East End Gangland

Morton, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0751530050 ISBN 13: 9780751530056

Publisher: Sphere, 2001

The East End has always held a malign fascination for the general public. In this book James Morton looks at this phenomenon from the days of the unsolved murders committed by Jack the Ripper to the 1960s when the Kray Twins held the reins of the Underworld, to the present and how the structure of crimes and criminal gangs has changed.

EAST END GANGLAND looks not only at the Twins but also at the influx of immigrant gangs of the 1900s, the powerful Chinese drug dealers of the 1920s, the racecourse gangs, the men who ran crime on the docks, and organised prostitution throughout the century to the major drug dealers of today.

Review:

A refreshing change from those that examine only the life of the Kray family. A fascinating read (SUNDERLAND ECHO)

A fascinating look behind closed lock-up doors...a book that will prove essential reading for anyone who thinks they know East London. (EVENING STANDARD)

Morton's account...destroys quaint ideas about crime. (BIG ISSUE)

The tales are told with a flourish in a fascinating, useful and lively history (THE TIMES)

Book Description:

* A history of East End gangsters from the 1870s until today, charting the changes in society and the way the Underworld has evolved to stay ahead of the Law.