Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Jigsaw Man

Gah, this book! This story has literally had me engrossed the last few days and to say I’m buzzing is an understatement! I have to get this all down before my perimenopausal brain forgets lol

First time reading Nadine and I was fascinated to see that she is in fact a criminal solicitor…so nothing is held back and the gruesome scenes are pretty…well gruesome lol. I have no issues when watching or reading about crime scenes etc but listening to it via audio, it was a different ball game and I’m not gonna lie, it’s the first time I’ve felt really queasy 🤢😳

DI Angelica Henley caught and arrested the Jigsaw man/k!ller a few years ago. Since that case, Angelica hasn’t been back on a full blown case as she was injured by the k!ller, she lost a colleague, her mother, had a baby, she’s a wife and basically has been struggling with PTSD from the case.

However, body parts are appearing on the streets of London and they all show signs of a possible copy cat k!ller of the Jigsaw man. Angelica and the rest of the serious crimes unit now race against time to catch this new k!ller. Is there a connection? The only way to find out is for Angelica to face her old nemesis who’s locked up in prison; Peter Olivier…the Jigsaw Man 😳

This story was incredible and it really played out like a TV show (it needs to be on TV!!). Think Luther or even the new Amazon show, Cross and you’ll have the Jigsaw Man!

Content Warnings

aw_nf15's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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olivia_v's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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kirstym25's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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midnightmarauder's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Jigsaw Man follows Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley as she fights to solve a string of murders in London that leave the victims dismembered. The murders are similar to murders that have happened prior, to which a man, Peter Olivier (dubbed "The Jigsaw Killer"), did the exact same thing. But, because Olivier is incarcerated at the time of the new murders, it is up to Henley to figure out who is doing the killings, and why.

Joining her is Trainee Detective Constable Salim Ramouter. Henley, a tough and well-respected detective, isn't too fond of him initially. Yet, as time goes on, the pair become close and work well together to solve the case.

What I liked about this book is how fleshed-out the characters were. I related a lot to Henley, as she is another person who puts up a tough exterior, but internally, is very fearful and anxious. She had a traumatic incident with Olivier at the time of his arrest, which left her with a panic disorder. The incident prevented her from working for a while, but she stayed determined to solve the crimes and despite being fearful, pushed through and did her best to stop the murders.

Ramouter is well-written too, even though I would've liked to see more of his thought-processes when it came to solving the murders.

Olivier is written almost too well. He is a haunting, sociopathic individual with little regard to how other people feel. Why he begins to murder people is explained briefly at the start of the book, but I would've wanted to see a bit more about his childhood and how it may have affected his mental state.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and more from Nadine Matheson as a whole.

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