Hard Bastards Book

When Ronnie Kray was sent to Broadmoor, his wife Kate kept a copy of his little black address book full with telephone numbers of con men, murderers and tough guys from all over the country. A useful thing to do as it turned out, because occasionally she had to telephone them for various "bits of work". She befriended many and through them was introduced to more. The more she got to know them, the more they intrigued her. She wanted to know what made a hard man. Ronnie's little black book came through with a right result: Hard Bastards--a Who's Who of the toughest men in Britain. All the two dozen faces in this select club share three criteria, the so-called three Rs: Respect, Reputation and they can have a "Row". These are men who eat, sleep and breathe violence. Roy Shaw discovered God had given him a gift--the power of punch; Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair, the Unionist terrorist released from the Maze in 1999 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement has survived 10 assassination attempts; Charlie Bronson, the longest-serving prisoner in solitary confinement was kept naked in a cage and fed through a cat flap. SAS, murderers, gangsters, strongmen, terrorists and street fighters--the most chilling fact is how without exception they insist they're nice blokes at heart. Kray draws out the humanity from even the toughest nuts, although sometimes the lack of detail renders even the most potentially interesting characters a little thin. Her method of asking them the same questions allows readers to judge them against each other to decide who really is the hardest of them all, while their views on hanging, the effectiveness of prison as a deterrent, what might have deterred them from a life of crime and what makes a tough guy are refreshing and pointed. Kray says that the purpose of writing the book was to help people understand these men and thus fear them less. But the set up and execution of this subject can't help but celebrate these men and their sense of honour to a certain extent.--Christine ButteryRead More