Our Story

Product Information

The author attempted to give closure to certain outstanding events, and it was interesting to ponder, although I felt this was far from the ‘final word.’ I love everything the Krays and I’ve read everything I can on them. Not many have a completion of their life’s some focusing on more than others but this book caters to it all. Any True-crime fans will love this book.

Books | thekrays.net Books | thekrays.net

When the American Goodfellas come to London to see how they can cooperate with the Krays, there is a funny scene. However, while I sadly didn’t learn anything substantially new, I did like the unbiased writing, in that many of the previous books I’ve read on the Krays was either written/ghostwritten by themselves or by associates or members of their extended family/friends. Its brilliantly written, in-depth and absorbing any Kray fans will eat this book within one sitting. This is going to stay on my self and I will absolutely be re-reading this in the future.Ronnie Kray) began getting what he seemed to want--the pretense of friendship, the appearance of respect, even of social success, these were people who could introduce him to the smart life if he wanted it. They took him to their homes, their London clubs, dined him in the House of Lords, introduced him to celebrities. It was surprising how cheap the rich world was, and it gave Ronnie a new role--the playboy gangster in a sophisticated world.” Their rise to power is spectacular. They were at times capable of being brilliant, certainly the old adage of ‘two brains is better than one’ grows exponentially when considering the special bond between identical twins. They were a strong and powerful force that made men bigger, stronger, and smarter reluctant to tangle with them. Eventually they do slip up and do end up in prison for the rest of their lives. They will continue to live on in the stories that are told about them, in the books that are written about them, and in the movies that portray their lives. For a short, but memorable time a pair of criminal twins held London West and East in the palm of their hands. This is one of many books about the infamous Kray Twins and their exploits in 1960's London. There is another book out there by the same author that updates this one after the twins demise and that may be the better read of the two. One of the flaws in this book is that it doesn't bring everything up to date despite the fact that this book was reprinted electronically in 2013. It ends with a postscript after the trial but that was a written in 1995 when the twins were still alive and eligible for parole. That never happened and they both died as prisoners though Reggie was released on compassionate grounds after it was clear that his race was over. This is a minor point but one that should be pointed out to anybody that might want to learn the full story of the Kray Twins and their gangland empire. Ronnie is so confident in the power of their reputations that he walked into a crowded pub called The Blind Beggar and shot a man in the head in front of a room full of people. When the police arrived, no one had seen anything. I couldn’t help but think of a room full of Sergeant Schultz’s from Hogan’s Heroes. I would recommend this book to anyone who has even the slightest curiosity about the real story behind the Kray twins.

the Krays: how two mediocre criminals created The selling of the Krays: how two mediocre criminals created

There were aspects of the book that did shed light on the broader circle of players, for example, it was particularly interesting to read about how the lives of some of the Kray's associates panned out – or didn’t as the case may be! Pearson was commissioned by Donald Campbell to chronicle his successful attempt on the Land Speed Record in 1964 in Bluebird CN7, resulting in the book Bluebird and the Dead Lake. In "The Profession of Violence", we see Reggie marries a girl named Frances Shea. I found her death most interesting. She had attempted suicide multiple times (as Ronnie had done once himself) and one final time she did it. She had swallowed many of her prescribed pills (she had recently been in a psychiatric unit) and died in her sleep. In the book, it says it is suicide, but after looking more online, it is revealed that Reggie knew what really happened. Ronnie had gone to Frances and forced her to take the pills because he was jealous of how much time she got to spend with "his Reg". Ron told Reggie two days after he'd done it, and Reggie didn't tell anyone until many years later. When the Krays was released, the newspaper Today informed its readers that “We will not become a pawn in the publicists’ tasteless game … We will not carry a review of the film or interviews with any of the people involved in the project.” The fact that the film was made with the twins’ full cooperation was a clear indication that their brand was more important to them than their freedom; had Reggie been serious about getting parole, he would have been obliged to express regret for the murders and keep a low profile.

The book details their childhood, run ins with the law, private life through to their dramatic downfall leading to the life sentences before received. I really appreciate the straight forward linear manor with which John pearson writes his books. What I also thoroughly enjoy is how carefully he decides on his subjects, preferring quality over quantity in his list of titles. I believe this enables him to put real effort into his subject matter and create great levels of depth, knowledge and perhaps a strong sense of integrity his writing. Reggie was the face of the business, a club owner who mingled with the rich and famous, seemingly charming and eventually married. Ronnie on the other hand was 'scary' suffering from mental health issues all his life even his own sister in law and those who knew him were scared and wary of him.