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A thrilling journey into the heart of post-war Britain's criminal underworld

About the Author

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.

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 20050918 '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 20051028 'An intensely detailed, exhaustively researched and highly readable social history. Or, should one say, anti-social history?' -- Evening Standard 20051017 'A rewarding and utterly necessary read.' -- Clive Aslet, Country Life 20051027 '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 20050925 'This is a serious...social history ! Compelling stories ! This is fresher and more challenging than fiction' -- The Herald 20050910 '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 20050427 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 20050427 '[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 20050427