Book received from NetGalley.

As an American, I knew how bad our various gangs were during this time period and how many more came out in the post-war era. I had no clue it was just as bad in Britain, though I did know about all the problems with the Kray brothers. The book discusses just how ruthless the new gangsters that were trying to take over in that period were, and how likely they were to have a corrupt officer in their pockets. It was a good book, and I learned a bit more about a part of British history that I didn't know about.

A great reading with extraordinary attention to detail and completely dissipating the myth that has developed over the years around these criminals. The author Dick Kirby puts in the context of time, with a thorough search, the frightening criminal networks that feared London and the Londoners. Highly recommended to anyone interested in British society in the 1960s or history of crime.

After reading quite a bit of this book it was just bland. No real commentary just one crime and killing after another with references in between. It was not for me.