Good serial killer thriller and a very gruesome one at that! The trouble for me was that there was mention of a crime already committed and investigated and so I kept thinking this was the second in a series, wishing I had read the first. This is a debut so I was confused as to what this original crime would turn out to mean.

The crimes are more gruesome than most and the title does give that away so beware if you have a delicate stomach. The plot was good but the pacing for me didn't live up to that fear as it felt slow and took a while to get going.

I would read more by this author though!

Great story with lots of twists throughout. A bit slow to start but so worth sticking with it as it really gets you into the plot.

My thanks to Nadine Matheson, HQ and Net Galley for the ARC of the JIGSAW MAN. A brilliant debut from this author. I love police procedurals because I like unravelling things, string, pendent chains, fairy lights and mysteries. This story certainly got me thinking. I will definitely want to read more.

Plot-wise, this was fabulous. Matheson has promise. But the execution just didn’t work for me. I was so intrigued by the plot, wanting to know what happened and who it was, but it felt so unnecessarily long. The main plot point from the synopsis only happened at the 37% point which is far too late for me. I want constant action and a rolling plot, whereas this was kind of stagnant with a few little ripples that didn’t make much of a difference. The ending was a well-written one, but I truly did feel like this book was a bit too long and repetitive in places. I’m still going to read more by Matheson because that plot was great, but I just need something a little shorter and more to the point!

The Jigsaw Man is a brilliant read ,fast paced,so well written,gruesome in places ,gritty dark but one of those books that grabs you from the very beginning and doesn't let go .I enjoyed the characters especially DI Amjelica Henley and her newbie sidekick Salim Ramouter.Is this book the beginning of a new series ?I do hope so.Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

I did wonder if this was the second book in a series, as it relied heavily on a crime that had already been solved and tried.

The Jigsaw Man was in prison for his crimes, so who was the copycat? The story is decently paced though some of the dialogue was clunky. I could sort of see the direction the plot would take but there were some nice unexpected moments too.

I didn’t really warm to the main character, DI Anjelica Henley. She made decisions I wasn’t on board with and seemed rather too judgemental for my liking. Her partner, Salim Ramouter, was a more rounded and likeable character. I’d read another book with this pairing, but I’d want Anjelica to have sorted herself out a bit!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

For clarity, I'm not a huge procedural fan, but I did like the sound of The Jigsaw Man. And it sounded as if it had things in common with another recent Netgalley ARC, "The Sanatorium" by Sarah Pearse, as well as numerous TV series.

Basically, there's a serial killer on the loose. Bodies start washing up along the Thames and DI Anjelica Henley recognises the work of Peter Olivier, the notorious Jigsaw Killer. Problem is, she put him away, having suffered badly at his hands, before catching him. So it must be a copy-cat killer. So Anjelica, still suffering from PTSD as a result of her experiences with Olivier, plus dealing with a troubled marriage, works to stop the murderer.

I found this a complicated read, with a lot of back-story-filling, and sub-plots, alongside the police procedural stuff and frankly, some unlikeable characters (what an idiot Anjelica's husband seems to be!) There are some lovely scenes though, definitely reminiscent of Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter, between Henley and Olivier,

Many subjects are touched on, from PTSD, through domestic violence, depression, sexism (she's a policewoman, remember!) and dementia. All worthwhile, but sometimes they seem to have been inserted just for the sake of it - they don't always arise naturally within the story. However, generally this is a satisfying read, and fans of police procedural / serial killer novels should not be disappointed.

And yes, there is a nice cliff-hanger ending, opening the way for at least one sequel. Well worth your time picking this up.

Excellent debut publication from Nadine Matheson introducing the characters Henley and her new partner Ramouter who she is extremely reluctant to work with initially.
Bodies are turning up in London, or should that be parts of bodies and they seem like copy cat version of crimes committed by a person currently in prison.
The story goes back in time as well as in the present day as the background to previous crimes and the background of the main characters are covered.
A cracking debut with undoubtedly the scope for more to come from Ms Matheson
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

DI Henley works in Serial Crime Unit in London. She recently recovered from an attack by a serial killer ‘The Jigsaw Man’ - Peter Olivier - who is now in jail serving life for murder. A series of new murders occur which seem to be copycats of the Jigsaw Man.
The SCU team investigate the murders, revisiting the old crimes and Peter in jail.
DI Henley, still suffering from PTSD and a troubled marriage strives to stop the killings and find the murderer.
This is a well written, if complicated, novel with lots of strands and sub plots.
Characters are interesting and well written with good back stories making them believable which many other writers fail to do.
Great debut novel.
4 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

3.5 stars rounded up

A copycat serial killer is leaving body parts in various locations in Deptford. The original jigsaw man is Peter Olivier now serving life in Belmarsh Prison. The serial killer unity run by DSI Stephen Pellacia with DI Anjelica Henley in charge of the investigation, assisted by TDC Salim Ramouter

This has the feel of a second book in a series (it isn’t!) with the backstory of DI Henley and Olivier in parallel with the hunt for the copycat. It’s extremely gritty in paces and certainly not for the faint of heart. I like the principal characters and you get a lot of backstory so they are both easy to imagine and understand although at times this depth gets in the way of the plot pace. I especially like Ramouter who is very appealing, he’s very smart and enthusiastic. Henley is in recovery from the previous case and her situation is not helped by her whiny husband Rob who seriously gets on my nerves!!! This is a well written book and with clarity, it’s darkly compelling and easy to read. In places it’s disturbing and there are some good plot twists but I feel it’s overlong and drawn out. Towards the end there is some backtracking to a few months previously and so the excitement of the building conclusion gets halted in its momentum thus losing some impact. However, it does leave on a good pondering cliffhanger! The best sections of the book for me are between Henley and Olivier, their scenes especially in Belmarsh are extremely tense and it’s almost like a darkly riveting danse macabre. It’s reminds me of THOSE scenes between Clarice and Hannibal!

Overall, there is much to praise in this book. It’s good on police procedure, the main characters are interesting and likeable, I like the diversity, it covers a range of issues from PTSD to dementia and there are moments where there are sharp intakes of breath. It could have been reduced in length which I think would have made it more of a high octane intense read. I definitely want to read number two if there is one!

With thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the arc for an honest review.

This book should be made into a television series. It is a compelling read from page one. The title Jigsaw Man reflects the fact that a serial murderer who chopped bodies into parts is in gaol. That makes it all the more confusing that a similar style is used in the murder of more people all of whom have a single past experience in common. DI Henley was severely injured by the Jigsaw Man at his final arrest and suffers mental issues as a result. This is her first case since then and it’s similarity to what went before upsets her and her family. Her main helper is trainee detective, Ramouter, who is also a well drawn character. The story is cleverly conceived and well written. It leads to a gruesome and chilling end - or is it really ended? I strongly recommend this book.

DI Angelica Henley is still recovering from the physical and psychological impact of taking the Jigsaw Man down. She is finally back at work and eager to prove to all the doubters that being the object of interest of a serial killer hasn’t had an impact on her expertise or work ethics. It’s just her luck that a copycat has left his special brand of greeting card scattered around town.

Henley knows she locked up the right man, so this has to be someone new, but how does he know how to commit the crimes? Is it possible that the Jigsaw Man has had something to do with the copycat? Or is this someone who has just spent a lot of time studying a whole load of gruesome crimes.

I can only hope that this was just the first of many encounters with DI Anjelica Henley. Matheson really knows how to write the kind of crime read that keeps you riveted from start until the very last page. Her main character is a flawed individual who struggles with the reality of being both mother, wife and career woman. Is torn emotionally and constantly trying to suppress what she wants.

The flawed, yet tough and determined DI, combined with a Prodigal Son type killer makes for a premise that never stops giving. A villain who is both antagonist and protagonist at times, even if his motives are purely ego driven, and a DI determined to stop him. A cracking read.

Wow!

Just finished reading - what a cliffhanger! 📖😯🙈

From prologue alone, I was hooked as pieces, pardon the pun, come together bit by bit, as the story goes on.

Talk about "saving the best 'til last", can't wait to see what happens next.

Will be sleeping with one eye open - the Jigsaw Man might still be in the area!

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Stories for the eARC.

Some definitive links to Silence of the Lambs and a must for fans of Chris Carter! Gruesome crime novels like this just call to me and I live for books such as this. Just my cup of tea

Matheson has woven a riveting read that maintained my curiosity through-out and I was very excited to complete it. There were a wide range of character but Ramouter was without doubt my favourite. The book covers a lot of heavy topics, among them being: rape, PTSD, racism, sexism, murder and mutilation, dementia, alzheimers, depression, suicide. This is both a good and bad thing. Whilst there is definitely a need for awareness of these issues, at one point, I couldn't help but...notice them. It's very hard to suspend disbelief in a story when you feel like someone is, very obviously, trying to do everything. One thing I found odd was that Henley threw a mug at Rob and nothing was mentioned of it nor was it deemed to be wrong in the narrative. Domestic violence is very real for men too, and it felt hypocritical to me that whilst this book covered so many social issues, it glossed over and normalised another major one. If Rob had done the same thing, he would have definitely felt the brunt of it, so I didn't like the double standards. Men shouldn't be violent against women but the same applies vice versa.

Another issue I had was the sub heading on the book cover: "It takes a killer to catch a killer" - having finished the book, I have to say I found the sub heading misleading and was disappointed. It seems to suggest that the detective would work with one serial killer to apprehend another, but that really wasn't the case. I liked the path the narrative followed, but I didn't like being given a false expectation.

Finally, many are commenting that this is the author's debut novel but as far as I am aware, this is her second novel. That being said, it was a great read and I definitely don't regret reading it (though my squeamish stomach may tell you otherwise).

A taut thriller with all the ingredients fans of serial killer novels will love.
Well written and flows well to a good conclusion.
Many thanks for the opportunity.

There were things that I liked in this book and things that I didn't. I found it fast-paced and gripping but I didn't find any of the characters very likeable, especially Anji and her husband. I felt that neither were really invested in their marriage. The only character I liked was the trainee who was eager to prove his worth and actually seemed to be a better detective than Anji.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
The book started well and I was keen to continue but sadly it didn't live up to its initial promise. DI Henley is not a very likeable character. Self obsessed and very rude I certainly wouldn't want to work for her.
Far too much personal angst among the characters instead of getting on with the plot. Slow paced and not much really happens in the first 50-60% of the book. The killer's motive is rather obvious.
I did find that things could get a bit confusing too- I had to go back pages sometimes to check what I'd just read.
Point of accuracy- latex gloves are not used anymore as the potential for life threatening allergic reactions means they are generally prohibited from use.
I felt it was trying really too hard to be "gritty" and "hard boiled". It didn't quite come off.
It also has one of my ultimate pet hates so beloved of American TV series- the recurring bogey man. This basically means that you are reading the same book /watching the same TV programme over and over again depending on how long it lasts
Some good ideas here that could have been better executed
2.5/5 stars

When I say I tried with this one, I <i>tried</I> but for the life of me, I just couldn’t get invested in the story. The entire premise screamed interesting to me and I really thought this would suck me in but it just didn’t.

THE WRITING & THE PLOT: Nothing alarmingly bad but nothing great either. I kind of felt like this book was something I had read before with some gaping plot holes and a very slow start. I kind of kept waiting for something intense to happen and it never did.
THE CHARACTERS: I didn’t care for Henley at all. I kind of thought that she was self-absorbed and thought she knew better than everyone else. Our side characters were unmemorable and I didn’t feel connected to anyone.
THE PACING: the biggest issue with this book is how slow it is. Nothing much happens in this book and about 70% of it is bogged down with filler chapters.

Overall, this book didn’t really do it for me. I had high expectations going in and was left feeling unsatisfied.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had to double check this was a debut author as the book was so good!
I was gripped from start to finish and loved all the twists and turns and different relationships that developed throughout.
When I came away from reading it and thought back to it, I felt as though it was a TV show I had been watching - that’s how brilliantly descriptive it was.
There were a few times when the scenes chopped and changed around which I found confusing but it didn’t take long to get back on track and I wouldn’t take my star rating down due to that - it is definitely worth five big stars.
I feel like the ending was left open to a possible sequel and I really hope there is one to come - I would jump at the chance to find out what happens next!