From Publishers Weekly
British travel editor O'Brien makes an impressive debut with a gritty procedural set in the south of France. Chief Insp. Daniel Jacquot faces a baffling series of murders—the victims are all women who've been sexually assaulted and left in water. The killer's m.o. leads the press to dub him the Waterman. Under pressure to produce a speedy solution, Jacquot pursues inquiries that lead to several violent underworld figures, as well as to members of Marseilles's social elite. The author skillfully raises the tension by alternating his narrative perspective. The number of coincidences may strain credibility for some, but for most readers the biggest letdown will be in the identity of the Waterman, who's detected almost as an afterthought and primarily through the efforts of someone other than Jacquot. Hopefully, O'Brien, who clearly has the talent to do a better plotting job, will allow his canny hero to take a bigger role in catching the villain next time. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
If you're planning a vacation to all the hot spots on the map of European noir, put a star by Marseilles. First to hit the U.S. was Izzo's Total Chaos (2005), an uncompromising look at racial tensions erupting into crime, and now we have O'Brien's take on seediness beneath the Mediterranean sun. Like Izzo's hero, O'Brien's lead character, Daniel Jacquot, is a Marseilles cop who came up rough, dabbling in crime on the city's meanest streets. Even so, he's unprepared for the Waterman, a serial killer who deposits the naked bodies of his female victims in one of the city's many bodies of water. Jacquot follows the Waterman's dripping trail across the city, encountering a plethora of sexual deviancy in the process but never quite closing the deal. A distinctly unsatisfying ending--almost as if O'Brien grew weary of the plot and decided to stop--is the only misstep in this atmospheric thriller. If O'Brien makes it all the way to the finish line next time, his series will more than live up to its promise. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Tightly written and engrossing, with details picturesque and horrific, as well as revealing of character. Jacquot is a character we hope to meet again, soon."
- San Antonio Express-News
"Strong debut. A French counterpart to Ian Rankin's Scottish Inspector Rebus...with a tough, authentic voice and deft plot."
- Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio)
"A rich, colorful setting...O'Brien truly makes us feel, smell, hear, and see Marseilles. [He] writes skillfully, and the Marseilles setting simply reaches out and surrounds the reader. Definitely recommended."
- Mystery Scene
"The Marseille scene...seems to be written by a native. O'Brien's ability to deliver a sense of place makes him worth watching."
- Washington Post
"The 87th Precinct gallicized. O'Brien serves up a first-rate series hero."
- Kirkus Reviews
"Impressive...O'Brien has talent."
- Publishers Weekly
"Atmospheric."
- Booklist
Book Description
The Waterman is no ordinary killer, but then Daniel Jacquot is no ordinary detective.
Daniel Jacquot always jokes that he joined the police force so he could earn a living and still play rugby. And play he did, for France, scoring the winning try in a Five Nations final against the English. Nearly twenty years later, Daniel Jacquot is still remembered for his mighty victory. But now he's a chief inspector, working homicide with the Marseilles judiciaire.
Like playing rugby, tracking down killers is a game that Jacquot understands. And Marseilles just happens to be Jacquot's own home ground. It's here, in this city by the sea, that a shadowy, elusive killer steps onto the field of play--drugging, raping, and drowning three young women.
With a new partner, a rising body count, and only a three-word tattoo to work with, Daniel Jacquot gradually closes in on the methodical murderer whom the press have christened "The Waterman." Highly atmospheric and intensely gripping, Jacquot and the Waterman introduces a stellar new writer to America's must-read mystery list.
From the Back Cover
Praise for Jacquot and the Waterman
"O Brien's evocation of [Marseilles] is as masterly as Ian Rankin's depiction of Edinburgh."
- The Daily Mail (UK)
"Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot of the Marseilles PD is a marvelous invention and deserves to be discovered quickly. The characters and plot are great, but the real hit is Marseilles. All that, and rugby, too."
- The Globe and Mail (Canada)
"Promising thriller debut of new French cop [Daniel Jacquot]."
- Literary Review (UK)
"Jacquot is an excellent character, no doubt set for a long and entertaining career."
- Birmingham Post (UK)
About the Author
Martin O'Brien joined Conde Nast in 1973 and was British Vogue's travel editor for a number of years. He also edited Sixty Years of Travel in Vogue. He lives in Gloucestershire, England, with his wife and two daughters.
