Dark, disturbing, and twisted - After reading the first Henley thriller, that's what I expected, and Nadine Matheson didn't disappoint. I'm always on the lookout for a gritty detective series, and this one checks all the boxes. Detective Anjelica Henley is relatable and likable, and best of all, she's human. What I mean by that is she isn't perfect, she doesn't figure it all out without doing the work, and she has her share of personal stuff to deal with. She's someone I can root for. The story is full of twists, and I was surprised for every single one. That doesn't happen nearly as often as I'd like, so when I say Matheson kept me guessing, I mean it quite literally. The story does get a little gruesome, so that's something to keep in mind. It wasn't too much for me, but I could see it being a problem for some. That said, if a bit of gore doesn't bother you and you're looking for a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, I'd recommend this one.

THE BINDING ROOM (An Inspector Anjelica Henley Thriller Book #2) by Nadine Matheson is an intense and gritty British police procedural thriller. This is the second instalment in this series and can be read as a thriller standalone, but there are major character relationships that are better understood if you read The Jigsaw Man, Book #1 first.

Detective Anjelica Henley and her team are back and still dealing with the trauma of their last case as they are pulled into another difficult investigation. Henley is called to a scene of a brutal stabbing of a popular preacher in his own church and as they search the church discover another apparently tortured body barely alive, tied to a bed in a hidden room.

Henley and her team work both cases even as politics, secrets and lies make the team feel like they are getting nowhere fast. More bodies are discovered with the same terrible injuries and the female victim shows signs of having given birth. Both investigations have crossover suspects, but the clues lead to different motives. Henley must move quickly to stop more tortured murder victims.

I am happy to announce there was no sophomore slump with this addition to the series. Henley is still having problems emotionally from their last case and the loss of her mother. Her marriage is still in flux, and I still do not know how that will turn out in future books. Her entire team has become more fully fleshed and I care for them all with all their quirks and differences. This book does have several very dark and graphically disturbing scenes, but it is about sadistic torture murders and Ms. Matheson’s first book was the same, so I was expecting it. The investigative plot was well paced with several twists throughout that keeps you reading with a major twist right before the end.

I highly recommend this thriller and I am looking forward to many more in this series!

A popular preacher is found dead in his church with dozens of stab wounds. However, he is not the only victim. As Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley and her team are going through the church looking for whatever clues they can find, she stumbles upon a second victim. Shockingly, despite many apparent injuries, he is still alive. It becomes very clear early on that this second victim is part of some strange and dark religious ritual.

The deeper the investigation gets, it is apparent that there are no shortage of suspects. In fact, this preacher, as charismatic as he was, was not a beacon of faith and hope as he pertained to be. It becomes more than clear that his death is something that more than one person would’ve wanted. And, as if the investigation itself is not enough to warrant all of her time, Anjelica has other battles. Pressured by the media to find the killer of the pastor, as well as a moral and personal dilemma she is facing, she is literally burning the candle at both ends.

One thing that makes her job even harder is that racial tensions are ever present in this particular case and that affects whether or not justice will be served. This racism impacts not only Anjelica, but her partner Ramouter as well. Meanwhile, as if solving both of the crimes in front of her are not enough, there is yet a third murder and they discover that there is a missing baby. Anjelica truly is in a race against time to find this baby alive all while she is trying to discover what was really going on in this pastor’s life and in his church.

The Binding Room is the thrilling second book in the Inspector Anjelica Henley series, and follows the equally thrilling The Jigsaw Man. That book introduced Anjelica to readers and also put the fabulous author Nadine Matheson on my radar. The way that this book is written it could do well as a standalone, but since it follows the first book, with reference to the killer in that book and how it affected all of the police that were involved, I highly recommend reading these books in order. Another reason that I recommend this is because of the continuity that comes with the relationship Anjelica has with her team and also with the situation in her marriage.

This book is long. In fact, I was able to get this from my library as an audiobook which was 17 hours long. With excellent narration, this exciting story never lost a beat. The drama, intrigue, and intense scenes continue at a rapid pace from beginning to end. I do have to mention that this book has some grisly scenes and may not be for the weak of heart. The author’s experience as a criminal defense attorney lends to her expertise regarding the crimes and the solving of these crimes in this book. I do love that this book makes the characters real to the readers and the conclusion dangled just enough bait to make me more than eager for book three in the series.

Many thanks to Hanover Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/pTs6FEamdm8

This is the second book in the series. I read this without having read the first. I really did enjoy this police procedural, especially the main character. I was told that I’d have enjoyed it more if I had read the first one. Highly recommend.

Detective Anjelica Henley has a new case on her hands. This one is a murder of a priest in town which seems pretty routine until she discovers another body in the church. Except, this man is still alive, but barely. With her team, Anjelica must try and solve this case before time runs out and she becomes the next victim.

This novel by Nadine Matheson grips the reader into the story in the first few pages. It is a fast paced, race against the clock, psychological thriller which was hard to put down. I enjoy the character of Anjelica as she is complex, driven and yet has a gentle side. The supporting characters are well written which adds another dimension to the story. I was so excited to see a second book in the series, and if you have not read The Jigsaw Man, I highly recommend you do. I rated this at three stars only because I enjoyed the first book in the series more. Harlequin Publishing so graciously gifted me an advanced copy of the book which I read and voluntarily reviewed. Get ready for a great adventure with this book friends

First the spectacular Jigsaw Man and now The Binding Room. I read this book in 3 hours. It really was a book I couldn't stop reading. But oh that prologue. Not for the weak.

I adore all the characters. I think Inspector Anjelica Henley is a brilliant character. Its great to see the main character be a black woman which I didnt know till the end of The Jigsaw Man. And a woman who doesnt want to be a stay-at-home mother and wife. She loves her family but its just not her. I think that describes a lot of women. And her relationship with DC Ramouter is great as is his backstory line. I think his young wife having alzheimers is a very interesting dynamic. My husband has alzheimers but he's in his late 70s. I can't imagine getting it when you're young and your life is ahead of you. I didn't know young people got it. I think Nadine Matheson has a brilliant way of teaching you new things.

All the side stories like missing her old boss and her past affair with her superior makes more interesting fodder.

I cannot wait for the next installment. When it comes, I'll be twirling around like Kathy Bates in Misery with that Number One fan gleeful look.

The Binding Room is an addictive thriller. The twists and turns in the story led me to read most of it in one sitting. I also really liked how this book portrays multiple mental health issues such as depression, PTSD, and the experiences of caregivers in a way that is sensitive and authentic.

I highly recommend this book for fans of Criminal Minds. It has a similar vibe of showing the victims' perspective, the killer's motivation, and the police's reaction throughout the book.
Content warning: violence, blood, gore (ritualistic murder is described in graphic detail)

I loved The Jigsaw Man, so obviously this was one of my most anticipated books of 2022, and it was amazing! It opens with a shocking and gruesome murder, and the tension and suspense builds from that point on! The storyline was original and twisty and I loved every minute of it!

It was great to delve back into DI Anjelica Henley's world again, and I will be anxiously awaiting the 3rd book in the series!

Thank you @netgalley and @htpbooks for the e-arc of this book!

Thank you to the publisher, Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Binding Room in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist
I made a big mistake. I read a sequel before reading the first part in a series. This is partly due because I didn’t do my research properly. And partly because I thought it wouldn’t be such a big deal if I skipped the first book.

How wrong I was.

It appears that I tend to get rather agitated and annoyed when something doesn’t make sense. Skipping an entire book that introduces characters would cause such a reaction.

So, I try to base this review partly on the impression I got based on the writing quality, plot etc. And I hope my clueless bias can keep quiet.

The Details
The beginning is incredibly strong and had me quite literally sitting on the edge of my seat.

For a murder mystery, this one seems a little bit more on the gory side. The descriptions of the torture and crime scene are very detailed and do not leave much to the imagination.

Reader, be warned. Those with a weak stomach, brace yourselves.

In general, I thought this story would be totally up my alley: we got a gruesome murder, London as the setting, it’s winter – perfect timing for an atmospheric mystery/thriller story – and a strong female lead.

Sadly, the setting and surrounding circumstances couldn’t make up for the incredible fast pace that put me off relatively early on in the story.

The jumps are quite brutal, combined with the fact that I knew nothing of the main characters made for an exhausting and frustrating read.

I wish I could say more about this story, but most of it slip through my grasp because I didn’t read the first book in this series.

The Verdict
Overall, I wish I had read The Jigsaw Man before The Binding Room to get a better idea of the characters and various small, but very important details.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

Last year, I read Nadine Matheson’s debut crime fiction novel, The Jigsaw Man, and I have been waiting for the next book to come out. I love that book and so not only was The Binding Room a most anticipated read this year, but my expectations for the book were pretty high. Luckily, I can say this book totally delivers…and I just hope there are more books coming!

While this book could be read as a stand-alone, I really feel that you are going to have a much richer reading experience if you read the first book. Yes, both books are a bit on the longer side, but trust me when I say that they are totally all-consuming reads. You don’t realize how long they are once you are in the middle of them because you become so invested in what is going on.

This latest installment is really quite dark and unsettling, and I found myself unsure how all the different threads were going to tie together, but once they did, I could not read fast enough to see where they would ultimately end up. As with the first book, there are some rather gruesome scenes that we are privy to, so this is definitely not a book for the faint of heart…but I happen to love these types of books – they remind me of the Lars Kepler series, which is a huge favorite of mine. This turns into quite a game of cat and mouse as the team tries to catch a killer before someone else winds up dead, and it really kept me on the edge of my seat until the final resolution.

As the book picks up shortly after the first book ends, we see the main characters struggling to deal with the trauma they endured when we last saw them. I loved that this wasn’t brushed away or forgotten, but rather still an on-going thing. This is why I love reading series, and why I’m such a firm believer in reading series in order – you get that continued character development. It makes the characters, particularly Henley and Ramouter, all the more real and relatable. These two are also dealing with personal stuff and I loved that we see how that is affecting their work. I hope that we continue to see the progress of these side stories as the series continues.

This book kept me totally invested from start to finish. Yes, it is long, but even when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. And when the pieces finally started coming together, I really had a hard time putting the book down. Nothing here is extra – everything we are given is used and it really is so mind-boggling when you stop and think back over that. I’m in awe of this author’s creativity and plotting skills and I cannot wait to see what she gives us next!

Detective Anjelica Henley investigates a preacher's murder and discovers a barely living second victim, signs of a dark religious ritual on his skin. The inspector dodges the media and a long list of suspects, with more questions than answers. The appearance of another body indicates that if Henley can't find the killer, she might be next.

This is the second Inspector Anjelica thriller, but I hadn't read the first. That doesn't matter, because we see the fallout of the events in the first book, and the concern her husband and coworkers have for her. The pastor's murder sets off an investigation into the victims of presumed excorcisms, as well as the pastor's history. It's a franchise church with monthly memberships and meant to have a family feel, but the more information we find out about the pastor, the other board members and the victims they find, the more we realize that it wasn't what we thought it was. Henley isn't directly threatened, but her superior officer has pressure from a MP, the public is searching for salacious information and there is a lot of interpersonal drama that Henley is dealing with. Her team also have personal difficulties that affect their behavior, but it adds to the realism and camaraderie between the officers.

The mystery is fascinating and sucked me in, so that I kept turning pages and had to know what was happening next. I stayed up way too late, because I needed all the loose ends tied up. It's wonderfully done, and will get your heart racing.

After reading and loving Matheson's debut The Jigsaw Man last year (a book I continue to recommend to my library customers), I was more than a little excited to receive an advanced copy of The Binding Room, the second book in her Anjelica Henley series.

This sequel begins in the aftermath of The Jigsaw Man as readers witness the impact and trauma Henley and her team continue to feel after the last case. Henley's team is soon dispatched to a new crime scene with a murder and a gruesome discovery and find themselves, once again, in a terrifying game of cat and mouse with a ruthless killer.

Matheson, a criminal defense solicitor in London, quickly pulls her readers into this well-paced and completely engaging police procedural. The crime scene descriptions are grisly and not for the squeamish and Matheson excels at building tension and giving readers well-developed and believably flawed characters. By including the complicated home lives of Henley and her team, readers will find themselves invested not only in the resolution of the crime but witnessing how the job impacts the personal lives of the squad.

The inclusion of societal issues of racism, mental illness and the more contentious aspects of religion add interest and are incorporated well into the story. These subjects will give book clubs great fodder for discussion.

The Binding Room could be read as a standalone, but I'd recommend reading The Jigsaw Man first for a better understanding of the impact that case had on Henley and her team and how that experience has bound this group tightly together. I highly recommend this series for fans of dark and gritty police procedurals who like to get to know the characters behind the police badge. I eagerly look forward to the next book in this series.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher Hanover Square Press for my advanced copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

The Binding Room is the 2nd book in the Inspector Anjelica Henley series by Nadine Matheson. I did not know this going into the book but it does stand alone just fine.

While visiting a church to investigate the death of the pastor, inspector Anjelica Henly discovers a hidden door that leads to a concealed room set up for torture. The pastor as stabbed 48 times! In the room there was a bed, were a body is found tied to it. Then another body is found, tortured as well and its clear someone is torturing and leaving these people for dec. The victims don't seem interconnected but Henley must figure out what is going on before more bodies are lost

This book is well written with good characters that I am sure will grow on me the more I read this series.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

In The Binding Room, even the most upstanding people may have a secret or two hiding in their closets.

Pastor Caleb is the leader of the popular church he named after himself. One day, the church cleaning lady is surprised to find him stabbed to death on the church floor. Inspector Henley and her partner, Ramouter, are called out to the scene. While there, Henley finds a man tortured almost to death in a secret room. Is he the reason for Caleb’s death? Or is something even more sinister going on here? Based on the length of the book (it’s over 500 pages), assume that the second guess is more likely.

If you love diverse British police procedurals, don’t miss The Binding Room. It is spot on in both plotting and characterization. Trying to entangle the plot points to determine the murderer is complicated by more and more murder victims. It’s a great challenge for armchair detectives!

My only complaint is there is no clear and concise summary of what happened to Henley in the first book, which would have helped new readers to the series, like myself, understand her PTSD a bit better.

Overall, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Thank you to @netgalley for my digital copy of this!

I first have to mention-I love this cover. The colors, the image –it all just looks so deadly! I must admit, I was nervous when I saw the length of this one at over 500+ pages, but I flew through it! I loved The Jigsaw Man and our cast of characters so I knew I had to read the sequel. This can be read as a standalone but I suggest reading The Jigsaw Man first. It will help understand the characters, their background and it is freaking good too!

Now you know my black, frozen heart loves dark subject matter. The Jigsaw Man was definitely dark and very descriptive and The Binding Room was no exception. @queennads has a way with the gore and she does a wonderful job of hooking you in with it while also including the emotional aspect of the case/deaths. It is always conflicting and she really gives you the full emotional spectrum of the case and situation. I also think that adding all of that extra emotion helps with this as it a police procedural and so are not fans of that. It does not necessarily read that way. It was exciting, tense and I did not guess one single twist, which shocked me.

I knew this would be wonderful, and I was right! Grab your copy of both The Jigsaw Man and The Binding Room now!

What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson is a compelling, action-packed crime thriller/police procedural about exorcism, mental health, and corrupt religious leaders.

Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
I read the first book in the series, The Jigsaw Man, so I expect more of the same or even better. The cover is intriguing, with a rope running through the title. The cord + the title makes me think of a room for tieing people up with the string, and considering the genre, this is somewhat terrifying. The blurb is even more frightening, talking about dark religious rituals. So, I am expecting a terrifying thriller with well-developed characters.

Actual Reading Experience:
My actual reading experience was much as I expected. The Binding Room is another engaging and compelling installment in the Anjelica Henley series. It can be read as a standalone, though you will appreciate the character development more if you read the series in order. My attention was grabbed from the first page and, even though it's over 500 pages, held me spellbound until the end when all mysteries are solved. The pace stays fast throughout and is compounded by shocking twists and turns. I did not see any of them coming until right before they were revealed though I did note some oddities that turned out to be clues.

I loved that racism and feelings toward mental health disorders are included, and how they are handled is extraordinarily effective. Never does the author take a moment to preach to the reader. She simply tells of the experiences as the character responds. This manner left a strong impression and gave me much to think about long after the book ended.

The plot is complex and developed with great attention to detail, making it a solid five-star read. The team led by Henley must solve multiple murders that are interconnected and equally horrifying. Police procedurals can be relatively dry, but not when written the way both books in this series are written. The characters come alive on the page as their personal stories are told, along with the mysteries they must solve. The lives of these characters are very complex and important stories that can stand on their own.

Characters:
All of the characters are well-developed and intricately layered, especially Anjelica. I love her strength and determination all wrapped up in the flawed package that makes her a character I was quickly drawn to. The interactions between her team members feel authentic, as do her exchanges with her husband. They are good, and they are problematic. They build her up, and they distract her. All the complexities experienced in real life are brought to the page with a vividness and poignancy that touched my heart as I read.

What It Reminds Me Of:
The first in the series – The Jigsaw Man

To Read or Not to Read:
If you love mystery/thrillers, even if you are not partial to procedurals, this is a book you won't want to miss. You will love the characters, have your mind expanded by pertinent issues in the story, and ultimately feel that even 500+ pages are not enough of this incredible world.

Thank you net galley. What a read!!!
A pillar of the community is found dead and so begins the search to find the killer(s).
Detective Anjelica Henley is called to investicate a murder, she finds more then the murdered pastor. She finds a young male victim in a secluded room while searching the church for evidence.
The list of suspects is long as each one has a motive to do the crime(s).
A very suspenceful read.

This is the second thriller in the 'Anjelica Henley' series from this successful British author. The first book was "The Jigsaw Man "and while this new one can be read as a stand-alone, I recommend reading "The Jigsaw Man" first to get the most out of the series. This is a traditional thriller, with a significant amount of gore, as opposed to the very popular psychological thrillers. In this one when Henley is called out to investigate the murder of a preacher, she also finds a man barely alive in a locked room, who has been bound and tortured. The bodies pile up and Henley faces charges of racism when it seems that more time is being spent on the case of the tortured white man, than the black preacher. The author said this book was inspired by news stories of exorcisms gone wrong. This is a fun read and a great recommendation for fans of both her previous thriller and "The Chestnut Man". I really enjoyed it.

The Binding Room by Nadine Mathison is the second book in the Anjelica Henley series. I was so excited to read this one after having loved The Jigsaw Man. This book met every expectation I had. Henley is professional and a main character that is easy to like and root for. You can absolutely see that Matheson knows her stuff and keeps everything informational but interesting. The crime was chilling but there was never gratuitous violence.

Now THIS is how you write an engaging police procedural! I'll admit that I was nervous glancing at the 500+ page count before diving in, but I enjoyed The Jigsaw Man enough to give the sequel a try, and by the end of the book I felt like I wasn't ready for it to be over. If that doesn't scream 5 stars, then I don't know what does.

The book picks up in the weeks following the conclusion of Jigsaw Man, and Anj and her team are feeling the remnants of trauma caused by Olivier, while also needing to dive headfirst into a new case that is both gruesome and disturbing. I'm not one to get squeamish while reading these types of books, but I definitely felt like the author did a fine job of including just the right amount of gore to hook the reader into feeling both sorrow for the victims and anger toward the monsters responsible. Also? I didn't guess a single one of the twists, not one.

While this can be read as a standalone, I think it was more meaningful knowing the characters ahead of time to feel connected to their personal life plot threads. I'm still thinking about this book days after finishing and know it will be in my top ten reads for 2022!