Product Description

The Krays were a product of their age, nurtured by a doting mother and created by their community, the East End of London. Their name alone conjures up images of power, violence and greed - and even brother Charlie counldn't steer the twins Ron and Reg clear of murder mayhem as they killed their way to the top of the criminal tree. They lived by their own rules. And died by them. The three brothers will never be forgotten. They are an indelible part of our history, whether we like it or not. From media-manipulation to control-freak paranoia, the Krays were masters of deception. Even at the end Reg Kray was still portraying himself as just an ordinary East Ender - mistreated by the Home Office and the police, misunderstood and mistakenly labelled "Godfather of Crime" by the media. This biography traces their history from childhood and early adolescence to manhood and death. It explores the brothers' fantasy lives, full as they were of mind games and false memories. Only now can the truth be revealed - without fear of intimidation, retribution or revenge. The Krays are dead and buried, but the myth lives on.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55884 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Synopsis
The Krays were a product of their age, nurtured by a doting mother and created by their community, the East End of London. Their name alone conjures up images of power, violence and greed - and even brother Charlie counldn't steer the twins Ron and Reg clear of murder mayhem as they killed their way to the top of the criminal tree. They lived by their own rules. And died by them. The three brothers will never be forgotten. They are an indelible part of our history, whether we like it or not. From media-manipulation to control-freak paranoia, the Krays were masters of deception. Even at the end Reg Kray was still portraying himself as just an ordinary East Ender - mistreated by the Home Office and the police, misunderstood and mistakenly labelled "Godfather of Crime" by the media. This biography traces their history from childhood and early adolescence to manhood and death. It explores the brothers' fantasy lives, full as they were of mind games and false memories. Only now can the truth be revealed - without fear of intimidation, retribution or revenge. The Krays are dead and buried, but the myth lives on.

About the Author
Colin Fry was born in Hillingdon, Middlesex, like Ron and Reg Kray an identical twin. After college he went to live in Paris, where he met his Danish wife Eva. They worked for several years in the south of Spain making films, with Fry appearing in the Oscar-award-winning film Patton. The couple then moved to Denmark, where Fry worked for Esso Engineering before joining a friend who owned a record company and travelling all over the world buying and selling records. He formed his own company in 1981, but ten years later he broke his back and, unable to keep up an active life in the record business, turned to writing. He is author of the Kray Files and wrote Doing the Business in collaboration with Charlie Kray.

Customer Reviews

Gangster Icons
The best book ever written about the UKs most famous gangsters.
Reg and Ron were the first celebrity gangsters and this bookj proves r=that there name will live FOREVER - not just in the underworld but in British folklore.
A brilliant insight into the the twins.

Fiction
Should not be named "The Ultimate Biography".

More stories that go around the pubs than fact. Writer doesn't seem to have researched alot of the stories that really happend and also does not give the full picture.

Not a very good book for somebody wishing to read into the Krays as this book is designed to keep the legend going, and does not give the real facts and full stories.

Excellent & Objective
Encompasses all three Kray brothers, their faults and their strengths. A thoroughly enjoyable, if not a little too poetic, run through the many myths and legends attached to being a Kray. Obviously a well liked associate of the boys he has been able to give an informed but not starry eyed account of their lives, loves and misdemeanors.