Ultimate Hard Bastards: The Truth About the Toughest Men in the World

by Kate Kray

Meet the hardest men in Britain—minders, villains, gangsters, bodyguards, SAS hitmen, murderers, and terrorists. In this awesome follow-up to the hugely successful Hard Bastards and Hard Bastards 2, Kate Kray, who was married to Ronnie Kray, gets the answers to questions nobody else would dare to ask. We learn the truth about what drives some of these characters to live on the edge of the law, whether it be a matter of gaining respect or striving for survival.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[ميرنا المهدي · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an interesting read that lets you dive into the minds of some notorious English criminals. What I didn't fancy is the general tone of the book that praises violence and normalizes criminal and even terrorist activities.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Kate Kray has an easy to read style of writing that makes you feel that you don't want to put the book down.
The men she talked to for this book were some of the hardest men in the country at one time or another. They've robbed, fought and murdered to get to where they are.
Most of the men have served some jail time for their crimes. Not all of them have been inside, but have been arrested in connection with their alleged offences.
Virtually all the men seemed to agree that if they'd had more money available to them and their families when they were growing up, then their lives would have remained on the straight and narrow. Also, most of them said that they believed that prison was no deterrent to the criminal fraternity. It's more of a criminal's university, where you go to learn more about crime, just as someone would go to Oxford to study languages or law.
Most of the men said that capital punishment should be available for paedophiles, sex offenders, rapists and for thsoe who attacked women. Most of these men have a lot of respect for women and love their partners, children and pets. A lot of them hate animal cruelty, too.
They also believed that to be a hard man, you didn't need to shout and scream and make threats to prove your point. To prove how 'hard' you are, they seemed to agree that you walked the walk and talked the talk and backed yourself up with 'violence' IF needed.
Not many of these men had regrets over what had happened in the past. It was who they were.

[Deborah Cumming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fan all my true crime fans

Kate Kray, UK author that was infamously married to UK gangster and murderer Ronnie Kray.

Compelling stories of the toughest men in the UK and their stories

She reads well and as had understanding of the criminal world without glorifying the criminals

[Sarah P · Rating 2 out of 5]

compelling but dull !!

[Archangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abandoned, repetitive, slang, outdated

[Claire Weglowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed reading this book as much as all the others

[thomas barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Good book in the sense of whose in it but it does seem like it's repeating itself with the questions asked!!