Review: The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North
26 May 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Alex North, Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Review, The Man Made of Smoke, Thriller
My Five Word TL:DR Review: A book that hooks immediately
This is not my first book by this author but I will say that it is without doubt my favourite. This is a creepy thriller that hooks you from the first chapters and keeps you hooked until you finish.
As the story begins we meet Dan Garvie, he’s on a family outing with his parents, accompanied by a friend when a quick stop at a roadside service station leads to a terrible encounter, a lucky escape – for Dan at least – and a tale of regret and redemption.
I couldn’t put this book down. Told with different timelines and POVs the whole story weaves together to form a dread inducing package of horror. Literally, the ‘baddie’ of this piece gave me the heebie jeebies and I was definitely happier reading this in the daylight hours, although the light of day was no shield against this despicable character.
Dan, now grown up, is a criminal profiler. He returns to his family home when his father passes away under strange circumstances and begins to uncover a strange trail of crumbs. Dan has never forgiven himself for not helping the young boy he encountered all those years ago at the service station – who was clearly in the clutches of evil and in desperate need of help. Dan was so scared that he was incapable of doing anything short of hiding and has lived with remorse ever since. The ‘evil’ man in question was a serial killer known as ‘The Man Made of Smoke’, his one constant refrain ‘nobody sees and nobody cares’.
This is without doubt a chilling tale that had me reading like some sort of maniac, desperate to know the outcome, unwilling to put the book down, but, at the same time, not wanting to sit alone into the early hours to continue reading. The serial killer is actually incredibly scary, he almost feels supernatural – although that isn’t the case – there’s just this incredible feeling of power or lack of fear, the knowledge that he can go anywhere and do anything and everyone will turn a blind eye.
The writing is good, full of tension and fear, both on the parts of the characters living out this current nightmare and the reader. I mean, I was literally afraid during parts of this story – and I was worried about the main characters who seem to constantly put themselves at risk.
I can’t really say too much without giving away spoilers but this is a dark tale with the creep factor ratcheted up. It’s also a story of guilt, misunderstood feelings, trauma and redemption.
Dan has a lot to figure out and along the way the voice of his father in his head guides him on the journey.
A really good read that I couldn’t put down.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 of 5 stars
Better Late Than Never: Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
22 July 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Booking Ahead, Books, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Mystery, Thriller, Weekly wrap up
Today I’m posting my Weekly Wrap Up and II’m linking up to The Sunday Post over at Kimberly’s Caffeinated Reviewer. Without further ado:
Books read this week:
So, I’ve been very absent from the blog. I managed to strain a muscle in my leg and it’s been a flipping nuisance and has stolen my mojo for everything. Anyway, I’ve still tucked some reading under my belt and have a few reviews due. I read and really loved The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris. I also completed my second batch of SPFBO books reading 25% of them all. I’ll be posting my third batch soon. I also read Love Letters To A Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell. What an unusual read this was. Finally, I’ve made a good start on The Trouble With Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie Lumsden which I’m thoroughly enjoying.
Next Week’s Reads:
Complete The Trouble With Mrs Montgomery Hurst by Katie Lumsden and I’d also like to read The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen,
Reviews Posted:
- The September House by Carissa Orlando
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Storm Child by Michael Robotham
- In the Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
- Love Letters To A Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell
- The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris
Double Review, Cyrus Haven #2 and #3
1 July 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Cyrus Haven #2, Cyrus Haven #3, fiction, Lying Beside You, Michael Robotham, Thriller, When She Was Good
When She Was Good by Michael Robotham Cyrus Haven #2
When She was Good is the second Cyrus Haven instalment and once again brings to us a story that revolves around Evie Cormac and her dark past
As the story begins Evie is back at Langford Hall and Cyrus is helping the police with enquiries into a suicide where things don’t add up. As Cyrus digs deeper the case begins to tie into Evie’s disturbing past and pretty soon it becomes apparent that the secure unit she is living in is not going to keep her protected.
I enjoyed this instalment. We learn more about Evie, particularly when the police officer who found her years ago joins Cyrus in his search for answers.
Evie is still very much a prickly pear, and with good reason tbf. She finds it difficult to trust and the fact that she is the equivalent of a human lie detector doesn’t always help. Imagine how difficult it must be to constantly be aware of those tiny little untruths that surround a person. It must be exhausting.
This series seems to be going from strength to strength.
I bought a copy from Audible. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 stars
Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham Cyrus Haven #3
Another tense thriller in this series.
Cyrus is now a firm and integral part of the police serious crime investigations. In this instalment he will be looking into a murder and kidnapping and trying to profile the killer. At the same time Cyrus’s brother is about to return home after many years spent in a psychiatrist hospital. Elias killed his family and Cyrus discovered their bodies. This trauma was his motivation for studying psychology. Now, years later Elias is set to return to the family home. Of course he’s massively out of touch with the modern world and on top of that Evie is now sharing the house with Cyrus. Not that the two are having a relationship. Simply that Cyrus has provided a safe place for Evie to stay. The two get on well. Evie is making an attempt to change. She attends school although she isn’t totally accepted by the other students. She’s also starting a job, which is how she finds herself a witness to the potential abductor/killer.
Of course, the killer also spotted Evie and she once again finds herself at risk.
What I find really works for me with this series is the central relationship between the two main characters. There’s still a tentative feel to the friendship and the two are still working things out. Evie isn’t too keen to have Elias at the house. The two seem to have a mutual mistrust of each other and an almost competitive streak vying for Space and attention.
Once again we have a thrilling murder investigation that cranks up the tension and threat. At the same time Cyrus is still on the hunt for more information about Evie that ultimately puts them both in danger.
I really enjoyed this instalment. I think that having the opportunity to read this and the previous instalment so close together also worked really well for me. These are such intriguing and layered stories. A story within a story. Well written with a dose of seedy underworld that gives the story additional darkness.
I bought a copy from Audible. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
25 January 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Audio, Book Review, Mystery, Rachel Hawkins, The Heiress, Thriller
My Five Word TL:DR Review : One inheritance, one dysfunctional family
Before I start this review I would mention that I listened to the audio version of this one and it was excellent.
Anyhow, The Heiress is my favourite book by Rachel Hawkins to date. It feels like she’s achieved this perfect combination of, almost cosy mystery but with sinister undertones together with a story telling voice that feels like its channelling Daphne Du Maurier – to be clear – gothic. So, the story is a winning mash up of different character motivations, secrets and lies and wonderful pacing all brought together by a lovely story telling style using past and present storylines and different methods such as letters and newspaper articles to relay the different events.
Firstly, to the characters. I’d like to say that the main characters are Jules and Camden, but, really, let’s be honest, the titular Heiress steals the show – even though she’s dead! Ruby McTavish Callahan was filthy rich. Heiress to her family’s fortune she also managed to accrue wealth in her own right during her crazy life. Ruby became famous as a child when she was kidnapped and returned to the family a year later. On top of that she had four husbands, who all died – I can practically hear you raising your eyebrows. She relates her story to the reader through a series of letters – to whom the letters are addressed is, of course, part of the mystery that eventually unfolds. I loved her dark humour.
Camden is Ruby’s adopted son and inherited the bulk of her estate. He chose instead to reject the wealth and leave the family home eventually settling down to a regular job and marrying the love of his life – Jules. Jules is a very interesting narrator, I can’t really say too much about her here other than the two clearly are in love, but, Jules has quite a few secrets of her own (well so does every character in the book to be fair, even Cam).
I’m not going to elaborate too much on the other characters, lets say that they are very bitter about Camden inheriting the bulk of what they consider to be their family’s estate and so when Cam decides to make the trip home and rebuild some bridges he and his wife don’t receive a warm welcome. I have mentioned that everyone here has secrets – I would add that nobody is completely innocent either.
Secondly, in terms of the plot. Well, we have all the family secrets to unravel and on top of that we have the past to catch up on and the true story of Ruby told in her own style. Again, I won’t say anything more.
Thirdly. I loved the atmosphere of this. It has this old style mystery feeling, the characters are almost exaggerated versions of themselves, totally over the top, apart from Jules and Cam who have the appearance of being the only down to earth characters of the story. There’s lots of backstabbing and furtive goings on. There’s a delicious gothic feel to the piece with Ashby House – an old and rambling mansion that has fallen into disrepair surrounded by thick forest and sheer cliffs. It almost feels as though you’re reading a conjured up plot from the board game Cluedo (It was Ruby, in the Lounge, using the candlestick – just joking – no spoilers here). It’s kind of hammed up but in a really infectious and unputdownable way and I think the reveals and secrets are perfectly blended. Hawkins manages to keep the tension throughout by revealing certain jaw droppers usually quickly followed by another teaser. She lets you off the hook, and then she puts you right back on it.
In conclusion, I don’t think I can lay a single criticism on this book. I loved it from start to finish. I consumed it in about two days and I enjoyed every minute. Lots of twists and turns and a totally satisfying ending. If you’re looking for something a bit more dark or brutal then this isn’t what you’ll find amongst these pages but I can’t recommend this enough if you’re looking for a compelling and addictive vipers den of secrets and lies.
I bought an audio version of The Heiress and thoroughly enjoyed the way the story was narrated. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 stars
The Devil’s Only Friend by Dan Wells (John Cleaver book No.4)
12 June 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Dan Wells, Horror, John Cleaver No.4, Mystery, The Devil's Only Friend, Thriller
The Devil’s Only Friend is the first in a new Trilogy starring John Wayne Cleaver. There have apparently been three earlier books but The Devil’s Only Friend can be read as a standalone and indeed it’s not difficult to pick up on what took place previously. Having said that I really enjoyed this and to a cetain extent wish I had picked up the previous books, even though I admit that I probably won’t do so now, but just purely from a character development perspective.
In The Devil’s Only Friend John is now working with the FBI. His prior experiences dealing with, and by that I mean killing, demons (or the withered as they’re called here) make him a necessary part of the team. He’s not completely trusted by his colleagues of course, and let’s face it that’s hardly a surprise given his personality. John definitely suffers from an antisocial personality disorder – I would say that he is a sociopath (or maybe even a psychopath)?? and maybe his backstory would have been a bit more definitive in that respect. For now I’m going with sociopath. He fantasises, in a fairly calculated manner, about killing people and animals and he seems to have a set of rules by which he keeps his tendencies under control – including counting sequences. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.
The world we’re dealing with here is a modern, everyday setting, the difference being that demons live amongst the humans. They, for the most part, look human and integrate into society. They’re very strong and dangerous though and for the purpose of this story they’re called the withered – because they lack something, something that they need in order to survive and something that they usually have to take, forcibly, from others. John’s role here is to find out what that special ‘something’ is in each particular case so that the FBI can, in as carefully controlled and safe a setting as possible, kill the withered they’re currently tracking. Now, the FBI, may finally be aware of the withered but that doesn’t mean that there doesn’t exist a LOT of doubt and skepticism and the team John works with is relatively understaffed and under resourced as a result. A situation which isn’t going to help when the enemy becomes aware of their existence and decides to bring the war to them instead of remaining as sitting ducks.
I thought this was a really good read. When I first picked it up I wasn’t sure if it would all be horror and whilst there is horror involved this is a bit deeper than that. We of course have the withered – but these creatures are not simply evil – they’re driven themselves by whatever it is they lack. Then we have John, and it’s difficult to really know yet whether I really like him or not as some of his internal thoughts are frankly a bit scary, who suffers from his own personality disorder and would be considered to be damaged or maybe even missing something fundamental to human nature himself.
There are a number of characters involved, none of them are really particularly well expanded upon – and I don’t mean that in a negative way but just more that they play a lesser role that John – and I will also just mention that the author is fairly ruthless with his cast so you might want to bear that in mind.
The one constant in John’s life, carried forward from his past experiences is Brooke – a previous friend/girl next door who has rather unfortunately become the hidden weapon in John and the FBI’s arsenal against the withered. I won’t go too much into that other than to say she is an interesting character to read and I would enjoy more involvement from her.
The Devil’s Only Friends was a great start to this new series. Part murder mystery, part horror, part psychological thriller with an unusual main protagonist. I’m definitely interested in seeing how John develops. Like I say, I’m not sure what to feel about him just yet although, in spite of his inner turmoil, he’s clearly not all bad and at least wants to be ‘better’.
I will definitely read on with this series.
I received a copy of this from the publishers via Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Books and travelling with Lynn 