This is an interesting book. I have read books about the Krays before but I did learn some new details
There are some hard hitting facts in here. It’s not the best true crime book that I have read

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced py of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Like many other people I have a fascination with the Krays. so I had to read this book. It was an enjoyable read, although there was nothing in it that I had not read before.

I enjoyed this, but I didn’t think it gave any new insights or anything especially revealing that hasn’t been done in other biographies and documentaries. I was hoping that this book would provide some new angles, but although it gave differing opinions, it wasn’t anything new. It’s still an interesting read, well presented, but if you’re expecting something you haven’t read before about the Krays it’s not in here

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I just love reading and learning about The Krays. So when this new book came out called "Surviving the Krays" by
David Teale I just had to read it. I have forgotten how many books I have read about them So I was hoping this one would be different.
Sadly it was not the best book I have read about The Kray Twins but it was a good read.


Big thank-you to netgalley Ebury Press and author David Teale for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

I love anything 'Kray Twins' related as I have a slightly morbid fascination about how the Twins controlled London for so long. I was really excited to read this book as I was interested to read about them from a different perspective. Although, this book had lots of different views that are contrary to popular opinion, I felt it lacked in certain areas and became a little tedious. I'm glad I read it and enjoyed finding out different information but I have read better biographies on the Twins and this just wasn't for me unfortunately.

This is the story of the Kray Twins as written by a long time friend and member of their gang. It covers the years from the author's first meeting with them as a teenager to their trial.
I found this a fascinating book. I didn't really know that much about the Krays or the way they operated. The way they moved into places, took over and in many cases ownership all without actually paying for anything. If they wanted it - a club, a woman, a house - they just took it. Their control over certain areas of London during their active years was just astonishing.
There are two very distinct threads to this book. The most interesting sections were those the author wrote from their own memories. Although not particularly well written and with limited vocabulary, they were very sincere and showed the small details & personalities of the Krays and the people around them. The author portrayed their personalities and the fear they induced quite well. Other sections involved the author's own research into the police files, court documents and other official papers. These are naturally very dry and factual documents and made for very dull reading. Some of these sections were quite lengthy and made me stall in my reading of the book. Had these sections been incorporated differently into the book then the book would have flowed well and been easier to read.
This was an interesting book and I am glad I read it. However it could have been a much better book had the author received some professional help with the writing, structure and incorporating documentary evidence into the narrative.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Compelling Account...
First hand account, in a new perspective and clearly supplemented by much meticulous research. No spoilers here but compulsive and compelling reading.

A decent enough read, although it wasn't quite the eye opener I'd hoped for and in fact thought it became just a little bit tedious at certain points. For that reason it's a three out of five from me.
Thanks to the NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for a review.

I love all things Kray related but this book just didn't capture my attention. I found it lacking in areas. The constant references to the government etc just bored me. I thought the story would be juicier than it was.

The only book about the Krays I had read prior to this was 'The Profession of Violence' by John Pearson, and that was in the 1990s, so I came to 'Surviving the Krays' as a reader with only a general overview.

Not being steeped in Krays lore I found 'Surviving the Krays' a fascinating read. I cannot comment on how it stacks up against the plethora of other accounts however there is no doubting David Teale's insider credentials. It was David's family flat the twins and their entourage stayed in for a couple of weeks after Ronnie had shot rival gangster George Cornell. David, his wife and young family were virtually held hostage.

To say that David (and his brothers) regret getting involved with the Krays would be an understatement. The toll this involvement took beggars belief. I'll keep this review spoiler free but, suffice to say, it's horrendous with little if any upside.

David and his brothers all gave evidence at the Kray trials having previously been imprisoned on a trumped up charge, apparently to keep them protected, whilst Detective Inspector "Nipper" Read was building the case against the Krays.

To add further context to this account, David scrutinised newly released documents in the National Archives, and using this previously classified information, together with his own experiences, has some interesting insights into how and why the Krays remained untouchable for a few years, and what lead to their demise. Being the late 1960s, bent coppers and establishment cover ups play a big part.

I heartily recommend 'Surviving the Krays'. It's an engrossing and interesting account from a Krays insider.

4/5

I think I've read every book about the Krays ever published over the years, from the one Ron Kray "commissioned" John Pearson to write to promote his self-image as London's Al Capone to the more recent ones that show the reality of a couple of low-rent sick and twisted psychopathic perverts.
I thought I'd read it all and heard it all,surely decades after the gruesome twosome's reign of terror,several books,newspaper and internet articles and TV documentaries over the years everything about the Krays had been done to death?

I was proved wrong,this book promises "The Final Explosive Secret About The Krays" ,and some very surprising,and worrying, facts do come to light for the first time . Without giving anything away David Teale's book shows that there were people in roles that are supposed to protect the British public who were well-aware of what the Krays were doing but left them alone for their own reasons. mostly that was "bent coppers" but more shadowy forces were also following their own agenda.
I'd already read Bobby Teale's book about many of the events in the book but there's plenty more in here and it's always good to get a different perspective on things. I fully understood David's anger at what he saw as Bobby putting the rest of the family at risk, not least as he was fully aware of the nature of the Krays and what they were capable of doing.

This is a great read,I lost day reading it from start to finish as soon as I'd downloaded it. There are quite a few new revelations .If ,like me,you thought you'd read all there is to know about the Krays and their entourage......you haven't until you read this.Apart from anything else it's another nail in the coffin of the reputation of a pair of truly loathsome and despicable characters.