after I finished reading. I was immediately drawn to Dan’s journey, and I felt his pain and determination as he returned to his small island community to confront the shadows of his past. The way Alex North weaves together suspense and emotion is masterful, and I couldn’t help but feel immersed in Dan’s search for answers, questioning whether the nightmares of his childhood had truly come back to life. I appreciated how the story explored not just the terror of facing a killer but also the emotional complexity of family bonds and unresolved trauma. I found myself reflecting on the weight of secrets and how they shape our lives in ways we don’t always realize. The vivid descriptions and layered narrative made every twist and revelation feel both chilling and impactful.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful thriller that goes beyond the surface to explore themes of loss, resilience, and the courage it takes to face the past.