The Last Word: My Life as a Gangland Boss

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Eddie Richardson was for many years a dominant figure in Britain's criminal underworld. He was at the top of his game at a time when he who packed the biggest punch survived. In his revealing autobiography, he explains how he and his family rose to gangland prominence, how his dodgy deals brought him to the attention of the police, how he became a living legend and how he almost lost it all.

For the first time, he talks frankly about his rivalry with the Krays, the family feuds that ironically brought him into greatest danger, being in prison and the celebrities, toffs and coppers who shared his life of crime and violence. With brutal honesty, he describes the motivations behind his lifestyle and explains why, for him, it was only ever a question of survival. He reveals that despite the hard-man, tough-guy image, his biggest weakness was putting the safety of others before his own.

Eddie Richardson tells the gripping story of his life in the same gritty way in which he has lived it.

Reviews

a valuable social document of times we'll probably never see again - Independent on Sunday

Author Bio

Eddie Richardson was born in 1936 and grew up in wartorn south London. He forged a career as a businessman and became, together with his brother Charlie, head of a criminal gang that dominated London south of the Thames in the 1960s. After spending more than 20 years of his life in prison - where he learnt to paint - he is now 'retired' and an acclaimed artist in his own right.