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The Krays
'The Krays' were kings of London's underworld, 'evil twins' who loved their mother and resorted to violence with terrifying ease. Ronnie and Reggie's crimes of fraud and extortion finally led to three bloody murders, yet life imprisonment in 1969 was just the beginning of the Kray legend.
Crime Archive reveals the facts using police and trial records at The National Archives, and first-hand accounts from Krays' contemporaries.
Crime Archive reveals the facts using police and trial records at The National Archives, and first-hand accounts from Krays' contemporaries.
108 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2008
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September 8, 2013
This tiny book is one of the best among James Morton's writings on gangs and organized crime in the United Kingdom. Morton's readers are probably familiar with the 'Gangland' books that are full of narrow detail and very little context creating a confused and difficult read. Fortunately, this is very much the opposite.
Possibly the editors of Crime Archive insisted on keeping Morton focused, or Morton kept himself on task, there is barely any mention of other gangs. In fact, Morton even goes into analyzing the sources, presenting context, and presenting a solid discussion of the Krays. Consequently, this short book is one of the better books, in my humble opinion, on the Krays; and there are a lot of books on the Krays.
This is one of the first books that really comes down hard on the brothers, arguing that they were unsophisticated bullies who thrived by luck rather than skill. Time and again, Morton picks on instances where the brothers relied on violence, or the threat of violence, to make money. There really was not much more to it. There own endeavors tended to border on the insane, as in the case of Frank Mitchell. Of course, many other writers have noted the brother's propensity for violence. Insiders of the Firm wrote they did what they did out of fear, not the rewards. However, Morton's summary of their careers in this book really makes it clear just how ineffectual the brothers were in running their rackets.
Possibly the editors of Crime Archive insisted on keeping Morton focused, or Morton kept himself on task, there is barely any mention of other gangs. In fact, Morton even goes into analyzing the sources, presenting context, and presenting a solid discussion of the Krays. Consequently, this short book is one of the better books, in my humble opinion, on the Krays; and there are a lot of books on the Krays.
This is one of the first books that really comes down hard on the brothers, arguing that they were unsophisticated bullies who thrived by luck rather than skill. Time and again, Morton picks on instances where the brothers relied on violence, or the threat of violence, to make money. There really was not much more to it. There own endeavors tended to border on the insane, as in the case of Frank Mitchell. Of course, many other writers have noted the brother's propensity for violence. Insiders of the Firm wrote they did what they did out of fear, not the rewards. However, Morton's summary of their careers in this book really makes it clear just how ineffectual the brothers were in running their rackets.
Displaying 1 of 1 review