Kindle Price: $6.80

Save $1.29 (16%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

John Pearson
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins Kindle Edition

by John Pearson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,825 ratings
See all formats and editions
The classic, bestselling account of the infamous Kray twins, now a major film, LEGEND, starring Tom Hardy.

Reggie and Ronald Kray ruled London's gangland during the 1960s with a ruthlessness and viciousness that shocks even now. Building an empire of organised crime such as nobody has done before or since, the brothers swindled, intimidated, terrorised, extorted and brutally murdered. John Pearson explores the strange relationship that bound the twins together, and charts their gruesome career to their downfall and imprisonment for life in 1969.

Now expanded to include further extraordinary revelations, including the unusual alliance between the Kray twins and Lord Boothby – the Tory peer who won £40,000 in a libel settlement when he denied allegation of his association with the Krays – The Profession of Violence is a truly classic work.

John Pearson is also the author of All the Money in the World (previously titled Painfully Rich), now a major motion picture directed by Ridley Scott film and starring Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg and Christopher Plummer (nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor).
Previous page
  1. Print length
    337 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Bloomsbury Reader
  5. Publication date
    March 25, 2013
  6. File size
    2816 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The most famous biography of criminal life to have been published in Britain…a cult’ Time Out

'All credit to Mr. Pearson for a brave and disturbing book' Daily Express

'A scrupulous dossier of the Krays’ weird career' Daily Telegraph

'An exciting read' The Times

'Extremely well written and fittingly dead-pan' New Statesman

About the Author

John Pearson is the author of several novels and biographies including The Life of Ian Fleming, Stags and Serpents: The History of the Dukes of Devonshire and The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins, which was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Special Award by the Mystery Writers of America.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CDQ5G08
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Reader; 1st edition (March 25, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 25, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2816 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,825 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
John Pearson

John Pearson

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
1,825 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

MARTHA MARTIN
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
Great book and quality of book very satisfied with this purchase and totally recommend it.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Lucy Bragg
4.0 out of 5 stars How the Kray twins ruled the underworld.
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
Very informative compared to the Tom Hardy movie Legend. The Kray brothers ruled parts of London with brains and brawn. And the connections of the twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray is so realistic. If you want to learn more about the Kray twins that is not in the movie then this is the book for you.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Guy Caballero
3.0 out of 5 stars Doug and Dinsdale Pirhanha in the Flesh
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
The book is interesting, but it's not organized or written well. If you want to know who the Krays were and what they did, this book will fill the bill.

Don't expect the Krays Tom Hardy played. They were much more entertaining than the real Krays.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
ashlyn
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant but devastating history of Kray twins
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Brilliant but devastating history of Kray twins. Separated Ron would have been London's answer to Capone for his ruthless ambition to be the best gangster. Reg would have turned out to be a very savvy businessman. Sadly, together, they simply destroyed each other and anyone attached to them. That includes Pearson, the author, whose life was demolished for merely stating the facts about their involvement with celebrities, politicians and law. Actor Tom Hardy, who plays both twins in "Legends" based on the book should get a nomination for a seamless performance.
25 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Gerry
4.0 out of 5 stars good read
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
I had seen a movie called Legend about the Kray twins, and I was interested to find out more about these men. It was full of information. I have not finished it yet, but it brings an insight on how some people that are this close can be so evil.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Karen M. Woods
5.0 out of 5 stars I think Reggie could have been a good man if he had been left alone to do ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
What a messed up pair of twins, they really didn't have a chance at being much more than what they became because of their mind set. I think Reggie could have been a good man if he had been left alone to do so. Ronnie's illness prevented him from being good.
The only thing that bothered me about this purchase was that it started out costing $6.95 and when I first bought it I paid $7.00. I was then notified it was no longer in stock and when I went back the next day it was in stock but the cost was now $30.00. When I got it it was a much used library book from Kansas. The only reason the price went up was because Tom Hardy is making a movie about the twins in London as I write based on this very book. Greed is a very sad thing.
11 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Melanie
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
I love it. A fascinating read detailing their early lives and how they helped shape the reputation they later carefully cultivated. After seeing the movie "Legend", I was curious about these polarizing men that wanted to play gangsters like what they saw in movies. Some people hate them, I can see why, but their lives were interesting. I can see that even back in the 60's knowing how to work your public persona could help you get away with horrendous crimes.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Dave Keep
4.0 out of 5 stars Out of date
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
A well written look at the twins that doesn’t flinch from the truth The only flaw is the afterword comes from 1995 and is out of date. That aside a chilling book
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Ben
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Superb Title!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
I really appreciate the straight forward linear manor with which John pearson writes his books. What I also thoroughly enjoy is how carefully he decides on his subjects, preferring quality over quantity in his list of titles. I believe this enables him to put real effort into his subject matter and create great levels of depth, knowledge and perhaps a strong sense of integrity his writing.

This is the third of his books I have read to date. It is it an impressively written work following the rise and fall of the Kray twins, what really works for me is the level of detail and understanding of the subject.

In many ways they were very different from each although they shared many similarities. The strange co dependent dynamic between the two was fascinating for me to read about and I believe it is largely down to this that they forged the legend they became. Like one person with two faces constantly pulling and pushing each other to higher levels of strength, power and noteriety.

There was also quite significant moments particularly in childhood that formed the basis for their relationship, various family influences and strong influence from the old east end they were brought up in also played a strong role in their formulative years. Amazing to think how strong and formidable they became kind of like pre disposition, the right/wrong place at the right time. A real piece of history their legend is, fascinating, deadly, dangerous characters thoughtfully documented in this book.
4 people found this helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Product is for kindle
Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
Excellent book!
Report
V
5.0 out of 5 stars Super!
Reviewed in Germany on June 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
Das Buch kam wie beschrieben in sehr guten Zustand und zu einem top Preis an. Ich bin begeistert. Es ist sehr gut geschrieben. Bin noch mitten drin und schlicht und ergreifend begeistert. Auf deutsch findet man leider keine Bücher und Artikel sind meistens eher schlecht recherchiert. Wenn man an den Kray Brüdern Interesse hat nur zu empfehlen.
Report
lorraine cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for your reading/listening list.
Reviewed in Australia on November 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
My family were acquaintances of the Krays and my grandma thought they were lovely young men. My dad was a member of a boxing club and was a heavy weight boxer plus a member of the Tottenham Crew, I know he worked for them and was known as someone to avoid because of his association. My mother new her place and never talked back and kept home perfectly. When I found out why everyone gave us what they were asked for I moved to another country to get away. Martin Shaw was right on the money, he portrayed them realistically and read beautifully. It brought back a lot of memories. I know they were stone cold killers but can honestly say that to me they treating me like a princess,
One person found this helpful
 Report
R T Twinem
4.0 out of 5 stars A great reread.....
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2015
Verified Purchase
Rereading this book many years later I can't help but feel that Reggie Kray might have been quite a successful business man without the need to resort to crime in order to achieve what he felt was important in life, wealth and power. However he was the second half of a demented twin, and Ronnie's life was always going to end in sadness and violence. Reggie choose to support his brother and together they built an empire of crime which was doomed to disaster as the antics of the Krays became more violent and bizarre. Added to this mix we have the highly intelligent Inspector "Nipper" Read determined to see the bad guys brought to justice and peace restored to the streets of London.
3 people found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report