Product Description

'The first thing that caught my eye was the geezer with the gold tooth - the second was that he was holding a shooter - and the third that he was pointing it at me.' Carlton Leach is a gangland legend - the mere mention of his name strikes fear into his enemies; yet to his friends he is as loyal and caring as they come. If trouble comes calling, Carlton isn't afraid to let his fists do the talking and woe betide anyone who crosses him, or those close to him. At last, in Rise of the Footsoldier, Carlton gives the full account of his life including how his story has been made into a hugely successful film. Born and raised in East London, Carlton was a key member of the notorious Essex Boys gang and the West Ham InterCity Firm, one of the most violent hooligan gangs to trouble the football terraces during the eighties. He's been shot at, stabbed, glassed - he's even had an axe in his head. Yet the event that really brought turmoil into his life was the murder of his best friend in the infamous Range Rover murders. Carlton vowed that he would find those responsible and make them pay. There isn't much that Carlton hasn't seen or experienced in his life and his tales of violence, gang wars and close calls with death will have you on the edge of your seat. He knows how close he has come to dying and has therefore shut the door on a gangland life. He may have changed but, as he himself says, 'I'll always need to exercise the Carlton Leach brand of justice. It's in me - '

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5522 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

Recovered muscle
a new and updated version of Muscle - you seen the film, now read the book. An amazing tale of modern thuggery around essex. heart wrenching at times, but totally page turning. The film makes you watch, this makes you live it. A must read

Twin of Muscle
If you already have Muscle by Carlton Leach then don't buy this. It is near enough the same book. I was hoping for more but was disappointed. What it did have was photographs of his past youth, family and friends which was a bonus.

A good reworking of Muscle
Having watched the explosive film, 'Rise of the Footsolidier', the book was a must read. Though the book is a rework of Muscle, several additional chapters such as 'Birth of a Footsolidier' and 'The Next Generation' have been added, bringing the book up to date, post film release for 2008. A good range of photo's bringing the book to life have also been added, which were disappointingly absent in Muscle. Well worth a read.