Crooks: The Stories Behind the Headlines

by Paul Williams

For almost forty years, Paul Williams has chronicled the life and crimes of some of Ireland's most notorious godfathers, killers and thieves. In Crooks he brings his readers for a ride-along, taking us behind the scenes of his most notorious scoops, describing the run-ins he's had with unsavoury, dangerous criminals and the high price of his line of work.

From pursuing the General to death threats from PJ 'The Psycho' Judge, exposing the Westies and infiltrating the Kinahan cartel, Paul's extraordinary career doubles as an eyewitness account of the evolution of organized crime in Ireland.

Genres: Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

Published August 7, 2025

About the author

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile contains books from multiple authors of this name.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7* You will need an interest in recent Irish organised crime to enjoy this. But if so, PW is a journalist who has been close to the heart of it for decades, at no small personal risk, if also an enjoyed celebrity. This is exactly what we need newspapers and their staff for. Many memorable men (it is pretty much entirely a male tradition), some unsavoury and others much worse. I don't like to read a lot of crime, true or fictitious, but it does shape and refelct some sides of our society.
(the Irish version I read had a much better cover, and some great photos which combine with transcribed quotes in some cases to make you feel you are sitting just across the table from them). Some types of state schools come out poorly as incubating these people.

[Aoife McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a hard read and not because of the subject matter. I felt it was really hard to get into and the grammar could’ve been better.

It was interesting to learn about some of Ireland’s most notorious gangsters and the fear in which they installed across the country. I feel that 3 stars is a bit generous for the book, I will caveat I haven’t read anything else by Paul Williams so I’m not sure if it’s his style of writing that I struggled with or the way the story was laid out - he referenced chapters ahead at certain points for example

[Kathleen O'Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Paul Williams.

One of the greatest journalists Ireland has produced. This is a very personal account, his interest in criminology makes his story very interesting. In this, he touches on all his previous books. Journalists of this calibre have put their lives and families in harms way, to inform the public. A few lost their lives. An excellent read and one I enjoyed very much.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not usually a true crime guy but flew through this. Williams is a forceful writer. The book is almost like an autobiography, with each chapter written like a standalone article, some better than others.

[Stephen Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, a bit tabloidey at times