With gruesome murders and an unpredictable serial killer, The Jigsaw Man is a fast-paced crime thriller that takes you on a twisted journey led by exceptional police procedure.

As a debut novel, Nadine Matheson proves that she is a talented writer. The writing is sharp, the plot is expertly paced, the characters are brilliantly developed with rich backstories and the details of the police procedure are well researched. There’s certainly a lot to compliment. If it were a little more concise, this would have been one of my favourites this year.

Ultimately a story of two detectives chasing a serial killer, the concept manages to take an original approach with a story and set of characters that are sure to stick in your head. Most of all, the descriptions of murder are gory and bold which is just how I like my thrillers, so I have to applaud Matheson for daring to go there.

What I liked most about this book is that there is a diverse range of characters which is still too often missing in fictional crime units. Encompassing various ethnicities and backgrounds, Matheson reflects well on her setting. She obviously knows the area well, as you really feel like you’re on the streets of Deptford alongside these characters who each have a unique personality that you will engage with.

My only issue with this book is that there is a lot of back story that takes up too much time. It’s a hard balance to strike as readers are always eager to get to know the characters in-depth both inside and outside of work, but the story occasionally feels a little dragged out so it is these scenes that feel the least relevant.

If it were a little shorter, The Jigsaw Man would have been an intense thriller hard to put down, but it doesn’t quite grip you so possessively. I thought I was ready to hate the ending, too, as it ends on a bit of an ultimatum, but the final line sealed it for me so it just about gets away with it.

Despite feeling little too long in length, there’s a lot to love about this book and it is definitely one that I will be recommending.

This is a compelling crime novel with a driven detective, and a menacing, unpredictable serial killer. The violent crimes are impactful, but there is more to this story. This is the first book featuring DI Henley, but she's a woman with a violent past. Being assigned to this crime brings back shattering memories and puts her in the auspices of her nemesis, a convicted serial killer.

There is an enticing balance of action and introspection, which makes this addictive reading. The shock of violent crime and the methodical nature of police investigations are well portrayed. Detailed backstories slow the pace but are essential to understand the main characters' motivations.

The detectives are likeable and relatable, the plot twisty and the crimes definitely noir.

I received a copy of this book from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Pieces of bodies are turning up along the shores of the Thames and they don't all belong to one person. D.I. Anj Henley finds herself back out in active duty since her run in with Peter Olivier aka the Jigsaw Killer, and these killings are almost a copycat for Olivier however he is still in prison. So is someone doing the work for Olivier or trying to emulate him?
Very grim and brutal at times however this just adds to the intensity of the story. For a debut novel, it gets off to a great start and is hopefully the beginning of a series .
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

This is a solid debut thriller about a DI who, on the first day back in work, is faced with the findings of dismembered body parts. The arrangement is in puzzle shaped figures, hence the book title and is the work of a copycat serial killer. The story takes us on a chase to find the perpetrator in a grisly thriller.

It's a tough read at times, both due to the grisly elements and the slow plod on occasions. However, it's worth sticking with as it all ties up nicely at the end.

Overall, a decent 3* Good Read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

THE JIGSAW MAN BY NADINE MATHESON


The Jigsaw Man is the debut novel from London born criminal solicitor Nadine Matheson. Published by HQ Stories, The Jigsaw Man hits bookshelves nationwide on 18 February.



SYNOPSIS


On DI Henley’s first day back on active duty with the Serial Crimes Unit, the last thing she expected was a callout to dismembered body parts found beside the River Thames. Soon, other parts are found in a different location. What’s even worse, is that they’re not just from one person.



The murders closely resemble the crimes that forced Henley off the streets. Two years earlier a man called Peter Olivier murdered and dismembered several men and left their body parts strewn across London. He came to be known as The Jigsaw Killer. Henley barely got through the investigation with her life when Olivier attacked her with a knife. She still feels the weight of him on top of her on her darkest days.



The more time goes by, the more similarities she finds to the Jigsaw Killer. As the murders stack up, she finds a connection between the victims and is forced to face the man who tried to kill her. But Olivier has been behind bars the entire time; there’s no way he could be killing again…



THE JIGSAW MAN REVIEW


The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson was my second book of 2021. The first was a MASSIVE disappointment so I was hoping this was going to win back my attention. I’m happy to say I was not disappointed!



There’s a lot to adore about The Jigsaw Man but the first aspect I fell in love with was the lead character of Henley. This woman is wonderful; stubborn to a fault, fearless on the outside but shaken to the core on the inside. She is so committed to her job and proving she can excel in it, she runs the risk of losing her family. But no more of that because you’ll get no spoilers here.



I also found the pacing of this novel wonderful. I never felt like it was being rushed or that any details were skipped but I always wanted to read more. Describing it as a page-turner is accurate but also seems like an underestimate. Lockdown has utterly killed my concentration so the fact that this grabbed me as much as it did is a true testament to how captivating it is.



On top of this, you’ve got a great baddie in the shape of Olivier. When I read the reason for his murder spree, there was a small part of me that wondered if he might be a Dexter-type ‘understandable’ killer. However; once you meet him, that idea goes straight out the window. He’s a genuinely unsettling character, which only made this book more enjoyable.



I should probably mention that Nadine Matheson does not mess around when it comes to writing violent scenes. They’re not squeezed into every other chapter but when the violence comes, it’s short, sharp and explosive. This is what makes it all the more shocking.



FINAL THOUGHTS


As you can probably tell, I loved The Jigsaw Man and even though I’ve read quite a few crime books recently, this still felt like a breath of fresh air. I watched the incredible Black Earth Rising on Netflix just before I started it, so pictured Michaela Coel playing Henley the entire time. Can someone please make this happen?!



If you want some true escapism (and who doesn’t right now?) then you need to add The Jigsaw Man to your wishlist. I’m just hoping this is the first in a series because I’d love to read more about Henley and her team. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for the arc of The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson.

This follows the back story of DI Henley and Olivier whom are on a hunt for the copycat, there are times were it is very gritty and gruesome it isnt for the fainthearted though but an amazing gripping and captivating read, recommend for all.

4 stars!⭐⭐⭐⭐

Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is called to a river-side crime scene of dismembered body parts from two victims, her first case following a spell on desk duty. It appears to be the work of a copycat killer, emanating the Jigsaw Killer, who is now serving life in Belmarsh Prison. The book is a well written police procedural with the backstory for the likeable main characters including DSI Stephen Pellacia and TDC Salim Ramouter. I really enjoyed the ending and hope this is the first book in a series.

I had a hard time getting into this book, I think at the time of reading I wasn't in an appropriate place to enjoy my reading so this book came as a casualty of that

I loved the grittiness of this book, the way it gets down and dirty with no holds barred. Set in South London, the author immediately draws you in to familiar and identifiable surroundings, eg even if one isn’t from London, most people will have heard of Greenwich.

Peter Olivier is serving a prison sentence for murdering people, and cutting their limbs off with a jigsaw, hence the book title. However, there is a copycat using Olivier’s moniker. DI Angelica Henley in the Special Crime Unit leads the search for the killer as more dismembered bodies are uncovered. It is only on a prison visit to Olivier that the police are able to make the connection between all of the victims and begin to put a protection programme in place while the race to find him goes on.

For anyone who wants a book that they can really get their teeth into, I would recommend.

For me, I found the storyline excellent with so much promise and overall, I would say that it did deliver. However, it was let down by too many characters so that I became confused and found I was having to search for who was who. Also, the book is just far too long. I did read it and I finished it. But it was a challenge, it would have been far more enjoyable if it was a third shorter.

I have rated this book 3 stars 🌟🌟🌟

Thank you so much @hqstories for my proof of @queennads’ THE JIGSAW MAN. Out February 18th! 🧩

READ THIS IF... you like female detectives, serial killer rivalries, and gory, twisted tales.

THE STORY... When dismembered bodies are washed up on the banks of the Thames, DI Anjelica Henley is called to the scene. The murders match the MO of the jigsaw man - but Henley already put him behind bars. If she’s going to solve this case, Henley must come face to face with the man who almost killed her, and find out what he knows.

THE JIGSAW MAN... is an exceptional novel that has left me wanting more. Henley is an amazing protagonist - she’s traumatised, yet stubbornly brave. The racism that she experiences is highlighted through Starbucks cups that misspell ‘Anjelica’, and through the belief of civilians and police that a black woman surely couldn’t be a detective inspector. This demonstration of the odds she had to overcome to get her position made me root for her even more.

I loved her relationships with her coworkers, including her reluctant friendship with her trainee, and I especially enjoyed her interactions with Olivier, the original jigsaw man.

Alongside a gripping mystery, the descriptions of murders and attacks were vividly disturbing (in the best way). This is a book to keep you up at night.

NOW... I'm desperate for a sequel, and I'll definitely be recommending this novel to all fans of thrillers and crime novels. Preorder now!

Wow! What an intense, on the edge of your seat gripping book! A police procedural mixed with a thriller. This type of genre is something I really do enjoy and I have to say I really did enjoy this book. So grateful to have received an advanced copy through NetGalley.

The book was gory in some places, especially with the descriptions but I suppose when you have a jigsaw killer, it’s going to be gory! 🙈🧩

The book was very well written and flowed nicely with a brilliant storyline. The main characters each have special and unique personalities which is also accompanied with a life story - this helped to understand the characters more. I really enjoyed reading about Henley and Ramouter working together to catch the killer. They definitely had a good working relationship, I loved how determined Ramouter was and how he wanted to prove he was capable.

The Henley and Olivier scenes, wow. They were intense. It was so real and I felt like I had the scenes just playing in my head like I was watching a TV series of it. Olivier was definitely a gruesome and violent character.

My only negative of this book was it felt too long, other than that, it was brilliant.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On the day she returns to active duty with the Serial Crimes Unit, DI Angelica Henley is called out to a crime scene. Dismembered body parts from two victims have been found by the river. The modus operandi bears striking resemblance to Peter Oliver, the notorious Jigsaw Killer, who has spent the last two years behind bars. When he learns someone is co-opting his grisly signature - the arrangement of victims' limbs in a puzzle - piece shape - he decides to take matters into his own hands.

This is a game of cat and mouse. The Jigsaw Killer is chasing the copycat killer who is killing in the exact same way. The body count is rising. We get quite a lot of backstory. There's violence, it's gruesome and it might not be for the faint hearted. This is a well written debut novel. My only critisim is that i felt the story could have been shorter, it dragged out gor a while espically with the background information. This is a cleverly crafted story.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HQ and the author #NadineMatheson for my ARC #TheJigssawMan in exchange for an honest review.

A very enjoyable story but a little close in some parts to other serial killer books I have read. Nevertheless I was hooked and didn’t work out ‘who done it’ nor did I see any of the twists in the plot coming so a good read.
There is certainly a lot more to go in the Henley Ramouter partnership and I look forward to reading about them both again.

I really enjoyed this book. DI Anji Henley and her team are investigating some brutal murders where the bodies have been dismembered and left near the Thames. It becomes increasingly evident that these are copycat crimes. Henley had been instrumental in putting serial killer Peter Olivier in prison but she knows that she will need to go and talk to him. This is a real page turner which will keep you on the edge of your seat. Be warned that you need a strong stomach at times! I hope the author will write more books with these characters. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

This is a gruesome story and not for the faint hearted being very descriptive.

I found the main characters difficult to like but had to keep reading as I was pulled into the plot.

Would certainly read a sequel to this though.

Unfortunately it was spoilt by poor grammer and editing with words being repeated.

I got The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.


The Jigsaw Man is a crime thriller telling the story of the investigation into a series of brutal murders, where the victims are chopped up. These murders are almost the same as murders committed by Peter Oliver who is now locked up in a high security prison.

With the copycat crimes being investigated by DI Henley who is in charge of her first official investigation after recovering from being stabbed by Oliver himself during his arrest.

So when Henley meets Oliver as part of her investigation, a new deadly race against time starts between the two old adversaries.

When reading crime thrillers one of the first things does the crime keep me interested throughout the book in this case it did. With the writer adding clues throughout the book, in such a way that you move from one suspect to another, as each one appears.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the individual characters from Oliver and Henley themselves to the other characters including the pathologist and the tranie detective. All of them seemed to have their own lives. All of this enhanced the book and made me want to get to know them more.

On reading the synopsis of this novel in some ways you could end up thinking that this book is just a similar book to the Silence of the Lambs. In fact it does use a number of similar plot lines from that book.

However with the personalities of the people involved and the crime itself the book becomes an enjoyable read on its own and you soon start to enjoy the story in its own right.

An investigative detective thriller loaded with gory details of the murders and the post-murder body-part findings, this will appeal to those who like a bit more grit with their mystery.
Matheson engages the reader with her descriptions of characters etc but unfortunately this is another of those novels where I just find the level and intensity of the problems the detective faces is too extreme to quite be believable.
‘The Jigsaw Man’ is not quite as straightforward as it would at first seem and this helps it to stand out a little from similar storylines.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ (Harper Collins) for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This book had me gripped from the very start. The detail and effort that has gone into this book is unbelievable. I couldn't put the book down and honestly enjoyed every second of it. The way it played on my emotions and sucked me into the story, making me feel like i was actually there with all the characters. I need to read more of Nadines work as this book was honestly fantastic. I wish It was possible to give this more then 5 stars but there is physically only 5 starts available. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

I absolutely loved this read! it's a bit of a rollercoaster, filled with rising body counts and great characterisation. Detective Henley is suffering from PTSD after being stabbed whilst arresting a murderer. It's a compelling, dark, gritty read and my only complaint, it's just a bit too drawn out. Apart from that little gripe from me, it's a fantastic debut from Nadine Matheson with a cliffhanger of an ending and I would recommend the read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

There is a lot of blood and gore in this book but what else would you expect in a book about serial killers that chop their victims up!
I have a great deal of respect for the author as she must have put an immense amount of work into the story, timeline and main character progression. I would love to speak to the author to find out mire how she managed to keep track of all the characters.
I was really engrossed in the first half to two thirds of the book and after that, although the actual storyline was good there were just too many characters and too much detail and sadly I felt lost and ended up skimming through chapters near the end. I don’t think it would have been possible to cut this into two seperatevbooks due to the fast pace and movement of the story but maybe this was just a case where less would have meant more. It feels awkward saying that the book was too detailed but I hope the author understands where I am coming from.
This author is definitely someone I will be watching for in the future and I feel she has a great future ahead of her.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and author for providing me with an electronic advanced review copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.