Reviews

The subtitle Over Thirty Years of Blood, Sweat and Tears refers to what has actually been suffered by other people, of course, at the vicious hands of Reg Kray, his unlamented siblings and their criminal associates. For almost three decades, particularly throughout the Sixties, the Krays in the East End and the other prominent heavy mob, the Richardsons in south London, dominated the underworld of the metropolis through the gangster methods of violence and intimidation. This partially apologetic autobiography, apparently written without a ghost author (not even one of the Krays' victims), seems to suggest that Reg is remorseful about his bad old ways in the bad old days. He talks about brothers Ron (died naturally 1995) and Charlie (died naturally in April this year), about his marriage to Roberta, about faces and places in the past, and the new role he has found for himself in prison. The book and its reformed character theme are probably not unconnected with Reg's application for parole which will be decided upon over the next year. He has spent half of his life in clink.