Our Story

Product Information

In Legend, he has a serious challenge in coping with two different roles, even if these are twin brothers: It goes without saying that they were very disturbing people but there was even further disturbing details about them that I found out in this book. It’s a heavy read obviously. The author knows his subject, and I enjoyed his writing style. It was easy reading, although at times I did get a bit bogged down in who was who, as he introduced a plethora of different characters. Not that I don't expect information in a non-fiction book (I want information), it's that this book has too much of it.

the Krays: how two mediocre criminals created The selling of the Krays: how two mediocre criminals created

Any Kray fans will want to add this to their collection. I have always been fascinating by them, they way they lived, he lived they lived and the people they surrounded themselves with. John Pearson former journalist and well known writer/biographer was invited to write the Krays' memoirs in 1969, and went on to collaborate with the twins over a number of years before getting this book finally published in 1972. This has got to be the definitive Krays' biography not only because of the sources but also the nature of Ronnie Kray who was never apologetic for his behaviour and crimes thus had nothing to hide and indeed provided information on the establishment that originally prevented the original script of this book being published. See The Peer and the Gangster: A Very British Cover-up. In 1965, David Bailey, already Britain’s most fashionable photographer, took a portrait of the gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray, who looked fiercely well-groomed in suits and narrow ties. At the time, they were not the notorious gangsters they were to become, but former boxers who ran nightclubs and collected protection money from people in awe of their reputation as a two-headed fighting machine. The portrait became gangland’s Mona Lisa: copied, pirated and imitated, it was central to their image and their brand. They aspired to be as famous as Al Capone and Legs Diamond, and were gratified when one of Bailey’s pictures of them, with their brother Charles, appeared later the same year in Bailey’s Box of Pin-ups, his document of 1960s celebrity culture, alongside the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Rudolph Nureyev, Lord Snowdon and Jean Shrimpton. “Their big mistake was posing for me,” Bailey told the BBC last year. “If you’re a real gangster nobody knows who you are.”Charlie Kray’s real position with his brothers. In recent years there have been allegations that he was both a serial molester of women and a police informer, both far from the general picture of a hail-fellow-well-met man manipulated by his younger brothers. John Pearson is a writer best associated with James Bond creator Ian Fleming. He was Fleming's assistant at the London Sunday Times and would go on to write the first biography of Ian Fleming, 1966's The Life of Ian Fleming. Pearson also wrote "true-crime" biographies, such as The Profession of Violence: an East End gang story about the rise and fall of the Kray twins. The book itself was a fascinating read and insight into the lifestyle that these two lived. As a reader, you're torn between feeling disgusted at how easy it was for them to get away with all sorts crimes by twisting the law, but also a sense of admiration for how cunning they were.

The Krays – 15 Fascinating Things I Learned Secrets Of The Krays – 15 Fascinating Things I Learned

The Krays invested into the nightclub business in the West End which gave them opportunities to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. In fact during the trial, the one that eventually sent them both to jail for the rest of their lives, Ronnie said, ’If I wasn’t here, I’d probably be drinking with Judy Garland now.’ He wasn’t being flippant though he did get a laugh out of the courtroom. Garland was frequently in the company of The Krays along with people like George Raft, Frank Sinatra, Lord “Perverted Peer” Boothby just to name a few. Laurie was perhaps the Kray brothers’ oldest and most loyal friend and this book is a must read for anyone interested in getting beneath the skin of one of gangland’s most complex characters. Reggie was the face of the business, a club owner who mingled with the rich and famous, seemingly charming and eventually married. Ronnie on the other hand was 'scary' suffering from mental health issues all his life even his own sister in law and those who knew him were scared and wary of him. The book details their childhood, run ins with the law, private life through to their dramatic downfall leading to the life sentences before received. BuzzFeed Tasty Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!Much more cerebral and wise- when compared with his twin brother, for he is otherwise a mobster- Reggie is the preferred partner. Although Ronnie's condition improved while at Long Grove, he soon realised his stay at the institution did not count towards his jail time. So he and Reggie came up with an ingenious plan to break him out! The twins organised to wear identical suits during a visit, and on the day Reggie gave his brother his coat, which allowed Ronnie to slip out of the hospital undetected. Once he had had enough time to flee, Reggie revealed who he really was and left after a brief period of questioning. This book, I feel, will not be the last book ever written on the Krays. I don't regard it as "the" book about them, or even one of the best ones. All I felt after reading it was disappointment and resentment at having wasted my time and my money on it. As others have said, there are much better books on the Krays than this. I wouldn't even put this one in my Top Ten. Ronnie Kray) began getting what he seemed to want--the pretense of friendship, the appearance of respect, even of social success, these were people who could introduce him to the smart life if he wanted it. They took him to their homes, their London clubs, dined him in the House of Lords, introduced him to celebrities. It was surprising how cheap the rich world was, and it gave Ronnie a new role--the playboy gangster in a sophisticated world.” One of my favourite stories to have read was when Ronnie was at Long Grove. Ronnie had been in jail for a while and he had a breakdown. He had been certified as insane. He was schizophrenic and paranoid which is why he always enjoyed fights and violence. Anyway, he had been put into Long Grove, a mental facility, and when he got better, he asked to be released. Even though he was better, the doctors worried he'd get worse so they denied his request. The next day Reggie came for a visit with lots of friends. Reggie was wearing a fawn coat and when it was time for tea, Ronnie left wearing the fawn coat and no one stopped him. The nurse came to Reggie.