A review by beanjoles
The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson

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! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Dementia

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:

multiple graphic depictions of amputations performed on a conscious victim; descriptions of dismemberment of corpses

More on the rape tag:

two characters are raped and there is a description of objects used for penetration