Fiction

The Smiling Man

The Smiling Man

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  • Create Date：2021-05-20 11:54:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Joseph Knox
  • ISBN：1784162191
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Summary

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‘Gritty as hell。 I loved it。 A great urban cop thriller’ Ian Rankin

As heard on BBC Radio 5 Live Phil Williams Show

From the bestselling author of Sirens， Detective Aidan Waits is on the hunt to find the identity of The Smiling Man。
________

A body has been found on the fourth floor of Manchester’s vast and empty Palace Hotel。 The man is dead。 And he is smiling。

The tags have been removed from his clothes。 His teeth have been replaced。 Even his fingertips are not his own。 Only a patch sewn into his trousers offers any information about him。

Detective Aidan Waits and his unwilling partner， DI Sutcliffe， must piece together the scant clues to identify the stranger。 But as they do， Aidan realises that a ghost from his past haunts the investigation。 He soon recognises that to discover who the smiling man really is， he must first confront the scattered debris of his own life 。 。 。
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'Talents such as Knox rarely emerge more than once in a generation。 A crime fiction masterpiece' ***** Metro

'Packing a punch from the very first page。 You will love The Smiling Man' Jane Harper， author of The Dry

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Reviews

Adele ，

The underbelly of Manchester is viciously exposed in this gritty crime thriller。 Aiden and Sutty， though cops， are hardly the upstanding pillars of society that you’d expect from law enforcement officers - they certainly push the boundaries - and that’s just with each other。 Night shift misfits with axes to grind。 Baddies beware， they’re coming to get you and when they do it won’t be pretty。。。

Francis Telegadas ，

Worth readingThe plot got a little convoluted but the ending tied it up。 Character development is very interesting。 dialogue is also strong。 Reminds me a lot of George pelecanos and his character Nick stefanoss。 I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series

GingerOrange ，

Really good。I liked how much of an anti-hero Aidan was。 The author presented such a gritty version of Manchester and its inhabitants; which oddly enough I found interesting。 The murder plot line itself was very different and its pacing was good。 I didn’t predict the ending so that’s a welcome surprise。Overall， good characterisation and storyline。

K ，

Would have been 4 star except for some of the reveal which was too unbelievable。 Would read more from this author。

Paul Turgoose ，

I enjoyed Sirens but did feel that it wasn't perfect with some issues around cliches and a writing style that was a bit different so i was looking forward to reading the second installment to see how the main character and story had progressed。I was really impressed with the second book， the slightly different writing style isn't as obvious and may even be dialled down a bit in this installment and when you do notice it， it was always in a positive manner。Detective waits is that troubled， imperf I enjoyed Sirens but did feel that it wasn't perfect with some issues around cliches and a writing style that was a bit different so i was looking forward to reading the second installment to see how the main character and story had progressed。I was really impressed with the second book， the slightly different writing style isn't as obvious and may even be dialled down a bit in this installment and when you do notice it， it was always in a positive manner。Detective waits is that troubled， imperfect and ultimately violent individual we have seen many times in fiction but where Knox does something different with him is the way he portrays the character in such a way that you're never really sure if you're for or against him or if you even identify with why he does what he does！ Talk about complex characters。I'm a mancunian born and bread so seeing my city brought to life in these exceptional books may make me slightly biased but i do think Knox nails the city totally， including its darker side and the fact that like most big cities you have wealth 100 metres from poverty and crime。The descriptions of the city， its buildings and the people are almost poetic and could be New York， Paris or Berlin。I won't give any details away about the story because i think its so wonderfully written that i would like people to read it cold and enjoy every character， every red herring， every twist and mostly every wonderful storyline in this novel。 。。。more

Natalie ，

Continuing from Sirens， we learn more about the background of disgraced Detective Constable Aidan Watts as he yet again juggles his ambitious and less than salubrious boss Superintendent Parr while trying to solve a case。 In this book we see his investigative skills and learn more about why he is the way he is。 And it’s a heartbreaking trauma that bleeds into his adult life。 Yet again Joseph Knox is a brilliant writer。 He has a talent with short， tight two page chapters which drive the action。 I Continuing from Sirens， we learn more about the background of disgraced Detective Constable Aidan Watts as he yet again juggles his ambitious and less than salubrious boss Superintendent Parr while trying to solve a case。 In this book we see his investigative skills and learn more about why he is the way he is。 And it’s a heartbreaking trauma that bleeds into his adult life。 Yet again Joseph Knox is a brilliant writer。 He has a talent with short， tight two page chapters which drive the action。 I love the moral ambiguity of everyone。 。。。more

Etienne ，

Joseph Knox est en train de devenir un de mes auteurs préféré en termes de polar！ La noirceur noire！ Un univers réaliste， mais vu du côté sombre de l’âme humaine。 Une intrigue complexe， à multiple niveaux qui se résout habilement， sans tourner les coins ronds ou sur expliquer。 Waits est un enquêteur différent， original et terriblement attachant malgré ses nombreuses failles， en tant que personnes et non en tant que personne ou d’écriture。 On en apprend d’ailleurs beaucoup sur son passé dans ce d Joseph Knox est en train de devenir un de mes auteurs préféré en termes de polar！ La noirceur noire！ Un univers réaliste， mais vu du côté sombre de l’âme humaine。 Une intrigue complexe， à multiple niveaux qui se résout habilement， sans tourner les coins ronds ou sur expliquer。 Waits est un enquêteur différent， original et terriblement attachant malgré ses nombreuses failles， en tant que personnes et non en tant que personne ou d’écriture。 On en apprend d’ailleurs beaucoup sur son passé dans ce deuxième tome de ses aventures。 Je le recommande fortement！ Je recommande également de débuter par le premier tome， Sirènes， qui vaut tout autant le peine et qui vous permettra de suivre les aventures dans le bon ordre， même si les deux livres pourraient très bien être lu indépendamment。 。。。more

Jo Hindhaugh ，

I read ‘Sirens’ and I liked it but I never felt that the Aidan Waits stories were going to be my favourites。 ‘The Smiling Man’ changed that。 Brilliant。 Even in my hectic working week， I was staying up later and later just to get through this unputdownable book。 The story centres around the discovery of an unidentifiable body in a disused hotel。 There are so many sub-plots， flashbacks and twists that there is never a dull moment。 On top of this， the character of Aidan Waits is much more developed I read ‘Sirens’ and I liked it but I never felt that the Aidan Waits stories were going to be my favourites。 ‘The Smiling Man’ changed that。 Brilliant。 Even in my hectic working week， I was staying up later and later just to get through this unputdownable book。 The story centres around the discovery of an unidentifiable body in a disused hotel。 There are so many sub-plots， flashbacks and twists that there is never a dull moment。 On top of this， the character of Aidan Waits is much more developed and much more likeable。 I’m looking forward to the next instalment。。。 。。。more

Sibylle Seys smets ，

Bien fait， très chouette personnage， immoral et torturé mais attachant。 L histoire tient la route， c est très sombre mais pas mal construit。 Une bonne lecture polar， sans immense révélation toutefois。

Polly ，

I just love Aidan Waits。 Love being able to follow it so vividly because it’s set in real life Manchester。 Fab fab fab

bokhyllaniskuggan ，

❥ RecensionDel två i serien om Aidan Waits。Den mörka， ångestfyllda miljön från första boken hänger kvar och den här uppföljaren visar än mer på en mörk， trasig och korrupt värld。 Med en bisarr och brutal start fångar boken mitt intresse och får mig att vilja läsa mer。 Jag uppskattar både gestaltning och språket men det är något i storyn som skaver hos mig。 Det saknas något för att jag ska fastna och jag är inte alls lika förtjust i den här boken som jag blev i den första。 Dock gillar jag Waits o ❥ RecensionDel två i serien om Aidan Waits。Den mörka， ångestfyllda miljön från första boken hänger kvar och den här uppföljaren visar än mer på en mörk， trasig och korrupt värld。 Med en bisarr och brutal start fångar boken mitt intresse och får mig att vilja läsa mer。 Jag uppskattar både gestaltning och språket men det är något i storyn som skaver hos mig。 Det saknas något för att jag ska fastna och jag är inte alls lika förtjust i den här boken som jag blev i den första。 Dock gillar jag Waits och den syrliga， mörka humorn boken besitter så jag lär läsa nästa bok också！Boken får 🥃🥃+ av 5。 。。。more

Marlina ，

Just when you thought all noir detective novels were predictable， this one comes along！ In The Smiling Man， Detective Aiden Watts is exiled to the night shift， with a partner who does nothing but get on his nerves。 One night Aiden is called to the scene of a murder in an old shut down hotel。 The dead man's clothes have had all their tags cut out and strangely， the dead man has a big smile on his face。 Aiden's superiors want him off the case， but he can't leave it alone。 His biggest problem thoug Just when you thought all noir detective novels were predictable， this one comes along！ In The Smiling Man， Detective Aiden Watts is exiled to the night shift， with a partner who does nothing but get on his nerves。 One night Aiden is called to the scene of a murder in an old shut down hotel。 The dead man's clothes have had all their tags cut out and strangely， the dead man has a big smile on his face。 Aiden's superiors want him off the case， but he can't leave it alone。 His biggest problem though is a dark man from his past， who is now out of jail and determined to haunt Aiden's like once again。 This is an unpredictable noir detective novel interspersed with real moments of humanity。 The clues uncovered took me by surprise and the detective's inner struggle between helping others and self-sabotaging himself made for gripping character。 I couldn't give it 5 stars because at times I felt moments dragged longer than necessary， but I would definitely recommend this to crime fiction fans！ 。。。more

Melanie O'Neill ，

Oh Wow， Wow and more wow！ It’s the first book I’ve read by this author but certainly won’t be my last。 Unputdownable。。。Fantastic storyline， atmospheric setting，interesting characters and a chilling ‘back story’ creating tension throughout， till the very end。 A well deserved 5⭐️ from me ！

Rob Alcock ，

3。6 stars

Aaron Bates ，

I loved Knox's debut with the same character and amazingly he raises the bar even more with his second entry。 The evocative setting and great character work are both still present but the plot is even better this time and despite being even darker than the original （granted I do favor dark） it is extremely compelling。 I loved Knox's debut with the same character and amazingly he raises the bar even more with his second entry。 The evocative setting and great character work are both still present but the plot is even better this time and despite being even darker than the original （granted I do favor dark） it is extremely compelling。 。。。more

Lesley ，

for me this is a 3。5* （ 3 good， 4 great， 5 book of the year material）I started off disliking both the detectives characters immensely。 Sutcliffe remained incredibly annoying， but i warmed to DC Aidan Waits a hard renegade cop with a contract on his head， and with his own sense of justice which is somewhat skewed。He shows compassion， empathy and loyalty which made me warm to him。I liked the 2 veins of the story which ran parallel。I question whether Ali as a refugee going through the system would for me this is a 3。5* （ 3 good， 4 great， 5 book of the year material）I started off disliking both the detectives characters immensely。 Sutcliffe remained incredibly annoying， but i warmed to DC Aidan Waits a hard renegade cop with a contract on his head， and with his own sense of justice which is somewhat skewed。He shows compassion， empathy and loyalty which made me warm to him。I liked the 2 veins of the story which ran parallel。I question whether Ali as a refugee going through the system would be allowed to work。The story is told at a good pace， has a gritty street feel and kept my interest throughout 。。。more

Terry Barlow ，

Smiling Man Found Dead in Empty Iconic Manchester Hotel。 Exploiting Hard Up Students。 People With Multiple Identity ，s。 Opening Story i could not Understand。 Where it Fitted in Context of Book。 All Comes to Light。 Clever Book。 Enjoy Author & Main Character。 Not a Lot Going for Him。 Battles On Regardless。 Already Have Next Book in Series。

Jim Bowen ，

I often say that if you ever read a character that appears in multiple books， that you should start near the beginning。 This book proves my point。This book sees a young（ish） Manchester detective finds crime thriller， seeinga body in a disused hotel， and sets off to find out whodunit， along with his lazy， ne'erdowell boss。 In many ways it's a perfectly decent read。 It's your standard police fayre。 The cop is almost blown off course， and has to deal with his demons， before saving the day。The， My i I often say that if you ever read a character that appears in multiple books， that you should start near the beginning。 This book proves my point。This book sees a young（ish） Manchester detective finds crime thriller， seeinga body in a disused hotel， and sets off to find out whodunit， along with his lazy， ne'erdowell boss。 In many ways it's a perfectly decent read。 It's your standard police fayre。 The cop is almost blown off course， and has to deal with his demons， before saving the day。The， My issues are I have little sympathy for the protagonist， who has real。emotional hang-ups that I have little patience for， that there are maybe 2 clues to who the murderer is （and then you're stretching it as you're unlikely to get it）， but the worst is that you end up feeling you joined a story part way through， and you end up thinking that you've wandered into someone's story， part way through， and are too polite to ask how we got to this point of the sort。The other thing is that there’s the whole Somerton Man thing （a famous murder victim/death in Australia）。 The victim is a clear call out to it， but no one mentioned it。 At。 All。It's not a bad book， it's just I found myself thinking 'wait what now？' And 'oh come on' a lot， because the story was so daft。 It stretches credulity a lot over things that don't matter。 。。。more

Jonathan ，

I really enjoy the smiling man 。 The plot was engaging and the dark setting of Manchester is fantastic。 Aidan waits as the main character has depth and a darkness that you don't always come across。 I thought this novel was an improvement over the first （which I enjoyed） and like the character growth in Aidan。Have already bought the next installment。 I really enjoy the smiling man 。 The plot was engaging and the dark setting of Manchester is fantastic。 Aidan waits as the main character has depth and a darkness that you don't always come across。 I thought this novel was an improvement over the first （which I enjoyed） and like the character growth in Aidan。Have already bought the next installment。 。。。more

Surjit Parekh ，

A body has been found on the fourth floor of Manchester’s vast and empty Palace Hotel。 The man is dead。 And he is smiling。The tags have been removed from his clothes。 His teeth have been replaced。 Even his fingertips are not his own。 Only a patch sewn into his trousers offers any information about him。Detective Aidan Waits and his unwilling partner， DI Sutcliffe， must piece together the scant clues to identify the stranger。 But as they do， Aidan realises that a ghost from his past haunts the inv A body has been found on the fourth floor of Manchester’s vast and empty Palace Hotel。 The man is dead。 And he is smiling。The tags have been removed from his clothes。 His teeth have been replaced。 Even his fingertips are not his own。 Only a patch sewn into his trousers offers any information about him。Detective Aidan Waits and his unwilling partner， DI Sutcliffe， must piece together the scant clues to identify the stranger。 But as they do， Aidan realises that a ghost from his past haunts the investigation。 He soon recognises that to discover who the smiling man really is， he must first confront the scattered debris of his own life 。 。 。 My thoughts about this follow up to the brilliant Sirens Joseph Knox The Smiling Man was outstanding how could you identify a man who never existed Detective Aidan Waits and he's team find a body who's been murdered and he's identity has been removed such as finger prints have been removed was fantastic Aidan Waits is on a mission to find the identity of the body and the killer on the way he discovers it links to his past that he once was part of his life is shocking loved it Joseph Knox has written a brilliant story that is so gripping it takes you on a ride highly recommended just love this series 💥💥💥💥💥⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more

Alan Draycott ，

Please stop me if you hear I'm reading another crime noir。 It's probably me and not the book but the thought of another down at heel detective going from place to place in a wildly complex plot， whilst hampered and harassed by colleagues and baddies， is just too much much to bare。 So this ridiculously long novel has bored me throughout lockdown。 Thank goodness I've had alot of fresh paint to watch dry as there was not one word of originality in this。 Please stop me if you hear I'm reading another crime noir。 It's probably me and not the book but the thought of another down at heel detective going from place to place in a wildly complex plot， whilst hampered and harassed by colleagues and baddies， is just too much much to bare。 So this ridiculously long novel has bored me throughout lockdown。 Thank goodness I've had alot of fresh paint to watch dry as there was not one word of originality in this。 。。。more

Phillip ，

Second in the Aidan Waits series bringing us more up to speed on Aidans awful childhood。 Good page turner although a bit farfetched interwoven plot？

Victoria ，

An dark thrilling mystery。 Great audiobook。

Robin Atkins ，

Having read Sirens a few weeks ago， I picked up The Smiling Man to see if I wanted to continue to read the Aiden Waits series。 Detective Constable Aiden Waits has it rough。 A rotten partner and worse boss。。。top those with a bad reputation and there Waits is。After all I have read， turns out I do want to continue the series。

Caimh McDonnell ，

FantasticDarkly gothic twisty and twisting crime thriller。 Joe turns Manchester into a brutal playground for the worst of mankind and yet he writes with a charm。 Things like the old trope of the messed up detective are fresh and urgent in his expert hands。 One of the most impressive writers working today。 Not for the faint hearted but one of the best。

BillReader ，

Fast moving very descriptive， not a block buster but I enjoyed it

Pam Cash ，

This is #2 in this series and I love both books so far。 I’m waiting for the 3rd installment to arrive this weekend。The story is set in Manchester England。 I couldn’t put it down。 （Same with the first book。） The protagonist is very flawed （aren’t they all） but this one more than most！ He is a young police detective with a very tough and disturbing backstory。 And there are also many nasty villains， both criminals and police。 The characters are all very well developed with many twists and surprises This is #2 in this series and I love both books so far。 I’m waiting for the 3rd installment to arrive this weekend。The story is set in Manchester England。 I couldn’t put it down。 （Same with the first book。） The protagonist is very flawed （aren’t they all） but this one more than most！ He is a young police detective with a very tough and disturbing backstory。 And there are also many nasty villains， both criminals and police。 The characters are all very well developed with many twists and surprises in the plots。 Hope there will be many more Aidan Waits books！ 。。。more

Polly Bartlett ，

Gripping - but I didn’t love it as much as Sirens。

Bonnie Brody ，

Adam Waits has been reinstated to the British police force after being suspended for drug use and other criminal offenses。 He has been assigned the night shift， the isolated work shift where one is placed for punishment， a dumping ground for detectives not deemed capable of working the day shift。 Adam is clean now and uses no drugs but he does like to drink now and again。 His partner， Sutty， is a piece of work。 He finds euphoria in the gruesome and horrific crimes found in the darkness of night。 Adam Waits has been reinstated to the British police force after being suspended for drug use and other criminal offenses。 He has been assigned the night shift， the isolated work shift where one is placed for punishment， a dumping ground for detectives not deemed capable of working the day shift。 Adam is clean now and uses no drugs but he does like to drink now and again。 His partner， Sutty， is a piece of work。 He finds euphoria in the gruesome and horrific crimes found in the darkness of night。 He is also a neat freak， constantly cleaning the steering wheel of their car after Adam touches it。 Sutty is a lazy cop and would be happy to have Adam do most of the work。Their first case about a young college student who has a one night stand with an older man。 He then threatens her with showing videos of their sexual encounter all over the web。 When Adam is called to this case， he tracks down the man who is threatening the young woman and gives him good reason to back off， only to have his hand slapped by his boss because the man is too important to lean on。Adam and Sutty are called to the Palace， once a grand hotel but now closed down。 There， Adam finds a dead man sitting on a chair with his eyes open and the contracted muscles of his face producing what looks like a smile。 The night security guard has been hit unconscious with a fire extinguisher thump to the head and there are not witnesses， at least no one who will speak up。 It seems the day security guard has been renting out rooms in the hotel to prostitutes for a cut of the money。 Additionally， the hotel is up for sale and the divorced couple who are in the process of trying to sell it do not want any bad PR。A concurrent narrative proceeds with the murder of the smiling man。 Bateman， a muscled thug， has his young son Wally knock on doors and asking to be let in。 Wally then unlocks the back door and Bateman enters the home and kills the residents。 This theme progresses to additional and more disturbing crimes with Wally's mother and sister witnessing and participating in the carnage。Baits is considered a bad cop by most of his colleagues。 His demons follow him and he is not getting cooperation from other cops， the pathologist， or his boss。 Sutty is useless so， basically， Baits is on his own。 As he searches for the killer of the Smiling Man and tries to figure out the puzzle of the different aspects of the case， we learn more and more about his past and his painful drug addled history。The book is quite noir and reminds me of movies that are very dark in image， making the viewer strain to see the visage。 This book is worth straining for。 It is exciting， puzzling， throws a lot of punches， and has very interesting characters。 I wish I had read Sirens first so I could have gotten a firmer handle on Baits' life。 However， this novel can be read as a standalone。 。。。more

Steve Aldous ，

Joesph Knox’s first book， Sirens， introduced us to Detective Aidan Waits。 It was a dark， grim and macabre tale that proved to be one of the best debut novels in recent years。 His follow-up， The Smiling Man， continues in the same vein。 Waits is paired on the night shift with DI Peter Sutcliffe （Knox’s penchant for referencing serial killers both real and fictional is one of his traits）。 On attending the crime scene at a disused hotel they find a man’s body in one of the rooms。 It cannot be identi Joesph Knox’s first book， Sirens， introduced us to Detective Aidan Waits。 It was a dark， grim and macabre tale that proved to be one of the best debut novels in recent years。 His follow-up， The Smiling Man， continues in the same vein。 Waits is paired on the night shift with DI Peter Sutcliffe （Knox’s penchant for referencing serial killers both real and fictional is one of his traits）。 On attending the crime scene at a disused hotel they find a man’s body in one of the rooms。 It cannot be identified and is distinguished only by the disturbing smile on his face。 The investigation runs concurrently with events from Waits’ past， which re-surface on the release from prison of the psychotic Bateman。 The plots are not directly linked but weave between each other throughout the novel， with Waits trying to rid himself of the events that led to his dark personality。 It’s a psychological rollercoaster and Knox handles the elements well through his first-person narrative。 The creepy elements in the Smiling Man mystery are reminiscent of cases such as The Black Dahlia。 Knox admirably captures the darkness of the locale， despite being set during a rare Manchester heatwave， and showcases a cast of violent， eccentric and flawed characters。 As such this book is not for those who don’t like their mysteries to veer too much toward the disturbingly dark side， but fans of Knox’s first novel will not be disappointed with this stylish follow-up。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Smiling Man

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Smiling Man&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Smiling Man&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0