What a truly fascinating and gorgeous read.
I couldn’t put it down!
This is a wonderful easy to read book with a plot unlike any other
If your looking for a book with a plot that will keep you completely captivated from first page till last then this is the one for you!

Centred around the deaths of Altab Ali in 1978 and Colin Roach, this is a narrative tour-de-force, encompassing the anti-Nazi resistance of Rock Against Racism, police corruption (and institutional racism), and the rise of Margaret Thatcher.

The novel weaves fact and personal testimony into a fictional account of the period, focusing on a number of fictional characters from the worlds of music, politics and policing as they respond to real events.

The plotting is tremendous and highly engaging, with a style somewhat reminiscent of David Peace’s Red Riding novels. The first in a proposed trilogy, which is a mouth watering prospect.

A must-read, particularly if you were in any way a part of that history. Highly recommended.

Superb writing which crosses the boundary between crime fiction and recent political history fabulously. Starting in 1970s London, where anti-nazi rallies were taking on the national front and other right-wing groups, moving into the 80s with deaths in police custody and moving closer to the present day.
With undercover cops infiltrating leftwing groups and stirring things up, it reminded me of Alice O'Keefe's fantastic Skylark. Both books give a glimpse of what might life have been like if we'd made different choices as a country.
I will look out for the next in Joe Thomas's trilogy- he knows his stuff and writes brilliantly

A great contemporary crime novel. Loved all the punk references and felt really immersed in London at that time. Very political and I enjoyed that element too.

What a ride and what a gripping story. Multiple POVs, historical facts, music and a lot more
This is the first in a trilogy and can't wait to read the next as the author is a talented storyteller.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The first of a trilogy, set in Hackney and based on real cases, Joe Thomas's WHITE RIOT is a gritty, uncomfortably authentic thriller.

1978 - punk, Rock against Racism, National Front, Anti-Nazi League, reggae, police corruption, Margaret Thatcher...

1983 - Style Council, more corruption, more racism, more Thatcher...

The more things change…

Against a background of political and racial tension, seen through the eyes of DC Patrick Noble, investigating racist attacks in the area and with undercover agents in both far-right and left wing groups, Suzi, a photographer in the music scene, and Jon Davies, a Hackney council solicitor, Thomas captures the feel, the sounds, the smells of the time. WHITE RIOT is very reminiscent of the RED RIDING books by David Peace, whose blurb adorns the cover.

It is a relatively downbeat story, as anyone who remembers, or has an interest in, the time might expect, and it is full of uncomfortable parallels to the Britain of today. The reader cannot help but compare the events in the novel to the divided, unequal society we now live in. I really look forward to seeing where this story goes, even though I fear I already know.

A novel named after a Clash track is always going to have a place on my reading list. The novel seamlessly blends fact and fiction as we’re taken back to the rise of the National Front in the late 70’s and the death of Colin Roach in Stoke Newington Police Station in 1983. The Anti Nazi League and Rock Against Racism are active in the late 70’s to make a stand against the far right. There are some elements within the police force sympathetic to the National Front and it’s racist agenda (unfortunately this is still a problem today).
The novel takes me down memory lane as I was a teenager in the late 70’s seeing the rise of punk and a politically motivated youth movement to counter the far right. The book evokes the volatile street politics of the time and having seen The Clash, The Jam, Everything But the Girl, Elvis Costello etc during this time the book brought back many memories.

White Riot explores the strained relationships between the wider society and the state - specifically politicians, bureaucrats and police enforcement during the turbulent 1970s into the 1980s. Exploring the tensions between the growing National Front movement and the local ethnic communities surrounding Brick Lane and the borough of Tower Hamlets. Referencing several key cultural moments and figures - from the Victoria Park "Carnival Against Racism" festival to appearances by Paul Weller and Margaret Thatcher.

The multinarrator points of view somewhat dilutes the main thread of the story, with perhaps too much detail provided, relating in a slightly 'heavy' read. However, Thomas' central theme of institutional racism is a vital one that worryingly echoes current media exposure.

Late 70's UK, punk, post-punk, 2 tone are on the go and the rise of racism. A tale told from several different perspectives evoking the atmosphere of the day. There is a fair degree of leaping from one character to another and plot jumping from place to place so it's not the type of book to pick up and put down while simultaneously reading another or several books at the one time. Thankfully the story is quite engrossing and you can find yourself being drawn into this world described so vividly by the author. There are some moments where it seems to lag a bit and I've knocked it down to 4/5 stars purely for that.

This book is a classic slow burn with just enough in between the pages to keep the reader hungry for more. Thomas does something very difficult to do, he takes the reader back in time and perfectly blends multiple viewpoints. A lot of writers are afraid to tackle topics like racism in such a "deep-dive" way. There are moments when I felt as if I was walking those London streets, part of the call for equality. It is worth adding to your bookshelf, even if detective/crime fiction is not your thing.

Well written with a good blend of fact and fiction. This was enjoyable if a bit convoluted at times. A lot of political background about Hackney in the late 70s but eventually the book settled down into an exciting thriller about racism and murder.

I thought I would really enjoy this book, set in the 70s and having a punk themed name but it was far too political for me.
Didn't finish it sorry, just not the book for me.

East London in the 1970s and a battleground between the National Front and the Anti-Nazi League. After the death of Muslim man supposedly at the hands of racists the area is a powder keg. For police officer Patrick ‘Chance’ Noble, the opportunity to look at organised violence, for photographer Suzi Scialfa, an opportunity to progress her career. 1983 and the threats are not so much from the National Front as Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party. Another death in suspicious circumstances and for Chance, an opportunity for redemption and looking at police corruption.

This is a wonderful book with a real sense of time and place. I was more at home with the 1980s references but still could remember the Rock Against Racism movement of the late 1970s. Thomas has conjured up the poverty and grime of life in council estates and condemned housing, the grubbiness of prostitution and drugs and the desperation of those fighting oppression. This is a vivid and masterful piece of writing.

White Riot is a meticulously researched novel about Hackney in the late 1970's and early 1980's, looking at the music industry and anti-fascist/anti-racism movements from several differing points of view.

I found the novel interesting, but it lost me on occasion both geographically (I'm unfamiliar with Hackney) and plotwise (I couldn't always work out who was speaking). It was particularly jarring when I thought I was reading about the young woman photographer but it turned out I was reading about Margaret Thatcher!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. I'd be interested in continuing with another book by this author.

On the cover of White Riot, there lies a quote from David Peace, which is fitting as this one sees the commencement of a Red Riding-esque series set in Hackney. This first book covers 1978 and 1983 as the Tories come to power and win the next General Election.

The book starts at the Rock Against Racism concert in 1978, which is one of those immortal pillars of the era especially the set by The Clash referenced in the book. The story is told from various POVs from DC Noble running “spycops”, undercover officers infiltrating organisations to the far right or left, Suzi, a photographer, Jon Davies, a solicitor for Hackney Council, Ayeleen, a young Turkish Muslim girl and up to Mrs. Thatcher herself.

The writing is vibrant and rhythmic with the book difficult to put down to the point you find your eyes drooping yelling out for sleep. The power of Trade Unions, the police and the corruption therein, racism and the National Front are all explored throughout, but the book never weights heavy or gets too dramatic. There’s also the fun of real life musical figures littered throughout with Suzi’s boyfriend playing the role of fictional producer to many of them.

The storytelling is exciting with nothing overly explained and the importance of events not telegraphed as seemingly innocuous moments blossoming into something more vital as the story proceeds. Thomas has written a hell of an opening stanza here and I hope the next instalment is not too far behind.

The synopsis for this book sounded brilliant and I loved that it was mixing a little fact and fiction. Unfortunately, there were issues for me with the execution.

The action moves between a few main characters, which I normally would have no problem with, but it wasn’t always clear who we were with or that the action had switched to a different part of the story. I often found myself having to re-read parts because I was confused as to where I was.

I enjoyed the fact that where were some factual events mixed in and I’ve been doing some Googling on the side to learn a little more about some of these events. The death of Colin Roach at Stoke Newington Police Station was shocking to me and I can’t believe I’d never heard of it before.

There were some parts told from the point of view of Margaret Thatcher and whilst I understand that Thomas was showing the political manoeuvring that was going on during that time period some of it just didn’t really seem to have any point and felt a little clunky and out of place.

I couldn’t help but draw parallels between what was going on in England in the time frames here and what is going on now and whilst it’s not quite on the same scale it does feel like we’ve gone back to a lot of the things that were bad about the late 1970s and early 1980s at the moment.

I struggled with Thomas’ writing style; it didn’t flow very well for me and it made it quite a tough reading experience. I had really gone into this one hoping it was going to be good and there are things I did like about it, as I’ve said.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

In 1978 the National Front is gaining ground in Hackney. Opposition groups organise the Carnival against Racism. Observing the event is DC Patrick Noble who is investigating racist attacks in the neighborhood.

In 1983 Noble is sent to Stoke Newington where a young man has died in suspicious circumstances and he is tasked with investigating the death.

This book is very much in the style of David Pease whose books portray the era of protest and violence. The book is true to its time with racist chants and observations. So it's not for anyone easily offended but it's an interesting read.

This book started off well for me. I enjoyed the bit of a trip down memory lane that it took me on. Being a child of the 80s and interested in the politics of the era as I am.
But then it all got a bit dry and went astray for me and I started to lose interest. So much that I did consider giving up and sacking it off. And then it turned a corner and started to draw me back in. And I was glad I hadn't.
One of the things I did like about the book was the way that the author managed to weave fiction into fact almost seamlessly. The story the book is telling is set firmly within the era and all that happened therein. A lot of the characters are real people and have been portrayed, to the best of my knowledge, with good accuracy. The political landscape has also been (again to my knowledge and experience) faithfully presented, in all its brutal reality. Warts and all.
One of the things I didn't like was that the book does contain a fair bit of what I would consider to be unnecessary padding. Stuff that does nothing to set the scene or progress the narrative. Since finishing I have realised that this is not the end of the story - I believe it is part one of a trilogy - and I think that maybe the author wanted to end the story where her did and maybe needed an injection of word count to pad out this part? Speculation on my part, just my thoughts. Suffice to say, it could have been trimmed and would have lost nothing apart from having dragged in places.
It covers a lot of hard hitting subjects and it does this very well. No over the top sensationalising, well, to be honest, it was brutal enough without!
One of the main things I will take from reading this book, and this is why I think it will do well and become an important read, is that comparing the 70s and 80s with the now, it appears that not much has really changed, and that's very sad.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

White Riot (2023) is a kaleidoscopic novel told from multiple perspectives and set in the London borough of Hackney. The first part takes place in 1978, opening with the Rock Against Racism march and concert in April of that year. The second part takes place in 1983, in the aftermath of the death of Colin Roach inside Stoke Newington police station. We get to hear the perspectives of the police, activists, councillors, Margaret Thatcher, community leaders, and musicians - some fictional, some real, but all wholly convincing. I remember those days and White Riot powerfully and authentically evokes the era and the place.

White Riot is the first part of the United Kingdom Trilogy which, I suspect, could be up there with David Peace's Red Riding Trilogy. David Peace is namechecked on the cover and there are similarities - which is very high praise.

If you're interested in the era and specifically the music, politics, corruption and racism, then don't hesitate. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.