The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson is a crime thriller about the serial killer Peter Olivier, The Jigsaw Killer. DI Angelica Henley is on the case when body parts are found along the River Thames. These murders remind her of a previous case that she solved involving Olivier. She has to face her fears and visit Olivier multiple times in prison, while trying to figure out who the copycat might be. If you enjoy procedural crime thrillers, you will definitely enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this debut! This one had me cringing (in a good way!) from the first couple of sentences.

The story revolves around DI Angelica Henley. She's messed up, tough dealing with lots of personal and professional issues. She's complicated and I can definitely see the series continuing around her.

Peter Oliver, dude is really a psycho. And there is a copycat out there?! He is outraged of course because two psychos?! The former psycho doesn't like this latter's psychos form of flattery.

Plot wise, this one is a gruesome police procedural. I find some police procedurals to be slow, it was a little snooze fest at times, it kept me turning pages! While this one is almost 500 pages long, I felt like it couldn't and could've been shortened.

This is a police procedural yes, but it also reveals a riveting backstory from Henley. Like I said earlier, Henley is a strong character, but yes she's so complex.

Here we go in London again-will I ever get tired about that setting? The limit doesn't exist. Also, will I ever stop quoting that line from <em>Mean Girls</em>? The limit also doesn't exist.

Of course the obvious cat and mouse, copycat killer and twisted personal backstory all contribute to the conflict. I don't want to get into more/talk about the resolution because again I will give it away.

Mashups: The Cutting Room, any police procedural and I'm Every Woman by Chaka Kahn.

This book had a gentle acceleration. While I was expecting edge of my seat thrills throughout, I found it slowly worked it’s way to the peak, lulling me into a bit of reader’s complacency, and then we plummeted for a white knuckle roller-coaster ride. Packed with twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, the heart racing drama is definitely found in the second half of the book while the first half reads more like a procedural with the investigation and the build-up.

Matheson’s protagonist is both strong and vulnerable, fierce and feminine. She is no stranger to racial prejudice or gender bias. She’s intelligent but flawed and I absolutely loved her. The secondary characters were also well-drawn, creating a team with both likeable and dislikeable traits – flawed, damage, loveable. In speaking of flawed, the charismatic psychopath was absolutely detestable and yet, reflected the charisma that was his trademark. I hated him intensely, and yet… The copycat, however, didn’t shine, but I also don’t believe they were meant to. We were kept guessing as to their identity and the why behind their crimes, but ultimately, the focus was on DI Henley and her encounters with the Jigsaw Man.

Overall, I found this debut title to be a very fascinating work of fiction. My attention was held throughout and the pacing worked well. As with many crime & justice novels, it’s dark and gritty, dealing with the ugliest side of human nature and it highlights the burden and wear the quest for justice can take, physically, mentally, and socially. The subject matter can be disturbing and mature language and mature themes occur – reader discretion advised. By the final chapter, the author wrapped up the mystery in such a way that the audience is satisfied, but there are enough loose threads that we could easily enjoy a sequel. I, for one, want more of Anjelica Henley.

This is a debut novel - but you'd never know it. The author describes this as "a macabre love letter to South East London" and it really does come across that way. London itself is a main character in this novel. The smells, the sounds, the eclectic mix of people that make up the city - they all pour off the pages. The author does such a brilliant job with the main characters that I was sure there had been a mistake and that this was at least the second book in a series - but no, it's number one. We get backstory, we get previous case history, we get relationship history, we get a complete picture of who DI Anjelica Henley is and what she has been through. That's impressive in itself but when it's also combined with a world of side characters with their own history and stories, that sets this apart from other crime novels.

The villain, Olivier, is truly disgusting. I've read a lot of crime and thriller novels and rarely does a character make me sick to my stomach. This one most definitely did. It's pretty gruesome (I almost wrote "pretty gruesome in parts" but I feel like that takes puns to another level altogether), so do bear that in mind, but for me it was worth it. It has been a very long time since I put a book down and immediately wanted to read the next one in the series (it has been confirmed!! Yay!!).

I highly recommend this if you like police procedurals or crime novels but ache for a good female lead. DI Anjelica Henley has shot (boom) right to the top of my favourite fictional investigators. I felt like I got to know her so well, she felt so real. This is, of course, in part down to the fact that this is an #ownvoices novel. The author was born and bred in London and works in the UK Judicial system. The book also highlights the myriad of BS that black women & women of colour are expected to endure (in both professional & non-professional instances), from the microaggressions and misogyny to the differences between resources available to solve (or even the amount of attention given to) missing persons cases when a white woman goes missing versus when a black woman or woman of colour goes missing.

I really enjoyed this. It was a solid crime novel and I hope the first of many for this author and for DI Anjelica Henley. I would love to see it as a TV adaptation too.

"See no evil. Speak no evil. Hear no evil."

Wiser words have never been spoken. But our hero DI Anjelica Henley has seen it all. She's a young up and coming detective in the Serial Cases Unit who is responsible for taking down one of London's most sadistic killers. Dubbed "The Jigsaw Man" for dismembering the bodies of his seven victims, Peter Olivier sits in jail serving consecutive life sentences. He is the epitome of an evil psychopathic genius. Think Anthony Hopkins's betrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. So when body parts start popping up along the Southern banks with signs of his M.O. everyone is praying that he didn't have a partner, someone he groomed and trained. Despite the fact that Henley is still suffering from PTSD as a result of her previous encounters with Olivier she is best person for the job. No one knows him like she does.

The Jigsaw Man keeps you on the seat of your pants with all its twists and turns. But what I really appreciated was the character development. I liked that Anjelica is strong yet vulnerable. That her character handles micro-aggressions and outright prejudice with aplomb. That she has loyal people in her corner. Both Stanford and Ramouter were likeable characters that I would have enjoyed seeing more of. Olivier was so bad he was good. The Yin to her Yang; the dynamic between two really kept things interesting. And that ending begs for more. I can see a series with DI Henley and Olivier in the future and I'm all here for it.

The Jigsaw Man is a really good Crime Thriller that will keep you on your toes. Even though I really enjoyed the book I do kind of feel like the pacing wasn't up to par. I found a couple parts of the book a little slow. So, it was almost like a rollercoaster of it being fast paced to it slowing down and losing interest. It could've just been me though.
However, I do think the book is well written and the characters are very well done. They have real world problems and by the end of the book most of those problems are fixed. The characters are likeable and relatable. Even though this book wasn't completely for me I'm still excited to read more books by Nadine!

A gruesome killer is copying the Jigsaw Killer - Peter Olivier who was convicted and imprisoned.
Anjelica has been on desk duty since her return after assisting in the arrest of the Jigsaw Killer - the scars on her stomach a daily reminder.
Until her boss sends her to a crime scene on the river - body parts from a white male, a single arm from a black female. Partnered with a trainee, Anj searches for the victims' identities, as well as the missing body parts.
Anj's complicated relationship with her husband Rob - who is desperate for Anj to leave the police force and obtain a safe job; using their daughter, Emma, as a pawn.
So much background - especially the first 30% of book; as other people have commented, excellent setup for a prequel or sequel. It certainly drew my attention as I definitely wanted to learn more.
The murders are gruesome - saws, beheading, violent removal of limbs. I felt it wasn't too bloody - but some people may feel otherwise.
I loved the connection between the victims, the characterization of Peter Olivier as a psychopath. Excellent writing kept me committed - though this book is considerably longer than I like my thrillers.
Highly recommend.

I usually only read e-books during my lunch break at work and so when I started this and the second sentence was “He’s not expecting to find pieces of a body”, I wondered if this was maybe a poor lunchtime reading choice. And although there were many more descriptions of dismemberment in store for me, I looked forward to my lunchtime reading everyday.

This book was SO good. I’m not a huge fan of police procedurals but this flowed so well that I raced through this and actually took any opportunity I could to dive back in.

Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley has just returned to active duty after a leave of absence following her pursuit and prosecution of Peter Oliver, otherwise known as The Jigsaw Killer because of his predilection for dismembering his victims. And although Oliver is in jail, there is a copycat on the loose in the streets of London, and it’s up to Henley to stop him.

This book had tons of action, a touch of family drama, a little bit of Silence of the Lambs vibes and overall great writing.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

As a fan of crime fiction, this debut from Nadine Matheson hit all the marks for me. A well-crafted police procedural combined with gruesome murders and a copycat serial killer makes this thriller completely engrossing.

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is gruesome and disturbing, much like the Lars Kepler books, but nonetheless I found myself completely hooked right from the start and ended up reading the book in two sittings. As dark as the book is though, I loved how it is balanced with great character dynamics. We really get to know the team just as much as we focus on the case. Each character has such a unique personality and I so appreciated that.

I love how we are thrown right into things and that intensity really never lets up. A true cat and mouse game ensues, with one serial killer up against another. What I loved is that the motive behind the copycat killings is never clear. Is it because they are trying to impress the Jigsaw Killer or are they trying to one-up him? This is what drives Detective Henley and the team in trying to solve the case before any more murders happen.

This is a fast-paced book that has a lot of moving parts. Not only does Nadine Matheson not shy away from the gruesome scenes of the serial killers in action, but she does such a great job of giving us the necessary backstory when needed. There is definitely a link between the Jigsaw Killer and Detective Henley and as we get further into the story, those pieces are filled in for us.

I loved this book. The twists and turns really kept me on the edge of my seat and I could not read fast enough. I also enjoyed getting to know Detective Henley and her team. I would love to see this become a series...the ending is left open for the possibility and I would definitely be first in line to read the next book, for sure!

DI Henley believes the serial killer she helped put in prison might help her with the copycat killings. His way of helping her was not what she intended. The background information was a bit forced, but the action in this thriller was enough to keep it moving. It's a bit gruesome, so if you like crime shows that are pretty graphic, this may be to your taste. I found it a bit cliched that the criminal was trying to get the detective's attention, but then, I wonder how often that happens IRL. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy from the publisher Hanover Square Press through NetGalley.

Peter Olivier is a serial killer who was especially gruesome- and he stabbed DI Angelica Henley when she arrested him. Now, several years later, he's in prison but someone is killed people in the same way he did- dismembering and beheading them. Henley, working the cases, goes to prison to interview him and he, of course, plays mind games. She's struggling with her young partner Salmi Ramouter and with her (slightly slug like) husband as well as with PTSD which only gets worse, as it would, when a head arrives on her doorstep. How does Olivier escape prison? No spoilers from me. This has echos of other novels in the genre (especially the scenes between Olivier and Henley) but it still kept me turning the pages. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Good tension and storytelling boost this one.

I haven’t come across any own voices in the thriller and crime fiction genre , so I was more than happy to jump on this one.


I liked that the story opened with cut up body parts, found by different people. It was like watching an episode of Criminal Minds meets CSI. Definitely my kinda read!


However, I did find that some of the conversation between characters made for a slower read and took away from some of the storytelling.
I also found all the branding (i.e Bose speakers, beats ear phones, etc) and other small details to be unnecessary and awkward at times.
Overall, I thought the plot was well-written, which made it an enjoyable read!

If you're looking for a chilling tale, then look no further than The Jigsaw Man. Written by Nadine Matheson, this is the tale of two serial killers, and the devastation they leave in their wake.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And that is certainly true – but that's also not always a great thing. Take the world of a killer. We all know that copycat killers are a thing, but now DI Angelica Henley is about to face one for herself.

It all started when she was sent to interview the infamous Jigsaw Killer – a man behind bars. But then, if he is in prison, who sent Henley the severed head? Yes, this story is about to get much bloodier than she had hoped.

Who doesn't love a gory tale of killing and copycats? The Jigsaw Man is every bit the novel it promises to be, as it is both intense and very much not afraid to dive into the gore a title such as this one implies.

On that note, if reading about dismemberment and gore is not your cup of tea, then I should probably warn you that this is not the book for you. Nadine Matheson did a fantastic job of portraying all of the realism that comes with this sort of case. That means that she doesn't mince words, and that the actions of these two killers are fully detailed.

It certainly did make the whole plot feel all the more real – and terrifying. It was impossible not to root for DI Angelica Henley, especially given everything (and everyone) that she is up against. Though I'll admit that I did need to take a break here and there, for fairly obvious reasons. (As it turns out, even I'm not immune to gore).

DI Henley isn't the only perspective in this story, despite the description and all the time I've spent talking about her. There are several other perspectives that help to further flesh out this tale (sorry, perhaps that wasn't the best word to use here). Henley just happened to be my favorite, but I think that's intentional.

There were a lot of surprising elements and inclusions to this novel, none of which I'll spoil here. I will say that I enjoyed the added depth that they provided to this otherwise chilling tale. All of which made me pretty invested in the story. I can't wait to see what Nadine Matheson comes up with next!

Do you enjoy reading thrillers? I'm so excited to share with you a new detective - serial killer series. Debut author, Nadine Matteson introduces readers to her new protagonist, Serial Crimes Unit, Detective Angelica Henley in her first novel, THE JIGSAW MAN (HQ). Matteson calls the series "a macabre love letter to southeast London."

Detective Henley is a smart, strong black woman who is "happier dealing with rapists and murders than her husband." The psychopathic thorn in her side is Peter Olivier, AKA The Jigsaw Man. He's serving life sentences for murder and attempted murder of Henley, during his arrest. It's her first day out in almost a year, and she's paired up with Trainee Detective Salim Ramouter, which really ticks her off. She's not into what she sees is "babysitting" today.

Body parts start showing up along the Thames River and it looks like there's a jigsaw copycat murderer. Henley and the team decide they need to go and talk to Olivier and find out if he knows anything. What they quickly learn is Olivier is not happy knowing someone is out there is trying to copy him.

Matteson has created a very complex and multi-layered character in Henley. She has problems at home as a mother and wife, problems with her father who is getting dementia and she works with a former lover everyday at CSU. This is the first in a series and by the time you finish this book, you'll be anxiously awaiting the second one. I am.

The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson is an action-packed crime thriller with a strong protagonist and an unsettling ending.

What I liked

The short chapters and many action scenes kept the pace fast from beginning to end. It is a long story, but the length is due to the attention paid to the small details and development of the different elements contained within, so it never detracts from the pace of the story.

Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is strong, no-nonsense, and a natural leader. At one point in the story, her partner noted that people do what she says because she has such a commanding presence. But Henley is also flawed, and her back story exposes those flaws while showing what an incredible strength of character she has. She is a wife, mother, homicide detective, and a victim of a violent assault, but still, she is passionate about putting bad guys away.

I found the characters, even the minor ones, to be developed fully and vibrantly. They aren't just model detectives, but they each have challenges that they must embrace to do their jobs. This high level of character development also allowed for relationships that play out in a genuinely complex manner that served to add more layers to characters and depth to the story that I don't often see in crime thrillers.

I also love that the setting and characters represent a diversity that I don't often see in the genre. I'm not personally familiar with the area being from the U.S., but the author's letter started me looking at it through the eyes of someone familiar with it.

The ending is creepy and unsettling, which is unexpected and left me wondering what happens next. It is a story that will hold me in its grip for some time to come as I think about the different scenarios and how they would play out. They also make me look forward to more Detective Henley stories, as she uses her commanding presence and smarts to put away even the most elusive bad guys.

To Read or Not to Read

If you love thrillers and appreciate unprecedented attention to character development, this is a book you are going to want to read and soon.

This debut from Nadine Matheson is great. It was a little slow to start, but once it got going, I was hooked. There is room to offer a prequel and I look forward to other books in this series.

DI Angelica Henley is recently returned to the field after being attacked by a serial killer and ending up on desk-duty. Thrust into the beginning of what appears to be a copycat serial killer investigation, Henley struggles with her PTSD and her relationships. There was a lot of cat and mouse in this book and I enjoyed the journey.

Thank you to Hanover Square Press and Netgalley for an e-arc for review.

This is a thrilling book about DI Henley and her efforts to stop a killer. The killings are related to an old case but the murderer in that case in in jail. She has to figure out how these killings are related and stop before more people are hurt. The book is set in London and uses English slang but it is easy to follow.

I loved the pace of the book. It kept me hooked from the very beginning and several twists had me rethinking what I thought I had figured out. I don't want to ruin the ending but I did not see it coming. If you enjoy criminal thrillers, you will love this book.

I enjoy this genre, but this book didn't work for me. I couldn't get into it. There was a lack of emotion, despite tons of gory details. I felt like I was being told a story instead of being part of it.

Title: The Jigsaw Man
Author: Nadine Matheson
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5

On the day she returns to active duty with the Serial Crimes Unit, Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is called to a crime scene. Dismembered body parts from two victims have been found by the river.

The modus operandi bears a striking resemblance to Peter Olivier, the notorious Jigsaw Killer, who has spent the past two years behind bars. When he learns that someone is co-opting his grisly signature—the arrangement of victims’ limbs in puzzle-piece shapes—he decides to take matters into his own hands.

As the body count rises, DI Anjelica Henley is faced with an unspeakable new threat. Can she apprehend the copycat killer before Olivier finds a way to get to him first? Or will she herself become the next victim?

I enjoyed this novel, although the first half felt very slow to me. Olivier is creepy beyond words, and the crime scene descriptions were a little much for me, but entirely believable. I liked Anjelica, and would definitely read more about her. The reader is solidly in her head and emotions throughout the novel, bringing every detail to life.

Nadine Matheson lives in London. The Jigsaw Man is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Hanover Square Press exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 3/12.)

This was certainly a page turner! We meet DI Henley wrestling with panic attacks, her husband wanting her to quit her job and now a serial killer. It was violent and a little gruesome at times. It was a good crime novel. I enjoyed the story!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy