"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'
JACQUOT & THE FIFTEEN
Pierre Dombasle is the billionaire owner of SportÉquipe, the world's leading sportswear manufacturer. Twenty years ago, he was also captain of the French rugby team that beat England at Twickenham. To mark the anniversary of this famous victory, he organises a reunion for his old team mates.
At Dombasle's luxurious Côte d'Azur residence, Daniel Jacquot meets many old friends from his playing days – and enemies, too. In the years since they hung up their boots some of them, like Dombasle, have become hugely wealthy and successful. But others have not.
Old rivalries and dark jealousies soon re-surface, and when one of the team is found dead Jacquot starts looking for a killer.
Reviews
"O'Brien seems to bend the plot at will, each time leading readers up an alley only to dart away into the shimmering heat."
– The Good Book Guide
"A French counterpart to Ian Rankin's Scottish Inspector Rebus, with a tough authentic voice, and deft plot."
– The Cleveland Plain Dealer (US)
"Exotic and different, exceedingly well-written and entertaining."
– Huddersfield Daily Examiner
"O'Brien, as always, makes effective use of his chosen setting – a sunny place for shady people."
– The Daily Mail