Gangs [Paperback]

Tony Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2005

Organised crime is now the country's third biggest industry. The number of gangland murders, shootings and kidnappings, along with the levels of drug trafficking, people smuggling and money laundering, have all experienced phenomenal growth. Multi million pound drug deals and vicious turf wars have spread out from the inner cities and now affect even the most rural communities. The day-to-day impact of organised crime on our lives has never been greater. In GANGS, award-winning author Tony Thompson takes us on a gripping journey into the underworld. From Triad human traffickers in Dover and ecstasy factory owners in Liverpool, to Albanian vice barons in London and gun-toting teenage crack dealers in Birmingham, GANGS reveals the inside story of contemporary organised crime.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Fascinating ... Thompson has a keen eye for the whimsical side of orchestrated illegality' -- Observer 'From snakeheads to yardies, kidnap to cocaine, Tony Thompson provides a vivid account of our country's underbelly. Amid the explosion in 'crim-porn' publishing over the last decade Tony Thompson has been a lone voice adding some much needed perspective. In the best tradition of the crime beat reporter, Thompson goes down the mean streets of the most insalubrious parts of Britain so we don't have to.' -- Word magazine 'Detailed and thoroughly riveting ... always grimly honest and provides an intensely readable and vivid first-hand account of criminals' lives and the impact of their activities on society' -- Herald

About the Author

The bestselling author of GANGLAND BRITAIN, Tony Thompson is crime correspondent of the Observer and an authority on organized crime.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Pb (February 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340830530
• ISBN-13: 978-0340830536
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #882,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FASCINATING READ. Highly Recommended., December 14, 2007

By 

ck_361 "ck_361" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gangs (Paperback)

Given the lack of reviews I suspect this book has not been given the attention it deserves.

Tony Thompson is a fabulous author, and writes very candidly and openly about the gang issues plaguing Britain. However, these issues are not just the UK's problem, rather, it's a microcosm of what's happening everywhere on the planet! Tony delves right into the thick of things, interviewing many criminals and researching many events -hands on - to bring together an excellent book covering many gang issues (listed below). Each event is told to us through vignettes; interesting stories that could easily spin off to be books of their own, or movies even!

I really encourage people to read this book. It's a fascinating fast read that keeps you glued from beginning to end. I was particularly fascinated with the Nigerian 419 Scam; if you can't relate to any of the other issues, you can probably relate to those annoying e-mails received trying to get you to assist some helpless soul (typically from Nigeria) with retrieving their non-existent money from a foreign bank. The author recounts a first hand experience that's quite interesting.

Unfortunately this book does leave you feeling a bit unsettled with no resolutions to the crime problems.

1. Introduction
2. Armed Robbery
3. Cocaine
4. Crack
5. Fraud
6. Hi-Tech Crime
7. Bikers
8. Cannabis
9. Money-Laundering
10. Heroin
11. Synthetic Drugs
12. People-Smuggling
13. Kidnap
14. Guns
15. Index

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Opening and Informative, October 3, 2005

By 

Ron B (The States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gangs (Paperback)

This guy has to be nuts. He researched all his material by going face to face with real criminals who have ties to the underworld. He even smokes crack with a prostitute..

By far the most interesting section was the weed smuggling chapter. I am fascinated by the drug trade in general, and its interesting to see just how similiar things are over here in the states.

There's a chapter on crack, and how it was created to market to lower class society as cocaine sales were declining. Its interesting to view crack by a business standpoint, and as someone who has come from a troubled past and having grown up in a lower income San Antonio neighborhood, it really is quite frightening.

Overall, this was indeed a good read. I bought this book for about 15 USD in the Hong Kong airport, and it has been worth every cent. I have to admit I was surprised by how many things are linked to the underground.