The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson: Review

The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson

 

The Jigsaw Man is the debut novel from London born criminal solicitor Nadine Matheson. Published by HQ Stories, The Jigsaw Man hits bookshelves nationwide on 18 February.

 

Synopsis

 

On DI Henley’s first day back on active duty with the Serial Crimes Unit, the last thing she expected was a callout to dismembered body parts found beside the River Thames. Soon, other parts are found in a different location. What’s even worse, is that they’re not just from one person.

 

The murders closely resemble the crimes that forced Henley off the streets. Two years earlier a man called Peter Olivier murdered and dismembered several men and left their body parts strewn across London. He came to be known as The Jigsaw Killer. Henley barely got through the investigation with her life when Olivier attacked her with a knife. She still feels the weight of him on top of her on her darkest days.

 

The more time goes by, the more similarities she finds to the Jigsaw Killer. As the murders stack up, she finds a connection between the victims and is forced to face the man who tried to kill her. But Olivier has been behind bars the entire time; there’s no way he could be killing again…

 

 

The Jigsaw Man review

 

The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson was my second book of 2021. The first was a MASSIVE disappointment so I was hoping this was going to win back my attention. I’m happy to say I was not disappointed!

 

There’s a lot to adore about The Jigsaw Man but the first aspect I fell in love with was the lead character of Henley. This woman is wonderful; stubborn to a fault, fearless on the outside but shaken to the core on the inside. She is so committed to her job and proving she can excel in it, she runs the risk of losing her family. But no more of that because you’ll get no spoilers here.

 

I also found the pacing of this novel wonderful. I never felt like it was being rushed or that any details were skipped but I always wanted to read more. Describing it as a page-turner is accurate but also seems like an underestimate. Lockdown has utterly killed my concentration so the fact that this grabbed me as much as it did is a true testament to how captivating it is.

 

On top of this, you’ve got a great baddie in the shape of Olivier. When I read the reason for his murder spree, there was a small part of me that wondered if he might be a Dexter-type ‘understandable’ killer. However; once you meet him, that idea goes straight out the window. He’s a genuinely unsettling character, which only made this book more enjoyable.

 

I should probably mention that Nadine Matheson does not mess around when it comes to writing violent scenes. They’re not squeezed into every other chapter but when the violence comes, it’s short, sharp and explosive. This is what makes it all the more shocking.

 

Final thoughts

 

As you can probably tell, I loved The Jigsaw Man and even though I’ve read quite a few crime books recently, this still felt like a breath of fresh air. I watched the incredible Black Earth Rising on Netflix just before I started it, so pictured Michaela Coel playing Henley the entire time. Can someone please make this happen?!

 

If you want some true escapism (and who doesn’t right now?) then you need to add The Jigsaw Man to your wishlist. I’m just hoping this is the first in a series because I’d love to read more about Henley and her team. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

 

If you loved The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson you’d love Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton.