The Binding Room

The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson is the second in the DI Henley series.

“In this room, no one can hear you scream...“

Following on from The Jigsaw Man, Henley and the team are brought together to investigate the death of a local pastor who has been found stabbed to death in his church. On a quick search of the crime scene they discover a hidden door, behind which lies a man who has been tortured. It soon becomes apparent that this is not a one off case and other bodies are being found where there is strong evidence of torture, With nothing to link the victims Henley and her team have the hard task of finding out who is responsible for these murders and in stopping them.

I love Nadine Matheson's writing style as her words seem to flow through pages, captivating me, scaring me with her gruesome details as well as comforting me with her characterisation and setting. Having lived in South East London I am able to walk alongside Henley as she visits all the places I am familiar with, completely getting wrapped up in the environment. I also love the local dialect that comes through when the characters are talking to one another. For me this personal connection I have with the setting really adds to my enjoyment of the novel.

The Binding Room is a great mix of the crime and thriller genre. There was a good balance of police procedural, horror (lots of gory bits) and characterisation of the main characters. There was a lot of anticipation about what was going to happen next, which I found thrilling and some intriguing twists.

The Binding Room can be read as a standalone novel but having read both and adored them equally I recommend you read The Jigsaw Man first and then move on the The Binding Room. It will also give you a deeper insight to the character's lives.
I cannot wait to see what lies in store for Henley and team next.