Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Conflict On The Streets...
A DI Nick Lowry thriller and book three in the series. Conflict on the streets of Essex sends Lowry into a tailspin. High drama with a well crafted cast of characters and bright storytelling with many threads to follow. Engaging and compelling reading.

The third in this extremely good crime series is the best yet. James Henry makes the writing seem effortless. This is quality storytelling, full of well-drawn characters, and plenty of high drama.
Nick Lowry, Stephen Sparks, Dan Kenton and Jane Gabriel have become a great team, each of them commanding one's empathy.
I love this mirror on a bygone age - 1983 - so near and yet so far in the way we led our lives and the views we had (which none of us would now care to admit). A must read for all fans of intriguing plots.

Having read the blurb, I thought that this would be a book that would pass a few hours, but unfortunately, it was one I failed to finish..
There are times when I think a book will be enjoyable, but after a few pages, decide that it isn't going to be so it it put to the side. 'Whitethroat' lasted considerably more than 'a few pages', but the further into it I got, the less I began to enjoy it. Mainly because it failed to grasp my attention, make me wonder how it was going to develop and end. So, sadly, it wasn't finished and I very much doubt if I will return to it at a later date.
This wasn't a book for me.

I suppose my brain is suffering from Covid tiredness as I already read and review this book and also liked it.
I realize it was the same when I started reading it.
This was my original review:
This book was a weird reading experience because I struggled with the characters and the plot but couldn't put it down.
I wanted to know what was going to happen and I was not in the mood for this faulted and problematic characters.
I had a love/hate relationship with it but I'm happy I reading because it's enthralling, atmospheric and gripping.
I want to recommend it because it's a good police procedural and I want to read the other books in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the third in James Henry's historical Essex based crime series set in the garrison town of Colchester featuring DI Nick Lowry. It is 1983, and in what appears a strange duel over a woman, 19 year old Lance Corporal William Cousins lies shot dead in the high street, outside The Hippodrome, set to open as a new nightclub under the ownership of Howard Osgood after extensive refurbishment. This means the inquiry is largely under the control Lowry's friend, Royal Military Police Captain James Oldham, and an army hierarchy keen to shut down the investigation and the reputational damage it could wreak. Nick's marriage to Jacqui has come to a definitive end after her marital infidelity, her rage meaning that his relationship with his son, Matt, is set to wither away.

Nick finds himself relying on valium to get through the days, is seeing Becky, a teacher, although he is struggling to put the time into it to establish it on a firmer footing whilst floating in a quagmire when it comes to his sense of identity as his boxing days have come to an end and his birdwatching has taken a backseat. The traumatised DS Daniel Kenton has been on sick leave, disappearing into a fug of joints and alcohol, forced to return to work, wondering about his relationship with DC Jane Gabriel, the niece of ACC Merrydown. In a story of old history, the lives of Gordon 'Whitethroat' Topize who has returned from Mauritius, Marcus Hughes-Roper, Howard Osgood, and army soldiers intersect with old grudges, family and present day deaths.

This is engaging historical fiction with a well plotted story, and a range of characters, set in a time with the culture, social attitudes and norms of the period when it comes to race and gender. One of the highlights here is the way the men in the police force try to support one another in the 1980s when male friendships are so often constrained by emotional superficiality rather than depth. For example, Detective Chief Superintendent Stephen Sparks finds himself facing fatherhood for the first time at the age of 55, and when personal troubles hit him, Lowry is there for him. Henry leaves the novel with a number of characters fates hanging in the air, I look forward to the next in the series to see what transpires. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

This is the third and best in the DI Nick Lowry series set in the garrison town of Colchester in the 1980s. The town and times of the book are essential backdrops to the events which ensue after a duel in the town centre between two soldiers. This results in the conflict of military and police investigations where the two overlap. Policing was different in the 80s and attitudes, issues and events described here could only have taken place in those days.

The book evolves into a spiderweb of characters, deaths, drugs, links between past and present. It is a refreshing, multi-layered police procedural with great characters on both sides of the law and has so many threads to keep you engrossed to the surprise cliffhanger ending. Well worth a read.