Published by Celadon Books Genres: Fiction, Mystery, suspense, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
This is a simmering and thought-provoking book that looks at guilt, justice, action, inaction, and trauma. This is a slow burn, and I do struggle with them, and I did struggle in the beginning of this book. Thankfully the second half of this book picked up for me and I enjoyed the mystery, mystery, suspense, tension, dread and the way this book is told through both Dan and John.
Dan witnessed a crime involving a notorious serial killer as a boy and has been haunted his entire life by what he saw after he and his father, John made a stop to use a restroom. Dan silently watched as a killer, who will become known as ‘the man make of smoke’ said “Nobody Sees, and Nobody Cares.” as he led a frightened boy away. Dan was too frightened to do anything at the time to help the boy. Guilt, shame, remorse never leaves Dan. Since that day, Dan has carried his quilt like an imaginary sack on his back everywhere he goes. He can’t put down this heavy burden and has become a criminal profiler who seeks justice for victims.
His father, John, who was a police officer at the time, has spent many years looking into the case. This had become a heavy burden for him as well. When Dan is informed that his father has died under suspicious circumstances, Dan returns home……
As I mentioned this is a slow burn. This was initially a struggle for me. I enjoyed how both father and son were affected by that visit to the rest stop and what Dan observed. How it affected their lives and relationship. I thought Alex North did a fantastic job of showing how guilt affects an individual and all aspects of their lives. What haunts us, what burdens we carry, what pain we feel, as humans are all on display in The Man Made of Smoke. The mystery is solid, haunting, intriguing, and well thought out. I just wished the pacing was a little faster. The Whisper Man remains my favorite book by Alex North but this one just might haunt you!
Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
