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The Man Made of Smoke

Author Alex North
Narrator Shane Zaza
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Run Time 8 hours and 51 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Contemporary horror and ghost stories, Crime and mystery: police procedural, Psychological thriller, Thriller / suspense fiction, Thriller: serial killers, True crime: serial killers and murderers.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The most terrifying novel of the year, from the internationally bestselling author of The Whisper Man.
You never forget the day you meet a serial killer.

Dan was just a teenager when he had a chance encounter with the elusive killer known only as “the man made of smoke”. Nobody could blame him for being too scared to intervene, for being too scared to save the latest victim, for letting the killer vanish again.

Nobody except Dan himself.

Years later, Dan has a successful career as a criminal psychiatrist, unpicking the very darkest of human behaviour. Because, despite what he saw that day, Dan knows there's no such thing as a monster.

But now his father, John, has gone missing. And, when Dan returns to the small island where he grew up, he finds out that not long before his disappearance, John had stumbled across a body.

As Dan begins to dig, he finds unsettling links, stretching all the way back to the man made of smoke.

Which means this might just be a chance to not only save his dad, but to finally find redemption.
But what if he's been wrong about that day for all these years.

What if he was right to be scared?

© Alex North 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

A haunting, atmospheric story about the long shadow evil casts on all it touches. Truly a white-knuckle read from start to finish

Tracy Sierra

Balancing his trademark hint of the supernatural with very real fears, this is a book full of regret and grief, but most of all heart. I loved Dan – I was swept up in his story, riding the wave of his uncertainty and worry

Sam Holland, author of The Echo Man

I tore through this gritty tale of guilt, grief and the ghosts that haunt us. The twists are exceptionally well executed, the emotional through line compelling, and the mercurial baddie is genuinely unsettling. With this book, Alex North dares to peer into the darkest corners of the human psyche, and the results are eerie and moving in equal measure. If you loved The Whisper Man, you’ll love this, too. Nightmares guaranteed!

Josh Winning, author of Heads Will Roll

Alex North has done it again. He has managed to craft a serial killer thriller with strange beauty, big heart and seemingly effortless elegance. The Man Made of Smoke was in equal parts terrifying, creepy, thrilling and moving – a book you want everyone else to read immediately because it’s so damned good. Alex is simply master of the sub-genre.

Marnie Riches

Alex North mixes the emotional with the thrilling so expertly. Just a mind-blowingly tense and brilliant read

Louise Swanson

Creepy and atmospheric from the first page, The Man Made Of Smoke is as well-written as it is tense. There were whole pages where I held my breath. It tugs on the heart strings too. Love it

Rachel Wolf

It is a rare talent to be able to write a compulsive thriller with such heart. The Man Made of Smoke is a rare gem that is both terrifying and heart wrenching, bittersweet and hopeful, nightmarish and deeply, deeply human. Written with skill and intelligence, and told with empathy and nuance, this is a novel that’s not to be missed. I loved every word

Rebecca Thorne, author of The Grief House

Creepy, compelling and so fiendishly tricky, I couldn’t put it down. Another surefire winner from the king of haunting!

Natalie Chandler, author of The Voices

Praise for Alex North

A writer who can terrify you on one page and break your heart on the next

Steve Cavanagh

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