Blood counts - Martin O'Brien

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.

Martin O'Brien was educated at The Oratory School and Hertford College, Oxford. He was Travel Editor at British Vogue in the 1970s and has written for a number of international publications. He is the author of six previous Jacquot novels and lives with his wife and daughters near Cirencester in Gloucestershire.

Chief inspector Jacquot of the Marseilles police is fast becoming one of my favouite fictional cops. He is aided by O'Brien's great sense of place and intrigue and this time it's personal
Daily Mirror - Henry Sutton

Blood Counts is the amiable Marseilles Chief Inspector Daniel Jacquot's sixth appearance in Martin O'Brien's admirable series ... I'm pleased to say that O'Brien does a good job in conveying the atmosphere of the place; about 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
The Times

The south of France is a popular setting for crime novels, but this series stands out in the way it combines an evocative and appealing picture of everyday life with a fast-paced, well-plotted thriller peopled with believable and interesting characters
Shots