The Binding Room

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Last year, I finally got around to reading Nadine Matheson’s debut police procedural, The Jigsaw Man. The book received a lot of buzz and I could see why. A fantastic hook, a really compelling central protagonist, and a well-rounded supporting cast of characters, made this a cracking read. For some reason, I didn’t actually review it (I think I may have been in the depths of GCSE marking at the time), but I’m giving it a belated shout out and a recommendation that you read it before you start The Binding Room.That’s not to say you can’t pick up the second book in the series first, but you’ll get more out of it if you are already familiar with this world.

In this instalment, DI Anjelica Henley is still reeling from the fallout from the Jigsaw Man case, but is thrown back into the fray when the Serial Crimes Unit are called to the murder of a local pastor found stabbed to death in the church he runs. As they investigate the scene, they discover a hidden torture room with another victim bound to the bed.

The discovery of a second body, also tied down, leads to the realisation that there is a serial killer out there. Yet there are no obvious links between the two.

Matheson is not afraid of visiting some very dark places, examining evil from all angles. She is also unafraid of addressing uncomfortable and controversial subjects. In this book, we see the dark side of fringe churches; supposedly Christian organisations that seem more geared towards encouraging the congregation to worship and enrich the pastor than to actually spread the word of God.

The book is an excellent police procedural, but at its heart it is a thumping good read. I formed my own theories about what had really happened fairly early on, but had my mind changed several times and when everything was finally revealed, discovered that Matheson had successfully hoodwinked me.

I heartily recommend this book, and look forward to the third in the series, The Kill List​, available to preorder for later this year.