I found myself strangely attracted to reading this book as soon as I could get my hands on it. I saw the trailer for the new movie about the Kray twins and was immediately intrigued. Ronnie is the wild card and he interferes in the life of the club that they manage- a façade in some ways. The Mafiosi have been- I guess they still are- not just conservative, but fundamentalists and racist, sexist in their attitude.

Krays: The Final Word by James Morton | Goodreads

That has to be my favourite story about the Kray's because it was able to be done simply because they were identical twins. One of the reasons for their great success was the fact that they were identical twins. They looked very similar, especially growing up. I can't really say for sure how much of a bond these twins had but, like I said in the beginning of my review, I'm an identical twin and there is no deeper loyalty than to your identical twin. The mob from across the nation is unhappy with what it learns about the unpredictable and strange Ronnie. 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.

It was astonishing reading how two working class boys from the East End rose through the ranks to become two of the most powerful men in Britain. They effectively ruled London. They practically ran circles around the authority and were involved in armed robberies, arson, violent assaults - which often included torture and resulted in murder - from a young age. This is the third of his books I have read to date. It is it an impressively written work following the rise and fall of the Kray twins, what really works for me is the level of detail and understanding of the subject. The first half of the book is heavy going. The second half improves marginally but concludes with a whimper as it records where all the bit part characters are now. I actually found myself feeling sorry for both twins multiple times. I know that everyone says they were villains, but being a twin myself I couldn't imagine being without my twin. Ronnie was the younger of the two; he always got his way because it was natural for Reggie to protect Ronnie.

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

Their rise to power is spectacular. They were at times capable of being brilliant, certainly the old adage of ‘two brains is better than one’ grows exponentially when considering the special bond between identical twins. They were a strong and powerful force that made men bigger, stronger, and smarter reluctant to tangle with them. Eventually they do slip up and do end up in prison for the rest of their lives. They will continue to live on in the stories that are told about them, in the books that are written about them, and in the movies that portray their lives. For a short, but memorable time a pair of criminal twins held London West and East in the palm of their hands.It is not just in sexual orientation, where Ronnie is homosexual- active, “giving it” as he likes to emphasize- and Reggie is heterosexual. 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:

Books | thekrays.net Books | thekrays.net

So the Kray franchise is still generating the sort of attention, and money, to which they always aspired. To publicise Legend, there is an exhibition at a gallery on Bethnal Green Road, “depicting the softer side of Kray life ... visitors will be able to enjoy a cup of tea in a replica of Violet Kray’s living room featuring family photos and 60s wallpaper, whilst experiencing an audio-visual installation of interviews with local people who knew or have knowledge of the Krays.” The exhibition carries a statement from the film’s director, Brian Helgeland: “The East End is now a very different place where enterprise and design meet and the Krays have slipped into the alchemy of legend.” In July, he told the Guardian that he thought Reggie would consider his film fair and that Ronnie would enjoy being played by Tom Hardy. “So, yeah, all told they would dig it.”

Reggie is attracted to Frances Shea, whose brother is also a criminal, but she is as nice, honest and against crime as anyone can be. 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.

The Peer and the Gangster: A Very British Cover-up The Peer and the Gangster: A Very British Cover-up

In many ways they were very different from each although they shared many similarities. The strange co dependent dynamic between the two was fascinating for me to read about and I believe it is largely down to this that they forged the legend they became. Like one person with two faces constantly pulling and pushing each other to higher levels of strength, power and noteriety.

A fascinating look into the organised crime world that was the East End in the 1960's. A History of Violence takes a look at Ronnie and Reggie Kray who terrorised and murdered their way to build their criminal empire and wage war against the Richardson's, their competitors. It has to be a five star from me - as I enjoy the subject and could re-read this kind of book day in and day out!