Firstly I'd like to say a big thank you to Netgalley and Nadine Matheson for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read the prologue and I was instantly disappointed. It wasn't gripping, it wasn't interesting. It was rather disappointing.

However I kept on reading and I am very glad I did!

"Death was her adrenalin and it scared her."
Recovering from an attack by a serial killer Inspector Henley is brought back to active duty, she is put in charge of training Ramouter.

Instantly they are struck with another serial killer, using the same mo as Olivier, the one who attacked Henley.

I won’t let it happen ,’ she said, water running down her back. ‘I won’t let you break me.’
Haunted by Olivier Henley fights a personal battle within herself while also trying to stop any more killings.

You don’t wake up on a Wednesday morning, realise that you’re out of milk and decide to chop up the milkman.’
With a few snippets of dark humour this ended up being a very good read, very enjoyable with a great set of characters and a very indepth story.

"Rob, I need help"


Highly recommend, maybe just avoid the prolouge 😁

This is a story about serial killing and contains some very graphic descriptions.
I felt that it was a good story but in my opinion it was rather drawn out. The action depends on the graphic description of horror, the finding of victims and the awful fear of one of the predatory characters. All of these add to the story but are quite repetitive. In my view, less of this would have been more and I would not have found that I was bogged down in the middle.
I enjoyed the story as the crime is being unraveled and the investigation progresses and recommend the book but feel it should be stated that not everyone would be happy with the specific nature of some of the descriptions.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of The Jigsaw Man, the first novel to feature DI Anjelica Henley of the Greenwich Serial Crime Unit.

After a serious injury Henley has been on desk duty, but is assigned her first case when severed body parts start turning up on her patch. It looks like the work of the serial killer Peter Olivier, known as The Jigsaw Man, but he’s behind bars on a full life tariff because Henley put him there. Is he manipulating events or is it a copycat? Henley intends to find out.

I enjoyed The Jigsaw Man, which is, I understand, a debut novel. It is a credible, readable first effort which starts off as fairly formulaic with grisly crimes, a troubled investigator and an investigation lacking both suspect and direction, but turns into something different as the author puts her own stamp on events. I’m not saying that this something different is any more original than the initial scenario but the combination of them both and strong characterisation make it very readable. I found myself turning the pages quickly to see what was coming next, as there are several twists that put a crimp in my thinking.

The novel initially reads like a second novel in the series rather than a debut as it makes frequent references to past events as if the reader is familiar with them. In a way I liked it and the suggestion that the reader is dropping in at a moment in time to a well oiled team with history, but it’s a bit disorienting at first. I liked the device of using newbie TDC Salim Ramouter and his questions to explain certain points.

I think the author has the balance right between the personal and the investigative. There are undercurrents of problems and sometimes the reach the surface but the main focus is on the investigation. This latter could do with some tightening up as it seems a bit scattershot and reactive. It’s a minor niggle in an overall good read. I can’t say that I took to Anjelica Henley as a character, but I liked her better than her whiny, insecure husband Rob. Him, I wouldn’t give house room to. She isn’t fit mentally to do her job but keeps hanging in there. It’s one of the least plausible aspects of the novel. I found the agenda free Salim Ramouter the most appealing character with his calm demeanour, smart thinking and enthusiasm.

The Jigsaw Man is a good read that I can recommend.

I never repeat the blurb. First outing with this author...interesting characters but wasn't as gripping as it might have been...will ponder more...

📖BOOK REVIEW📖⭐️⭐️⭐️
#thejigsawman by #nadinematheson @hqstories

Im more than a little bit disappointed writing this review, I was so looking forward to this read.

So it definitely had its plus points - the story instantly grabbed my attention and at first I was really invested in it. It felt really gritty and was straight into the action which I like.

I really liked the character of Trainee Salim Ramouter, I really enjoyed his back story and if the series were to go forward I would definitely like him to be in there, potentially as a lead character. I thought the other characters of the SCU Team were also well executed, worked well together and made the story interesting with all their quirks and history. There was the foundations to make a really good story and possibly a start to a series here.

However, all the way through I felt I was missing something. I found myself with the feeling of confusion as the plot jumped around or skipped forward - introductions were absent most of the time and orientation to time and place was hit and miss.

The investigation part of the book really dragged and the information and clues gained were so messy and really confusing that I felt I didn’t really know what was going on half the time. Everything took so long to come about which made the book drag.

The book seemed to go to the far end of the unrealistic and become predictable and a little silly. I usually like domestic parts of police procedurals, but here it just felt like the drama was too much, unnecessary and really didn’t add much to you liking and identifying with the lead character Henley.

Overall, I felt like there were some good things here but unfortunately it missed the mark for me.

➡️for synopsis

Thank you to @netgalley @hqstories and author #nadinematheson for allowing me to read this one early.

-Emily

@the_book_girls_1

Have just finished reading this book. It started off slow and found it quite difficult to read at the beginning as there was a lot of back story,. But it all came together about a third in, it got really good. Now I want to know what happens next as there is another story in there waiting to come out.

Very talented author and someone will watch in the future.

The background to places in London was very interesting and really made me feel connected to the story.

I was given an advance copy of this book by netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review which I have done.

This was really good, dark and twisted. I was hooked, it felt like a book by a very accomplished crime writer, so I was surprised that it was a debut.
Smart and gripping, the characters were well written and the South London locations were recognisable but unsettling as I could imagine finding the remains in them. Genuinely excellent book, can't wait to see what the author does next.

Nadine Matheson’s debut crime novel, The Jigsaw Man, is a tense, gruesome serial killer thriller. I first heard about this book at the HQ Fiction Showcase back in January 2020, and I wanted to read it as soon as possible. For fans of Chris Carter, this is a must-read. This is for you if you like your crime books dark and with plenty of tension. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for what Nadine Matheson writes next.

We’re thrown headfirst into a grisly case when body parts are found along the banks of the River Thames. A link is instantly drawn to the ‘Jigsaw Killer.’ Peter Olivier was convicted and handed a life sentence, after committing a string of murders, giving him the nickname the ‘Jigsaw Killer.’ But these new murders are a cause for concern, do the body parts belong to old victims of Peter’s who was never found or are they now dealing with a copycat? This is a case that has haunted DI Henley as she was the officer who put Peter Olivier behind bars.

Nadine Matheson certainly doesn’t shy away from gruesome details. This is what made this novel particularly tense, and the writing kept my eyes glued to my kindle. I absolutely loved Nadine Matheson’s voice, and it hooked me into the novel from the very first page. There’s a real sense of a race against time to catch the killer. The police need to bring this case to a successful conclusion quickly. There is also the fear that the killer isn’t finished and that more lives will be lost if they aren’t caught. Nadine Matheson kept the pace flying forwards as the investigation heated up. There were more than a few moments when I couldn’t bear to turn my eyes away from the page. I was desperate to know what was going to happen next. Nadine Matheson also delivers several jaw-dropping twists, DI Henley and her team certainly aren’t given an easy ride here.

What makes this book really interesting is that the motive behind the copycat killings isn’t entirely clear. Is the killer trying to do this to impress their ‘idol’, Peter Olivier, or are they looking to upstage him? It’s the unknowns that make this case terrifying for DI Henley and her team. They don’t know what turn this case is going to take next.

Nadine Matheson is a writer who I can’t wait to read more from. She has left the ending of this open for a possible continuation of this story. I’m hoping that there will be more books in this series, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the characters develop further from here. The Jigsaw Man is a brilliant first novel, and it is a wild, entertaining read that will keep you reading.

This book does exactly what it says on the tin! It’s fast paced, gruesome and thrilling to read.

It’s largely been compared to ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ or rather, comparisons are being made to Olivier and Lector. This, I can say without a shadow of doubt is correct. Matheson has crafted herself an intellectual and psychotic killer who just loves to play tricks and games with Henley (our lead investigator).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book although I did think the writing was slightly undercrafted in places. This book comes across as a sequel (not debut) which is fine, but it did take awhile for me to be able to pull together a complete backstory to keep up with the current investigation.

I felt that the characters could’ve been better developed. I still don’t feel like I truly know Henley and what makes her tick. Her relationship with the rest of the team could’ve been more descriptive in order to pull them all together create a narrative that I could empathise with.

I loved the killings! Matheson doesn’t hold back, so those with a weak tummies might want to give this one a miss! From discovering the crime to the autopsy, full police procedure and notes are given and it’s a gripping, terrifying read.

Matheson leaves the ending of this book open to a sequel. I look forward to reading more from this author and seeing her style and character progress.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a ride. I don't usually like saying that but it's the only phrase that i feel fits. This story grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go. The stakes are so high for Henley both professionally and personally, i really felt her need to solve these murders before her private life collapsed and she lost everything.

Firstly a big thank you to Hq for my copy to review on netgalley. I have been excited to read this since i heard about it in January at a blogger event( those were the days).

I was not disappointed and let me call it now this will be a tv series. Its set local to me and that enabled me to visually see the story which i loved!

This is going to be huge, a phenomenal debut. I loved Henley who is facing pressure in all aspects of her life and still cracking a murder case…what a woman. But she is also relatable and keeps it real.

Chilling,disturbing and dark this is a fantastic crime thriller . Once you start you wont want to finish reading.

Published February 18th .

What a debut novel. When body parts are discovered, DI Anjelica Henley’s stomach sinks, knowing they are a copy cat of serial killer Jigsaw Man, Peter Olivier who knifed her while apprehending him during his killing spree. The copycat is focussing on a linked group of people and Henley and her team, including new Trainee Detective Constable Roumouter make the link. Then Olivier escapes and they now have two serial killers on the loose.
I really enjoyed the fast pace this book takes and the invested details of the characters and their personal lives.

Gripped me from page 1. All those body parts! A true page turner that kept me up half the night racing to that last page.

I sometimes felt I'd missed a whole book of the characters backstories.

This is dark and gritty,but for me a bit overlong and too much personal drama.

Very readable though,and a serial killer is always interesting.
I think as much as I enjoyed the story as I was reading,it wont be one that stands out for me in a few months time

I found this ok. I found the mystery intriguing but felt like I was reading the second book of a series. More than once, I looked to see if this was a sequel.

Absolutely fantastic book, every bit worthy Of the anticipation around this one.
I haven’t been able to put this one down at all.
Great read!

An enjoyable serial killer thriller, one of those almost comforting page turners- you know you are going to get a good twisty tale with relatable characters.

A copycat serial killer turns into two for the price of one...the plot is pacy and dark and often disturbing, unexpected enough and cleverly done.

I really liked it without feeling it added much to the genre but thats a hard ask these days...overall a good novel to curl up with of an evening. Recommended.

My thoughts about this brilliantly written gripping crime thriller, was outstanding. Nadine Matheson's The Jigsaw Man, had me turning the pages,to find out about the puzzles of, who is the Jigsaw man, was just fantastic. The characters in this powerful thriller, are just fantastic, be it D I Henley, or the serial killer behind bars Peter Oliver, this is a fast tensed gripping thriller, a race against time, to find the real killer who calls himself the Jigsaw Man. What I loved about the story was, when DI Henley, goes to see the serial killer Peter Oliver, who he put behind bars years ago,the police needs his help, to catch a serial killer was just fantastic. Author Nadine Matheson, not only she writes a fantastic hardhiting story, and the characters so well, she brings you a nail biting thriller that takes you on a rollocoster ride, just like The Silence Of The Lambs was, Nadine Matheson's The Jigsaw Man is a smashing thriller, that deserves to be big. A well written serial killer thriller, that will take you on a journey, to find out who The Jigsaw Man is. Highly Recommended. I would like to say thank you to Author Nadine Matheson, Publisher Editor Manpreet from HQ Stories and Netgalley, for giving me a chance to read and review, this smashing thriller, that I'm a huge fan of now. Looking forward to the next part book 2. Take a bow, Nadine Matheson you have nailed it with this one just brilliant bravo. 💥💥💥💥💥⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👊👊👊👊👊

There aren’t enough words in the English language for how much I loved this book (not without giving away a load of spoilers, anyways).

It all begins when body parts are found on the banks of the River Thames in Deptford, and DI Angelica Henley is tasked with finding the killer.

It’s got eerie echoes to the previous crimes of Peter Olivier, also known as The Jigsaw Man — who Henley captured a few years ago, and is currently serving a life sentence for a series of horrific murders.

When a severed head is delivered to Henley's home, she realises that the copycat is taking a personal interest in her and that the victims have not been chosen at random. To catch the killer, Henley must confront her own demons — and, after Olivier escapes from prison, she finds herself up against not one serial killer, but two.

The storyline had me hooked from the very beginning. The police procedural parts, as well as the legal aspects, all had a really authentic feel — and the characters all felt really well fleshed-out.

I’ve still got chills after reading the ending of this book — although, admittedly, that may be because I finished it around 2am and it gave me nightmares. 😅 I loved the cat-and-mouse feel between Henley and Olivier, as well as Olivier and the other killer — and I was a particular fan of ‘the big reveal’ as to what was really going on.

I’m definitely hoping that there will be more Henley books in the future, because I’d really like to see where her story goes next.

Another damaged female lead detective with a chip on her shoulder chasing a serial killer who chooses to target her. A decent plot but with big holes in the storyline and lacking in originality.