Product Description

This is the autobiography of Carlton Leach, a man to be reckoned with. He has earned himself respect throughout the deadly underworld he occupies. Make a friend of Carlton and you have an ally for life; cross him at your peril. For 20 years he has ranked among the toughest of Britain's brawn brigade. He was a key member of the dreaded Essex Boys gang which ran riot in the eighties and the nineties, sparking a savage drugs war which saw three of his pals wiped out in the 1995 Range Rover massacre. Even now, he knows that a bullet still has his name on it as a result of that simmering feud. Carlton was minder to boxer Nigel Benn throughout his glory years in the ring and tells of the blood, sweat and tears of their special relationship. He also tells how he saved four of his firm from being tortured to death and their wives and daughters raped in front of them after a #10 million heroin consignment went missing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11277 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 285 pages

Customer Reviews

Don't mess this guy about!
When I first looked at the cover of 'Muscle' I automatically assumed Carlton Leach was another of the so-called London gangsters trying to cash in on his so-called experiences. How wrong I was!! Carlton Leach is a bloke who sounds like you would definatley want him backing you up if you were ever in trouble. The guy goes out of his way for his friends and family and loyalty is his main priority in life. For a thrilling read describing his life on the doors of some of London's most illustrious night clubs to minding drug dealers dealing in millions of pounds, Carlton Leach's book will leave you mesmerised by the lifestyle of these 'true' members of the London underworld

This is the best UK gangland book you will read this year
Carlton Leach is man who's reputation goes before him, the picture on the front cover shows a terrifying looking bloke. From start to finish I found this book absolutely impossible to put down. It is action all the way through.
I found one of the most impressive things about this book was that it didn't follow the traditional gangster biography route. It doesn't dwell on a bad upbringing in a rough area, where a violent father would beat the protagonist to a pulp. This book purely focuses on Carlton Leach's adult life, and his absolute love affair with the good life, and brutal violence. Surely the author's life would be interesting enough had it not been for his links to the essex boys gang, and therefore the now infamous Rettendon murders, where some of his closest pals were dealt with. This gives the book a good central theme, and all other escapades thread nicely from it. If you are into books about Britain's top criminals, then this is the one for you, encompassing massive drugs deals, football violence, and the early rave scene.
This is easily the best gangland book you will read this year. Absolutely loved it.

A poorly written waste of my time
I struggled mightily with this book and gave up half way through. Carlton Leach is a singularly unlikable individual with a rather strange outlook on life. I've enjoyed stories of hard men in the past (McLean, Shaw etc.) but Leach is just a mindless idiot pumped full of steroids and recreational drugs hiding behind a gun or a knife. I can't think of one redeeming quality he exhibits in the pages I choked down.

I'm sure he's tough enough and have no doubt that he did most (if not all) of what he claims, but by the time I gave up on the book I couldn't give a hoot. I don't mean Leach any harm; I just hope that he's exhausted his literary ambitions and will save an unsuspecting public from further assault.

The book may have been more appealing if the publisher had employed a decent ghost writer - but this is so badly written I might just believe that Leach wrote it himself. Worst of all, the book is boring...

This is my first review for Amazon, and I wish it was more positive - but try as I might I cannot recommend "Muscle" to anyone.