Product Description

Gangster Paul Grimes was a one-man crimewave with a breathtaking capacity to steal. Any villains who got in his way were made to pay - often with their blood. But when his son died of a drugs overdose, the old-school mobster swore revenge on the new generation of Liverpool-based heroin and cocaine dealers. Against all odds, he turned undercover informant. The first gangster to fall foul of Grimes' change of heart was Curtis Warren, aka 'Cocky', the wealthiest and most successful criminal in British history. Grimes infiltrated his cocaine cartel and led Customs to the largest narcotics seizure on record, putting Warren in the dock in the drugs trial of the twentieth century. After turning his attention to heroin baron John Haase, Grimes rose to become the boss of the villain's notoriously bloodthirsty 'security firm' - a professional gang of racketeers addicted to cocaine, explosive violence and non-stop criminality. But as his net began to tighten, Grimes was confronted with the ultimate dilemma. He discovered his second son was now a rising star in the drugs business. The life-or-death question was: should he shop him or not? Powder Wars also reveals the secrets behind one of the most controversial episodes in British judicial history - how former Home Secretary Michael Howard was duped into granting John Haase a Royal Pardon. Today, Paul Grimes has a GBP100,000 contract on his head and is a real-life dead man walking. Powder Wars is a riveting account of modern gangsters told in brutal detail.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9800 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Publisher
Powder Wars is the true story of the supergrass who brought down Britain's biggest drug dealers. Gangster Paul Grimes was a one-man crimewave with a breathtaking capacity to steal. Any villains who got in his way were made to pay - often with their blood. But when his son died of a drugs overdose, the old-school mobster swore revenge on the new generation of Liverpool-based heroin and cocaine dealers. Against all odds, he turned undercover informant.

About the Author
Graham Johnson has been a Sunday Mirror journalist since 1996 and the paper's Investigations Editor since 1999. He has covered a wide range of stories, including drug dealing in Britain, people smuggling in Europe, child slavery in India and Pakistan, and war in the Balkans. He currently lives in London.

Customer Reviews

A Gripping Read
One of the best true crime books ive read, so much so i felt i had to review it. Undoubtedly Paul Grimes was a proper villain back in the day - his exploits with the 'Hole in the Wall gang' tell all. He turned his back on crime and became what every criminal says they despise - a grass or in Pauls case - a supergrass because of his stance against the drugs trade. Fair play, he had it all and lost it all - and his rise and fall is well documented in this book. Its an honest reflection of his life and its all true unlike a lot of other so called villains and hardmen who spout absolute boll***s throughout their pages. And with regard to the review that says about him giving curtis warren a good slap and him being young - thats real life, you want to be a standover man and live in that world be prepared for the consequences. I recommend bernard o'mahoneys wannabe in my gang for another good read on the pitfalls and realities of the drug trade, maybe then you can appreciate that what grimes did was perhaps save a few lives -if only for a short while.

First review
Best British true crime book ever written. I couldn't put it down. It's like Wiseguys by Nicolas Pillegi, the book which Goodfellas, was based on.

Unlike other British crime books which seem to concentrate on the Krays and gangsters in London 40 years ago, Powder Wars is about modern organised crime. It's speed is breathtatking.

If you bought Cocky - buy this. It's good.

A Top Class Read
An excellent read from start to finish. If you have read Cocky then you will truly love this book as there are several crossovers between the two. Granted if you are not from Liverpool you may struggle with some of the slang but its still a great read. Exhilirating from start to finish, it gives you a vivid insight into what makes these guys tick and the ruthless and callous manner in which they exercise their force.
Being a scouser myself I loved the familiarity it gave me to names and locations but this aside, a neutral would still enjoy it without a doubt.