The Last Godfather : The Life and Crimes of Arthur Thompson

One dark night in London during the 1960s, the city's famous twins in crime, the Krays, were holding court in their busy nightclub when they were told somebody wanted to see them. This in itself was audacious enough but what happened next simply beggared belief. There, on the Krays' home turf, the stranger who had made this bold request pulled a sawn-off shotgun from under his coat and demanded that Ron kiss his brother Reg's arse. As Ron knelt and complied with what he'd been asked to do, the grim-faced man smirked and, in a strong Glasgow accent, announced, 'Ma name's Arthur Thompson - ye'll remember me!' Backing out and still holding the gun, Thompson jumped into a waiting cab and sped off through the streets of London This is the opening of The Last Godfather, the true story of Arthur Thompson as it has never been told before. Reg McKay goes back to trace Thompson's criminal life from his apprenticeship as bouncer and heavy for the mobs, his graduation to armed bank robber and through to his rise to the top of the UK's criminal world. Once he had attained this postition, keeping hold of it was never going to be easy and Thompson had to fight constantly to maintain his status as top dog in a world where violence ruled. McKay covers the many 'contracts' taken out on Thompson's life and how he managed to survive the hit men who were out to get him. He also explores the private tragedies the man endured and his possible affiliation with Irish paramilitaries. Thompson supposedly died in his bed of a heart attack but McKay suggests the cause of death may well have been due to something much more sinister...