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kirstym25's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Dementia
midnightmarauder's review
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.
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
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Murder, Medical content, Blood, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Confinement, Death, Stalking, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Dementia, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Vomit, and Sexual content
youdontsendme's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Addiction and Dementia
alexisgarcia's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
there was so much i loved about this book but i was pretty disappointed in the ending. for SO much build up it felt really anticlimactic. and for almost 500 pages we should get a sound ending i think. i was just wanting more of a twist or just something to make the story more interesting. i also hated DI Henley. i don’t think she was a good person and she repeatedly makes poor decisions but always makes an excuse to why she’s the victim and to why she continuously gets what she wants. however, i loved the writing style and most of the other characters. it kinda felt like reading a criminal minds episode which was super fun!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, Dementia, Cursing, Death, Medical trauma, Murder, and Toxic relationship
ibjilln's review
dark
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
2.75
This is an impressive debut, police procedural thriller novel and is definitely a tense read.
However, the majority of the tense action takes place in the last 10 (short) chapters of the book and is done in a manner that feels rushed and needing to be quickly wrapped up. This is no more evident in the back to back chapters where there is a huge mistake with details.
<Spoiler> When Kirkpatrick is taken and we finally get the POV scene in chapter 95 of Pine getting ready to torture and dismember Kirkpatrick, we are given the graphic scene of Kirkpatrick having his arm sawed off. "... He couldn't ignore the feeling of the skin on his right arm being gently tugged and the river of vibrations as the saw went back and forth. He couldn't shut out the heavy groaning sound as the saw made its way through bone. Then it stopped... He could see the bone now as his arm hovered in front of his face .. he didn't close his eyes as the blood from the separated arm fell..."
As well as additional reference to his leg then being sawed through. Only to have chapter 96 tell us that "his hands were tired behind his back" and that " Henley...cut the cable ties binding Michael's wrists and feet".
It just gets worse. In chapter 98 we are told that Kirkpatrick is "being treated for dehydration and shock. He hasn't got any serious injuries." As well as a statement from him that "Pine...was going to come back and was going to start by cutting off his left arm..." Which directly contradicts chapter 95 where his arm is graphically cut off. </Spoiler>
Needless to say, this oversight, although perhaps minor to the book as a whole, took me completely out of the story. There was no coming back from that for me, and the rest of the book (4 ch.) wrapped up far too quickly and without a full resolution to completely redeem itself.
However, the majority of the tense action takes place in the last 10 (short) chapters of the book and is done in a manner that feels rushed and needing to be quickly wrapped up. This is no more evident in the back to back chapters where there is a huge mistake with details.
<Spoiler> When Kirkpatrick is taken and we finally get the POV scene in chapter 95 of Pine getting ready to torture and dismember Kirkpatrick, we are given the graphic scene of Kirkpatrick having his arm sawed off. "... He couldn't ignore the feeling of the skin on his right arm being gently tugged and the river of vibrations as the saw went back and forth. He couldn't shut out the heavy groaning sound as the saw made its way through bone. Then it stopped... He could see the bone now as his arm hovered in front of his face .. he didn't close his eyes as the blood from the separated arm fell..."
As well as additional reference to his leg then being sawed through. Only to have chapter 96 tell us that "his hands were tired behind his back" and that " Henley...cut the cable ties binding Michael's wrists and feet".
It just gets worse. In chapter 98 we are told that Kirkpatrick is "being treated for dehydration and shock. He hasn't got any serious injuries." As well as a statement from him that "Pine...was going to come back and was going to start by cutting off his left arm..." Which directly contradicts chapter 95 where his arm is graphically cut off. </Spoiler>
Needless to say, this oversight, although perhaps minor to the book as a whole, took me completely out of the story. There was no coming back from that for me, and the rest of the book (4 ch.) wrapped up far too quickly and without a full resolution to completely redeem itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Death, Grief, Infidelity, Racism, Blood, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Dementia, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
amandas_bookshelf's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Dementia, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Confinement, and Torture
Moderate: Rape, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
beanjoles's review against another edition
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
4.25
Gruesome but super engaging page-turner. This is a thriller that definitely lives up to the moniker. I felt as though I were reading a CSI episode or similar, and I mean that as a compliment to the author! She did a tremendous job walking us through the ins and outs of the investigation whilst maintaining a sense of mystery and tension. Olivier is a truly frightening villain, and Henley is a brilliant but archetypically flawed detective. It’s a match made in thriller heaven. 😅 Can’t wait to pick up the next book when it is released!
I particularly appreciated how thoroughly grounded this story is in its setting. I’ve never been to London, but having read the book I now know more about its neighbourhoods, traffic patterns, types of buildings and features of the Thames, etc. Because the descriptions of the setting are so realistic, I spent a lot of time searching the Google Maps street view to see some of the places mentioned. I recommend tearing your eyes away from the page periodically to do this, if you aren’t familiar with the city!
I particularly appreciated how thoroughly grounded this story is in its setting. I’ve never been to London, but having read the book I now know more about its neighbourhoods, traffic patterns, types of buildings and features of the Thames, etc. Because the descriptions of the setting are so realistic, I spent a lot of time searching the Google Maps street view to see some of the places mentioned. I recommend tearing your eyes away from the page periodically to do this, if you aren’t familiar with the city!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Dementia, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug use
I’ve tagged body horror because there isn’t a more specific content note, but click if you want more info on what that entails:kaleley's review
dark
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
4.25
great thriller, wish the sequel was out and I'll definitely be reading it when its released.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Torture, and Gore
Minor: Dementia, Drug use, and Sexual assault
soobooksalot's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
Fans of CSI, Criminal Minds and The Silence of the Lambs - gather round! This creepy crime thriller is for you.
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada @marisolfokes for my gifted copy of The Jigsaw Man for review!
It's DI Anjelica Henley's first day back on active duty after being attacked by serial killer Peter Olivier. Her Day One begins with the discovery of body parts belonging to more than one body.
It resembles the work of Olivier, but he serving a life sentence in prison. Who is the copycat and what is the motivation?
For fans of crime thrillers, The Jigsaw Man cannot be missed.
It is full of strong, flawed and absolutely human characters with imperfect home lives and often disturbing backgrounds. Add in fascinating forensics, red herrings and investigation procedure and this is a win. It's a dark, compelling and complex storyline and totally unapologetic tense atmosphere. All the elements I love in a thriller.
Author Nadine Matheson has nailed it with this one, and this is the first in an intended series. I cannot wait to read her subsequent books. If this genre is your thing, absolutely recommended!
Released on March 16.
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada @marisolfokes for my gifted copy of The Jigsaw Man for review!
It's DI Anjelica Henley's first day back on active duty after being attacked by serial killer Peter Olivier. Her Day One begins with the discovery of body parts belonging to more than one body.
It resembles the work of Olivier, but he serving a life sentence in prison. Who is the copycat and what is the motivation?
For fans of crime thrillers, The Jigsaw Man cannot be missed.
It is full of strong, flawed and absolutely human characters with imperfect home lives and often disturbing backgrounds. Add in fascinating forensics, red herrings and investigation procedure and this is a win. It's a dark, compelling and complex storyline and totally unapologetic tense atmosphere. All the elements I love in a thriller.
Author Nadine Matheson has nailed it with this one, and this is the first in an intended series. I cannot wait to read her subsequent books. If this genre is your thing, absolutely recommended!
Released on March 16.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Dementia, and Suicide
stacys_book_nook's review against another edition
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture
Minor: Dementia and Rape
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