- 4.25 Stars -

Nadine Matheson has done it again! She left me clinging to every word and dreading having to put down this book! I was a big fan of the way everything fell together at the end. While I had a feeling I knew who did what, I was still pleasantly surprised when the killers were revealed!

This book leads out with DI Henley as she follows up with the murder of Pastor Caleb Annan and the mystery behind a young man being found in a tortured and malnourished state in a hidden room within the church. It leaves you wondering what on earth was going on in that building???

One murder leads to another and another, so Henley is left running around London trying to figure out who did it and what the heck was the motive? Toss in a missing/kidnapped child and you’ve got an incredible twisty-turny mystery.

This thriller was wonderful, Henley is an awesome FMC to be following along and the random chapters from the victims point of view were such epic additions to the storyline. I will definitely be keeping up with the future books by Nadine Matheson!

Thank you, @netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. I thought that Henley and her partner were wonderful. I was blown away by the many twist and turns to get to the conclusion. I was very intrigued at how the writer explained the many jumps and cartwheels that the investigation needs to go through before the law even determines a subject. The graphics language used when it came to the villain and his victims was very exceptional. The book is a definite page turner that was very entertaining.

Anjelica Henley is back in good psychical shape after the ending of The Jigsaw Man while still recovering emotionally. This richly graphic story of a notorious church, pseudo exorcisms, corrupt religious leaders, institutional and every day racism is difficult to read in places and even more difficult to forget. Nadine Matheson gives us real world politics shrouded in an excellent and well thought out thriller. Can’t wait for the next installment.

Sometimes you start a book just to check the style of writing. Sometimes you think that you will only read some pages and then, some hours later, you turn the last page after having read it in one sitting.
This is what happened, it was a long and adrenaline fuelled ride that kept me on the edge till the last page.
It starts with a bang and it's a like series of fireworks, unexpected twists, and a solution that I never saw coming.
I loved it, loved even the goriest and most horrific parts.
It's a disturbing, gritty, and gripping story that brought me to some very dark places and never let me stop reading even when I was thinking this is too much.
There's a lot of sufferance, there's a respectful approach to mental health issues, and there's a lot of empathy toward the victims.
There's something truly terrifying in this story and there's a lot sufference.
DI Henley and DC Ramouter are suffering from their personal issues with their families and from the PTSD due to the torture of a serial killer. I wasn't a fan at the beginning but they grew on me and I loved their humanity and empathy.
Ms Matheson is master storyteller and deliver a gritty and gripping story, a page turner I could stop reading.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks for this ARC, all opinions are mine..

I think I have pretty thick skin. I have been through a lot of stuff and usually, it takes a lot to make me flinch. Let me just say, this author made me flinch…. multiple times! Wow

I also have to say when I closed this book, I told my hubby that this author has some twisted thoughts in her head! LOL-But oh, what a storyteller she is!

The Binding Room deals with deep dark levels of extremists in a Christian church. If you can get past the prologue you may have a chance to experience it.

This book truly is an experience you will not forget. It is an addicting story filled with seriously gruesome crimes and some twisted people. It is completely engrossing and warped. The character development is amazing. The plot and craftsmanship of the writing are superb.

The fact that I did not read book one was of minimal consequence. Mostly we miss personal issues and another gruesome crime, but in terms of the overall plot, this was easy to follow.

If you are a crime junky with a taste for the extreme, this is a must-read for you. The whole book is a trigger warning!

Why 4 stars from me? Because I am a wimp and could not handle some of the extreme descriptions of the crimes. I would classify this in the horror genre, personally.

After a solid debut and start of the Inspector Anjelica Henley series last year, I have been looking forward to return for more. I like it when a detective thriller series is able to offer a refreshing angle, and this series seems to be doing exactly that with the focus on race and discrimination and a black female detective lead. I fully expected to have an excellent time with this sequel as well, and there were certainly parts of The Binding Room that were very successful, but overall sadly I personally didn't find it to be as strong as her debut. I'll try to explain why below.

First of all, I have to say that I can still really appreciate the focus on race and discrimination. I'm all for diversity and in a way it's strange that we don't see a diverse case of detective leads and other supporting characters more often; both in race, nationality and beliefs. I don't think I've encountered a series with a black female detective lead before, and Anjelica Henley is without doubt a fascinating character. The focus on the discrimination the different characters have to face both inside the police and during the investigation is realistically developed and can be a true eye-opener. That said, I do think The Binding Room took things a little too far with too much focus on the racism and discrimination, which can end up having an opposite (and negative) effect. While important, too much of the same angle can get repetitive and it can distract from the original message.

Now comes something that is a personal pet peeve: the religious angle. I'm never a fan of religion in a story and while there is no real preaching and it's more of a cult-like religion focus, there was just something about this element that made me enjoy the story less. This has mostly to do with my personal aversion and not with how it was incorporated into the plot though. What I also found highly frustrating was the focus on the cheating element and the love triangle vibes not related to the murder investigation; they distracted from the plot, were in my eyes completely unnecessary and they were one of the main reasons why this sequel didn't work as well for me. It also made me like the main character considerably less...

The cast of characters is a diverse and interesting bunch with each of them having their own background, past, issues and secrets. It is highly recommended to read the first book before starting The Binding Room though, because this sequel jumps right in without giving you any pointers on what happened before... And you will be missing out on key background information otherwise. The case itself is fascinating and there are many twists and turns involved as you try to discover the truth behind the Caleb's death as well as the other victims. The twists were quite effective as well, because I never guessed the full truth until it was finally revealed.

I do have to say that I think that The Binding Room is way overlong and could have benefitted from eliminating certain elements and sideplots. The pace wasn't always consistent and certain parts started to drag considerably... A more condensed story with a tighter plot would have made a much bigger impact. That said, I know that I'm in the minority and most people do seem to love this sequel a lot more. If you like your detective thrillers with a refreshing angle and don't mind what I've mentioned before in my review, this series might just be a great fit for you.

The Binding Room was my number one most anticipated book of 2022 so I was ecstatic to get an advanced digital copy from the publisher! Thank you Hanover Square Press! With that being said, I was almost nervous going into this one, hoping and praying that it would live up to the perfection of Matheson's first book The Jigsaw Man and I am happy to report that it did! It absolutely did!

There are so many elements to gush about with this book and this series. First off, it was a delight to get to spend more time with Inspector Henley and her humble and lovable partner Ramouter. Book two gave even more personal story to these two characters and I loved getting that vulnerable side to each of them and I look forward to reading more about them in future book in the series.

The plot of The Binding Room left me in awe of Matheson's ability to string together so many loose threads that all add to the plot and the mystery, without any red herrings. Every piece of information has a place somewhere in the mystery. Nothing is left to waste, and I absolutely love that. Nothing annoys me more in a book than to have an author spent copious amounts of time and pages feeding the reader clues that end up having nothing to do with the final outcome. I always feel like I wasted my time with a book like that. The Binding Room obviously does not do that, Matheson is an incredibly talented crime fiction writer and I would compare her mysteries to the Lars Kepler Joona Linna series, in case you need a good reference.

This book is a long one, but it is so worth it. I will always read any crime fiction Matheson puts out! I have a feeling she will soon become one of the household names in the genre!

Having not read the Jigsaw Man not sure what I was getting into reading this book.
Twist and turns but following it was hard for me.
I just didn't love it.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Here I thought book 1 was creepy as well as dark and twisted ,but this one has that one bet, and every time the team thought they had some idea on what happened more lies and secrets came out of nowhere . In fact though out the story I felt like the first victim got what was coming to him, and I felt sorry for the other victims that came after him.

DI Angelica Henley and her team are back after the gruesome events of The Jigsaw Man. Six months have passed and the shadow cast by Peter Olivier still looms over them. Angelica has personal problems with her husband, Rob( I did not like him at all), professional issues with her boss and former lover, Stephen, and is suffering from PTSD thanks to her near-fatal encounter with Olivier.

When a well-known pastor is murdered, you would think that finding his killer would be the team's only objective. But as they are searching the crime scene, they find a man, bound, tortured, and looking very dead. Now Angelica has to solve the murder of what appears to be an evil man. As the body count rises, there are plenty of suspects, yet they seem to be no closer to solving this crime.

The racism that Angelica and one of her team members, Ramouter have experienced in the past, rears its ugly head yet again. Stephen is getting political pressure from an MP, and Angelica is livid. It doesn't help to solve the murder either when skeletons just keep falling out of the pastor's closet.

In the end, everything made sense if you understand that professionally, this case is closed, even if it has ramifications that might carry over to the next book. Ramouter still suffers from Olivier's actions and he is dealing with a heartbreaking situation with his wife. Angelica is barely treading water with her husband and her lingering feelings for Stephen continue to create turmoil. I enjoyed being with these characters again!

People always ask me if a book in a series can be read as a standalone. While I am not a fan, in this case, the investigation could be, but without reading The Jigsaw Man, you will not truly relate to the havoc Peter Olivier caused.

From the author of The Jigsaw Man comes the second installment of Inspector Anjelica Henley. The Jigsaw man was a great and gruesome read and I was looking for more of that.

This one has the characters all still traumatized from Olivier so everyone is a bit off their game. But when a pastor in the community is brutally murdered, there are so many suspects it’s hard to pick just one!

And what they find in a hidden room is downright gruesome. These people have taken religion in a whole new direction. And wow are they good at justifying their actions. Totally insane.

Anjelica is still conflicted where her boss is concerned, which is an interesting side piece. I didn’t care for the husband one bit.

There are so many twists and turns it was hard to keep straight but I did. And it’s always the last reason and person you suspect of getting their own brand of justice.

NetGalley/ Harlequin July 12, 2022

✨Book review✨
The Binding Room
By Nadine Matheson

This was a difficult read for me, and I am saddened as I had heard great things, but for me there was something missing.

I found it difficult to align with the main character in this story, and perhaps this is due to the fact that this is a second novel for Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley.

The storyline at times was a bit hard to follow for me, and this could again have to do with me having not read The Jigsaw Man first.

There was definitely suspense and gore, with some very cringe worthy scenes set. Some readers may be triggered by the topics of religion, race, and mental well being .

That being said, the book just didn’t pack the full punch for me. I may read the Jigsaw Man and see if that sways how I feel about this book, but as it stands currently for me, this was just okay.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thanks so much to @netgalley for a copy of this E-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

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Thank you Killer Crime Club and NetGalley for this book. It reminded me a little of Bones and a little of Law and Order SVU.

Enjoyed this book. The story was a little over the top, but it was interesting enough to keep the reader reading. When one mystery becomes another, and then another and another...... The characters are likeable and well fleshed the reader learns enough of their backstory to understand their reasons to keep investigating the crimes.
while balancing their personal lives. It is a good quick read.

This character will go down through the ages as one of the best literary detectives on paper. Love Henley, loved the first book, loved the second book. This better keep coming every year because this is officially a must buy/ must read for me.

Many twists and turns in this dark, crime thriller. This one deals with the church and a murdered pastor. Very detailed descriptions of death and torture.
This book does delve into the characters a little more which I loved.
Not sure if I liked this book or the first one more!

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers, and author for this arc!

If you loved "The Jigsaw Man" this is a must read. Henley and Ramouter search for a ritualistic murderer and the killer of the pastor of the church that seems to have been involved. The characters of Henley and Ramouter are further developed as we learn more about them and the impact that the past has on their present. Dark and twisted the plot takes you for a ride you won't forget. Thank you Killer Crime Club, Harper Collins Canada and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
#TheBindingRoom#KillerCrimeClub#HarperCollinsCanada#NetGalley

Wow, this was a wild ride! I loved the first book, I couldn’t delve into this one fast enough. Henley is one of my favorite detectives, and I need more from this series!

This is about a murdered pastor and some darker things happening in a church. Henley is dealing with past trauma, a difficult marriage, and taking on a case from a different unit. Her partner is also dealing with some tough choices, having to decide between work and family. While trying to find who killed the pastor and who this person they found almost dead in the church, it starts to get more dark and complicated.

This was impossible to put down, with so many twists and turns. I loved this book just as much as the first. Henley is human and flawed. This book deals with a plethora of dark subject matter, but it’s impossible to stop reading.

I need the next one already.


Thank you NetGalley and harlequin for the digital review copy.

I like the characters in this series (this is book 2). The relationship elements between the characters carry over from the prior book and they are very important so although the central crime is no, you really should read the books in order. The central mystery(s) are well done although one you see coming fairly early on, but how you get from A to Z is a good story. The crimes are described very graphically but quickly, I have to kind of read pas the descriptions as they go a little too far for me but that's just a few paragraphs. All in all, I look forward to reading more in this series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and Netgalley to review.

Wow, what a book! This book was insane! In a totally good way, of course, but INSANE. I loved it! I was glued to my seat the entire time.

Nadine Matheson is proving herself a force to be reckoned with - this is every bit as enjoyable as her first. A recommended first purchase for most collections.