PUBLICATION: 18 FEBRUARY 2021 (UK) HQ
SYNOPSIS:
It takes a killer to catch a killer… ​ There's a serial killer on the loose… When body parts start washing up along the banks of the river Thames, the Serial Crimes Unit is called to investigate, and it quickly becomes apparent to DI Henley that there isn't just one victim. There are two.
The murders are hauntingly familiar to Henley. The modus operandi matches that of Peter Olivier, the notorious Jigsaw Killer. But Olivier is already behind bars, and Henley was the one who put him there.
Olivier is the last person Henley wants to see but she needs his help. He might be their best chance to stop the copycat before more body parts start turning up. But when Olivier learns of the new murders, helping out Henley and the SCU is the last thing on his mind.
All bets are off and the race is on to catch the killer before the body count rises. But who will get there first – Henley or the Jigsaw Killer?
MY THOUGHTS:
From the very beginning I knew I would love this novel, from the proof cover to the blurb this was definitely a book for me. I love a good thriller especially one that is set in and around the UK. The added bonus for me with The Jigsaw Man is that it is set in South East London, my old stomping ground so I loved the fact that I could visualise each and every place Henley visited.
Nadine Matheson knows how to grip and shock her readers and from the opening pages of the prologue I was truly hooked; a man walking his dog stumbles upon a severed arm, a group of archaeology students find a headless torso and a kitchen fitter discovers a severed leg. What an opening!
Matheson's characters are extremely realistic and not without their faults and failures. I couldn't help but warm to Henley; a daughter, mother, wife and an inspector. Balancing all of those different roles became a real challenge and at times Henley got it completely wrong. You could see how torn, riddled with guilt yet how focused and determined she became on catching the serial killer, jeopardising her family's safety. Although Henley's previous case had left her traumatise and scarred I loved the twist that she had to reach out to the very person who attacked her in order to gain some meaning to this new case. The Jigsaw Man, a serial killer who previously tried to kill Henley and who she successful put behind bars may hold some answers into the dismembered body parts being scattered over London. Is this a copycat or has Olivier got some unfinished business and an accomplice on the outside to continue what he started?
This police procedural is everything you would expect it to be: it's graphic and disturbing in places, fast paced, action packed and has a real focus on its characters. Comforting and terrifying at the same I found myself using every spare moment of my time to pick it back up. For a debut novel this definitely packs a punch and I cannot wait to see what Matheson writes about next. I would love for this novel to continue as a series as I was very invested in the characters.
AUTHOR:
Nadine Matheson has always been passionate about writing and storytelling. She was born and lives in London and is a Criminal Solicitor.
In 2016, she won the City University Crime Writing Competition and completed the Creative Writing (Crime/Thriller Novels) MA at City University of London with Distinction in 2018.
Her crime novel, The Jigsaw Man, will be published by HQ on 18 February 2021.
You can find Nadine Matheson here: