Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Jigsaw Man

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.

Content Warnings

blkstarchildreads's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.25

Great effort for first book. Had a few twists in it.

Content Warnings

bibliofritz's review

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

literatebird's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

slothsarepals's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The Jigsaw Man opens with three separate discoveries of body parts in a fairly small radius, but they are not all from the same body. Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is assigned to the case on her first day back on active duty, alongside Salim Ramouter, a new Trainee Detective Constable. As the title might indicate this was a fairly gory crime novel, one with a high body count. Not my typical reading fare but I do like to mix things from time to time and have a fondness for police procedural. The plot had a lot going on including two separate but connected serial killers on the loose, plenty of tension, and a high stakes action packed ending. I really enjoyed getting to know Anjelica as a character, particularly seeing her struggle to balance her career with her family family life, trying to cope with the ongoing impact of a serious attack, and witnessing the ongoing psychological battle between her and Peter Olivier. She’s a complex character and I’ll be keen to see what the author does with her next.

Content Warnings

madi_the_alien's review

Go to review page

dark emotional informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

readwithinthespines's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A

2.75

Content Warnings

More...