The Man Made of Smoke

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Brought to you by Penguin.


YOU SAW IT. YOU WERE TOO SCARED TO ACT. BUT NOW IT’S COMING FOR YOU.

From the mind behind the international bestseller The Whisper Man comes a new nightmare…

Daniel Garvie was a teenager when he encountered a serial killer: ‘the man made of smoke.’

Unlike the victims, he survived.

Now Dan’s a criminal psychiatrist, unpicking the motives of the darkest killers.
But he’s never forgotten that first encounter. The man made of smoke still haunts him.

When his father – a retired policeman obsessed with unsolved cases – disappears after finding a body, Dan rushes home, fearing the worst.

Wondering what old case his father was investigating, Dan is horrified to find himself drawn back to his own terrible childhood encounter.

And this time there is no escape . . .

‘Chills to the bone...a haunting portrait of a psychopath and the psychiatrist trying to understand what drives him’ Daily Mail

‘The Man Made of Smoke was in equal parts terrifying, creepy, thrilling and moving’ Marnie Riches

‘A haunting, atmospheric story…Truly a white-knuckle read from start to finish’ Tracy Sierra

‘Creepy and atmospheric from the first page, The Man Made Of Smoke is as well-written as it is tense’ Rachel Wolf

© Alex North 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

A splendidly creepy story - which chills to the bone...a haunting portrait of a psychopath and the psychiatrist trying to understand what drives him
Daily Mail
Terrifying
Crime Monthly
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
Built around the five stages of grief, The Man Made of Smoke paints a haunting portrait of a psychopath and the psychiatrist trying to understand what drives him
Daily Mail
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

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