"They tear you apart... They leave no trace..."
Five years out of the Marseilles Judiciaire, Daniel Jacquot is happily retired, bringing up his two daughters on a beach in the Caribbean. But when an old friend pays an unexpected visit, retirement rapidly becomes a battle for survival...
"The girls didn't see the first shark... They didn't see the second or the third one either..."
"They tear you apart... They leave no trace..."
Five years out of the Marseilles Judiciaire, Daniel Jacquot is happily retired, bringing up his two daughters on a beach in the Caribbean. But when an old friend pays an unexpected visit, retirement rapidly becomes a battle for survival...
"The girls didn't see the first shark... They didn't see the second or the third one either..."
In 1972 a gold bullion convoy is hijacked in Marseilles. The security trucks and hijackers are swiftly rounded up, but a ton of gold has disappeared.
More than twenty years later, Daniel Jacquot receives an unexpected gift from an old fisherman. At the same time, a Marseilles lawyer called Claude Dupont receives an equally unexpected gift from a dying gangland boss.
When the Marseilles police become involved following a series of gruesome murders, the investigation is headed by Chief Inspector Isabelle Cassier. An old friend and sometime lover of Jacquot's, Isabelle discovers that the years haven't lessened her longing for the maverick Marseilles cop, and that her feelings for him are far from professional.
Together they embark on a cut-throat hunt for the gold, with hit-men from the Polineaux and Duclos clans hot on their heels. But after nearly thirty years, is the gold still there? And if it is, who will get to it first?
The Jacquot series is set in the 1990s – the years of Mitterand's and Chirac's presidencies – so there's no real emphasis on technology or advanced forensic science to crack the cases Jacquot finds himself involved in. Rather, it's bloodhound work, and he's the bloodhound – passionate, incorruptible, and often inspired.
It's also France with francs not euros, a golden age when you could smoke in a bar and Calvados didn't come with a health warning. Jacquot is not a drunk, but nor is he the kind of man who counts 'units'. What a horrible word. What a horrible concept. Jacquot would not approve.
MARTIN
BRIEN
O'
BLOOD COUNTS
Daniel Jacquot doesn't know it yet, but someone is after his blood.
When you're a cop in Marseilles, threats of violence and revenge go with the territory. Usually they come to nothing, but when friends and colleagues start turning up dead it soon becomes clear that someone from Jacquot's past has a score to settle, and intends to see it through.
But this killer is different. To sweeten the revenge, and cause the greatest pain, it's always the target's nearest and dearest who die. When Jacquot discovers that he's in the firing line, he knows that unless he can track down the killer then someone he loves will pay the ultimate price.
Reviews
"Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot of the Marseilles Police is fast becoming one of my favourite fictional cops."
– Henry Sutton
The Daily Mirror
"O'Brien does a good job in conveying the atmosphere of the place; above all, he manages to portray his characters without resorting to the stereotypes and caricatures that so often spoil Brit-written novels set in France. Blood Counts is an entertaining read, and Daniel Jacquot an appealing cop."
– Marcel Berlins
The Times
"Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct gallicized."
– Kirkus Review (US)
"Well-drawn, strongly flavoured setting in Marseilles… with grisly forensics offering vital clues as to the nature of the crime while skillfully concealing the whodunit. Rich, spicy, and served up with unmistakeable relish."
– The Literary Review