From piracy on the high seas to the recent Securitas depot robbery in Kent, Britain has a long and inglorious tradition of armed robbery as a way of life. In this uniquely compelling history, reformed career criminal Terry Smith brings the benefit of hard-won wisdom to his analysis of all the major cases. Casting a sharp eye over both the dangerously devil-may-care 'blagger' and the more organised professional 'villain', he brings an insider's point of view to the most high-profile armed robberies of the past 50 years. Each chapter has a full and comprehensive account of the robbery in the words of those who participated in it (including some exclusive interview material), the media, police and court records - starting from the initial spark through to the planning, organisation and execution of the crime, and how it came to be solved by law enforcement.

The Metropolitan Police of the mid-twentieth century, in particular The Flying Squad and Obscene Publications Squad, has been described as 'the most routinely corrupt organisation in London'. Larger-than-life characters such as Ken Drury and Alfred 'Wicked Bill' Moody routinely fraternised with underworld figures, paid off witnesses and struck dodgy deals to get their man – regardless of whether he was innocent or guilty. And the problem went far beyond a couple of 'bent' coppers: in the end, fifty officers were prosecuted, while 478 took early retirement. Using Metropolitan Police files obtained under Freedom of Information, which have not been accessed since the 1970s, author Neil Root can finally tell the real story of how the Met became systemically corrupt, and how Sir Robert Mark, who became commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1972, finally cleaned it up.

In 1988 a fresh-faced 18-year-old, Barry Ley, made his first tentative foray into the cut-throat world of timeshare sales. This book chronicles his adventures around the world, from side-splitting anecdotes of sales tactics to hair-raising tales of extortion and organised crime. It follows Barry's story from his first days as a rep in 1988 to his time in Mexico, detailing all his adventures, relationships and losses along the way. Ninety per cent of those who enter the timeshare business give it up within a fortnight, such are the pressures they face. But for those who stick it out the rewards can be sky high: the chance to earn big money, and have a bloody good time doing it. Blaggers is an insider's exposé of timeshare salesmen - the people we all love to hate - as they fast-talk and freewheel their way around one of the most ruthless marketplaces on earth.

Bassist and writer Aaron Joy presents his series of music crossword puzzle books that look at the bands, albums and history, including famous and indie. Find his books at www.lulu.com/aronmatyas. This book includes 14 puzzles, featuring the bands: Anti-Heros, Cockney Rejects, Orlik, Red Alert, Templars, Splodgenessabounds, Angelic Upstarts, Blitz, Iron Cross, the Press, Cobra, U.S. Chaos, Blaggers ITA, the Burial, 4-Skins, the Business, Cock Sparrer, Klasse Kriminale, Mr Floppy, Combat 84, the Ejected, Anti-establishment, Blood, Oppressed, Sham 69, Oxymoron, Sledgeback, C.A.F.B., Discocks, Garotos Podres, Skrewdriver, Samurai Attack, Peter And The Test Tube Babies

The inspiration for the major motion picture starring Daniel Craig: a high-octane crime novel set in the dangerous London underworld of the 1990s. Kingpins, dealers, rival gangs, false allegiances, bad faith, and good money. There are many levels to the world of drugs lurking beneath the polished surface of London—a “layer cake” of crime that can chew up and spit out even the most experienced of players. Though he’s only twenty-nine, our narrator (“If I told you my name, you’d be as clever as me”) has made a small fortune in cocaine, enough to retire by thirty if he plays his cards right. But then word comes down that Jimmy Price, one of the biggest Dons in the city, has a job for him, one last big score that could set him up for good. All he has to do is find Charlotte Ryder—and then figure out how to escape the tangled web of the underworld alive. A high-intensity novel filled with bluffs and double crosses, dangerous enemies and even more treacherous allies, Layer Cake is a “walloping debut” (Kirkus Reviews), guaranteed to take you on a breathless, breakneck ride from the first page to the final con. “A storming piece of work: funny and serious by turns, with an abiding sense of conviction.” —The Guardian

What s it like to be a beautiful female expat living the good life in the MiddleEast? Becky Wicks reveals everything in this scandalous Middle East...

‘Moon Over Soho cements [the Rivers of London] series as my favorite urban fantasy series. The humor, the world-building, the action, the magic, the mystery, the procedural—all are top-notch.’ — Ranting Dragon My name is Peter Grant, and I’m a Police Constable in that mighty army for justice known as the Metropolitan Police (a.k.a. the Filth). I’m also an apprentice wizard, the first in fifty years. When your dad is an almost famous jazz trumpeter, you know the classics. And that’s why, when Dr Walid called me down to the morgue to listen to a corpse, I recognized the tune it was playing as the jazz classic ‘Body and Soul.’ Something violently supernatural had happened to the victim, strong enough to leave its imprint on his corpse as if it were a wax cylinder recording. The former owner of the body, Cyrus Wilkinson, was a part-time jazz saxophonist and full-time accountant who had dropped dead of a heart attack just after finishing a gig. He wasn’t the first, but no one was going to let me exhume corpses just to see if they were playing my tune. So it was back to old-fashioned police legwork, starting in Soho, the heart of the scene, with the lovely Simone – Cyrus’s ex-lover, professional jazz kitten and as inviting as a Rubens portrait – as my guide. And it didn’t take me long to realise there were monsters stalking Soho, creatures feeding off that special gift that separates the great musician from someone who can raise a decent tune. What they take is beauty. What they leave behind is sickness, failure and broken lives. Reviews for Moon Over Soho Mr. Aaronovitch is, in short, writing the best contemporary occult detective series on the shelf today, and that’s by a substantial margin.’ — Pornokitsch ‘Moon Over Soho is a gripping continuation of River of London’s well executed blend of police-procedural and fantasy with a good splash of horror thrown in. This is urban fantasy done with a loving attention to detail and enlivened by an ever present wit making this series a must-read for anyone who likes their fantasy with a strong edge of realism.’ — SF Book Reviews

The first thing that caught my eye was the geezer with the gold tooth - the second was that he was holding a shooter - and the third that he was pointing it at me.' Carlton Leach is a gangland legend - the mere mention of his name strikes fear into his enemies; yet to his friends he is as loyal and caring as they come. If trouble comes calling, Carlton isn't afraid to let his fists do the talking and woe betide anyone who crosses him, or those close to him. At last, in Rise of the Footsoldier, Carlton gives the full account of his life including how his story has been made into a hugely successful film. Born and raised in East London, Carlton was a key member of the notorious Essex Boys gang and the West Ham InterCity Firm, one of the most violent hooligan gangs to trouble the football terraces during the eighties. He's been shot at, stabbed, glassed - he's even had an axe in his head. Yet the event that really brought turmoil into his life was the murder of his best friend in the infamous Range Rover murders. Carlton vowed that he would find those responsible and make them pay. There isn't much that Carlton hasn't seen or experienced in his life and his tales of violence, gang wars and close calls with death will have you on the edge of your seat. He knows how close he has come to dying and has therefore shut the door on a gangland life. He may have changed but, as he himself says, 'I'll always need to exercise the Carlton Leach brand of justice. It's in me -