{"title":"Dick Kirby","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the world of Dick Kirby, where thrilling adventures await. Perfect for those who love action-packed stories, Kirby's books promise excitement and suspense on every page. Explore his collection now!\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"racetrack-gangs-book-dick-kirby-9781526778727","title":"The Racetrack Gangs","description":"Between the two World Wars, there was a dramatic upsurge of violence as rival criminal gangs vied for rich pickings from bookmakers at racetracks throughout England.  With ready access to cash, 'bookies' were a magnet for mobsters' blackmailing demands. Refusal to pay resulted in severe punishment. Their justified fears spawned a ready 'protection' market .  Conflict between rival gangs were frequent and increasingly violent. Charles 'Darby' Sabini with his brothers ran 'The Italian Mob' who clashed with Billy Kimber and his Brummagen Hammers.  Uneasy partnerships were formed but seldom lasted. The Sabinis were friendly with the Cortesi family until a rift resulted in one of the Cortesis shooting Harryboy Sabini. Other gangs such as The Titanics and The Nile Mob were ready to fill voids. As well as broken alliances, internal friction and members changing sides resulted in bloodshed on the streets, in pubs and clubs and on the courses. Public order was so threatened that the Flying Squad was tasked with the eradication of the problem and, in 1936, the celebrated Battle of Lewes Racecourse brought matters to a bloody conclusion.  This well researched and gripping account describes the vicious dramas played out in the 1920s and 1930s.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49505293631761,"sku":"GOR011462303","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49644214059281,"sku":"GOR011955038","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49738641473809,"sku":"NGR9781526778727","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50379710071057,"sku":"CIN1526778726G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526778726.jpg?v=1751087327"},{"product_id":"wrong-man-book-dick-kirby-9780750964135","title":"The Wrong Man","description":"David Ralph Martin was a cross-dressing criminal who carried out a string of sophisticated offences in the 1970s and ’80s. A prolific burglar, car thief, fraudster and gunman, he possessed a deep loathing of anyone in authority. In addition, he was a master of disguise and a veritable Houdini when it came to escaping from prison. After shooting a policeman during a botched burglary, he escaped from court on Christmas Eve, 1982. When police believed him to be in a yellow Mini in the Earls Court area with his girlfriend, they opened fire, only to discover they had shot an entirely innocent man – a 26-year-old film editor named Steven Waldorf. The investigation became a cause célèbre at the time, and was subsequently taken over by Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad, of which the author was a member. One of the biggest manhunts in the history of the Metropolitan Police ensued, before Martin was finally arrested after dramatically fleeing down the tracks between two Underground stations. Author Dick Kirby reveals for the first time the inside story of the hunt for ‘the most dangerous man in London’, whose eventual arrest brought to an end one of the most contentious investigations in Met history.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49510881657105,"sku":"GOR007415225","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51824864133393,"sku":"GOR007674462","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0750964138.jpg?v=1766657391"},{"product_id":"operation-countryman-book-dick-kirby-9781526712547","title":"Operation Countryman","description":"Reveals the incompetence of the internal police enquiry into Metropolitan and City of London Police corruption.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49511596589329,"sku":"GOR009436602","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49734703939857,"sku":"NGR9781526712547","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50037869150481,"sku":"GOR009825924","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50455681532177,"sku":"CIN1526712547G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51520797704465,"sku":"GOR011644634","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53391212347665,"sku":"GOR011081831","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526712547.jpg?v=1750760734"},{"product_id":"sweeney-the-first-sixty-years-of-scotland-yard-s-crimebusting-book-dick-kirby-9781848843905","title":"The Sweeney: The First Sixty Years of Scotland Yard's Crimebusting","description":"The story of sixty years of Scotland Yard's top crime-busting department has been written over a twenty year period by a former detective who spent over eight years with the Flying Squad - The Sweeney.The meticulous research by the author has uncovered files never before released by the Yard and he has amassed the tales of bravery and top-notch investigations, carried out by the Squad officers of yesteryear.The book commences with the dramatic account of the daring gold bullion and jewellery raid in 1948 by a gang of well-organised criminals from the newly-opened Heathrow Airport.  The Flying Squad were lying in wait for them and what happened next, was described by a judge at the Old Bailey as, 'The Battle of Heathrow'.The Flying Squad was formed to stem the tide of lawlessness, following the First World War; from humble beginnings using horse-drawn wagons, they swiftly progressed to high-speed cars.  Taking on the might of the Racetrack Gangs, armed robbers and smash \u0026amp; grab raiders, the Squad was brought to the forefront of the public's attention.The war years, the secret post-war Ghost Squad, the horse-doping scandals, the Great Train Robbery, the Bank of America robbery, Supergrasses and corruption are recounted with its scrupulous attention to detail. The book is filled with thrilling, amusing and always compelling anecdotes from the men who were there.  It was the Flying Squad who inspired the popular TV series.  This book reveals what life was really like in The Sweeney.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49512069628177,"sku":"GOR005990498","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52771319185681,"sku":"GOR005255228","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848843909.jpg?v=1751313835"},{"product_id":"you-re-nicked-book-dick-kirby-9781845294632","title":"You're Nicked!","description":"The controversial cop of The Real Sweeney is back - and he's taking no prisoners!  You're Nicked! describes the golden era in the metropolitan police force which no longer exists. Dick Kirby, that loose cannon of the Flying Squad, recounts with vigour his extraordinary adventures during the 1960s through to the 1990s in a style which gets straight to the point. His frank account of the way policing used to be takes us straight into the crime-ridden streets of Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam - and London. Whether he's carrying out arrests in a hostile East End pub or on a schizophrenic arsonist in a blazing building, Kirby tells it as it is. Trapping some of London's most vicious armed robbers and nabbing the thief who cracked the Flying Squad commander's safe, his adventures are described with his trademark black humour, in often shocking and always uncompromising language.  When Kirby tells a villain, 'You're nicked, my son!' - he stays nicked! With law and order in London currently approaching meltdown, this book will be irresistible to the reader who longs for the days when crime and criminals were dealt with in Kirby's robust, no-nonsense manner.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49535829246225,"sku":"GOR001068112","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49962915397905,"sku":"CIN1845294637G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52357379129617,"sku":"GOR010516887","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53383544045841,"sku":"GOR001703725","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1845294637.jpg?v=1751217446"},{"product_id":"london-s-gangs-at-war-book-dick-kirby-9781473894761","title":"London's Gangs at War","description":"The 1950s and 1960s saw a changing of the guard in Londons gangland.  A new and even more ruthless breed of criminal emerged to replace the ageing generation of likes of Sabini, Mullins and Hayes.  Protection rackets on bookies, club owners and shops were commonplace.  Prostitution and drugs offered rich pickings.  Police corruption was all too commonplace.  Thanks to media interest the names of Charlie Richardson, Mad Frankie Fraser, Scarface Smithson and the Nichols became as widely known as they were feared.  And then there were the Kray Twins, whose notoriety and brutality became watchwords.  But as this insider book reveals they did not have it all their own way.  For a thrilling and shocking story Londons Gangs at War is in a class of its own.  What makes it so chilling is that the murders, torture and mayhem actually happened.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49539177447697,"sku":"GOR008616326","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49642868408593,"sku":"GOR010272824","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53576309080337,"sku":"GOR009365146","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/147389476X.jpg?v=1751242599"},{"product_id":"scotland-yard-s-ghost-squad-the-secet-weapon-against-post-war-crime-book-dick-kirby-9781848844513","title":"Scotland Yard's Ghost Squad: the Secet Weapon Against Post-war Crime","description":"When the Second World War ended, England was bombed-out and starving, with practically every saleable commodity rationed. It was the age of austerity and criminal opportunity. Thieves broke into warehouses, hi-jacked lorries and ransacked railway yards to feed the black market; others stole, recycled or forged ration coupons. Scotland Yard was 6,000 men under strength but something dramatic had to be done - and it was.Four of the Yard's best informed detectives were summoned to form the Special Duties Squad, which became widely known as the Ghost Squad. They were told: 'Go out into the underworld. Gather your informants. Do whatever is necessary to ensure that the gangs are smashed up. We will never ask you to divulge your sources of information. But remember - you must succeed.'They did. Divisional Detective Inspector Jack Capstick, a brilliant thief-taker and informant runner, Detective Inspector Henry Clark, who knew the south London villains as few other detectives did and in addition, possessed a punch 'like the kick of a mule' and Detective Sergeants Matt Brinnand and John Gosling, who topped the Flying Squad war-time arrests, set about their task using informants, undercover officers and their own unsurpassed ability. In under four years, they arrested 789 criminals, solved 1,506 cases and recovered stolen property valued at GBP250,000 - or GBP10 million by today's standards.The Ghost Squad was a one-off. 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Such a group of intrepid crime-busters will never exist again.  They possessed only the most rudimentary education; none had a degree.  Intuition and knowledge of their 'manor' counted for more than DNA and databases.  They worked tirelessly in the pursuit of criminals, used informants, worked on hunches and grabbed hold of investigations and shook them until every piece of evidence was unearthed.  Criminals trembled when these detectives were after them because, once they were nicked, they stayed nicked.rnrnThe Guv'nors covers legends such as Fred Wensley, who nailed strips of bicycle tyres to the soles of his boots when on the look-out for Jack the Ripper.  He later formed the Flying Squad and became chief constable of the CID.  Fred Sharpe would single-handedly confront forty of the worst racetrack gangsters and tell them to 'clear off', anyone who refused would collect a punch on the jaw. 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The author of Rough Justice, The Real Sweeney, You're Nicked! and Villains, Kirby also contributes to newspapers and magazines on a regular basis, as well as appearing on television and radio.rnrnIn retirement, he lives near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49540789076241,"sku":"GOR004203636","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49580916146449,"sku":"GOR010722727","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50336749191441,"sku":"GOR007290148","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1845631358.jpg?v=1751448448"},{"product_id":"brave-blue-line-100-years-of-metropolitan-police-gallantry-book-dick-kirby-9781848846524","title":"Brave Blue Line: 100 Years of Metropolitan Police Gallantry","description":"In their daily battle against a remorseless tide of crime, officers of London's Metropolitan Police routinely risk their lives protecting the Capital. In The Brave Blue Line Dick Kirby, the former Scotland Yard detective turned popularcrime author, has brought together a superb collection of inspiring stories of police gallantry over the last hundred years.Officers to be honoured with the George Cross, the highest civilian award, have their stories told including Jim Beaton who saved Princess Anne from kidnap in The Mall.Three women officers have been awarded the George Medal, two for decoy work, the third for a heroic rooftop rescue.The book concludes with the astonishing story of a retired detective who tackled armed robbers - at the cost of his eye. He may have left the Met behind him but not his courage.Every page of this gripping book with its thrilling and well researched accounts of outstanding acts of gallantry by policemen and women makes for inspiring reading. This is crime writing of the highest order.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49556380320017,"sku":"GOR008247813","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49564637266193,"sku":"GOR005838337","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49870514585873,"sku":"GOR007036357","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848846525.jpg?v=1750767786"},{"product_id":"scotland-yard-s-gangbuster-book-dick-kirby-9781526731531","title":"Scotland Yard's Gangbuster","description":"In the late 1960s the Richardson Torture Gang and the Kray Twins were removed from the London scene by ACC Gerry McArthur and DS Nipper Read respectively.  Predictably it was not long before the vacuum this left was being filled. With McArthur retired and Read moved on, who was to sort out the new gangland threat.  Step forward Detective Chief Superintendent Bert Wickstead. Having cut his teeth on young desperadoes and neo-Nazis in North London and solved London's biggest post war bank robbery, Wickstead was well qualified to head up the Yard's Serious Crime Squad.  First to fall were the Dixon brothers, followed by the Tibbs family. As his fame spread he took on the West End Maltese Syndicate specialising in prostitution and extortion. When he broke up the Norma Levy call ring, two cabinet peers had to resign.  Inevitably Wickstead's career was dogged by unproved allegations of malpractice but, as this riveting 'insider' account conclusively proves, he more than earned his sobriquet 'The Gangbuster'.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49557900427537,"sku":"GOR009591924","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49562676560145,"sku":"GOR010646966","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53121356497169,"sku":"GOR011644656","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526731533.jpg?v=1751275344"},{"product_id":"scotland-yard-s-murder-squad-book-dick-kirby-9781526765338","title":"Scotland Yard's Murder Squad","description":"In 1906 the Metropolitan Police Commissioner was asked by the Home Office to make available skilled investigators for murder enquiries nationwide as few constabularies had sufficiently skilled - or indeed, any - detectives.  Thus was born the Reserve Squad, or Murder Squad, as it later became known. Despite a reluctance by some forces to call upon The Met, the Murder Squad has proved its effectiveness on countless occasions with its remit extended to British territories overseas. A particularly sensitive case was the murder of a local superintendent on St Kitts and Nevis.  A former Scotland Yard detective, the Author uses his contacts and experiences to get the inside track on a gruesome collection of infamous cases. Child murderers, a Peer's butler, a King's housekeeper, gangsters, jealous spouses and the notorious mass murderer Dr Bodkin Adams compete for space in this spine-chilling and gripping book which is testament to the Murder Squad's skills and ingenuity - and the evil of the perpetrators.  Brimming with gruesome killings, this highly readable book proves that there is no substitute for old fashioned footwork and instinct.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49567716802833,"sku":"GOR011778761","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49655137566993,"sku":"GOR013437569","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49735775322385,"sku":"NGR9781526765338","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50690501607697,"sku":"GOR014037351","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526765330.jpg?v=1751456772"},{"product_id":"villains-book-dick-kirby-9781845295691","title":"Villains","description":"Police officers are now no longer encouraged to talk to criminals, and that's a pity.  Wonderful stories once were shared as a result of a quick pint with a snout down the pub, or as a respite during interrogation, when both copper and criminal would stop for a fag.Those were the glory days, where gripping accounts of slashings, fit-ups, dodgy deals, blaggings and petermen would filter through and become folklore. These days such intimacy is frowned upon (and smoking in interrogation cells is of course banned) so it is only here that these stories can be recounted.   In Villains' Tales the reader will be introduced to the bad, the mad and the dangerous to know, recounted in gripping style by those who had intimate dealings with the shady characters, both criminal and copper, from London's underworld, long ago.  All the usual suspects are here - the Krays, the Richardsons, plus a few surprises and several hidden gems. Literally.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49569638351121,"sku":"GOR001231289","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50116714397969,"sku":"CIN1845295692G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50608528458001,"sku":"GOR001565560","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50662069567761,"sku":"GOR004261762","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50937553191185,"sku":"GOR012112667","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1845295692.jpg?v=1751433144"},{"product_id":"scourge-of-soho-book-dick-kirby-9781783464012","title":"Scourge of Soho","description":"Detective Sergeant Harry Challenor is undoubtedly one of the most controversial policeman of all time.  Born into grinding poverty in 1922, Challenor served with the prestigious Special Air Service during World War Two, was parachuted behind enemy lines, was captured twice, escaped twice and was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery.  Joining the post-war Metropolitan Police, Challenor began his one-man crime crusade.  After four years with the elite Flying Squad, Challenor was sent to London's West End to clear up crime in Soho.  Pimps, racketeers and crooks were rounded-up and often found themselves in possession of a bewildering assortment of armaments of which they denied all knowledge.  More sensible gangsters, like Reg and Ron Kray, took off as soon as his name was mentioned.  A reward of GBP1000 was offered by the gang leaders to anyone who could successfully bring sufficiently damaging allegations to have Challenor transferred, but in the end, it was not needed. During a political demonstration in 1963, half-bricks were planted on innocent protesters which resulted in three young policemen being imprisoned and Challenor was certified as being a paranoid schizophrenic and sent to a succession of psychiatric hospitals and care homes.  Policeman-turned-author, Dick Kirby, has interviewed former friends and colleagues of Harry Challenor and has meticulously studied court records and official documents to write the sensational and extraordinary story of the man whom became The Scourge of Soho.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49578853138705,"sku":"GOR007324192","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53409408418065,"sku":"GOR011534575","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1783464011.jpg?v=1751411354"},{"product_id":"death-on-the-beat-book-dick-kirby-9781848846203","title":"Death on the Beat","description":"There is little that shocks the British public more than the killing of policemen and women whilst tackling criminals. 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The case of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, shot from inside the Libyan Embassy in 1984, remains highly contentious.Acclaimed crime writer and former Met detective, Dick Kirby has drawn deep on his knowledge and contacts within and outside the Metropolitan Police to get first-hand accounts of these crimes, the ensuing investigations and the aftermath for those affected directly. Written in his no-holds-barred and authoritative style, Death on the Beat, Dick's ninth book, promises to be the best yet.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49610419044625,"sku":"GOR007254391","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51359209128209,"sku":"GOR014237551","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848846207.jpg?v=1751436099"},{"product_id":"real-sweeney-book-dick-kirby-9781841199115","title":"The Real Sweeney","description":"From his bruising first experience of giving witness to securing Britain's first ever double-supergrass, Dick Kirby describes with a strong dose of humour the trials and tribulations of over twenty years spent in the Serious Crime Squad and Flying Squad. Not for him the flabby compromises shown to today's criminals. Kirby's methods lead straight into the underworld, meeting informants in often dangerous situations, gathering together intelligence before hitting the criminals hard, either when they're carrying out a crime or hauling them from their beds at an unwholesomely early hour. Whether it's the Kings Cross job that became the worst kept secret in London, or the case of the unhappy bigamist who burst into tears, Kirby tells things the only way he knows - no punches pulled. 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Born into grinding poverty in 1922, Challenor served with the prestigious Special Air Service during World War Two, was parachuted behind enemy lines, was captured twice, escaped twice and was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery.  Joining the post-war Metropolitan Police, Challenor began his one-man crime crusade.  After four years with the elite Flying Squad, Challenor was sent to London's West End to clear up crime in Soho.  Pimps, racketeers and crooks were rounded-up and often found themselves in possession of a bewildering assortment of armaments of which they denied all knowledge.  More sensible gangsters, like Reg and Ron Kray, took off as soon as his name was mentioned.  A reward of GBP1000 was offered by the gang leaders to anyone who could successfully bring sufficiently damaging allegations to have Challenor transferred, but in the end, it was not needed. During a political demonstration in 1963, half-bricks were planted on innocent protesters which resulted in three young policemen being imprisoned and Challenor was certified as being a paranoid schizophrenic and sent to a succession of psychiatric hospitals and care homes.  Policeman-turned-author, Dick Kirby, has interviewed former friends and colleagues of Harry Challenor and has meticulously studied court records and official documents to write the sensational and extraordinary story of the man whom became The Scourge of Soho.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49631035556113,"sku":"GOR007549225","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50333167976721,"sku":"GOR005931176","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51682097660177,"sku":"GOR008797036","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1781593507.jpg?v=1751025936"},{"product_id":"scotland-yard-s-flying-squad-book-dick-kirby-9781526752178","title":"Scotland Yard's Flying Squad","description":"Since 1919 Scotland Yard s Flying Squad has been in the forefront of the war against crime. From patrolling London s streets in horse-drawn wagons, it has progressed to the use of the most sophisticated surveillance and crime-fighting equipment.  Between the Wars, the Squad targeted protection gangs who infested British racecourses and greyhound tracks. The highly effective Ghost Squad was formed to tackle black-marketeering in the aftermath of the Second World War.  As crime figures soared in the 1950s and  60s the Flying Squad, as C8 Department was now known became involved in the most serious cases nationwide   The Great Train Robbery, Brink s Mat, The Millennium Dome and Hatton Garden heists. As always, the Squad concentrated on ambushing and arresting armed robbers in the act as, in police parlance, they  went across the pavement .  Despite many high-profile successes, allegations of corruption have haunted the Flying Squad and after the conviction of officers in 2001 there was a very real possibility of disbandment.  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The meticulous research by the author has uncovered files never before released by the Yard and he has amassed the tales of bravery and top-notch investigations, carried out by the Squad officers of yesteryear.  The book commences with the dramatic account of the daring gold bullion and jewellery raid in 1948 by a gang of well-organised criminals from the newly-opened Heathrow Airport. The Flying Squad were lying in wait for them and what happened next, was described by a judge at the Old Bailey as, The Battle of Heathrow.  The Flying Squad was formed to stem the tide of lawlessness, following the First World War; from humble beginnings using horse-drawn wagons, they swiftly progressed to high-speed cars. Taking on the might of the Racetrack Gangs, armed robbers and smash \u0026amp; grab raiders, the Squad was brought to the forefront of the publics attention.  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Muriel McKay, wife of a senior News of the World Executive was kidnapped in 1969\\. Although her body, believed to have been fed to pigs, was never found, the perpetrators were convicted. The same fate was suffered by the business partner of a Polish farmer. James Camb murdered a glamorous actress feeding her to sharks but this did not stop women flocking to see him in court. John Haigh confessed to disposing of his nine victims in acid. Again, his trial was a sell-out.  Dick Kirby, former Scotland Yard detective turned best-selling crime writer has  unearthed' a fascinating collection of disappearances such as the dismemberment of a gay man's wife who had threatened to expose him in the 1950s. Later, when a woman's head was discovered near his home, he confessed only to find that it dated from Roman times. 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It quickly becomes clear to the reader that Kirby and his colleagues practised their art in a markedly different style than that prevailing today. Corners were cut, regulations ignored and pettifogging rules trampled on in the wider public interest of bringing criminals to justice and preserving law and order. Above all the best senior detectives led fearlessly.  Kirby describes front line policing where the public came first and the criminals a poor second. There are great stories of arrests, ambushes, fights and meeting informants in unlikely places.  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Using his first-hand knowledge he highlights the often unconventional methods used to frustrate and outwit hardened criminals and the satisfaction gained from successful operations.  One chapter – “An Old Master” – accurately describes the theft of Goya’s portrait, The Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in 1961. 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Even the vast majority of hardened crooks baulk at what is seen as the ultimate crime  -  the mandatory death sentence in days of capital punishment reflected public disgust at such a crime, particularly when the police were largely unarmed.  This book spans fifty years of crime enforcement and describes in detail the ever present danger to the police who patrolled London's streets and who lost their lives in the line of duty.  Many of the police officers died carrying out run-of-the-mill police duties; from PC Nat Edgar, shot in 1948 by a burglar to PC Patrick Dunne, the home beat officer murdered while investigating a domestic incident in 1993; it took 13 years for his killer to be brought to justice.  WPC Yvonne Fletcher was mercilessly gunned-down policing a demonstration in Central London in 1984, as was Detective Sergeant Ray Purdy, whilst arresting a cheap blackmailer. PC Ray Summers, an officer with less than two years service, stabbed to death as he broke up a gang fight, and the three-man crew of the 'Q' car wiped out by gunmen in 1966, all feature in these pages.  There are the thrilling stories of the investigations into the IRA after the murder of PC Stephen Tibble and the horrific bombing of Harrods store which cost three brave police officers their lives.  Retired detective Dick Kirby has drawn deep on his knowledge and contacts within and outside the Metropolitan Police to track down those people who were there, who were involved in the investigations and those who were left behind; and how the trauma of losing a colleague or a loved one affected them.  Written in his trademark gripping authoritative style, Death on the Beat, Dick Kirby's ninth book, promises to be the best yet.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49921146126609,"sku":"GOR005334184","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1845631617.jpg?v=1751026895"},{"product_id":"whitechapel-s-sherlock-holmes-book-dick-kirby-9781783831791","title":"Whitechapel's Sherlock Holmes","description":"The story of Fred Wensley, a Somerset gardener who joined the Metropolitan Police in 1888 and retired, forty-one years later as Chief Constable of the CID,  is an extraordinary one.  After an abortive attempt to catch 'Jack the Ripper' by nailing strips of bicycle tyres to the soles of his boots, Wensley got stuck into arresting the ne'er-do-wells of Whitechapel, where he would spend twenty-five years of his service.  Within months of joining the CID, Wensley, while off duty,  arrested a double murderer.  He smashed the murderous Bessarabian and Odessa gangs, brought the Vendetta gang to book when, brandishing revolvers they tried to storm a police court, played a decisive part in the Siege of Sidney Street and created the Flying Squad.  Wensley's career was dogged with controversy; when Stinie Morrison was convicted of murder, was he, as he claimed, framed by Wensley?  And was Edith Thompson, hanged for the murder of her husband, as Wensley stated, 'a cold-blooded murderess' or, as her defence counsel claimed, 'a fanciful dreamer'? The first King's Police Medal was awarded to Wensley; he was appointed OBE and commended on many of occasions. 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Brimming with gruesome killings, this highly readable book proves that there is no substitute for old fashioned footwork and instinct.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51606918201617,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51606918660369,"sku":"NGR9781526766533","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526766531.jpg?v=1780566500"},{"product_id":"scotland-yards-bravest-and-best-book-dick-kirby-9781036150662","title":"Scotland Yards Bravest and Best","description":"During the 20th Century, unarmed Scotland Yard detectives and their uniform counterparts needed to be physically tough and fearless, given the ruthless, armed criminals they confronted.  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Detective Sergeant Ryland only survived being killed by sticking his thumb between the hammer and the percussion cap of his assailant’s revolver and when an army deserter fired shots at the police, he was caught with the assistance of Police Dog, Rex III and a detective’s truncheon. Two officers tackled a mentally deranged axeman on a roof, 50 feet above street level, warding off his attack with a pig-bin lid – these and many other tales of outstanding bravery await the reader in the pages of Scotland Yard’s Bravest and Best.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51692827050257,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51692828033297,"sku":"NGR9781036150662","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53074420072721,"sku":"GOR014728754","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53431059677457,"sku":"GOR014916887","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1036150666.jpg?v=1751143240"},{"product_id":"scotland-yards-supergrass-years-book-dick-kirby-9781036193287","title":"Scotland Yard’s Supergrass Years","description":"Supergrasses – professional criminals, often armed robbers, who were caught red-handed and willing to turn informer against their fellows in return for a reduced sentence – were a hugely valuable crime fighting asset during the 1970s and ‘80s.  But this is the riveting inside story of a supergrass with a difference. Donald Walter Barrett was caught for a serious offence and, having turned supergrass, received a reduced sentence and then, following his release went on to commit more ruthless armed robberies amounting to £1.6 million. The more shocking involved the use of proxy bombs where an explosive device was attached to the victim who was told it would be detonated by remote control if he failed to comply with the robbers’ demands. Using this method, Barrett took an employee of a cash depository and his family hostage overnight, before raiding the depot and stealing £480,000 cash.  Following his sensational arrest for a robbery of gold bullion, Barrett became the Metropolitan Police’s one and only double Supergrass. The Author, a much published and respected crime writer, was one of the Met Flying Squad officers who debriefed Barrett.  The thrilling book features Barrett’s wide-ranging associates including ‘Bertie’ Smalls and ‘The Wembley Mob’, George Ince (whose lover, Dolly Kray provided an alibi) and a whole assortment of colourful and professional career criminals.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53065964585233,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53065965011217,"sku":"NGR9781036193287","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781036193287.jpg?v=1771322875"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/fr-fr\/collections\/auteur-livres-de-dick-kirby.oembed?page=3","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}