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Merci Rayborn #3
Black Water
The Barnes & Noble Review
Every appearance by T. Jefferson Parker's protagonist Merci Rayborn is a cause for celebration among fans of police procedurals. A warm, endearing, but tough heroine, she is filled with all the wry charm and expert insight we've come to expect from Parker's hard-edged storytelling. The author always gives his novels an extra dose of genuinely moving humanity, featuring honest character motivation and a gripping, energetic narrative.
Every appearance by T. Jefferson Parker's protagonist Merci Rayborn is a cause for celebration among fans of police procedurals. A warm, endearing, but tough heroine, she is filled with all the wry charm and expert insight we've come to expect from Parker's hard-edged storytelling. The author always gives his novels an extra dose of genuinely moving humanity, featuring honest character motivation and a gripping, energetic narrative.
Archie Wildcraft, a cop with a great career ahead of him, is found with a bullet in his brain, lying beside his murdered wife, Gwen. It looks like a botched murder-suicide, but Sergeant Merci Rayborn's gut instincts tell her differently. As Archie holds on by a thread, Merci is drawn further into the Wildcrafts' private lives and comes to believe that the young couple were deeply in love and that Archie's been framed. When Archie vanishes from the hospital, it appears he's on a vendetta, and it's up to Merci to cover for him until she has a chance to solve the case on her own. Eventually, she's led to the Russian mob and discovers awful secrets that she isn't sure she wants to hand over to the heartless district attorney.
Black Water gives voice to subtle yet resonating themes relating to loss, audacity, and vengeance. That sense of obsession and purpose is what makes this novel a standout in the Rayborn canon. The complexity of character detail and the poignant writing prove once again just what a superior stylist Parker remains. Merci is an Everywoman, a detective who doesn't merely do her job but in a sense actually is her job. (Tom Piccirilli)
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
151 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
About the author
T. Jefferson Parker
99 books852 followersT. Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of 26 crime novels, including Edgar Award-winners SILENT JOE and CALIFORNIA GIRL. Parker's next work is coming-of-age thriller, A THOUSAND STEPS, set for January of 2022. He lives with his family in a small town in north San Diego County, and enjoys fishing, hiking and beachcombing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
May 13, 2015
Audio book and while it was good, it wasn't all that compelling. I read #1 in the series a few years ago and liked the protag, Merci Rayborn, but there are only three books in the series. I read the first one and now the last one. I guess that T. Jeff didn't like Merci as much as some of his fans.
January 6, 2021
"[...]the milk-and-orange-blossoms smell of Gwen, bass scent of his life. All the other notes that came to him - coastal sage and the ocean, the new car leather - were just the riffs and fills."
We meet the Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Archie Wildcraft as he is driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, past Crystal Cove (a scenic place I visited last month) with his beautiful wife Gwen. It is Gwen's birthday and they are just returning home from a party. They will make love on the beach, and later that night, when they are back home, Gwen will be killed and Archie will have a bullet lodged in his brain.
Leading the investigation is Merci Rayborn (for me, an unforgettable character from The Blue Hour), who is battling her own demons, personal and professional. The Newport Beach Sheriff's department is divided about her because of her testimony that exposed corrupt cops. Merci discovers that Archie and Gwen had made some amazingly profitable stock investments. More and more circumstantial evidence points to Archie's being the killer, yet Merci does not want to believe it; quite likely because he had defended Merci when many in the department ostracized her. Archie regains consciousness and ... that's it for spoilers from me.
Like The Blue Hour, this is a very good procedural. Handling the crime scene, autopsy, goings on in a firearms examination room are shown with meticulous attention to detail and exude plausibility. Scenes of conversations with the victims' families, friends, and business acquaintances offer great characterizations of minor characters. Most importantly, for me anyway, we are getting outstanding writing, for a thriller. I liked several metaphors a lot, for instance, "[...] now the sentence hung in the air, blatant and tactile, like a spider at the end of a strand."
Merci comes across perhaps a bit less believable than in the previous novel, but she still feels almost like a real person. I am happy to meet "well grounded" Francisco again (now called Frank) - what a wonderful touch by the author! On the other hand, I am shaving my rating by half a star because of the histrionic, melodramatic, and implausible scene on Santiago Peak. Still, I think that T. Jefferson Parker's Black Water (2002) is a very good novel and recommend it highly.
Three-and-a-half stars.
We meet the Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Archie Wildcraft as he is driving along the Pacific Coast Highway, past Crystal Cove (a scenic place I visited last month) with his beautiful wife Gwen. It is Gwen's birthday and they are just returning home from a party. They will make love on the beach, and later that night, when they are back home, Gwen will be killed and Archie will have a bullet lodged in his brain.
Leading the investigation is Merci Rayborn (for me, an unforgettable character from The Blue Hour), who is battling her own demons, personal and professional. The Newport Beach Sheriff's department is divided about her because of her testimony that exposed corrupt cops. Merci discovers that Archie and Gwen had made some amazingly profitable stock investments. More and more circumstantial evidence points to Archie's being the killer, yet Merci does not want to believe it; quite likely because he had defended Merci when many in the department ostracized her. Archie regains consciousness and ... that's it for spoilers from me.
Like The Blue Hour, this is a very good procedural. Handling the crime scene, autopsy, goings on in a firearms examination room are shown with meticulous attention to detail and exude plausibility. Scenes of conversations with the victims' families, friends, and business acquaintances offer great characterizations of minor characters. Most importantly, for me anyway, we are getting outstanding writing, for a thriller. I liked several metaphors a lot, for instance, "[...] now the sentence hung in the air, blatant and tactile, like a spider at the end of a strand."
Merci comes across perhaps a bit less believable than in the previous novel, but she still feels almost like a real person. I am happy to meet "well grounded" Francisco again (now called Frank) - what a wonderful touch by the author! On the other hand, I am shaving my rating by half a star because of the histrionic, melodramatic, and implausible scene on Santiago Peak. Still, I think that T. Jefferson Parker's Black Water (2002) is a very good novel and recommend it highly.
Three-and-a-half stars.
August 9, 2010
Merci Rayborn is still suffering the consequences of exposing an old scandal in the Orange County Sheriff's Department when the wife of Deputy Archie Wildcraft is shot to death with a gun belonging to Wildcraft. Wildcraft himself is found shot in the head, and all of the evidence suggests a classic murder-suicide attempt. But Archie Wildcraft survives and Merci, burned by an earlier mistake, refuses to jump to conclusions. While virtually the rest of officialdom is determined to hang the crime on Archie, Merci pursues the investigation.
Things get increasingly complicated because the attractive young Wildcrafts are living in a very expensive home, driving luxury cars and conducting an extravagant lifestyle, apparently on a deputy's salary, which seems highly improbable. As he recovers from his head wound, Archie has no memory of what happened the night his wife was killed. He checks himself out of the hospital and begins his own investigation, all of which leads to a stunning climax.
This is the third book in the Merci Rayborn series, and in it Merci, a single mother, continues to try to sort out the details of her personal life while she conducts the investigation. Merci is a very appealing character, and one hopes that Parker will bring her back in the not-too-far-distant future.
Things get increasingly complicated because the attractive young Wildcrafts are living in a very expensive home, driving luxury cars and conducting an extravagant lifestyle, apparently on a deputy's salary, which seems highly improbable. As he recovers from his head wound, Archie has no memory of what happened the night his wife was killed. He checks himself out of the hospital and begins his own investigation, all of which leads to a stunning climax.
This is the third book in the Merci Rayborn series, and in it Merci, a single mother, continues to try to sort out the details of her personal life while she conducts the investigation. Merci is a very appealing character, and one hopes that Parker will bring her back in the not-too-far-distant future.
August 14, 2015
Third book in Merci Rayborn series. Very enjoyable and entertaining from to finish!
January 27, 2023
Merci Rayborn is the detective assigned to the case of Archie Wildcraft. He's a deputy whose wife has been murdered. It's suspected that he shot her and then tried to kill himself. Except Archie survived, and has a bullet in his brain. He discharges himself from hospital and seeks vengeance, even though his injury has resulted in various types of amnesia, including his recent memories of his wife.
As for Merci, she's still haunted by a previous case (mentioned frequently), in which she arrested a lover for murder, who turned out to be innocent. This investigation also led to lots of dirty cops being exposed, including her own father. She is somewhat of a pariah in the department. This previous case also leads her to doubt her own instincts in regards to Archie's innocence. She's sure he's not good for it, but all the evidence points to him.
The big problem with this book is the fact that the reader knows that Archie is innocent. We find this out in the very opening chapter. Following Merci around playing catch-up FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK is not exactly riveting. Indeed, despite the bullet in his head, Archie is the one who is figuring things out for himself and seeking vengeance for his wife's murder, and basically does the police's work for them. Merci and company resolve nothing, except fill in some of the gaps in regards to motivation of the killers.
The "why" behind it all is dry and uninteresting, and something we've seen countless times already. In fact, it was the same sort of motivation in the last book I read, also a police thriller! But at least that book had a good pace and interesting plot twists. This had nothing. Archie is already on to things, and Merci just questions a bunch of people until finding her way to the solution. It's all very dull and monotonous.
As for characterisations, I initially planned to give this an extra star because I was somewhat invested in Archie's character. He's an interesting, tragic figure, and if we'd seen the story fully through his eyes, it could have been a more intriguing and suspenseful story. But even some of the chapters from his perspective here had my eyes glazing over.
As for Merci, I grew tired of reading about her home life with her son. It didn't add any stakes to the story. Her character is defined almost entirely through her experiences in the previous book, which relate to her self-doubt here. That's fine and dandy, but here, she is barely more than a Mary-Sue. She's forthright, strong, always right, and all the guys want to fuck her. (Seriously, about six of them!)
While Archie's character provided some interest, and I felt really bad for him, he's stuck in an extremely dull, plodding, by-the-numbers police detective story that goes nowhere fast and has zero suspense or plot twists.
As for Merci, she's still haunted by a previous case (mentioned frequently), in which she arrested a lover for murder, who turned out to be innocent. This investigation also led to lots of dirty cops being exposed, including her own father. She is somewhat of a pariah in the department. This previous case also leads her to doubt her own instincts in regards to Archie's innocence. She's sure he's not good for it, but all the evidence points to him.
The big problem with this book is the fact that the reader knows that Archie is innocent. We find this out in the very opening chapter. Following Merci around playing catch-up FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK is not exactly riveting. Indeed, despite the bullet in his head, Archie is the one who is figuring things out for himself and seeking vengeance for his wife's murder, and basically does the police's work for them. Merci and company resolve nothing, except fill in some of the gaps in regards to motivation of the killers.
The "why" behind it all is dry and uninteresting, and something we've seen countless times already. In fact, it was the same sort of motivation in the last book I read, also a police thriller! But at least that book had a good pace and interesting plot twists. This had nothing. Archie is already on to things, and Merci just questions a bunch of people until finding her way to the solution. It's all very dull and monotonous.
As for characterisations, I initially planned to give this an extra star because I was somewhat invested in Archie's character. He's an interesting, tragic figure, and if we'd seen the story fully through his eyes, it could have been a more intriguing and suspenseful story. But even some of the chapters from his perspective here had my eyes glazing over.
As for Merci, I grew tired of reading about her home life with her son. It didn't add any stakes to the story. Her character is defined almost entirely through her experiences in the previous book, which relate to her self-doubt here. That's fine and dandy, but here, she is barely more than a Mary-Sue. She's forthright, strong, always right, and all the guys want to fuck her. (Seriously, about six of them!)
While Archie's character provided some interest, and I felt really bad for him, he's stuck in an extremely dull, plodding, by-the-numbers police detective story that goes nowhere fast and has zero suspense or plot twists.
July 7, 2021
BLACK WATER [2002] By T. Jefferson Parker
My Review Four Stars****
This was the author’s third and final installment to feature Orange County Detective Merci Rayborn, first introduced in the unforgettable serial killer thriller THE BLUE HOUR [1999]. In the opening pages of the narrative, we see the events of the night’s home invasion through the eyes of Deputy Archie Wildcraft and the reader is privy to the nature and trajectory of the tragic events as they unfold.
The reader quickly learns that Archie survived the gunshot wound, but has a fragmented bullet lodged in his brain and that he is in critical condition in ICU. His beautiful wife Gwen, a few hours following her 26th Birthday, with presents stacked in the floor of their home still unwrapped, had succumbed to fatal gunshots to her head and heart, both shots mortal wounds. The plot is driven by Orange County Detective Merci Rayborn as she and her partner Paul Zamora delve into what appears to be a sheriff's murder of his beautiful wife and his attempted suicide.
The forensic evidence is damning and points in only one direction, that of sheriff’s deputy Archie Wildcraft. The news media is pressuring the authorities for answers and the police department and District Attorney’s Office find themselves at odds with one another. In a bizarre twist, Homicide Detective Merci Rayborn and her partner Paul Zamora adamantly demand further investigation into the shootings while the DA is clamoring for Archie’s arrest and indictment for murder. The political pressure is mounting to arrest Archie in the face of the overwhelming forensic evidence against him, but meanwhile the brain damaged Archie escapes from the hospital with Merci and Paul using all of their resources to solve the puzzle of who framed the young deputy and why.
Parker is well known for his outstanding police procedurals but this story moves along slowly which may be problematic for some readers. The plot is certainly dramatic enough with a fascinating look into the nature of brain injuries to include their effects on short- and long-term memory, the power of reasoning, the process of feeling emotions, and the act of perceiving the world around us. The murder investigation leads Merci and Paul to the biotech industry and also to the far-reaching and deadly arm of the Russian Mafia. Personally, I found the information and details of the upstart biotech company in search of a cure for cancer using viper venom absolutely fascinating. The Russian mobsters were merciless and larger than life, but the complex characters of the book out shadowed the villains.
In fact, the crimes that were committed to include white collar fraud all the way to felony murder seemed to be a platform from which sprang a complex, heart rending multilayered plot line about the human condition. I was more vested in the emotional trials and the feelings of the richly developed characters who populated the book. The interplay among Merci, her 27-month-old toddler Tim Jr., and her weathered ex-cop father were poignant and felt very real with emotional depth. The heartbreak of loss, the isolating effects of a major illness or devastating physical injury were underscored by it seemed every major character in the novel.
I believe that this is a big problem for those readers who did not begin with THE BLUE HOUR and then follow that inaugural novel introducing Merci Rayburn with the truly outstanding sequel RED LIGHT. This third and final installment is a statement about how the characters we have met in the prior books are handling the losses they suffered. A reader who is reading BLACK WATER in a vacuum is likely not to appreciate the novel to the same extent. The author just moves the characters and their emotions around like a chess master as the narrative unfolds, delivers the answers to the book’s many puzzles, and winds down. The reader even gets to see where one of the pivotal players in RED LIGHT [2000] is at the end of his journey in dealing with his own loss. The character of Merci Rayburn is light years from the person she was in THE BLUE HOUR, and we see her in this final story line as beginning to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of her own personal hell in losing not only her lover and mentor Hess, but the support and respect of her fellow policeman. It was in THE BLUE HOUR and particularly RED LIGHT [2000] that followed her proverbial fall from grace in the police department and her transformation into a pariah among her peers.
This is a fine example of a police procedural from Parker, but I must confess that but for reading his entire trilogy featuring the Merci Rayburn character I may not have liked it so much. It is at its very heart another analysis by the author about the nature of loss and how it defines us. The title of the book (“BLACK WATER”) refers to a comparison that the major character of Archie Wildcraft makes when examining his memories of Gwen, the wife he adored, after the brain injury:
“…look at her pictures and I see her things. And I smell her. And it feels like a light is about to go on. Like I’m about to bring something up out of black water.”
A MOVING AND CONTEMPLATIVE LOOK AT LOSS AND ITS EFFECT ON THE HUMAN SPIRIT
My Review Four Stars****
This was the author’s third and final installment to feature Orange County Detective Merci Rayborn, first introduced in the unforgettable serial killer thriller THE BLUE HOUR [1999]. In the opening pages of the narrative, we see the events of the night’s home invasion through the eyes of Deputy Archie Wildcraft and the reader is privy to the nature and trajectory of the tragic events as they unfold.
The reader quickly learns that Archie survived the gunshot wound, but has a fragmented bullet lodged in his brain and that he is in critical condition in ICU. His beautiful wife Gwen, a few hours following her 26th Birthday, with presents stacked in the floor of their home still unwrapped, had succumbed to fatal gunshots to her head and heart, both shots mortal wounds. The plot is driven by Orange County Detective Merci Rayborn as she and her partner Paul Zamora delve into what appears to be a sheriff's murder of his beautiful wife and his attempted suicide.
The forensic evidence is damning and points in only one direction, that of sheriff’s deputy Archie Wildcraft. The news media is pressuring the authorities for answers and the police department and District Attorney’s Office find themselves at odds with one another. In a bizarre twist, Homicide Detective Merci Rayborn and her partner Paul Zamora adamantly demand further investigation into the shootings while the DA is clamoring for Archie’s arrest and indictment for murder. The political pressure is mounting to arrest Archie in the face of the overwhelming forensic evidence against him, but meanwhile the brain damaged Archie escapes from the hospital with Merci and Paul using all of their resources to solve the puzzle of who framed the young deputy and why.
Parker is well known for his outstanding police procedurals but this story moves along slowly which may be problematic for some readers. The plot is certainly dramatic enough with a fascinating look into the nature of brain injuries to include their effects on short- and long-term memory, the power of reasoning, the process of feeling emotions, and the act of perceiving the world around us. The murder investigation leads Merci and Paul to the biotech industry and also to the far-reaching and deadly arm of the Russian Mafia. Personally, I found the information and details of the upstart biotech company in search of a cure for cancer using viper venom absolutely fascinating. The Russian mobsters were merciless and larger than life, but the complex characters of the book out shadowed the villains.
In fact, the crimes that were committed to include white collar fraud all the way to felony murder seemed to be a platform from which sprang a complex, heart rending multilayered plot line about the human condition. I was more vested in the emotional trials and the feelings of the richly developed characters who populated the book. The interplay among Merci, her 27-month-old toddler Tim Jr., and her weathered ex-cop father were poignant and felt very real with emotional depth. The heartbreak of loss, the isolating effects of a major illness or devastating physical injury were underscored by it seemed every major character in the novel.
I believe that this is a big problem for those readers who did not begin with THE BLUE HOUR and then follow that inaugural novel introducing Merci Rayburn with the truly outstanding sequel RED LIGHT. This third and final installment is a statement about how the characters we have met in the prior books are handling the losses they suffered. A reader who is reading BLACK WATER in a vacuum is likely not to appreciate the novel to the same extent. The author just moves the characters and their emotions around like a chess master as the narrative unfolds, delivers the answers to the book’s many puzzles, and winds down. The reader even gets to see where one of the pivotal players in RED LIGHT [2000] is at the end of his journey in dealing with his own loss. The character of Merci Rayburn is light years from the person she was in THE BLUE HOUR, and we see her in this final story line as beginning to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of her own personal hell in losing not only her lover and mentor Hess, but the support and respect of her fellow policeman. It was in THE BLUE HOUR and particularly RED LIGHT [2000] that followed her proverbial fall from grace in the police department and her transformation into a pariah among her peers.
This is a fine example of a police procedural from Parker, but I must confess that but for reading his entire trilogy featuring the Merci Rayburn character I may not have liked it so much. It is at its very heart another analysis by the author about the nature of loss and how it defines us. The title of the book (“BLACK WATER”) refers to a comparison that the major character of Archie Wildcraft makes when examining his memories of Gwen, the wife he adored, after the brain injury:
“…look at her pictures and I see her things. And I smell her. And it feels like a light is about to go on. Like I’m about to bring something up out of black water.”
A MOVING AND CONTEMPLATIVE LOOK AT LOSS AND ITS EFFECT ON THE HUMAN SPIRIT
February 24, 2021
Top notch police procedural
Outstanding plot development! The victims are a police officer and his beautiful wife. He survived, she doesn't. Murder & attempted suicide? Officer has too much money & fancy car & house. Is he on the take and this payback? Too much evidence points to the officer, but the lead detective can't connect the dots. Great twists and double-backs about who and why. Super read, fast-paced.
Outstanding plot development! The victims are a police officer and his beautiful wife. He survived, she doesn't. Murder & attempted suicide? Officer has too much money & fancy car & house. Is he on the take and this payback? Too much evidence points to the officer, but the lead detective can't connect the dots. Great twists and double-backs about who and why. Super read, fast-paced.
January 15, 2020
I didn't care much for this book. Not very compelling seemed to be the consensus.
December 12, 2014
This book contains far too many references to previous novels involving the same protagonist. Not only do all those references make me have no interest in reading the previous books (I already know how they turned out), but they made the book drag - especially when the same situations are referenced for the 120th time. I can understand setting the stage for some of Merci Rayborn's concerns, but there really is no need to repeatedly dredge up the previous investigation and arrests.
Merci's toddler son is cute at first, but quickly becomes annoying. If the purpose of including him is to humanize Rayborn, fine - but again, repeatedly including lengthy interactions between Rayborn and her son is tedious and does nothing to advance the plot.
For that matter, most of the plot advancement comes from Archie, the victim/suspect who takes matters into his own hands. Rayborn & colleagues spend most of the book playing catch-up.
Overall, this is a rather thin plot with large amounts of filler (Rayborn's interactions with her son; rehashing the previous cases; replaying interviews and television coverage). It is slow-moving and not particularly satisfying.
Merci's toddler son is cute at first, but quickly becomes annoying. If the purpose of including him is to humanize Rayborn, fine - but again, repeatedly including lengthy interactions between Rayborn and her son is tedious and does nothing to advance the plot.
For that matter, most of the plot advancement comes from Archie, the victim/suspect who takes matters into his own hands. Rayborn & colleagues spend most of the book playing catch-up.
Overall, this is a rather thin plot with large amounts of filler (Rayborn's interactions with her son; rehashing the previous cases; replaying interviews and television coverage). It is slow-moving and not particularly satisfying.
September 8, 2007
A beautiful young woman is dead in the bathroom of her home. Her husbanda promising young cop named Archie Wildcraftis shot in the head but still alive. It looks like an attempted murder/suicide, but something tells Detective Merci Rayborn that theres more to the story. When the suspect vanishes from his hospital bed, he draws Merci into a manhunt that leaves the entire department questioning her abilities and her judgment. Is Archies flight the act of a ruined mind, or a faithful heart? Is his account of the night his wife was murdered half-formed memory, or careful manipulation? Merci and Wildcraft head for a collision in a dizzying succession of cryptic clues, terrifying secrets, and painful truths.
My biggest problem with this was, not having read RED LIGHT, the 2nd book in the series, it was clear I was missing substantial pieces of information. That aside, I also found her son a bit annoying. Other than those two items, I did enjoy the basic mystery.
My biggest problem with this was, not having read RED LIGHT, the 2nd book in the series, it was clear I was missing substantial pieces of information. That aside, I also found her son a bit annoying. Other than those two items, I did enjoy the basic mystery.
November 28, 2011
Rather a decent read, but not compelling. Would now look out for other books featuring Merci Rayborn, Orange County detective. Rayborn gets to the bottom of what seems to be a straight forward case of murder-suicide. And in doing so, redeems herself somewhat, of the taint of a previous case. Merci sticks to her understanding of the case, stands up for herself and for the suspect and eventually cracks the case which turned out again to be not all that complicated. The crucial breaks were not due to great detective work - like say in a Mankell book - and so that was a bit of a let down given that this was a 'national bestseller'. One could expect more...
The book however has too many references to these previous cases. And that, to me, given that this is the first of this series that I am reading was a bit of a put off.
But, overall, an OK light read, for all police story fans.
The book however has too many references to these previous cases. And that, to me, given that this is the first of this series that I am reading was a bit of a put off.
But, overall, an OK light read, for all police story fans.
February 3, 2019
This is one of those formula police procedurals, with the expected cliches - maverick cop with deep personal issues leading the investigation, hindered by departmental politics and general disapproval from superiors and fellow cops; seriously injured person discharging themselves from hospital and going on the run; drunken (therefore supposedly unreliable) witness; Hispanic gardener ... you know the score.
However, those cliches don't detract from the story. In fact, it's oddly comforting to encounter them. They're like old friends who I haven't seen in ages and have a massive catch-up session with.
The characters are well-drawn and their flaws make them endearing. The plot thickens and conspiracies abound. It all wraps up on a bittersweet note.
It's a fast-paced easy read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes cop stories and murder mysteries.
However, those cliches don't detract from the story. In fact, it's oddly comforting to encounter them. They're like old friends who I haven't seen in ages and have a massive catch-up session with.
The characters are well-drawn and their flaws make them endearing. The plot thickens and conspiracies abound. It all wraps up on a bittersweet note.
It's a fast-paced easy read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes cop stories and murder mysteries.
March 17, 2012
I had some trouble getting into this book. I think that T Jefferson Parker is an excellent writer but I have also been disappointed with him at times. He is great at giving heart to his characters, and yet that doesn't seem to carry the entire weight of a who-dunnit. In Black Water there are several "beautiful losers" who captured my own heart. Unfortunately the plot seemed not to grab me and I labored through until midway when I decided to stick it out.It's not a bad book; but it is frustrating knowing how good Parker can be and yet, he doesn't always seem to reach that pinnacle. I wonder what's going on with him. There are still plenty more of his books that I plan to read.
March 4, 2018
So this is the third in the series, and honestly, I thought this one was by far the best book. Seldom do I find a book that I cannot put down, but this is one. I have read a lot of T. Jefferson Parker, and while I like his style of writing there are some books that seem to run off the rails. This only had one section that I think the description went way too long, and it did not add to the book.
The character developed which was needed and the ending of this book left me looking for the next book, which unfortunately I will have to wait for, but will be buying when it comes out. I will pull another T. Jefferson and see if I like it.
The character developed which was needed and the ending of this book left me looking for the next book, which unfortunately I will have to wait for, but will be buying when it comes out. I will pull another T. Jefferson and see if I like it.
December 21, 2021
Young cop, Archie Wildcraft and his wife Gwen were the perfect couple and madly in love with one another. When she is shot with his gun and, it appears, he is the victim of a botched suicide attempt, it is all very confusing. This is the third of a series featuring Detective Merci Rayburn. If you haven't read any of them, start with the first - The Blue Hour. I am now going back and reading the other two but they clearly should be read in order. I am just delighted to have found a new (to me) author. Parker knows how to tell a story and I can't wait to read the rest of his.
March 20, 2019
Feisty, damaged Merci Rayborn climbs back in the police detective saddle post spectacular mistake and goes after Russian goons. Sensitive but tough, unrelenting in pursuit of the truth, emotional and loving, she's not someone I'd want to have lunch with but I'd sure like to sit on on one of her press conferences. Wish there were #4 in this series.
April 2, 2019
Too good to explain
I love a good murder mystery, but when an author can write like this, it becomes superb. Strong characterization, moving plot - all the elements needed for a good story. Then add in a deep understanding of the human soul and its struggles - what ya got is worth reading twice.
I love a good murder mystery, but when an author can write like this, it becomes superb. Strong characterization, moving plot - all the elements needed for a good story. Then add in a deep understanding of the human soul and its struggles - what ya got is worth reading twice.
October 31, 2018
Really good read. I had hoped the author wrote more books in this series, but since it's been 15 years, probably not. If he sees this review, I hope he will.
And I finally like Merci Rayborn. She grew on me and I have come to understand her better.
Come on, Mr. Parker! Give us more Merci Rayborn!
And I finally like Merci Rayborn. She grew on me and I have come to understand her better.
Come on, Mr. Parker! Give us more Merci Rayborn!
August 14, 2017
Merci goes to the top of the class of flawed, but effective detectives.
April 14, 2024
Black Water by T. Jefferson Parker is the third book of the Merci Rayborn police procedural mystery series set in contemporary Orange County CA. The suspense starts immediately, as the reader learns what really happened to Archie and Gwen Wildcraft. The crime scene fools the Sheriff's department crime scene investigators, most detectives and their higher-ups. Merci Rayborn is the lone dissenter. She is determined not to be fooled again by a clever frame-up of a sheriff's deputy.
To fully understand and appreciate the plot references to past cases, read the series in order. Merci has significantly evolved as a person and a detective; she and Zamorra experienced life-changing events.
Chapters alternate between police investigation activities and independent actions by a person they desperately seek. Once Merci looks at a victim's business files, all becomes clear. Unfortunately she didn't look at that evidence early in the investigation, before severe hostilities arose with the press and within the sheriff's department.
Fave quotes:
"Unusual facial structures. You know, like you can spot tourists from other countries? Just the faces, the way they formulate. It's from the facial muscles used to pronounce different languages."
"French, German, Latvian, Croat, Russian, Finn or Dane? I'm confident that any Orange County sheriff deputy could tell the difference in two seconds at five in the morning under a weak streetlamp. If they're tourists, maybe they got stuck in our famous traffic."
She winced inwardly at what the muscular but not stupendously bright Dobbs might come up with on his informal interview. But in her experience two versions from the same witness were always better than one because contradictions stood out like billboards.
Her gaze went from a rock that looked like a mountain with rivers running down it, to a rock that looked like an island with coves, to a rock that looked like nothing at all, the most graceful nothing she'd ever seen. "Suiseki. Viewing stones. Collecting and displaying suiseki is an ancient Japanese pastime."
[Zamorra on a suicide's logic] "That's what they all have in common--they don't see a choice. It's the last thing they can think of to do that's positive, in the sense that you do it. You act. You take back control of your life by ending it."
Hess had told her how he saw his way into some tough cases by imagining a picture relating to what had happened; let the picture grow and change, even if it wasn't making sense. At first she couldn't do it, then she could. She realized that to understand some things you have to let them come alive in your mind first. This idea was the second most important thing he'd left her.
She could have killed him. [Ryan Dawes] Thought she might. But she held her tongue and imagined Jaws slipping from a toe-hold and pinwheeling down the face of Half Dome toward his death.
Rayborn had no guilt on her beliefs on crime and punishment. You do the crime, you do the time. So far as murderers lying in wait, well, off with their heads.
It was easy, talking with someone who'd lived through something similar. Like exchanging terrible, valuable gifts. There was enough loss, rage, sadness and guilt between them to begin a friendship.
She pictured him with someone petite, blonde and not associated with law enforcement. She would be elegant and feminine, but not showy about it. She would be devoted to him instead of her career. She would have that little bit of class that he had--a genuine appreciation for fine things. She would be eager to please him and would instinctively understand how, or find out. Merci tried not to be prejudiced toward the moronic slut.
It was just so hard sometimes, to keep from making up her mind before she had all the facts. You saw what you saw, thought what you thought, smelled what you smelled. There she was again, making up her mind before all the facts were in.
"I just have to remind myself to, when in doubt, shut my trap."
Somebody turned twenty grand and snake poison into two million in less than one year, she figured fraud. But something like that could happen legally on Wall Street, or the Nikkei, or the Pacific Stock Exchange right here in Southern California.
Girlhood dreams. She felt so much older now. But more real, more keenly attuned to the signals of all that can go wrong.
I love this series! I regret this seems to be the end. I want to know what happens next.
To fully understand and appreciate the plot references to past cases, read the series in order. Merci has significantly evolved as a person and a detective; she and Zamorra experienced life-changing events.
Chapters alternate between police investigation activities and independent actions by a person they desperately seek. Once Merci looks at a victim's business files, all becomes clear. Unfortunately she didn't look at that evidence early in the investigation, before severe hostilities arose with the press and within the sheriff's department.
Fave quotes:
"Unusual facial structures. You know, like you can spot tourists from other countries? Just the faces, the way they formulate. It's from the facial muscles used to pronounce different languages."
"French, German, Latvian, Croat, Russian, Finn or Dane? I'm confident that any Orange County sheriff deputy could tell the difference in two seconds at five in the morning under a weak streetlamp. If they're tourists, maybe they got stuck in our famous traffic."
She winced inwardly at what the muscular but not stupendously bright Dobbs might come up with on his informal interview. But in her experience two versions from the same witness were always better than one because contradictions stood out like billboards.
Her gaze went from a rock that looked like a mountain with rivers running down it, to a rock that looked like an island with coves, to a rock that looked like nothing at all, the most graceful nothing she'd ever seen. "Suiseki. Viewing stones. Collecting and displaying suiseki is an ancient Japanese pastime."
[Zamorra on a suicide's logic] "That's what they all have in common--they don't see a choice. It's the last thing they can think of to do that's positive, in the sense that you do it. You act. You take back control of your life by ending it."
Hess had told her how he saw his way into some tough cases by imagining a picture relating to what had happened; let the picture grow and change, even if it wasn't making sense. At first she couldn't do it, then she could. She realized that to understand some things you have to let them come alive in your mind first. This idea was the second most important thing he'd left her.
She could have killed him. [Ryan Dawes] Thought she might. But she held her tongue and imagined Jaws slipping from a toe-hold and pinwheeling down the face of Half Dome toward his death.
Rayborn had no guilt on her beliefs on crime and punishment. You do the crime, you do the time. So far as murderers lying in wait, well, off with their heads.
It was easy, talking with someone who'd lived through something similar. Like exchanging terrible, valuable gifts. There was enough loss, rage, sadness and guilt between them to begin a friendship.
She pictured him with someone petite, blonde and not associated with law enforcement. She would be elegant and feminine, but not showy about it. She would be devoted to him instead of her career. She would have that little bit of class that he had--a genuine appreciation for fine things. She would be eager to please him and would instinctively understand how, or find out. Merci tried not to be prejudiced toward the moronic slut.
It was just so hard sometimes, to keep from making up her mind before she had all the facts. You saw what you saw, thought what you thought, smelled what you smelled. There she was again, making up her mind before all the facts were in.
"I just have to remind myself to, when in doubt, shut my trap."
Somebody turned twenty grand and snake poison into two million in less than one year, she figured fraud. But something like that could happen legally on Wall Street, or the Nikkei, or the Pacific Stock Exchange right here in Southern California.
Girlhood dreams. She felt so much older now. But more real, more keenly attuned to the signals of all that can go wrong.
I love this series! I regret this seems to be the end. I want to know what happens next.
June 17, 2024
I was hovering between a 2.5 and 3 star rating for this book. The ending pushed me into a 3 fortunately. In something that's not my genre this is nice.
What's good: The way the ending gets all weird once Archie wakes up and starts hallucinating Gwen. It's so terrible and sad. You almost waffle a bit reading it hoping that she really is a ghost there with him and that he really can fly. I also liked Frank the skeleton. Some of the lines were quite good. The imagery of the guy who's eyes were burned out by road flares is so creepy (meant as a positive as it's intended to be.) Again I just like the ending. I like Merci couldn't save Archie. It's okay to have a protagonist fail the mission now and then.
What made me feel something peculiar: The kiss between Merci and Archie. I can't make up my mind if I liked it or not. On one hand it kind of sexualizes the situation when that is unnecessary, on the other hand it made sense when it happened and seemed to be a keystone in the resolution.
What's not so good: I honestly can't tell any of Merci's love interests apart and it seems like a weirdly crowded field. I hated every single scene with Tim, he's written like a fake kid or something because he is just this blob of what the book keeps saying is innocence but what really seems to be stupidity and schmaltz in equal measure and his dialogue is annoying to get through.
This was good enough I would not mind reading another book in this series and I might be up for a reread of this one in time despite the fact I don't tend to enjoy cop mysteries. So that really is what earns the 3, if it can overcome that particular barrier then I figure it's something special.
What's good: The way the ending gets all weird once Archie wakes up and starts hallucinating Gwen. It's so terrible and sad. You almost waffle a bit reading it hoping that she really is a ghost there with him and that he really can fly. I also liked Frank the skeleton. Some of the lines were quite good. The imagery of the guy who's eyes were burned out by road flares is so creepy (meant as a positive as it's intended to be.) Again I just like the ending. I like Merci couldn't save Archie. It's okay to have a protagonist fail the mission now and then.
What made me feel something peculiar: The kiss between Merci and Archie. I can't make up my mind if I liked it or not. On one hand it kind of sexualizes the situation when that is unnecessary, on the other hand it made sense when it happened and seemed to be a keystone in the resolution.
What's not so good: I honestly can't tell any of Merci's love interests apart and it seems like a weirdly crowded field. I hated every single scene with Tim, he's written like a fake kid or something because he is just this blob of what the book keeps saying is innocence but what really seems to be stupidity and schmaltz in equal measure and his dialogue is annoying to get through.
This was good enough I would not mind reading another book in this series and I might be up for a reread of this one in time despite the fact I don't tend to enjoy cop mysteries. So that really is what earns the 3, if it can overcome that particular barrier then I figure it's something special.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2025
The collective opinion of all the experts said Archie and Gwen Wildcraft died as part of a murder/suicide deal. She was young and talented; he was an up-and-coming cop. Admittedly, they both seem to enjoy the finer things of life, which makes their finances an interesting component in the case. But without exception, those who knew the couple insist he was deeply and passionately in love with her. Still, sadly, the supposition that murder/suicide was in play stubbornly remains in the heads of most of the cops who investigate Gwen’s death and Archie’s hospitalization with a bullet fragmented in his brain. But Merci Rayborn refuses to buy into the conventional line. She’s not convinced Gwen’s husband killed her.
This is an excellent story that kept me interested with every relatively short chapter. I was fascinated to read about Archie Wildcraft’s emotions after the bullet fragmented in his brain. Emotions attached to memories began to seep away until he felt no emotions at all. Merci’s investigations took her into the dark places carved out by the Russian mafia and a corrupt pharmaceutical company.
The author references events in previous books a lot. For that reason, you’ll want to snag the earlier books in the series.
This is an excellent story that kept me interested with every relatively short chapter. I was fascinated to read about Archie Wildcraft’s emotions after the bullet fragmented in his brain. Emotions attached to memories began to seep away until he felt no emotions at all. Merci’s investigations took her into the dark places carved out by the Russian mafia and a corrupt pharmaceutical company.
The author references events in previous books a lot. For that reason, you’ll want to snag the earlier books in the series.
April 16, 2018
Good enough as a mystery but does not quite stand alone. Yup, I did it to myself again, jumped in mid series. This seems to happen rather often with things I pick up at sales and stash away for future reading or the odd time when you really want a paper back you can abandon at journey's end.
The most interesting device here is that you are pretty certain but not entirely certain that you know who didn't do it. Good police procedural will take you the rest of the way home but by starting in the third book of the series the characters just left me rather flat. It's a me thing. I'm sure Merci and her cohorts are completely fascinating and engaging if you know the back story, but I don't and probably will not be searching it out. Unless I do it by accident, always a possibility;-)
The most interesting device here is that you are pretty certain but not entirely certain that you know who didn't do it. Good police procedural will take you the rest of the way home but by starting in the third book of the series the characters just left me rather flat. It's a me thing. I'm sure Merci and her cohorts are completely fascinating and engaging if you know the back story, but I don't and probably will not be searching it out. Unless I do it by accident, always a possibility;-)
January 4, 2019
This book really lacked in the suspense department and because of that it took me longer to read than usual... overall I was left bored. The first chapter explicitly revealed was is innocent which left the plot without mystery thus resulted in the rest of the book’s detective work uninteresting. The end was absolutely corny too. Additionally, the hints of romanticism throughout the book were pretty tacky. I could not even bring mysef to finish the last chapter. I am over it and thankful this book was borrowed and not purchased.
April 9, 2024
Interesting book
This is an interesting book. I don’t know if all of his other books are like this, since this is the first one I have read. I had a bit of confusion about the different characters and situations initially, but soon I began to have more interest in the story. It has good characters and a kind of mixed story line. I did enjoy the book after I got the characters straighter in my mind. Therefore, I will read some more of his books, maybe all of them. I think this book is well worth reading.
This is an interesting book. I don’t know if all of his other books are like this, since this is the first one I have read. I had a bit of confusion about the different characters and situations initially, but soon I began to have more interest in the story. It has good characters and a kind of mixed story line. I did enjoy the book after I got the characters straighter in my mind. Therefore, I will read some more of his books, maybe all of them. I think this book is well worth reading.
July 20, 2022
This novel begins backward. In the first scenes we see an attack. Archie Wildcraft is shot in the head and his beautiful wife is found murdered in the bathroom where he had her hide before he went out to investigate a noise. A rock had been thrown through his window. He is shot, terribly injured but alive. Suspicious points to him.
Detective Merci Rayborn feels that he must be innocent in spite of his dna on the gun and his gun being the one that shot his wife. Many twists and turns.
Detective Merci Rayborn feels that he must be innocent in spite of his dna on the gun and his gun being the one that shot his wife. Many twists and turns.
June 12, 2022
I came across this in an Op Shop & thought it looked interesting. I really enjoyed this book but unfortunately this is the first Merci Rayburn book I have read but the 3rd in the series, oh well. There were a few instances where previous characters & plot were discussed but I got the gist of it & it didn’t detract from this story at all.
July 28, 2022
I had trouble keeping the characters straight because there was quite a lot of them and they all appeared to have VERY similar names. (This might be just me at present though).
Despite that, it did keep me engaged and wanting to continue reading. I found I couldn't put it down towards the end.
Despite that, it did keep me engaged and wanting to continue reading. I found I couldn't put it down towards the end.
August 23, 2025
Black water
I vaguely recall reading the first two Rayborn books some time ago as I have tried to read all of the author's works; he is one of my preferred authors, never been disappointed by one of his books. Enough suspense to keep you reading and thankfully, an author that is able to catch your attention quickly.
I vaguely recall reading the first two Rayborn books some time ago as I have tried to read all of the author's works; he is one of my preferred authors, never been disappointed by one of his books. Enough suspense to keep you reading and thankfully, an author that is able to catch your attention quickly.
October 30, 2025
Merci is great
I've enjoyed several T Jefferson Parker books but this is the first Merci Rayborn. Even reading book three without reading books one and two it was still very enjoyable with great characters. The storyline was well paced and easy to follow. Now I will look for books one and two. I suggest that you read them in order.
I've enjoyed several T Jefferson Parker books but this is the first Merci Rayborn. Even reading book three without reading books one and two it was still very enjoyable with great characters. The storyline was well paced and easy to follow. Now I will look for books one and two. I suggest that you read them in order.
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