Reviews

The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson

megareads42's review against another edition

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4.0

Brutal. Graphic. Fast-paced. At first, I didn't enjoy the forays into the officers' private lives but really found myself enjoying those by the end. As with a lot of thrillers, I think this one had a pacing problem, with some plodding in the middle and an ending that felt a little rushed. I didn't love that we were (IMO) supposed to feel sympathy for the initial serial killer, and I felt that the motives of the second killer weren't set up as strongly as they could have been. That said, this was such a compelling read and I really couldn't put it down. I am interested in the next one for sure.

laura1980458's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

3.0

bbeattie's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Left it open for sequel

janpegjanuary's review against another edition

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5.0

Found The Jigsaw Man in a Little Free Library and took a chance! Gripping story, thrilling. Loved it and immediately put a hold on the second book in Inspector Detective Henley’s series.

sthiel's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.25

smilesgiggle's review against another edition

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4.0

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.

booksandbea's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5 stars LOVED IT

jessica_reading_writing's review against another edition

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4.0

Overview: Seen this around a lot so was keen to give it a read. The blurb intrigued me and the hook "it takes a killer to catch a killer" was unique. If somewhat misleading. The MC was likeable to a certain extent, but her husband was honestly the most infuriating and unlikeable character! What an a**hole! Anyway...other than that I found this an enjoyable thriller however I did have a few issues with a couple of the characters (the other being one of the police).

Good points: Good back story and character development for Henley, although I did want a bit more about the previous jigsaw case. The murders were pretty brutal and graphic.

Not so good points: As mentioned before...the husband! I did find some of it a bit unbelievable for a crime thriller. The previous case about the real jigsaw killer could have been more developed. I felt there was a bit of a plot hole here.

Overall a great crime thriller and I'll certainly be checking out the next in the series. These can be read as standalones.

geauxgetlit's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a cool book to read. It read like an episode of The Blacklist almost. I love when an Inspector needs the help of an imprisoned serial killer!

Olivier wasn’t just a serial killer, he was a true masochist and would chop up his victims body parts with a jigsaw! Yikes

kimskindlereads's review against another edition

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5.0

The descriptions, the gross visuals — absolutely LOVED. This was a movie. 1 serial killer on the loose is enough but 2???? It’s a competition of who is the sickest