The Cult Of Violence : " The Untold Story Of The Krays " :

I'd read The Profession of Violence a couple of times and found it readable and edifying ... and I liked Pearson's authorial voice. So I came to this title with high hopes. And I come away from it feeling somewhat deflated & disappointed.It's the kind of book that's written for and read by people who don't really read books much. It's like an article in The Mail on Sunday or something: purports to be insightful and intelligent but is actually dumbed down and rather moralistic in tone. Yes, we know how many Good Boy Doggie Drops the Krays deserve, we don't need reminding of it every third page or so. There's moreover a tone of "I made my excuses and left" permeating throughout.And Pearson should get his facts right: Mick Jagger never owned Redlands, Keith Richards did ... and talking of Keith Richards, his surname is Richards, not Jones ... Jones was the surname belonging to Brian, also of The Rolling Stones. So if he gets simple stuff like that wrong, what about those more difficult concepts that need grasping? Can we trust the information?On the plus side, Pearson explores the dynamic between Ron & Reg and leads us into a explanation of their weird that makes a lot of sense. He explores the possible/probable motivations behind their rise to celebrity and their maintaining their place in the blinding limelight. And in the end, their journey there isn't one to fame & fortune so much as true bathos: they start out and everyone's scared of them ... and they finish up sad & pathetic, with just a lavish East End Villain's Funeral, that they won't even witness, to look forward to.Finally, a lot of this book is about the researching and writing of The Profession Of Violence. Tell you what, John Pearson has some guts to even have taken the project on, persisting with it and finally delivering a book that rendered him vulnerable to his subjects' negative responses to it.It's a pity this book doesn't really measure up to its predecessor.

I'm sorry, but I didn't like this book at all. I know that some people have said that it is as good as Pearson's earlier Krays book, The Profession Of Violence. However, I certainly think that it is as BORING as The Profession Of Violence. I wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into it at all. I have no intention of looking up any of John Pearson's other books, as these two books have put me off him for life. I wasn't very impressed with this book at all. One more for the bin.

Fascinating book. I was six when the Krays were imprisoned but was nevertheless vaguely aware of them throughout my teens and twenties, such was their ability to remain in the limelight. It's impossible to imagine two people establishing and exerting such a degree of control over a large area of the Capital nowadays based on pure fear. Their seemingly charmed life and ability to mix in and influence the higher echelons of the British Establishment from their humble origins is truly fascinating and throws a glaring light on the relative innocence and naievety of a long-past era. Well written by the author, who clearly knew the Krays well and had true insight into their bizarre and fascinating characters.

An in depth look at the psychology of the twins and the effects they had on one another. The theory of Ronny Kray's disturbed mind being the result of childhood diphtheria is very interesting as is Reg's loyalty to his brother to the very end when he could have saved himself from such a long sentence. John Pearson was obviously very much on the inside track and offers insights that make this book a great read.

Well written, but thoroughly depressing unless one has a criminal and violent mind, which I haven't.

Enjoyed this book.thank u

Really easy to read telling the story from another point of view, some facts I didn't know

A good read. I would have liked to have read Pearson,s earlier book on the Krays, The Profession of Violence.

I had read this book many years ago and could not put it down. I bought it for my mother and she was the same.