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The Last Godfather: The Life And Crimes of Arthur Thompson
It used to be thought that no single person could rule the mean streets of Glasgow. Arthur Thompson proved this to be wrong. From an ordinary working-class family, Thompson started out as a bouncer and minder. Hard yet bright, he learned quickly. Cross him and you'd be scarred. Cheat him and he nailed you to the floor, crucifixionstyle. The gangsters of Glasgow thought it couldn't get any worse - it did. For forty years, Thompson ruled Glasgow and there came a time when his capacity for violence became so boundless that people would pray to be crucified. This fully revised edition of The Last Godfather visits places no law-abiding person has been. The gunrunning, murders, drug dealing and torture are all still there but there's much more - atrocities like how he improved on crucifixion as a means of revenge, how he created Europe's Tartan Mafia, how he invented concrete boots as a failsafe way of disposing of enemies' corpses. Then there are the ways he has had an impact on the lives and, more importantly, deaths of others - one man killed by a sniper, another kidnapped in London and tortured for days in Glasgow. Thompson died of natural causes but his influence didn't stop at his grave - which, incidentally, was deliberately left unmarked in case someone he'd had a run-in with decided to dig him up and wreak some kind of horrible revenge. This new edition includes previously unexplored aspects of Thompson's legacy and investigates the reasons there could never be another gang lord as all-powerful as Arthur Thompson - why he was destined to become The Last Godfather.
324 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 31, 2014
Harsh and brutal. Brilliantly written. Doesn't glamourise the violence at all, or try to make Arthur Thompson out to be one of these 'lovable' rogues. Puts it across how I expect it probably was, and gives you a real feel of hoe 'Gangland Glasgow' was. An 'enjoyable' read.
September 10, 2019
The life and crime of Glasgow's last Godfather, Arthur Thompson.
A life riddled with theft, drugs, violence and murder; he was a thoroughly evil person who got away with far too much, especially his free pass whilst working as a grass for MI5.
A life riddled with theft, drugs, violence and murder; he was a thoroughly evil person who got away with far too much, especially his free pass whilst working as a grass for MI5.
November 7, 2020
Great read by reg
Some insight into Thompson from his beginnings to his death and aftermath. Well written as usual and full of interesting stories. It is clear that Reg was not a fan of the man.
Some insight into Thompson from his beginnings to his death and aftermath. Well written as usual and full of interesting stories. It is clear that Reg was not a fan of the man.
October 1, 2026
The writing style wasn’t particularly engaging, but I knew nothing about the Glasgow underworld prior to this read, so I found it fascinating. Good overview of the rise and fall of one of the UK’s most notorious gangsters.
December 18, 2017
Very fascinating lo into the life of Arthur Thompson and the Glasgow underworld also a fascinating read.knew a few characters in this book.would recommend this book.
Found it very interesting,and informative look at the life and times of Arthur Thompson,and an insight into the Glasgow underworld.
Found it very interesting,and informative look at the life and times of Arthur Thompson,and an insight into the Glasgow underworld.
June 17, 2015
I wasn't too excited about reading this as the last non-fiction book I'd read about Glasgow crime wasn't too exciting. This, however, was really good.
It was very clear, concise, and easy to read. I tend to find that a lot of non-fiction crime books get really bogged down with details, but this was a lot more about personality, and was written almost as fiction. It gives a good idea of what kind of people the characters really are, and the crimes become more shocking as a result of this.
However, there were a lot of areas where I was suspicious that I was reading fiction. There were instances where McKay had laid out dialogue that only the people who had been there would have known, and these were people were either dead, or the type whom I doubt would have submitted to an interview for this novel. Although this made the scenes more real, I felt a bit cheated.
Also, a lot of this book is dedicated to Paul Ferris and not Arthur Thompson. On closer inspection I've found out that Reg McKay is a friend of Ferris's, and that in fact this book is a retaliation! This is news to me, and very, very interesting.
All this aside, it is a good read, particularly if you're from or are familiar with Glasgow.
It was very clear, concise, and easy to read. I tend to find that a lot of non-fiction crime books get really bogged down with details, but this was a lot more about personality, and was written almost as fiction. It gives a good idea of what kind of people the characters really are, and the crimes become more shocking as a result of this.
However, there were a lot of areas where I was suspicious that I was reading fiction. There were instances where McKay had laid out dialogue that only the people who had been there would have known, and these were people were either dead, or the type whom I doubt would have submitted to an interview for this novel. Although this made the scenes more real, I felt a bit cheated.
Also, a lot of this book is dedicated to Paul Ferris and not Arthur Thompson. On closer inspection I've found out that Reg McKay is a friend of Ferris's, and that in fact this book is a retaliation! This is news to me, and very, very interesting.
All this aside, it is a good read, particularly if you're from or are familiar with Glasgow.
December 26, 2013
Good read.
A lot of it was about Paul ferris (who I understand has his own book written by this author), a lot of the book was talking down about Thompson, who it outlined wasn't a nice person to the public or other crooks and had very little honour, I don't know if all the book is facts, but it's a very entertaining read nonetheless and I done it in 3 days.
I think I'll read ferris' book and other characters that were involved in the Glasgow crime scene.
Anyone got any recommendations?
A lot of it was about Paul ferris (who I understand has his own book written by this author), a lot of the book was talking down about Thompson, who it outlined wasn't a nice person to the public or other crooks and had very little honour, I don't know if all the book is facts, but it's a very entertaining read nonetheless and I done it in 3 days.
I think I'll read ferris' book and other characters that were involved in the Glasgow crime scene.
Anyone got any recommendations?
February 20, 2008
Detailing the life of the notorious godfather of gangland Glasgow, Arthur Thomppson.
Good read and outlines the plight of a lot of people growing up on the mean streets...
Good read and outlines the plight of a lot of people growing up on the mean streets...
August 8, 2013
Brilliant read about the life and crimes of The Godfather Arthur Thompson, some great parts to the book, really enjoyed the latter part of the book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews