
How did they get their introductions into high society? What did that look like and what did others think of them? What was Reggie thinking about his brother’s illness and how did Ronnie feel about moving into more legitimate business? That said, this dispassionate narrative method leaves you wanting more detail – not necessarily about the violence, but how their relationships and empire actually worked. The loyalty of Reggie to his brother is very powerful. Part of what makes this story compelling is the contrast between the Kray twins, and how Ronnie’s mental health shaped the way they handled their business, and eventually became the means for their downfall.

The Kray twins, but particularly ‘Ronnie’ Kray, were extremely aggressive individuals who rose to power initially through their propensity for very effective physical violence. This narrative method of telling the story of the Krays without too much bias or drama is even more surprising given the content. Knowing this, you expect a fairly biased and action-packed account, but Pearson does a remarkable job of sticking to objective facts without sensationalizing them. Interestingly, author John Pearson was actually hired by the Krays to write this account, and so had unprecedented access to the Kray family to learn their story. THE PROFESSION OF VIOLENCE: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE KRAY TWINS is a non-fiction account of the lives and criminal activities of the Kray twins, two London gangsters who ran a fairly successful empire in the 1960s, charting both their origin and rise to power to how their personalities ultimately brought them down.

John Pearson explores the strange relationship that bound the twins together, and charts their gruesome career to their downfall and imprisonment for life in 1969. Building an empire of organised crime such as nobody has done before or since, the brothers swindled, intimidated, terrorised, extorted and brutally murdered. Reggie and Ronald Kray ruled London’s gangland during the 1960s with a ruthlessness and viciousness that shocks even now. The classic, bestselling account of the infamous Kray twins, now a major film, LEGEND, starring Tom Hardy. Quick Review: A very fact-based account of a surprisingly robust gang active in 60s London fascinating access and details.

Read this book for: non-fiction, London crime, gang crime, violence
