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Villains' Paradise: Britain's Underworld from the Spivs to the Krays

Villains' Paradise: Britain's Underworld from the Spivs to the Krays

by Donald Thomas (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2006

    $3.25
Synopsis

With the war over, the forties, fifties and sixties have the aura of a golden age. But nostalgia is deceptive. From teenage Teddy Boy razor gangs and casual stabbings at dance halls to the psychopathic Krays, Mad Frankie Fraser and Ronnie Biggs, Villain's Paradise reveals the chilling true story of the crimes of post-war Britain. With the narrative pace of the best detective fiction, Donald Thomas explores the most compelling cases of the era from the GBP2.5 million Great Train Robbery of 1963 to the Brighton police corruption scandal. The villains include gangland boss Jack Spot, Acid Bath Murderer Haigh (who liked to drink his victims' blood), sexual predator Neville Heath and the Messina brothers, who controlled international prostitution in London.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 528
 Publisher: John Murray
Published: 29 Jun 2006
ISBN 10: 0719563445
ISBN 13: 9780719563447
Book Overview: A thrilling journey into the heart of post-war Britain's criminal underworld

Media Reviews
'A thorough, clear and entertaining analysis of post-war criminality' Marcel Berlins, The Times 'Fascinating ... A serious, well-written book ... Admirably clear-eyed' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday 'Crime, like the poor, is always with us. Donald Thomas's skill in this book is to put it into its historical context' Ray Connolly, Daily Mail 'An intensely detailed, exhaustively researched and highly readable social history. Or, should one say, anti-social history?' Evening Standard 'A rewarding and utterly necessary read.' Clive Aslet, Country Life 'This is not just another essay in the true crime genre. Thomas has written a very decent piece of 20th century british history ... well-written, solidly-researched' Sunday Herald This is a serious ... social history ... Compelling stories ... This is fresher and more challenging than fiction The Herald For all those readers who enjoy well-researched true crime and narrative-led social history, the latest Donald Thomas is a must for their bookshelves. Gilda O'Neill, author of OUR STREET Praise for the US edition of Villains' Paradise: 'A thrilling and thoughtful encapsulation of a national fascination ... this book is a spirited collection of the best and most famous tales' New York Times '[A] wonderfully colorful history, told with all the relish of the true-crime aficionado in a very British, almost Dickensian kind of way' Publishers' Weekly
Author Bio
Donald Thomas is the author of seven biographies and is also a respected novelist. He has won the Gregory Award for his poems Points of Contact. He was born in Somerset and educated at Queen's College, Taunton and Balliol College, Oxford. He holds a personal chair at Cardiff University.