"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'
THE DYING MINUTES
In 1972 a gold bullion convoy is hijacked on the outskirts of Marseilles. Within hours of the robbery the security trucks and hijackers have been rounded up, but a ton of gold has disappeared. Neither the authorities nor the hijackers have any idea where it is, or who has taken it.
Twenty-seven years later, Daniel Jacquot is on sick leave when he receives an unexpected gift which points the way to the missing gold, and pits him against the Polineaux and Duclos familles, two of the most feared crime syndicates on the Côte d'Azur.
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 one-time lover of Jacquot's, she quickly 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 missing gold, with hitmen 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?
Reviews
"The characters and plot are great, but the real hit is Marseilles. It's gaudy, loud, sunny, full of exotic people, and loaded with mystery."
– The Globe & Mail (Canada)
"I found this a very unusual police procedural, very evocative of the enticing French way of life – you could almost taste the hot buttered croissants and smell the French black coffee on every page – which makes this English author particularly original. I will certainly look out for more stories by Martin O'Brien in the future. Well recommended."
– Eurocrime
"Terrific!"
– Northampton Chronicle & Echo
"Crime writing is like the contents of a wine cellar. Some bottles are best saved for cleaning bicycle chains, but then there are exquisite bottles like Château Lafite. The Dying Minutes by Martin O'Brien is a Château Lafite novel – high-end, literary, well-crafted, and beautifully written."
– It's A Crime UK