Wow, what a book.
Read this on holiday and it seriously interrupted our plans for an afternoon's activities as I was so hooked on this book that I simply lay on my sunbed and carried on and on reading. Not for the faint hearted and containing some brilliant twists. if this is your genre of book then do yourself a favour and get reading.
An extremely easy to award, FIVE STARS

Okay, The Binding Room is one of those books that creeps into your mind and just lingers. Nadine Matheson serves up a chilling crime thriller with layers that unfold in unexpected (and sometimes downright unsettling) ways. DI Henley is back, and this time, she’s caught in a web of secrets that feels like it only gets darker with each page.

Matheson doesn’t just throw in twists for the thrill—she builds this atmosphere that keeps you in suspense, the kind where you can almost feel the shadows lurking. The detective work is gritty and unfiltered, and I loved how the plot dives deep into the psychological—this isn’t just a "whodunit"; it’s a "why they did it," and that makes all the difference.

Fans of deep, complex mysteries with morally gray characters, this one’s for you. And heads up: it might have you double-thinking those late-night reads!

Wowee, what a read!!! One of the best books I have read this year. Gripping and full of twists. Absolutely loved it!

The Binding Room Nadine Matheson
This is book 2 in the Anjelica Henley series, and follow up to The Jigsaw Man.
I really enjoyed this book, although it did slow down in the mid section, had it been a bit shorter it might have gotten 5 stars from me.
Looking forward to more books from this author.

This book was everything I hoped it would it be.
I was hooked quickly and completely unwilling to put this down. I devoured this book in just one sitting. I have no regrets and can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the arc of this book by Nadine Matheson

5 stars- If you read the previous book the Jigsaw man you will defiantly love this book, so gripping, twisty and just sensational!

Another fantastic book!
Absolutely loved it, great storyline, so many twists, turns and bumps in the road.
Brilliant! Looking forward to the next one!

The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson is second in the Detective Anjelica Henley series, after the excellent The Jigsaw Man.

Henley called to investigate the murder of a popular, and somewhat miscreant preacher within his church, discovers a tortured man, barely alive and tied to a bed in an upstairs room. His body shows signs of dark, religious and ritual abuse concerningly perceived to be linked to an unorthodox exorcism attempt.

After another victim is recovered dead, Henley and her Serial Crime Unit colleagues are facing investigating the preachers murder, together with a series of macabre religious practices aimed at 'curing' the victims of their mental health conditions, which are ill-advisedly considered demonic possessions by unknown members of the congregation.

Quite dark in its delivery, and building upon the necessary comradeship amongst Henley and her colleagues, the story unravels nicely. The plot has similarities to other stories in the crime thriller genre, which does give you the feeling of "have I read this before?", but it is still worth a read. Matheson as a criminal defence lawyer, creates an authenticity which makes her an author I'll continue to follow.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me.

This was a fantastic book. A mind-bender that keeps you guessing till the shocking end. I loved it and can’t wait for more

The Jigsaw Man is one of the best books I've ever read, so the bar was set high for this sequel...did it attain the heights, yes I think on balance it did. A gritty read with realistic and relevant characters. Engaging and well written...book 3...bring it on! Many thanks to NetGallet for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book!

The Binding Room is a thrilling sequel to a brilliant and fresh series, with a protagonist juggling her life and the stresses of a job that are pulling her in all directions, both professionally and personally. The crime is gritty and holds you on the page and the characters keep everything personal. The mixture of crime and character-driven story builds to a page-turning book. Here’s to more Anjelica Henley and more Nadine Matheson!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Brilliant, brilliant. I loved the Jigsaw Man and this was as good if not better.

We now have the backstory and the relationships between the investigative team going which adds so much more to the nail biting story line.

A local pastor is found stabbed to death in his church. While the Serious Crime Unit investigate another body is found in a secret binding room in the church. Except this victim isn't dead but bound and tortured. As Henley and the team wait for him to wake up in hospital more tortured and bound bodies are found. With no apparent connection between the victims, an over zealous MP, a missing baby and the wife of the pastor acting suspiciously can the team solve the case before any more bodies are found?

Massive highly recommended 5 stars. Can't wait for book 3.

Little too dark for me. If you like horror style murder mystery books, worth a read. I just found it a bit too gory.

Another great read from this author, the second instalment with DI Anjelica Henley at the helm (the jigsaw man being the first, also a great read) if you like great police procedurals that are a tad dark, gruesome and with a great storyline, then this is for you.

This is the second book I have read from this author and again really enjoyed it.
There are twists and turns and just when you think you have everything worked out, a curve ball is thrown in.
The characters are further developed in this book and you find out more about their lives and backgrounds.
The story deals with lots of different current world issues, like racism but in a way that not only gets you thinking but sits well within the story.
I hope there will be more books in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Another good read by this author. Good plot and characters with plenty of suspense to hold my interest to the end!

The follow-up to The Jigsaw Man featuring detective Anjelica Henley continue to battle personal and professional trauma. For a crime thriller, I found it very slow but the characters and setting are very well.written.

TW// mention of racism, suicide attempts, self-harm, miscarriage, sexual assault and rape.

Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is back with a bang, with her partner Detective Constable Salim Ramouter, of the Serial Crimes Unit. After finding a rich priest Caleb Annan dead in his church, and a young boy chained and abused in a back storage unit, the two embark on a difficult and gruesome journey to unravel the two mysteries, which seem to be inextricably linked.

This was very gritty, dark and at times difficult to read. I hadn't actually read the first in this series, so bits and pieces of the novel were a little more confusing to keep up with, but it still read amazingly, and smoothly. It might be a good idea to read the first one before this one, however, as it'll give you a lot more backstory to the main characters, and help you get a deeper sense of their personalities, and what they're already faced.

DI Henley is an astounding and strong protagonist, I really enjoyed reading how candid, fearless, protective and strong minded she is, such a likeable and incredible lead character, whose had to cope with a lot of pain and heartache. The partnership between Henley and Ramouter was a real joy to witness, they're almost complete opposites but their friendship really thrives off of this which was refreshing and fun. Although their personalities are so polar opposite, and their viewpoints often clash, there are many things that have helped strengthen their bond and their friendship. Also, the camaraderie between the detectives within the Serial Crimes Unit was thoroughly enjoyable, their banter was strong and seemed like their close bonds of friendship and levity brought some much needed relief, even for a short while, whilst undertaking such a dangerous, chilling and challenging profession.

As well as the intense murder and kidnapping/torture investigation DI Henley and DC Ramouter are in the midst of, this book also focuses on some important and powerful barriers and issues that black and minority detectives face. Even Detectives who are high of rank, have to manage racism, often from people way below their station, and of their own force, from claiming they 'fit the description of a criminal in the area' to favouriting specific victims over others. It evokes a lot of rage and frustration from the injustice of it all, and the fact they need to have their warrant cards on them to be taken seriously it's honestly so gut wrenching to read. Matheson also touches on mental illnesses and religion issues that can be controversial and problematic. How PTSD can come along with such a high stakes and incredibly dangerous profession, and how difficult it can be to push through consistently seeing such distressing and harrowing situations, particularly when your own life is at risk within such situations.

It's a very fast paced, but hooks you from the first sentence, I stayed thoroughly engaged throughout, and this was a big book, so another amazing bonus. Matheson is a talented and incredibly emotive writer, you can't help but become invested in DI Henley's life, and root for her, despite all the obstacles in her way, and the constant tension and twists that will absolutely blow your mind. I'm usually someone who can guess twists early on, which can make reading books boring and predictable but I never saw the ending coming here, and I am so excited for the next instalment of this series.

A grisly and gritty follow-up to 'The Jigsaw Man'. DI Angelica Henley of the Serious Crimes Unit is called to the brutal murder scene of a pastor at his church. But the stakes rise when Henley discovers a hidden room with a man barely alive, tied to a bed and severely tortured. A twisty crime thriller that's not for the squeamish.

Thank you to @hqstories for letting me be a part of the #blogtour for this title - it’s right up my street! This is my first book by Nadine Matheson and I really enjoyed it. Whilst this isn’t the first book in the series centring around DI Henley, you don’t need to have read previous stories to understand what’s happening here, which I was glad of! There were some references to past plot lines, but nothing that took away from the main theme of the book. Nadine’s writing is funny, clever, thrilling, intriguing and it really made me want to keep reading. I love this genre, and this is now definitely an author I’ll be keeping an eye out for!