Surviving the Krays: The Final Explosive Secret about the Krays

by David Teale

David Teale- groomed by the twins, controlled by threats, raped by Ronnie, falsely imprisoned by the State for his 'own protection' as younger brother of Kray-informer Bobby. Turns out that's only half the story.

David first met the Krays when he was seventeen years old. He was drawn into London's underworld, and became Ronnie's reluctant foot soldier, driver, errand boy. He was close to murder, and witnessed menaces and the increasingly psychotic behaviours of the most feared men in gangster land.

Unbeknown to David, his brother Bobby had bravely turned informer at great risk to his own safety and that of his brothers. That had its own consequences.

But why, when the police were being furnished with eye-witness statements, from an impeccable source, were they seemingly incapable of bringing the twins to justice? The Krays were untouchable.

After tireless research through newly released documents in the National Archives, and piecing together previously classified information together with his own, first-hand knowledge of the time, David Teale uncovers the shocking new truth, revealed in this book for the first time.

David's story rewrites True Crime history.

320 pages, Hardcover

Published July 23, 2020

Reviews

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only book about the Krays I had read prior to this was The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins by John Pearson, and that was in the 1990s, so I came to Surviving the Krays: The Final Explosive Secret about the Krays as a reader with only a general overview.

Not being steeped in Krays lore I found Surviving the Krays a fascinating read. I cannot comment on how it stacks up against the plethora of other accounts however there is no doubting David Teale's insider credentials. It was David's family flat the twins and their entourage stayed in for a couple of weeks after Ronnie had shot rival gangster George Cornell. David, his wife and young family were virtually held hostage.

To say that David (and his brothers) regret getting involved with the Krays would be an understatement. The toll this involvement took beggars belief. I'll keep this review spoiler free but, suffice to say, it's horrendous with little if any upside.

David and his brothers all gave evidence at the Kray trials having previously been imprisoned on a trumped up charge, apparently to keep them protected, whilst Detective Inspector "Nipper" Read was building the case against the Krays.

To add further context to this account, David scrutinised newly released documents in the National Archives, and using this previously classified information, together with his own experiences, has some interesting insights into how and why the Krays remained untouchable for a few years, and what lead to their demise. Being the late 1960s, bent coppers and establishment cover ups play a big part.

I heartily recommend Surviving the Krays: The Final Explosive Secret about the Krays. It's an engrossing and interesting account from a Krays insider.

4/5

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book but didn't learn anything new about the krays though

[Neave Farry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book after seeing the story in the newspaper promoting it. I am a sucker for a Kray book especially when it's from someone inside the firm. Though unfortunately I was a bit underwhelmed with the writing.

The book is spilt into 2 parts, the first being 164 pages of David telling you about looking through the national archives and what he found. But if you have kept up with the Krays revealings recently, then you already know the information. Also I found that the majority of part 1 was David's accounts from his brothers and other books, there seemed to be missing his personal account mainly because he wasn't doing much for the Krays during this time.

However, that being said, part 2 was were all the nitty gritty information was. I really enjoyed part 2 and read that alot faster than part 1. There is some extremely hard hitting information which I think should be mentioned as a trigger warning for people just getting into the Krays.

Overall it turned out to be a good book but not the best book on the Krays I have read.

[FJY · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw this book in my local Asda. I decided to buy it, as I have always been very interested in books
about the Krays. The fact that I was able to get a new book about them for less than it would have cost me from anywhere else helped me to decide to buy it.

However, I didn't enjoy this book very much. In fact, I found it a bit of a struggle to make it through the first half. The book was written by a brother of Bobby Teale, who had previously written a book about the twins called Bringing Down The Krays. I would not recommend either of these books to anyone who wants to remember the Krays with fondness. This new book, called Surviving The Krays, promised some "explosive" new revelations. If I had a fiver for every time a new book about The Krays said that, I would be a very rich man by now. I didn't find out anything that "blew my mind", so this book was yet another disappointment. All I feel now is that I have wasted my money and my time. I am also sure that the author would have hesitated in writing this book if the twins had still been alive. It's much easier to slag them off when they're both dead and can no longer defend themselves.

I am sorry, but I cannot find it in myself to recommend this book at all. There are so many better books about the Krays out there. My personal favourites are The Krays - The Prison Years by David Meikle and Kate Beal Blyth, Kate Kray's books about them, or any of the books that were written by the twins themselves. I guess that I will wait forever for the definitive Krays book, other than the ones that I have listed. Surviving The Krays is certainly not that book.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of the Kray Twins as written by a long time friend and member of their gang. It covers the years from the author's first meeting with them as a teenager to their trial.
I found this a fascinating book. I didn't really know that much about the Krays or the way they operated. The way they moved into places, took over and in many cases ownership all without actually paying for anything. If they wanted it - a club, a woman, a house - they just took it. Their control over certain areas of London during their active years was just astonishing.
There are two very distinct threads to this book. The most interesting sections were those the author wrote from their own memories. Although not particularly well written and with limited vocabulary, they were very sincere and showed the small details & personalities of the Krays and the people around them. The author portrayed their personalities and the fear they induced quite well. Other sections involved the author's own research into the police files, court documents and other official papers. These are naturally very dry and factual documents and made for very dull reading. Some of these sections were quite lengthy and made me stall in my reading of the book. Had these sections been incorporated differently into the book then the book would have flowed well and been easier to read.
This was an interesting book and I am glad I read it. However it could have been a much better book had the author received some professional help with the writing, structure and incorporating documentary evidence into the narrative.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I saw it was about the Krays and I couldn't resist. I thought it would be more gripping or compelling but it was more of a drag to be honest. I think that I would have preferred it as an audiobook because the writing style made it seem more of the kind of anecdote your grandpa would tell you at dinner one day. No hate to David Teale, I think that this was just my personal preference, a bit like how some books I prefer to read on my Kindle or some I prefer on paper, in this case I would have preferred to listen to. All in all though I did like it, I just wasn't into it and it felt more like an assignment than reading for pleasure.

[Natalie Bayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read about the infamous twins that is both rigorously researched and yet intensely personal.

Teale’s account offers a fascinating, confessional insight into his role in the Firn and what Ronnie and Reggie were actually like to be around.

He also utilises a great deal of recently released information which makes sense of several previously confusing aspects of the Krays’ rise and fall.

Is his surprising revelation true? Hard to say but Teale presents an intriguing case. This is a great resource and an interesting read.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just love reading and learning about The Krays. So when this new book came out called "Surviving the Krays" by
David Teale I just had to read it. I have forgotten how many books I have read about them So I was hoping this one would be different.
Sadly it was not the best book I have read about The Kray Twins but it was a good read.


Big thank-you to netgalley Ebury Press and author David Teale for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but I didn’t think it gave any new insights or anything especially revealing that hasn’t been done in other biographies and documentaries. I was hoping that this book would provide some new angles, but although it gave differing opinions, it wasn’t anything new. It’s still an interesting read, well presented, but if you’re expecting something you haven’t read before about the Krays it’s not in here

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Tracy Copley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit hard going really

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s alright

[jayne elizabeth bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Good read and once I started reading it I found it hard to stop well of reading and would recommend