Jacquot and the Waterman [Hardcover]

Martin O'Brien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2005

Set in the South of France, the first in the Jacquot series, Jacquot And The Waterman, follows Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot's investigation into a series of disturbing killings, where the female victims are always left submerged in water. Ex-French National Rugby Squad player Jacquot is a lover of blues, good food and wine, and disconsalate after his girlfriend leaves him, plunges himself into the investigation whole-heartedly. A wonderful book for the francophile, it is highly atmospheric, and full of warmth and wit.

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Headline Hardbacks (February 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755322886
• ISBN-13: 978-0755322886
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,667,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martin O'Brien was born in Torbay, South Devon, in 1951. The son of a teacher and naval officer he was educated at the Oratory School in Berkshire and at Hertford College, Oxford. He was travel editor at British Vogue in the 1970s and has written lifestyle and travel features for a wide range of international publications. He lives in the Cotswolds with his wife and two daughters, and writes his Jacquot novels in a garden shed.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Very Slow Start Develops into a Good Read -- Until the End..., May 25, 2006

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jacquot and the Waterman (Hardcover)

This debut crime novel from longtime magazine writer O'Brien introduces the reader to Chief Inspector Jacquot, a ruggedly handsome, ponytailed ex-rugby player turned policeman in his native Marseilles. The story revolves around serial killer dubbed "The Waterman" due to his signature M.O. of drugging, raping, and then drowning young women. However, this main plotline has to compete with another more complicated one involving shady public officials, crooked developers, sexual blackmail, drug-running, and all kinds of nasty business. Indeed, the first 150 pages or so of the book are a bit of slog, as the very short chapters bounce between various characters, perspectives, and plotlines in rapid succession, introducing the large cast and setting everything up. The pacing leaves quite a bit to be desired as we are never with each character long enough to develop a strong sense of them, and it takes a while to sort out all the relationships and agendas.

Fortunately, we do at least get a sense of Jacquot, who is smarting from having just been dumped by his live-in girlfriend, and whose regular partner is laid up in the hospital with a broken leg. O'Brien is perhaps writing to the traditional mystery reader audience, as Jacquot is somewhat of a fantasy figure for the ladies in terms of physique, intelligence, instinct, and even soulfulness. Still, he is interesting enough to capture one's attention and drive the story forward. Naturally, his investigation of the serial killer ends up overlapping with elements of the other storyline, and while the reader must accept a certain number of coincidences, O'Brien manages to keep one guessing as to whether there's a direct connection or not. The unveiling of the serial killer, while possibly more realistic than one may be used to in a crime story, is nonetheless anticlimactic, and most readers will probably find the villain's capture and identity to be wholly unsatisfying after 390 pages of buildup.

Although the book is reasonably entertaining, it has to be said that in addition to the slow start and weak finish, there are plenty of other imperfections. Rather surprisingly, considering O'Brien's extensive background as a travel writer, he never manages to generate a real sense of place for Marseilles. Scenes certainly take place in all the right locations (docks, alleys, dim bars, restaurants, fancy villas, boats, etc.), but the city never really comes alive as a vibrant setting, as it does in, for example, Jean-Claude Izzo's book "Total Chaos." Another problem is a certain amount of fat in the prose. For example, each victim of the serial killer is introduced via a chapter in which an innocent bystander's day is described up until they find the body (in particularly lame case, we are given the thoughts of a seagull). None of these are necessary or add much to the proceedings. Still, on the whole, Jacquot is an appealing enough character that it's a promising start to a series which I will look forward to continuing.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a mystery at all, November 14, 2006

By 

Miran Ali "I don't like anonymous reviewers" (Dhaka, Bangladesh) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jacquot and the Waterman (Paperback)

Although it seemed promising, the book tries to be both a thriller and a mystery. Sadly failing in both. The plot's convulated and there are far too many walk in characters. Poorly organised and messy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding mystery, March 11, 2006

By 

Kathryn Reinehr "avid reader" (Danbury CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jacquot and the Waterman (Hardcover)

More than just a police procedural, this is one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time. The characters are well developed, the mystery is not contrived, and although the author is British, he knows Marselles like a native. I couldn't wait to read the sequel, ordered it from England.