jmatkinson1's review
3.0
DI Nick Lowry has a lot on his plate this New Year. His wife is distant and behaving erratically, he has the death of a soldier from the local barracks, the discovery of a headless corpse on Mersea Island and the murder of two men in a house in Colchester. All the events seem to be linked with the import of a very strong batch of amphetamines from Germany.
I did really like the whole sense of time and place in this book. Set just after the Falklands War in Essex, the references to culture of the 80s were spot on. The descriptions of Mersea Island and the bleak mudflats were extremely evocative and the brutal, sexist nature of policing was realistic. However the story itself never really grabbed me and it took me a while to plough through the book. I don't understand why, the plot was interesting and the setting good but it never grabbed me and left me a little cold.
I did really like the whole sense of time and place in this book. Set just after the Falklands War in Essex, the references to culture of the 80s were spot on. The descriptions of Mersea Island and the bleak mudflats were extremely evocative and the brutal, sexist nature of policing was realistic. However the story itself never really grabbed me and it took me a while to plough through the book. I don't understand why, the plot was interesting and the setting good but it never grabbed me and left me a little cold.
yorkslass70's review
4.0
Atmospheric, police procedural set in 1980's Essex. Blackwater uses the landscape of the north Essex coastline to its fullest extent and the investigation revolves around its tides, its salt marshes and mudflats, the remote nature of Mersea island, and the kind of characters who inhabit its local villages and pubs. It also brings into play the unique dynamic of Colchester being a garrison town and the often troubled relationship between the soldiers and locals, the military police and the civilian police. This story being set in the 1980's opens a window onto the transitional period the police force were going through at the time moving slowly from the corruption, brutality and sexism of the 70's, some of these issues being more successfully handled than others, a nod to the Ashes to Ashes tv series maybe. I found this to be well paced and quite fast moving, the characters were well developed and all in all I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what DI Lowry gets up to next.
steph1rothwell's review
4.0
I had never read any books by James Henry before reading Blackwater. I’m sometimes slightly dubious when starting a new series but I didn’t need to have any concerns, I think that the series will be good.
Its slightly different. For one, its set in the 1980s. The army feature heavily and there are a few references to the Falklands War ‘last year’. The music and fashion are obviously different and there is no modern technology such as computers used in policing.
The main character is Lowry, he is trying to give up smoking and boxing much to his superior officer Sparks disgust. He also has problems in his marriage, while the reader is aware of this he isn’t. I think it will take time to get to know Lowry, he’s more distant than some other fictional detectives but I liked him. Sparks is an old school detective, politically incorrect in just about everything and it doesn’t even occur to him that he might cause offence. He also wouldn’t think twice about using his fists. I loved the parts where he featured.
The other two officers are Kenton, a pretty boy who has a lot to prove to the uniformed police and WPC Gabriel, an ex-model who became disillusioned with her former career and had family connections within the force.
The case itself is nothing new but obviously being set in 1983 the policing methods are different. The army being involved also gave a different slant. Both approached the situation differently, and each thought the other was crossing boundaries. It was good to read and it was a change to read a novel that wasn’t solved by science and technology.
With thanks to Real Readers for the copy received.
Its slightly different. For one, its set in the 1980s. The army feature heavily and there are a few references to the Falklands War ‘last year’. The music and fashion are obviously different and there is no modern technology such as computers used in policing.
The main character is Lowry, he is trying to give up smoking and boxing much to his superior officer Sparks disgust. He also has problems in his marriage, while the reader is aware of this he isn’t. I think it will take time to get to know Lowry, he’s more distant than some other fictional detectives but I liked him. Sparks is an old school detective, politically incorrect in just about everything and it doesn’t even occur to him that he might cause offence. He also wouldn’t think twice about using his fists. I loved the parts where he featured.
The other two officers are Kenton, a pretty boy who has a lot to prove to the uniformed police and WPC Gabriel, an ex-model who became disillusioned with her former career and had family connections within the force.
The case itself is nothing new but obviously being set in 1983 the policing methods are different. The army being involved also gave a different slant. Both approached the situation differently, and each thought the other was crossing boundaries. It was good to read and it was a change to read a novel that wasn’t solved by science and technology.
With thanks to Real Readers for the copy received.
alice21's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Racism
nickimags's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book from Real Readers in an exchange for an honest review.
I quite enjoyed this first book in a new detective series set in 1980s Essex. As it's not a part of England I'm at all familiar with so I found it interesting to read about a new place. I really enjoyed the 80s era that it was set in particularly the references to the fashions and music. The rivalry between the police force and the army made an intriguing background and it will interesting to see how this develops in the series. I didn't feel that I got to know the main characters very well although I can see that they could grow on me in more books. I found the the plot quite confusing as there were lots of names to remember which dragged in out too much. I do prefer a faster pace in a book so although the chapters were short it didn't feel like the story was more on quick enough for me. It felt more of a read for men as the women were almost token characters, but then again it was set in the 80s. I wouldn't rush out and buy the next in the series but I would borrow it from my local library.
I quite enjoyed this first book in a new detective series set in 1980s Essex. As it's not a part of England I'm at all familiar with so I found it interesting to read about a new place. I really enjoyed the 80s era that it was set in particularly the references to the fashions and music. The rivalry between the police force and the army made an intriguing background and it will interesting to see how this develops in the series. I didn't feel that I got to know the main characters very well although I can see that they could grow on me in more books. I found the the plot quite confusing as there were lots of names to remember which dragged in out too much. I do prefer a faster pace in a book so although the chapters were short it didn't feel like the story was more on quick enough for me. It felt more of a read for men as the women were almost token characters, but then again it was set in the 80s. I wouldn't rush out and buy the next in the series but I would borrow it from my local library.
More...