East End Gangland

Murder. Extortion. Vice. Drugs. From the immigrant gangs of the early twentieth century to the Kray twins and after, nowhere in Britain is as synonymous with organised crime as London's East End.

Now, in this fascinating and revealing book, James Morton looks back at the crimes and the criminals that have given the area its legendary reputation: the Sabini brothers, nicknamed "The Italian Mob" whose extortion racket was helped by a close relationship with the police; the fight, in the 1950s for "King of the Underworld" between Jack Spot and Billy Hill; the rise and fall of Ronnie and Reggie Kray.

Morton brings the story right up to date, exploring the movement away from robbery and blackmail towards drug dealing and the rising influence of ethnic gangs. Impeccably researched, 'East End Gangland' offers both absorbing detail and informed overview, chronicling those who may have lived beyond the law, but never broke the unwritten rules of the underworld.