The Jigsaw Man

By: Elena Forbes

Narrated by: Ric Jerrom

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

DI Mark Tartaglia spends a night in a west London hotel with a woman he has just met. When he is called out to the same hotel the next morning to investigate a murder, he realises it must have taken place while he was there. If things weren't already complicated enough, the investigation takes a new and horrifying turn when he recognises the young female victim.

Still reeling from the shock, he learns that another case he has been investigating - the body of a homeless man found in a burnt-out car - is also not what it seems. Tests reveal that the corpse has been assembled from the body parts of four different people.

Under mounting pressure from the media and unsure where his loyalties lie, Tartaglia must solve this new macabre puzzle before the Jigsaw Killer strikes again.

©2015 Elena Forbes (P)2015 Audible Ltd

Very good police procedural

This was my first Elena Forbes book but I'm sure it won't be the last. I enjoyed the police characters and even the villains were fairly interesting characters.

I'm going to check on the book before this because there were references to events that took place the year before. This book actually included a villain who escaped from those events and turned up again here. No escape this time!

Not As Well Plotted As I Expected

I've listened to the three prior DI Mark Tartaglia books. I think the last one was released in 2011. I immediately bought the current book when I saw it listed on Audible. However, I was a bit disappointed in this police procedural.

DI Mark Tartaglia is awoken by the news that there was a murder in a upscale hotel, a hotel where he has just engaged in a one night stand. I'm not sure why that is even brought into the book because it shortly becomes clear that his sexual escapade has nothing to do with the murder.

Complications though ensure that Tartaglia's group instead are set to investigate the body of a man found in a burning car rather than the body at the hotel.

My frustration with this book had a lot to do with the plotting. Someone would be interrogating a witness and then would stop one question short-- the question that would have arose naturally from the previous responses. I might have forgiven this once, but it began to look like the author's method of sustaining suspense. Instead it points the reader toward the resolution.

I'm also not particularly fond of the narrator. He has read all of the Elena Forbes books and while I don't think his performance detracts from the books, I don't think it contributes to it either.

Engaging and beautifully read.

An engaging novel of detection and intrigue with well drawn characters whose enchants for good or evil result in a good tale, which is enhanced by excellent narration. The author portrays the villains with subtle understanding, they are both plausible and vile and the goodies flawed, real characters who you can see. A good read, and a most attractive voice.

Beter to read the book than to listen to it

I bought The Jigsaw Man because I was intrigued by the title and I like a good crime story.
I haven't read any of the other stories in the Tartaglia series, but I found this one longwinded and hard to follow with all the different caracters. It also took me a long time to get used to the intonation of the narrator, which I often found irratating. Anyway, the storyline wasn't bad, so I endured and listened till the end. But I can't say I've enjoyed the Jigsaw Man.
I'd rather have read the book than listen to it and I won't buy another audiobook with this narrator.

A tale of two stories

Like the previous books in this series i enjoyed it from start to finish, however i think the book would have been just as good without the second story line running through it, as i would have liked more details on the the hotel murder (not wanting to give too much away), looking forward to the next Mark Tartaglia adventure

Good crime plot

A reasonable, good story. Wasn't initially enjoying the reading but the narrator grew on me. Good plot and made a change from the usual USA crime thrillers.

Decent story, mediocre narration

The plot was good, but couldn't relate to the characters. Not sure whether this was because if the way they had been written or the way they were narrated. Probably wouldn't listen to another book by this author it one narrated by Ric Jerrom

Dull, dull, dull.

Huge mistake getting this. It is SO boring and does not pick up the pace. At ch19 I gave up as I realised I had listened to numerous interviews and still nothing was happening. The narrator has no light and shade in his voice and his delivery reflects how boring this story is. Doing a jigsaw would be more interesting than this awful book. Why this was ever published I do not know. Nice cover shame about the contents.

Good plot but...

This is a good plot that keeps the listener guessing. However the names of the characters are to long winded and not memorable so as a listener I did not connect with them as I usually would.
Also I'm not sure the narrators voice quite matched the theme of the story.
Overall though it is worth a listen.

Great book

What did you like most about The Jigsaw Man?

Dual story running side by side tense and at time eerie. A good all round police based drama that has you hooked from the begining.

Enjoyable

I enjoyed the pace and action of this story. Absorbing twists and turns which held my attention till the end.

Brilliant

I was gripped by this from the start - Rebus eat your heart out - well Dort of!!!