The Krays: The Final Word

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Pub Date 14 Feb 2020 | Archive Date 21 Nov 2019

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Description

The definitive account of the Krays’ world, their criminal activities, and two lives spent running the Firm. Until now books on the Krays have been subjective and incomplete—memoirs by police officers and witnesses, or whitewashing accounts and affectionate recollections by friends and family. This will be the first wholly objective look at how the twins came to power, fell, and, at least in the public eye, rose again. The book will draw together the many often conflicting versions of events—at least five reasons have been offered for the death of George Cornell—and separate fact from fiction. It will include many stories never previously disclosed, such as:

• 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.
• The Krays’ bribing and intimidation of witnesses and their use of solicitors and the clergy to set up potential defences against police action.
• Just how many people did they kill, or were killed on their behalf? The book will examine claims that they killed up to 30, including an analysis of their possible involvement in the deaths of lawyer David Jacobs and former world champion boxer Freddie Mills.

The definitive account of the Krays’ world, their criminal activities, and two lives spent running the Firm. Until now books on the Krays have been subjective and incomplete—memoirs by police...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781912624683
PRICE $24.95 (USD)
PAGES 364

Average rating from 24 members


Featured Reviews

A veritable industry has long existed around all things concerning the Kray Brothers. Numerous books, films and television shows have been devoted to them over the years and their haunts are on the East End tourist trail. If nothing else their legacy has been a useful tool for the book trade and has provided an additional income for pensioned gangsters. I remember over 20 years ago being in an Essex town and wandering by chance into a small bookshop and who should be there with a large pile of books in front of him doing a book signing but none other than Mad Frankie Fraser, I of course purchased a copy. Even today while shopping in ASDA what did I see on their discounted paperback shelves, something by kate Kray.

Now adding to the genre is this well researched but always entertaining book by best-selling crime author and criminal lawyer James Morton that rather optimistically titles itself Krays: The Final World. Here we have their full biographical story, the nature of their crimes and an examination as to their enduring fascination and indeed the beatification of them. This latter aspect was personified by the funerals with the celebratory mourners and respectful street lined crowds reminiscent of a state funeral. Security courtesy of Dave Courtney.

How important the Krays really were in the heirachy of the then London underworld is another matter. Their influence was restricted to a relatively small geographical area and they were despised by the seasoned bank robbing fraternity. The Krays income being mainly derived from protection and long firm fraud. If you like true crime then you will find this I'm sure a fascinating read. Ultimately though like their fellow East End celebratory villain Jack The Ripper I expect there will be many more books on this subject.

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Krays: The Final Word ,by veteran True Crime writer James Morton, claims to be the definitive account of the gruesome twosome Reg and Ron ,and to a lesser degree their close family.
Having read all of Morton's previous books going back to the 1990's I was expecting this to be either another James Morton or a re-issue as it's the first book for several years to carry his name on the cover. Well it's not and the "where are they now" chapter goes right up to early 2019.
James Morton has been writing about London's gangland for a very long time and doing it very well, he was also Frankie Fraser's ghost writer , so he knows his stuff.

Calling any Kray' book, "The Final Word" is brave as there have been several over the decades ,often contradictory and with various claims made by the authors. I think I can honestly claim to have read every Kray book "out there" over the decades and I'd say it's a very good overview . Morton not only tells the Kray's story but also the tale of their public perception has changed . Ron Kray's unwise determination to manufacture a reputation as the East End's Al Capone, which worked for quite a long time via John Pearson's seminal, "The Profession Of Violence" before time and safe distance eventually saw books from the likes of Bernard O'Mahoney and former associates Micky Fawcett and Bobby Teale telling a different story of a pair of cheapskate sexual deviants with very obvious psychiatric issues.

As always Morton steers clear of sensationalism and just gives the facts, reflecting I suspect his years as a lawyer.. While there have been several books in more recent years dismantling the Kray "legend" Morton's addition to the genre is an interesting and informative one that details the Twins' criminal career while telling that far from the slick Gangster fantasy that Ron in particular went out of his way to boost they were basically a couple of dim thugs who mistook fear for respect. The rest of the "Firm" likewise were mostly inept losers and only heroes in the ghost-written books that they had published to jump on the Kray gravy train.
A great book that if it helps spread the truth about a number of pretty disgusting and loathsome people who have been misguidedly given Robin Hood status in popular folklore is doing a great public service.
With respect to Mr Morton this book is as interesting and informative as his much earlier books and is yet another great True Crime from Mirror Books,who never disappoint.

Big thanks to James Morton, Mirror Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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