Hoods: The Gangs of Nottingham: A Study in Organised Crime

by Carl Fellstrom, Fellstrom

'Hoods' is the compelling inside story of the guns, drugs and organized gang culture that has brought terror to the streets of Nottingham and led to the city being labelled Gun Capital UK.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, True Crime

332 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book. Not one bad page in there. Incredibly well researched and put together. If you have ever lived in Notts it is a must read.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoods is an in depth account of the most notorious crimes committed in Nottingham's history during the pandemic of shootings in the first decade of the new millennium; it also explains the origins of gang culture within the city which led to it receiving the moniker, "Shottingham."

This book provides insight into the lives of hardened gangsters and the luxurious lifestyle it afforded albeit financed by "blood" money; the deception, pawns used for financial gain and boost in status, cruel and callous ways in which revenge was exacted, and, the manipulation of the Nottinghamshire police force and other public agencies also led to innocent lives being lost in horrific circumstances.

From the onset, Hoods was an enthralling read although sometimes difficult to digest due to its graphic violent content. The only negatives being that the book was sometimes repetitive, and that it could have benefited from a "proofreader" to correct grammatical errors which at times made the text difficult to comprehend without reading for a second or third time. It is for that reason I rated it 4 out of 5 stars.

[L. Penn · Rating 3 out of 5]

From a brief history of Kings, politicians, and Robin Hood, to the birth of a strong working class community that borne black posses and the brutal beginnings of drug gangs. Well, Mr Fellstrom doesn't mince his words in this cold-blooded, ferocious, and truly nasty telling of events that led to assaults, many placed in witness protection, shootings, a shocking double-murder, and a terrible legacy of violence that consumed a City and spread to others willy-nilly. When people claim smoking a bit of pot doesn't harm anyone is treading blind. The savagery of being involved in any type of drug that fuels this amount of craziness is insane. Mr Gunn's Bestwood Cartel and its dealings leading up to the monstrous deaths of the Stirlands is quite something indeed. The aftermath is still felt today as we can see the results of 'regular folk' taking drugs like 'milk with cereal'.
Hell of a story with added punch told in fine detail.
Oh, and there's this colourful photo-array of the individuals involved centred inside the book. One look at some of them and you simply know you just don't mess. Ever!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the period when Nottingham was the crime capital of the UK and how it has only just begun to shed its dreadful reputation for organized crime

[Vanessa Tainton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Really interesting didn't take me long to read it i would definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested in local history and true crime

[Mac McCallum · Rating 5 out of 5]

. I found it a fascinating read, thoroughly researched and well written. Difficult reading at times, some people are so unbelievably self-centred and cruel. I thought it read as a kind of ethnography of the criminal culture. Are things any better in Nottingham now? Liverpool looks like it’s going the same way.

[Tim Wakeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living about 12 miles from Nottingham the Gunnies were well known. A really good book explains many rumours.

[Tony Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched, shows how changes to policing can influence an area for the worst, and the corrosive way in which drugs and weapons brought down the estates of Nottingham.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book based on research into a particular area of crime in Nottingham, drugs. It involved highlighting the crime in inner city Nottingham and surrounding areas. It names gangs and members that were involved in such crimes which unfortunatley led to to the murder of two innocent people whereby the culprits are still serving a prison service. This was a high profile case because this couple lacked the protection from the police. There were many more murders, which are normal people who unfortunately for one reason or another got involved in the gangs. However, there were murders which were mistaken identity.
This book gives a brilliant insight into the hardships the police face trying to solve crime and make our communities a safer place. But most important to me,it gave me an insight into the crime that is not too far away from where I live. One thing i have learnt, never trust anyone because you never know who are associated with these gangs and be careful what you say and to whom. Its' members through terror, are loyal to their leaders.
I have read books on gang culture in the london boroughs and this book mirrors their existence and workings. Even though one of the main leaders is still in prison he still receives regular press coverage in the local news and I am sure his status has changed little where he is.
There will always be a gang culture, what will contain it at a reasonable level is our attitude towards them and our ability to stand up to them. It's my opinion they are all bullies!
The final part of the book was disappointing and felt the author was just writing to extend his word count.
I strongly recommend you read the book because do you really know who leaves next door to you?

[Darren Jowsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A colourful insight into Nottinghamshire. I'm not a million miles from here, but dont remember hearing much about these cases. It is scary to know just how bad things are in places close by you. It also shows how easy it is to end up on the wrong path.

[James Dennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoods is like a dramatized documentary - and as such you get the facts with some bright lights thrown in to keep the pace and interest. It does what is does well. Fascinating story and as a resident in Nottingham it highlights how many of the areas affected by the drug wars are still struggling and why.
Well worth a read.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

It terrifies me that I have lived in Nottingham my entire life and didn't realise how bad things were just 8 miles from my house. The book is well researched and so well written, i devoured it in a day. It's must read for anyone from the area who is interested in local history and for anyone who is interested in real life crime.

[Paul Whittaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

cracking book which delves into the murky underworld of Nottingham and police corruption

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zzzzz

Sorry but I really didnt like this book. It just seemed to go on forever, completely devoid of any kind of meaningful narrative structure it was almost unreadable for me. The biggest problem with it was it would just switch from one piece of information to another very quickly making it very hard to follow or care about who or what was actually going on or for that matter what the point of the book was. It completely lacked any kind of direction, just a relentless barrage of information. Chapter structuring was almost pointless and meaningless. I guess the clues in the title. This IS a study. Sorry I dont like writing bad reviews but this for me was just not good at all. This is my opinion and I appreciate other people may enjoy this style of writing but I found it largely inaccessible and dull. Perhaps it would be ok as a text/reference book I guess.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting book for locals. The police corruption really shocked me; I knew they were kinda bad, but not that bad! Would recommend

[Miki sytner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read even if you know nothing about Nottingham. It has got everything in it dodgy cops, villians, drug smugglers, murders, shootings and reads like a script from a movie only it was all for real

[Avid Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting Sunday broadsheet article massively over extended to make a book. Good journalism, poor analysis.