The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars**
🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤
When he was a kid, Dan Garvie had an encounter with a serial killer that he luckily escaped physically unharmed, but he’s been mentally haunted by that day ever since.
It had a huge impact, not just on him, but also on his Dad, John, as well. John was a police officer at the time the killer was active, and to have his son directly impacted by that encounter definitely hit a little too close to home.
As an adult, Dan has moved away from his small island hometown and has dedicated his life to understanding criminal minds. Focused on forgetting his past, Dan doesn’t keep in as close of touch with his Dad as he probably should.
When he receives news that his Dad has passed away under highly-suspicious circumstances, he rushes back to the island determined to uncover the truth.
Returning to his childhood home stirs up a lot of feelings and memories for Dan. It also brings him into contact with people he hasn’t seen in many years, including his childhood best friend, Sarah.
As Dan starts digging around, trying to find out what could have happened to his Dad, he uncovers some startling things. Is it possible his Dad’s unfortunate fate is connected to that horrible nightmare Dan has been running from for all of these years?
The Man Made of Smoke was so incredibly-engaging. Gripping and intriguing from the very start, I found it difficult to put this one down once I was reading it.
The story is told via three perspectives and I appreciated what each of them brought to the story. I grew attached to each character, but particularly to John. This is one of those rare Crime Fiction novels that really tugs at your heart-strings, or at least it did mine.
We also get past and present perspectives, which I feel like helped to really build out the truth behind this story.
The past perspective had a visceral feel to it; imagining being in the circumstances portrayed was gut-wrenching. The current perspectives were similarly impactful, filled with the character’s inner regrets and turmoil.
It was so well executed and really made me feel connected with this story. I actually cared. There’s no way I could have walked away from this one.
It also didn’t hurt that the set-up of a character returning to their hometown, after a long period of time away, and they have to reinsert themselves into their communities in order to solve something, either an old or new mystery, is one of my all-time favorite tropes.
As someone who moved away from their hometown many years ago, this idea always intrigues me. Maybe I should go back and solve some stuff, you know? Also, it’s set on an island, which is another thing I love.
All around it was clear from the start that this should be a hit for me, and Alex North definitely pulled it off. I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of North’s previous novels, or if you love darker Crime Fiction stories in general.
Thank you to the publisher, Celadon Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This definitely met my lofty expectations. Well played by North!