The Jigsaw Man

“Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley looked back at the mid-terraced house with freshly painted blue door. She wondered, not for the first time, what it said about there that she was happier dealing with rapists and murderers than her own husband. She checked her reflection in the rear-view mirror. She had rushed out too quickly and hand’t had a chance to cover up the small scar on her right cheek and the dark circles under her eyes…”

The Jigsaw Man
By Nadine Matheson
Source: Advance review copy

DI Anjelica Henley has just returned to active duty to the Serial Crimes Unit (SCU) after being on desk duty after her encounter with Serial Killer, Peter Olivier, AKA the Jigsaw Man. She didn’t expect to be sidelined on her first day back on the job by a having a new trainee and much less another violent case.

Body parts are found on the banks of the River Thames in Deptford and the nature of the killings is bringing back memories DI Angelica would rather forget as they have the hallmarks of the violence perpetrated by Peter Olivier who is now serving a life sentence. When a severed head is delivered to Henley’s house she knows that the killer is targeting her and putting her family at risk. 

Not only does DI Henley have to contend with a her family life in crisis as her husband has said it’s her job or their marriage, but she is also worried about her child and her own feelings of anxiety and PTSD which have been exacerbated by the personal nature of these violent acts.

She’s going to have to rely on her colleagues, Trainee DI Salim Ramouter, and even face Peter Olivier to find out who can be behind these killings. All bets are off though when Olivier escapes prison and now Henley is racing to put two killers behind bars. 

I liked the details about the detectives’ personal lives and the issues they are facing, I thought the pacing was great as you wanted to keep turning the pages, and all in all I have to say is I want more of DI Henley and TDI Ramouter.