Description

Book Synopsis

________

‘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 . . .
________

'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



Trade Review
If you liked Sirens, you will love The Smiling Man. Gritty, noir, and packing a punch from the very first page. * Jane Harper, author of The Dry *
Gritty as hell. I loved it! A great urban cop thriller -- Ian Rankin
Sirens was one of the best books published last year and this intense, blackly comic follow-up is just as good. Joseph Knox has conjured up a sense of evil and corruption you can almost smell it. -- Jake Kerridge * Sunday Express *
Imperfect as Aidan Waits is, the Manchester DC is the shining light in a world peopled by the worst kinds of bad people. This is Knox's second Waits book in what holds the promise of a classic series. * Sunday Times Crime Club *
Talents such as Knox rarely emerge more than once in a generation. A crime fiction masterpiece * Metro *

The Smiling Man

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    £8.99

    Includes FREE delivery

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Sat 13 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Joseph Knox

    1 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

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      Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
      Publication Date: 04/04/2019
      ISBN13: 9781784162191, 978-1784162191
      ISBN10: 1784162191

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      ________

      ‘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 . . .
      ________

      '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



      Trade Review
      If you liked Sirens, you will love The Smiling Man. Gritty, noir, and packing a punch from the very first page. * Jane Harper, author of The Dry *
      Gritty as hell. I loved it! A great urban cop thriller -- Ian Rankin
      Sirens was one of the best books published last year and this intense, blackly comic follow-up is just as good. Joseph Knox has conjured up a sense of evil and corruption you can almost smell it. -- Jake Kerridge * Sunday Express *
      Imperfect as Aidan Waits is, the Manchester DC is the shining light in a world peopled by the worst kinds of bad people. This is Knox's second Waits book in what holds the promise of a classic series. * Sunday Times Crime Club *
      Talents such as Knox rarely emerge more than once in a generation. A crime fiction masterpiece * Metro *

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