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Gangland chronicler Wensley Clarkson expertly documents each chapter of Hill's outrageous, violent, crime-filled life using exclusive contributions from . . . many of London's most legendary criminal faces of the last 50 years, to compile the biography of King Billy, the first rich gangster to colonise the Costa Del Crime . --Euro Weekly
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There will never be another Billy Hill - Reggie Kray. Bill had a great brain. There's no two ways about it - Frankie Fraser. I made Billy Hill. Then he got over the top of me. I should have shot Billy Hill. I really should. I'd have got ten years for it but it would have made me happy and I'd be out now - laughing - Jack Spot. I have no doubt that during his career Hill had some very senior officers in his pocket - Leonard 'Nipper' Read, legendary Scotland Yard detective. Billy Hill was Britain's first celebrity gangster. Born in London's impoverished Seven Dials, by the early 1950's he had control of the city's gambling rackets and masterminded a heist that set the template for the Great Train Robbery. He ruled the roost in the bloody era when the underworld's choice of weapon was the open razor. His violent clashes with onetime ally turned enemy Jack Spot became the stuff of legend, as Hill and his henchmen left the streets of Soho running red. But Hill was astute enough to choose his moment to get out, abdicating in favour of his gun-toting young protégés, the Kray twins . . . In this fast-moving biography, Wensley Clarkson charts the life of the only post-war British villain to truly make crime pay.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pity it's got a lot of facts wrong,
This review is from: Billy Hill: Godfather of London (Hardcover)
Very largely based on Billy Hill's own 1955 autobiography, 'Boss of Britain's Underworld', which is about to be re-published. Mr Clarkson's book is largely inaccurate about Billy's later life (from the late 1950s until his death in 1984), his common-law wife Gyp and his son Justin. The true story will soon be told.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly Abysmal,
By
This review is from: Billy Hill: Godfather of London (Paperback)
I've been a fan of Wensley Clarkson who has written some very good books; up `til now. Billy Hill - Godfather of London is quite simply an awful book for a variety of reasons. First, it is written in `yob-speak', aimed at the `Diamond geezer' type of reader, and I'm at a loss to why Mr. Clarkson should have done this. Next, it appears that little research has been carried out, to confirm or deny extracts which have been drawn from a variety of books, especially from Billy Hill's memoirs, some of which are not noted for their veracity. And last, Mr. Clarkson has inserted as facts, details which are simply not true. He refers to Bert Wickstead as being a Flying Squad detective (he wasn't) and that he served under Ted Greeno (he didn't) and when he refers to the legendary Fabian of the Yard, he really should have credited him with his proper name of `Robert', instead of `Jack'.
No, Mr. Clarkson is more than capable of writing far better books than this, and I hope he will; this one goes straight in the waste-paper basket.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
London Gangster,
This review is from: Billy Hill: Godfather of London (Hardcover)
Billy Hill: Godfather of London
Fascinating but misleading in depicting subject as a hero. The bravery and fearlessness of these people is unbelievable and yet Billy and his confederates did not direct their talents to helping out the war effort. Their cunning and inginuity would no doubt have been welcome in the armed forces. Instead they seem to have prospered and benefited from the War.
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