With a Gun in My Hand (Blake's True Crime)

When Reggie Kray shot Albert Donoghue from behind the bar, Albert learned that the Twins meant business. The hit was intended to avenge a loose remark, and also to test Albert's loyalty to the underworld code of silence. It was a test that Albert passed admirably. And so he became Reggie's right-hand man, his minder and chief executive. But when the Krays were arrested, they made one of their most dangerous mistakes. They told Albert to admit to a crime he had not committed—the killing of Frank Mitchell.Albert, who had become increasingly appalled by the violent turn the Twins' business affairs had been taking, testified against them. His evidence landed the Krays 30 years, but Albert and his family were sentenced to a lifetime of watching their backs. In this explosive book, Albert Donoghue reveals the shocking events he witnessed—it is the inside story of the Krays from a radically different standpoint. It sensationally charts the rise of the country's most notorious criminals, and their final descent into self-destruction. This is a book that will change the Kray myth forever.

Albert Donaghue was jailed in 1962 for a failed payroll snatch. Once release, he became the Kray's paymaster and enforcer, working for them throughout their most powerful and violent years. Albert himself played a crucial role in Frank Mitchell's escape from Dartmoor, but when Mitchell was murdered, Albert gave evidence against the Krays. He was jailed briefly for his involvement in the McVitie and Mitchell affairs but was released in 1969. Martin Short has written several books including Inside the Brotherhood. He has produced and narrated numerous documentary series, including Godfathers, which exposed the gangland bosses of Britain today.