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Daniel Jacquot #1
The Waterman
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.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
60 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Martin O'Brien
17 books41 followersAfter graduating from Hertford College, Oxford, Martin O’Brien was Travel Editor at British Vogue for a number of years, and as a travel and life-style correspondent he has contributed to a wide range of international publications. As well as writing the Daniel Jacquot detective series ("Rich, spicy, and served up with unmistakeable relish" - The Literary Review), he has also written straight-to-paperback thrillers under the names Louka Grigoriou and Jack Drummond ("Big, high-pitched disaster novels don't come much more thrilling than this" - The Daily Mirror). Martin's books have been translated into Russian, Turkish, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Hebrew. He lives in the Cotswolds with his wife and two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 26, 2016
Every so often I pull an old favorite from my bookshelf to reread - sometimes just to renew acquaintance with an old friend, sometimes to see how it has withstood the test of time. Happily this book is a pleasure on both counts. The plot, characters and setting remain fresh after 10 years, and that's not always the case. The procedural stuff is well done and believable.
Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot was a national rugby hero in France until an injury sidelined him. Now he is a senior officer in Marseilles' homicide department, satisfied in his job but disappointed in his love life. He is responsible, with his team, for finding out who has been raping and murdering women and leaving them in various bodies of water (bathtub, lake, aquarium) around the city. Identifying the latest victim is the first challenge - with only a tattoo to go on.
The plot is multilayered - there are corrupt cops, a major drug deal in the works, and criminal real estate developers who blackmail politicians. And a succession of dead women. It moves back and forth from the ultra rich to the back alleys of the commercial harbor with ease and in vivid detail. The city, its streets, cafes and characters both major and minor are all brought to life in lucid prose.
Jacquot is an appealing and interesting character who combines intuition with a cop's curiosity and keeps turning events and information over and over in his head until patterns and a path to the truth emerge.
I'm afraid I'm in for a bit of binge reading.
Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot was a national rugby hero in France until an injury sidelined him. Now he is a senior officer in Marseilles' homicide department, satisfied in his job but disappointed in his love life. He is responsible, with his team, for finding out who has been raping and murdering women and leaving them in various bodies of water (bathtub, lake, aquarium) around the city. Identifying the latest victim is the first challenge - with only a tattoo to go on.
The plot is multilayered - there are corrupt cops, a major drug deal in the works, and criminal real estate developers who blackmail politicians. And a succession of dead women. It moves back and forth from the ultra rich to the back alleys of the commercial harbor with ease and in vivid detail. The city, its streets, cafes and characters both major and minor are all brought to life in lucid prose.
Jacquot is an appealing and interesting character who combines intuition with a cop's curiosity and keeps turning events and information over and over in his head until patterns and a path to the truth emerge.
I'm afraid I'm in for a bit of binge reading.
August 17, 2016
My great grandmother always warned that "water front towns" were no place for a young woman, and though she never traveled to Marseilles, Jacquot and the Waterman suggests that she could have had that city in mind when she issued her warning.
This was a terrific read! Mr. O'Brien shows masterful plotting, and the book is hard to put down. Daniel Jacquot is a detective in the Marseilles police force working homicides. The book opens with the discovery of a body that turns out to be the third victim of a serial killer who drowns the victim after sexual assault. One victim is a high-priced call girl, which makes many of the organized underworld of Marseilles prime suspects--they would have made my great grandmother grab her rosary and start fervently praying. Jacquot, a former star rugby player, has 20 years on the force, and the series begins with him as the star investigator of the homicide division. The book reads like the middle of a series; there aren't the overly long explanations of who's who and world building. We just jump right in and take off. It's a good ride. Highly recommended.
This was a terrific read! Mr. O'Brien shows masterful plotting, and the book is hard to put down. Daniel Jacquot is a detective in the Marseilles police force working homicides. The book opens with the discovery of a body that turns out to be the third victim of a serial killer who drowns the victim after sexual assault. One victim is a high-priced call girl, which makes many of the organized underworld of Marseilles prime suspects--they would have made my great grandmother grab her rosary and start fervently praying. Jacquot, a former star rugby player, has 20 years on the force, and the series begins with him as the star investigator of the homicide division. The book reads like the middle of a series; there aren't the overly long explanations of who's who and world building. We just jump right in and take off. It's a good ride. Highly recommended.
April 25, 2020
3.5 stars. This is a fun, fast-paced book with an appealing and attractive ex French national rugby player detective inspector. It's set mainly in Marseilles, a sunny and beautiful, albeit slightly seedy, city, with some very shady inhabitants. The bodies keep piling up throughout the book, and there are a lot of twists and turns and plenty of interesting characters. Of course Jacquot gets his killers in the end with some clever and intuitive reasoning.
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April 23, 2023I like Murder Mysteries especially those set in France. At the top of my list has to be Bruno by Martin Walker, closely followed by Commissaire Dupin by Jean-Luc Bannalec and Chief Magistrate Verlaque by M.L.Longworth.
Not all of my choices are successful and before I started on Jacquot , I had ditched the start of a brand new series because 'it didnt feel right for me'. I know that isn't a very good objective criticism but I am fast becoming of the mind that "Life's too short for books you don't enjoy".
Then a friend recommended this one and after a short search, I found a copy.
I am sorry that I didn't enjoy it as much as my friend. I know that I don't read as quickly as she does and may be that added to my biggest problem here as I got terribly confused . At first it was just a case of trying to keep track of who was who, but as bodies began to mount I found myself having to keep turning back to establish who seemed to have motive and alibi.
It got to a stage where I thought that I was just reading to get to the end and nearly ditched it but because of the recommendation, I plugged on and suppose I was pleased that I did.
May be its just me and I prefer the softer and lighter approach of the small town french policeman where food, wine and lifestyle balance more with the Police Duties.
After the stage I mentioned above where I nearly gave up, the story did turn up a notch and a result of sorts was achieved. However, even this was slightly marred as I was trying to figure out what this had to do, if anything, with the main story. Then, the unmasking of the Waterman carried several emotions and more questions on which I cant elaborate without giving too much away.
There was a couple of other points too.
Firstly, and treading carefully now, but wasn't the conclusion that jacquot reached in his bosses office almost at the end of the book, too important not to be followed up. ( If this is going to be covered in a later book, then I apologise).
Secondly, it is a long book and I wonder if it really need the addition of the comments about Jacquot's recently ended romantic affair and did his short lived affair later add anything to the story besides a bit more padding?
I see that Fantastic Fiction ends its short summary with " A wonderful book for the Francophile, it is highly atmospheric and full of warmth and wit"
Agreed, it might have the atmospheric appeal of the Marseilles underworld but I think that the true Francophile would appreciate more the warmth and wit of Walker, Bannalec and Longworth mentioned above.
For me a 2.5 generously rounded up to a three but I am afraid it hasn't inspired me to chase out the rest of the series.
Not all of my choices are successful and before I started on Jacquot , I had ditched the start of a brand new series because 'it didnt feel right for me'. I know that isn't a very good objective criticism but I am fast becoming of the mind that "Life's too short for books you don't enjoy".
Then a friend recommended this one and after a short search, I found a copy.
I am sorry that I didn't enjoy it as much as my friend. I know that I don't read as quickly as she does and may be that added to my biggest problem here as I got terribly confused . At first it was just a case of trying to keep track of who was who, but as bodies began to mount I found myself having to keep turning back to establish who seemed to have motive and alibi.
It got to a stage where I thought that I was just reading to get to the end and nearly ditched it but because of the recommendation, I plugged on and suppose I was pleased that I did.
May be its just me and I prefer the softer and lighter approach of the small town french policeman where food, wine and lifestyle balance more with the Police Duties.
After the stage I mentioned above where I nearly gave up, the story did turn up a notch and a result of sorts was achieved. However, even this was slightly marred as I was trying to figure out what this had to do, if anything, with the main story. Then, the unmasking of the Waterman carried several emotions and more questions on which I cant elaborate without giving too much away.
There was a couple of other points too.
Firstly, and treading carefully now, but wasn't the conclusion that jacquot reached in his bosses office almost at the end of the book, too important not to be followed up. ( If this is going to be covered in a later book, then I apologise).
Secondly, it is a long book and I wonder if it really need the addition of the comments about Jacquot's recently ended romantic affair and did his short lived affair later add anything to the story besides a bit more padding?
I see that Fantastic Fiction ends its short summary with " A wonderful book for the Francophile, it is highly atmospheric and full of warmth and wit"
Agreed, it might have the atmospheric appeal of the Marseilles underworld but I think that the true Francophile would appreciate more the warmth and wit of Walker, Bannalec and Longworth mentioned above.
For me a 2.5 generously rounded up to a three but I am afraid it hasn't inspired me to chase out the rest of the series.
October 16, 2012
Daniel Jacquot is an ex-rugby player with a glittering career behind him, having achieved national fame scoring the winning try in a Five Nations final. Sadly, a troublesome injury put paid to his sporting talent and he has returned to his home town, Marseilles, as a chief inspector with the homicide squad. In this book we find him on the hunt for a serial killer who the tabloid press have dubbed 'The Waterman' due to his nasty habit of leaving his victims to a watery grave.
I found this to be a really solid, well-written thriller. It started slowly and took me a while to get into it, but after about the 100-page mark I was gripped. The whole thing is meticulously plotted with a large cast of supporting characters, and O'Brien takes the time to develop even minor players and give the reader a real insight into their thoughts and behaviour. The narrative is made up of fairly short chapters that flit back and forth between different locations and characters. This ensured I stayed engrossed throughout, as I was constantly wanting to read 'just a bit more' to find out what would happen in my favourite plot strands. Martin O'Brien spent a number of years as travel editor at British Vogue and I suspect he may have spent a decent amount of time in Marseilles to paint such a vivid picture of the city with its lively seafront and seedy underbelly.
Aside from the slightly silly tagline on the cover (WHO says drowning is easy?!! They are wrong!) the only quibble I had with this book was with the ending. It initially seemed really abrupt and something of a cop-out - the author seems to have spent so much effort building a complex back-story with multiple plot strands and much of it is irrelevant to the final solution of the mystery. On reflection, though, I think I only felt disappointed because the finale was unexpected and didn't pan out the way I had wanted it to. Now that a bit of time has passed I feel that could actually be viewed as a positive.
I have already obtained a copy of book two in the Daniel Jacquot series so you can tell I was quite impressed by this one.
I found this to be a really solid, well-written thriller. It started slowly and took me a while to get into it, but after about the 100-page mark I was gripped. The whole thing is meticulously plotted with a large cast of supporting characters, and O'Brien takes the time to develop even minor players and give the reader a real insight into their thoughts and behaviour. The narrative is made up of fairly short chapters that flit back and forth between different locations and characters. This ensured I stayed engrossed throughout, as I was constantly wanting to read 'just a bit more' to find out what would happen in my favourite plot strands. Martin O'Brien spent a number of years as travel editor at British Vogue and I suspect he may have spent a decent amount of time in Marseilles to paint such a vivid picture of the city with its lively seafront and seedy underbelly.
Aside from the slightly silly tagline on the cover (WHO says drowning is easy?!! They are wrong!) the only quibble I had with this book was with the ending. It initially seemed really abrupt and something of a cop-out - the author seems to have spent so much effort building a complex back-story with multiple plot strands and much of it is irrelevant to the final solution of the mystery. On reflection, though, I think I only felt disappointed because the finale was unexpected and didn't pan out the way I had wanted it to. Now that a bit of time has passed I feel that could actually be viewed as a positive.
I have already obtained a copy of book two in the Daniel Jacquot series so you can tell I was quite impressed by this one.
August 17, 2016
Happy as always to find a well-written series to read after trying at least a dozen crash and burn books from the kindle unlimited arrangement with Amazon. This is a long book, so I am hoping the others in the series are not quite as long. We shall see. Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot is paired with a new partner, and from the initial interactions we know this is not going to go well. Someone is killing young women in the area of Marseilles. Jacquot is first to see connection to other unsolved deaths and the hunt for a serial killer begins. We are exposed to a vast collection of unsavory characters, several who seem to fit the bill as possible suspects. And then there are the trafficking activities of both women and drugs. There are lots of characters filling this story, plenty of crimes; not a cozy mystery for sure, and one ought to know it is adult reading. Jacquot slowly attracts the reader until finally one must have more. Right now, though, I am thinking I may keep my distance from Marseilles.
August 17, 2018
Tres Tres bien!!!!
My first foray into the world of Jacquot and certainly not my last. I have been dipping into various detective ficition looking for something to grab me like Valerio Varesi's Commissario Soneri in his Parma based novels. Finally I have stumbled upon a new detective to enjoy and relish in, that being Martin O'Brien's Daniel Jacquot.
A superb novel and the title kept me thinking right to the end though some evidence was apparent. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the setting, a fantastic, real and human set of characters. Daniel Jacquot is an instant favourite, plus he scored a winning try against England, as a Welshman an instant hero albeit fictional.
The great thing with this series is unlike the Soneri one where only four books are translated, there are currently 9 more to go, and I am looking forward to consuming them all. I may pace myself so I don't fill up too quickly and read them all without savouring it.
The beauty about Kindle Unlimited is finding the diamond in the rough and a new author or series to instantly love, I have been lucky and found it here.
My first foray into the world of Jacquot and certainly not my last. I have been dipping into various detective ficition looking for something to grab me like Valerio Varesi's Commissario Soneri in his Parma based novels. Finally I have stumbled upon a new detective to enjoy and relish in, that being Martin O'Brien's Daniel Jacquot.
A superb novel and the title kept me thinking right to the end though some evidence was apparent. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the setting, a fantastic, real and human set of characters. Daniel Jacquot is an instant favourite, plus he scored a winning try against England, as a Welshman an instant hero albeit fictional.
The great thing with this series is unlike the Soneri one where only four books are translated, there are currently 9 more to go, and I am looking forward to consuming them all. I may pace myself so I don't fill up too quickly and read them all without savouring it.
The beauty about Kindle Unlimited is finding the diamond in the rough and a new author or series to instantly love, I have been lucky and found it here.
May 14, 2024
In Marseilles, a ruthless killer dubbed The Waterman is drugging, raping, and drowning young women. Jacquot needs to determine how the victims are being selected, and if they're being raped, why there is no semen/DNA evidence. In many respects though, this is the secondary story as we're mainly concerned with a number of unsavoury Marseilles residents - the wealthy owner of a soap company with ambitions to develop part of the coastline, a rich "old money" old man and his young American socialite wife with varying sexual excesses, a scar-faced gangster fixer, and his violent enforcer, to name but a few - and how they are all linked to one of the victims.
I first read this ten years or so ago and loved it. I can almost smell Marseilles on every page and Jacquot is a simply fabulous character. And the final dénouement still made me gasp, even though it felt ever so slightly rushed.
Highly recommended.
I first read this ten years or so ago and loved it. I can almost smell Marseilles on every page and Jacquot is a simply fabulous character. And the final dénouement still made me gasp, even though it felt ever so slightly rushed.
Highly recommended.
January 29, 2019
Normally I'm a sucker for French policiers, and this series set in Marseilles looked promising. But the writing is dense and the plotting is slow moving; every chapter for the first 300 pages is like exposition. Also very little local color other than mentioning streets and piers. Then there is a twisty end in the last 10 pages that the reader could not have predicted, which is half the fun of this genre. Proof that good writing isn't always good storytelling.
January 26, 2020
Predictable and laden with cliches.
Nothing special, predictable cliches the hero strangely devoid of any personality. Won,t bother with any more of the series.A French midsomer murders without the humour
Nothing special, predictable cliches the hero strangely devoid of any personality. Won,t bother with any more of the series.A French midsomer murders without the humour
August 24, 2007
JACQUOT AND THE WATERMAN (Police Procedural-Marseilles, France-Cont) – VG
O'Brien, Martin – 1st in series
Headline, 2005 – Trade paperback
Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot is still recognized for scoring the winning try (touchdown) in a Five Nations final 20 years' earlier. He's facing a new challenge now with a serial killer who is leaving nude, sexually abused dead woman in various watery locations around Marseilles and becomes dubbed the Waterman. The investigation takes Jacquot among both the criminal and the wealthy, who have secrets of their own to hide.
*** Good police procedurals are one of my favorite types of mysteries, and this was good! Jacquot is an interesting and memorable character who is tied to his city, his friends and his past. He may not be lucky at love, but he loves what he does. He is out to get the bad guys, but has a certain realistic viewpoint about it. There were a lot of characters, but I never felt confused. The suspense begins at the opening chapter and, while not nail biting, is maintained through the story. The dialogue is excellent. Not knowing Marseilles at all, I'd have liked a stronger sense of place, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment. There are very good twists along the way and even for the one bad guy who gets away you a sense it will catch up with them down the line. Book two of the series is already on my shelf and I highly recommend this to fans of police procedurals.
O'Brien, Martin – 1st in series
Headline, 2005 – Trade paperback
Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot is still recognized for scoring the winning try (touchdown) in a Five Nations final 20 years' earlier. He's facing a new challenge now with a serial killer who is leaving nude, sexually abused dead woman in various watery locations around Marseilles and becomes dubbed the Waterman. The investigation takes Jacquot among both the criminal and the wealthy, who have secrets of their own to hide.
*** Good police procedurals are one of my favorite types of mysteries, and this was good! Jacquot is an interesting and memorable character who is tied to his city, his friends and his past. He may not be lucky at love, but he loves what he does. He is out to get the bad guys, but has a certain realistic viewpoint about it. There were a lot of characters, but I never felt confused. The suspense begins at the opening chapter and, while not nail biting, is maintained through the story. The dialogue is excellent. Not knowing Marseilles at all, I'd have liked a stronger sense of place, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment. There are very good twists along the way and even for the one bad guy who gets away you a sense it will catch up with them down the line. Book two of the series is already on my shelf and I highly recommend this to fans of police procedurals.
July 29, 2011
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.
June 17, 2009
It took me a long time to get through this book (my fault not its). I got myself a bit mixed up with the many characters, some of which were just mentioned a couple of times. In the end it was a thoroughly enjoyable mystery, set in Marseilles. Jacquot, the detective on the Waterman case is not your standard cop. He's a former rugby player with a ponytail--rough around the edges but very intuitive.
April 3, 2015
A crime story set in France where a killer of women has come to the attention of police. the central detective is a former rugby player who rather pathetically still sports a ponytail. otherwise he's decent enough.
There is a twist which was no surprise whatsoever to me. That's the main reason I did not give it more stars.
There is a twist which was no surprise whatsoever to me. That's the main reason I did not give it more stars.
July 22, 2014
The Waterman is the first novel of an outstanding whodunit series by British Writer Martin O'Brien. I very much enjoyed the book which is set in Marseilles and which features French Cop Daniel Jacquot. I'm a big fan of Brit mysteries but have never before read crime novels set in France but that will soon change since I intend to read the other Jacquot books.
June 2, 2015
This is a great thriller. My only criticism would be the ending. It all got wrapped up too smartly for me. This may be me and over critical. However, it is a very good read. I'm glad I decided to start at number one and will definitely read more Jacquot novels as i like the style and the character.
August 16, 2016
Very well written
This is a very accomplished book. There are twists and turns that lead you down blind alleys and back into the Marseilles sun. This is a great detective to follow, especially so as it written by a Brit. You would not realise this if you went into it blind. He evidently loves France and Marseille in particular.
This is a very accomplished book. There are twists and turns that lead you down blind alleys and back into the Marseilles sun. This is a great detective to follow, especially so as it written by a Brit. You would not realise this if you went into it blind. He evidently loves France and Marseille in particular.
March 27, 2011
3.5 stars Takes place in Marseilles, France. Jacquot, a rugby player turned policeman, chases down a serial killer, dubbed the Waterman, because he drowns his victims. Competent. Atmospheric. A fairly good read.
August 5, 2011
This is the first of the Jacquot series, with a nice sense of place. Serial killer type of story though and I can't get excited about them.
September 9, 2011
disjointed and interloping. short discordant chapters. a pretty good whodunnit. 3.5
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July 27, 2012Really enjoyed this slice of life in Marseille - although I felt the ending was rather weak. Hasn't put me off looking up the next one in the series though.
Read
June 14, 2013I found this book too raw and raunchy for me, and put the book down.
July 29, 2014
With a great setting in Marseilles and a memorable main character in Jacquot, this novel was entertaining and introduced me to the other books featuring the pony tailed, rugby playing cop hero.
October 29, 2016
I read this ages ago and loved it. Not readily available in pb at the time so did not assign to the Mystery Group. I believe I have a copy somewhere on my bookshelves.
April 12, 2011
Good to very good.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews