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The Krays: The Prison Years
The Krays: The Prison Years
Dec 31, 2025 7:26 PM

Author:David Meikle,Kate Beal Blyth

The Krays: The Prison Years

In the 60s, Ronnie and Reggie Kray were Britain’s most notorious gangsters. With violence and intimidation they were the kings of London. They sipped champagne with celebrities and rubbed shoulders with politicians. They were untouchable.

Until they weren’t.

After an undercover operation, the Kray twins were found guilty of murder and were sentenced to life in prison. They were just 35 years old.

But once inside, the twins were determined to make their stay truly historic. The Twins began earning more money inside than they ever did on the streets. They sold branded t-shirts and memorabilia and they allowed books and films to be published about their lives. They didn't stop.

Whilst locked up, their mother died as did their brother Charlie, and their associates and friends all fell away. But while Britain changed as a nation, the brothers continued to operate as the gangsters they once were. Their violence ingrained so deep that they couldn’t leave it behind.

The Krays: The Prison Years explores the fascinating and largely untold story of the Kray twins following their imprisonment.

Reviews

This explosive book has lifted the lid on the Kray twins’ time in prison

—— The Sun

The remarkable world of these East End gangsters behind bars

—— Daily Express

Celebrities were drawn to Ronnie and Reggie Kray like moths to a flame

—— Daily Record

Ronnie and Reggie Kray might have been serving life in prison for murder, but that didn’t stop them living the high life with their celebrity friends

—— Daily Mirror

Meikle and Blyth have a rich subject and it is an absorbing read

—— Budapest Times

a fascinating account

—— Choice Magazine

Moody and atmospheric, with sardonic humor; a meaty slice of horror

—— Kirkus Reviews

Stewart is masterful. He weaves a chilling, supernatural plot with a playfulness and brings the darkest chapters back from the edge. I suspect Stephen King would be impressed

—— Bookality

This eldritch escapade is certainly an option for kids too old to go trick-or-treating

—— Wall Street Journal

A Gentleman in Moscow is a tale abundant in humour, history and humanity, with a poignant message about time passing. That Towles also makes this rollicking good fun is no mean feat.

—— Constance Watson , Sunday Telegraph

WINNING . . . GORGEOUS . . . SATISFYING . . . TOWLES IS A CRAFTSMAN

—— New York Times Book Review

Towles’ use of language is an absolute pleasure to read and you can’t help but savour every last word . . . What makes it a great work of historical fiction is the apt creations the author builds outside the hotel walls in a truly tumultuous time. Towles creates such a memorable character in Rostov and this book brings something for everyone - humour, history, friendship and philosophy

—— Irish Times

A Gentleman in Moscow is exquisitely propped and styled, from the silver samovars to the red covers of Baedeker guides . . . [T]he count charms and disarms, and his story sparks much joy and a new anti-Kondo philosophy: chuck much, but keep all the books.

—— The Times

A sheer delight … a gorgeous comic epic.

—— Daily Express

I adored A Gentleman in Moscow . . . This is a lovely, meandering story as charming and elegant as the Count himself.

—— Red

What makes it a great work of historical fiction are the creations the author builds outside the hotel in a truly tumultuous time.

—— i Newspaper

If we do a better book than this on the [Simon Mayo Radio 2] Book Club, we'll have a very very good year!

—— Matt Williams, Radio 2 Book Club

A Gentleman in Moscow is quite a novel. Towles’ use of language is a pleasure and you can’t help but savour every word . . . a great work of fiction.

—— The Herald

A love story like no other, in a beautiful-looking book.

—— Sun

The perfect escapist read, Amor Towles’ A Gentleman In Moscow is utterly mesmerising.

—— Stylist

An inventive and charming novel

—— You magazine

The same gorgeous, layered richness that marked Towles' debut shapes this novel

—— Entertainment Weekly

A masterful writer . . . a talent for conjuring up scenes from the past and present and bringing them into remarkable focus

—— Washington Times

This novel is as much a celebration of that great culture as it is a biography of an irrepressible and indomitable spirit . . . an absolute must read.

—— Irish Independent

Spread across four decades, this is in all ways a great novel, a nonstop pleasure brimming with charm, personal wisdom and philosophical insight.

—— Kirkus

This is parable for all world travellers.

—— GQ

A charming novel.

—— Sunday Times Culture Magazine

Lovely, long and lingering story.

—— Red

Written with a clipped, capering style and comic flair that can't fail to charm.

—— Compass magazine

A profound, often funny survey of mid-20th-Century Russia

—— Daily Telegraph

Unputdownable

—— Irish Independent

Among the greatest comic novels of all time . . . told with such style and wit that every page reduced me to helpless laughter and admiration

—— The Daily Express, BOOK OF THE YEAR

The book I would recommend to anyone who appreciates what only fiction can do … It’s a page-turner and a delight.

—— David Hepworth , Radio Times

I love the novels of Amor Towles, especially A Gentleman in Moscow - he has this ability to nail the idiosyncrasies and quirks of a character in just a few words.

—— Antonio Pappano , Daily Telegraph

A heart-warming story that asks the reader to consider what is important in life. We loved it. *****

—— Woman’s Weekly

I can highly recommend A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles as lockdown reading ... The story resonates because we have all endured restricted lifestyles of late and may continue to for months to come.

—— Philip Rodney , The Times (Scotland)

It is a good book to read during this pandemic because it's about how he is being confined to Moscow's Hotel Metropol.

—— Dougray Scott , Metro

Towles's book is a delight, with a beguiling central character and lively descriptions of life in Russia over a period of 30 years.

—— Independent

A wonderful bookwhich gives the reader an understanding of life in post revolution Moscow.

—— Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

Totally original novel ... A great deal of Russian history is also subtly woven into this magical book, which is tear-jerking but never sentimental, with a quite unexpected and thrilling ending.

—— Daily Mail

Wonderful, combining brilliant storytelling with beautiful writing.

—— Jeffrey Archer, Daily Express

I love the novels of Amor Towles, especially A Gentleman in Moscow - he has this ability to nail the idiosyncrasies and quirks of a character in just a few words.

—— Antonio Pappano, Daily Telegraph

It's hard not to fall in love with Count Rostov, an impeccably mannered and mischievous aesthete placed under permanent house arrest at Moscow's Metropol hotel ... An endearing and frequently hilarious novel that covers big topics with a velvet touch.

—— Independent
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