The Man Made of Smoke

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Author: Alex NorthTrue crime | Crime & mystery | Thriller / suspense | Horror & ghost storiesPublished on 8th May 2025 by Penguin Books Ltd (Michael Joseph Ltd) in the United Kingd om.Hardback | 384 pages 242mm x 164mm x 35mm | 592g 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‘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--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?--Praise for The Man Made of Smoke'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…If you loved The Whisper Man, you’ll love this, too. Nightmares guaranteed!' Josh Winning, author of Heads Will Roll'It is a rare talent to be able to write a compulsive thriller with such heart…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 VoicesBuilt 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 himPraise for Alex North:'As terrifying as a great horror novel, as unpredictable as the best type of crime novel and above all beautifully written...a writer who is an absolute master of his craft' Jane Casey'This is absorbing, headlong reading, a play on classic horror with an inventiveness of its own' New York Times'Hugely atmospheric and deliciously creepy' Alex Michaelides Show more