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Powder Wars: The Supergrass Who Brought Down Britain's Biggest Drug Dealers
 
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Powder Wars: The Supergrass Who Brought Down Britain's Biggest Drug Dealers (Paperback)

by Graham Johnson (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Mainstream Publishing; New edition edition (6 Oct 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1840189258
  • ISBN-13: 978-1840189254
  • Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 13 x 2.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 4,852 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #3 in  Books > Biography > True Crime > Mafia & Organised Crime
    #4 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Law & Disorder > Issues > Drugs
    #10 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Law & Disorder > Criminology

Product Description

Product Description

Gangster Paul Grimes was a one-man crimewave with a breathtaking capacity to steal. Any villains who got in his way were made to pay - often with their blood. But when his son died of a drugs overdose, the old-school mobster swore revenge on the new generation of Liverpool-based heroin and cocaine dealers. Against all odds, he turned undercover informant. The first gangster to fall foul of Grimes' change of heart was Curtis Warren, aka 'Cocky', the wealthiest and most successful criminal in British history. Grimes infiltrated his cocaine cartel and led Customs to the largest narcotics seizure on record, putting Warren in the dock in the drugs trial of the twentieth century. After turning his attention to heroin baron John Haase, Grimes rose to become the boss of the villain's notoriously bloodthirsty 'security firm' - a professional gang of racketeers addicted to cocaine, explosive violence and non-stop criminality. But as his net began to tighten, Grimes was confronted with the ultimate dilemma. He discovered his second son was now a rising star in the drugs business. The life-or-death question was: should he shop him or not? Powder Wars also reveals the secrets behind one of the most controversial episodes in British judicial history - how former Home Secretary Michael Howard was duped into granting John Haase a Royal Pardon. Today, Paul Grimes has a GBP100,000 contract on his head and is a real-life dead man walking. Powder Wars is a riveting account of modern gangsters told in brutal detail.


From the Publisher

Powder Wars is the true story of the supergrass who brought down Britain's biggest drug dealers. Gangster Paul Grimes was a one-man crimewave with a breathtaking capacity to steal. Any villains who got in his way were made to pay - often with their blood. But when his son died of a drugs overdose, the old-school mobster swore revenge on the new generation of Liverpool-based heroin and cocaine dealers. Against all odds, he turned undercover informant.

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Powder Wars: The Supergrass Who Brought Down Britain's Biggest Drug Dealers
70% buy the item featured on this page:
Powder Wars: The Supergrass Who Brought Down Britain's Biggest Drug Dealers 4.1 out of 5 stars (11)
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Cocky: The Rise and Fall of Curtis Warren, Britain's Biggest Drugs Baron 4.2 out of 5 stars (19)
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The Devil: Britain's Most Feared Underworld Taxman
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Druglord: Guns, Powder and Pay-offs
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping Read, 5 Jan 2007
One of the best true crime books ive read, so much so i felt i had to review it. Undoubtedly Paul Grimes was a proper villain back in the day - his exploits with the 'Hole in the Wall gang' tell all. He turned his back on crime and became what every criminal says they despise - a grass or in Pauls case - a supergrass because of his stance against the drugs trade. Fair play, he had it all and lost it all - and his rise and fall is well documented in this book. Its an honest reflection of his life and its all true unlike a lot of other so called villains and hardmen who spout absolute boll***s throughout their pages. And with regard to the review that says about him giving curtis warren a good slap and him being young - thats real life, you want to be a standover man and live in that world be prepared for the consequences. I recommend bernard o'mahoneys wannabe in my gang for another good read on the pitfalls and realities of the drug trade, maybe then you can appreciate that what grimes did was perhaps save a few lives -if only for a short while.
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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars First review, 1 May 2004
Best British true crime book ever written. I couldn't put it down. It's like Wiseguys by Nicolas Pillegi, the book which Goodfellas, was based on.

Unlike other British crime books which seem to concentrate on the Krays and gangsters in London 40 years ago, Powder Wars is about modern organised crime. It's speed is breathtatking.

If you bought Cocky - buy this. It's good.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Top Class Read, 25 Oct 2004
By david calder (Bootle, Merseyside.) - See all my reviews
An excellent read from start to finish. If you have read Cocky then you will truly love this book as there are several crossovers between the two. Granted if you are not from Liverpool you may struggle with some of the slang but its still a great read. Exhilirating from start to finish, it gives you a vivid insight into what makes these guys tick and the ruthless and callous manner in which they exercise their force.
Being a scouser myself I loved the familiarity it gave me to names and locations but this aside, a neutral would still enjoy it without a doubt.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Crazy true story
A gripping story which is frighteningly true. I'm amazed that the crimes and money being generated could possibly go undetected. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Artisan 998

4.0 out of 5 stars Powder Wars
I was not sure about this book but took a chance and found it easy reading. The characters captured my attention and at no time was it boring. Read more
Published 1 month ago by emily helen

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
This is a really interesting book on the crime scene based on true events from a "supergrass". A great author who tells the story of drugs and violence in a way that I could not... Read more
Published 18 months ago by R. Daniels

2.0 out of 5 stars Hypocritical Claptrap.
This dodgy Scouse geezer wants us to believe he turned his back on crime because of the drugs trade which apparently was causing a lot more hurt to people than his own method of... Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2007 by Cornisle

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Paul Grimes's story of how he turned suoergrass after the death of his son from drugs is a cracking read. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars What a book!
A great read from start to finish. At the end of it you kind of feel a bit sorry for him in a strange way. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2005 by jingle_bells

5.0 out of 5 stars superb,superb,superb
what a book a must if you have read cocky,a lot better than cocky due to the fact that unlike curtis warren the person involved had a direct input into the book.........p. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2005 by Mr. J. P. Lapatrie

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing..
didnt enjoy this book.

i read the review, i bought the book and i was disappointed.

I found it a bit boring and the repeated use of slang words got too much after a... Read more

Published on 18 Oct 2004 by seabro

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