O'Brien, Martin – JACQUOT AND THE WATERMAN

[LJ Roberts]

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.