Behind the fashionable bars and clubs of Soho lies a fascinating history of criminal activity, featuring some of London's most notorious gangsters. From the razor gangs of the 1920s to the post-war gangleaders Billy Hill and Jack Spot; from the pre-war French pimps and the Messina brothers to the Albanian gangs, through to the thriving Soho of today, the area has been a Mecca for thieves, conmen, drug dealers, notorious pimps and crooked lawyers. James Morton vividly portrays the crimes and criminals that have given Soho its infamous reputation, including the vicious Kray-Richardson gang, a Second World War Jack the Ripper, the shooting in the streets of Soho of gangster Jack Spot and the gangland murder of boxer Freddie Mills.
Behind the fashionable bars and clubs of Soho lies a fascinating history of criminal activity, featuring some of London's most notorious gangsters.



From the razor gangs of the 1920s to the post-war gangleaders Billy Hill and Jack Spot; from the pre-war French pimps and the Messina brothers to the Albanian gangs, through to the thriving Soho of today, the area has been a Mecca for thieves, conmen, drug dealers, notorious pimps and crooked lawyers.



James Morton vividly portrays the crimes and criminals that have given Soho its infamous reputation, including:



· The vicious Kray-Richardson gang

· A Second World War Jack the Ripper

· The shooting in the streets of Soho of gangster Jack Spot

· The gangland murder of boxer Freddie Mills.

A full, judicious and endlessly entertaining biography THE SUNDAY TIMES * ‘This hard-hitting, at times terrifying book for lovers of London, history and the human psyche portrays the area’s myriad nature so vividly that going for that drink in Soho will never seem quite the same again.’ *
IRISH WORLD * ‘Reading this book is like sitting in the snug of one of Soho’s old hostelries and listening to the tales of an old inhabitant...rattling good read.’ *
BBC HISTORY * 'His sceptical tone avoids the sensational excesses of his competitors, while his ear for ornate obiter dicta is unfailingly acute.’ *
OBSERVER

James Morton is the author of the hugely successful Gangland series. He has long experience as a solicitor specialising in criminal work and was editor-in-chief of NEW LAW JOURNAL for many years.