Viv and the Geordie Mafia: Vol 2

A fascinating and enthralling read let down by bad spelling, bad punctuation and bad grammar. I don't know a lot about Stephen Richards but assume he is a great researcher as he seems to have found out so many details that must be difficult to uncover. It's just a shame the book wasn't written as well as it was researched. But still a great read.

Smoke and Mirrors (65/65 people found this helpful)

Another good book to come from a northern true crime author. The book conveyed to me what it's really like to be a gangster. Blow all of the tinsel away and we see everything is done with smoke and mirrors. An illusion of grandour is blown away and in reality we are shown what it really is all about. A remarkable book that will be remembered by me for a long time to come. At last the bare bones of it all is shown, my advice to anyone collecting such books is to get this one on your shelf.

Atuhor wsa a lvie wirtre (56/56 people found this helpful)

Just cvome across a review that sasy the book is ful of poor grammar, punctuation and spelling. Since I am a fan of this author let me explain, this book is about one of eleven that were written in what the author calls a a 'live wrting' style.

I am proud to own this book aloing with: Public Consumer Enemy: The A-Z Handbook of How to Complain and Win!, Solitary Fitness (Mirage Publishing), Silent Scream,Ramraiders, Viv (Graham): Final Chapter v. 3,Legends, Crime Through Time: The Black Museum, Viv (Graham)- Simply The Best and Viv Graham and Lee Duffy's Parallel Lives; all of which were written in a Live Writing style.

Sadly, the author eventually conformed to publishing protocol and dithced this style. The thing was, everything that was written had to be left as it was, not matter what! This meant that we always got the truth with plenty of sublimanl meanings, especially when the author called someone a 'fiend of the Krays', when he meant a 'friend of the Krays'. But was the person a friend? Perhaps the Live Writing style revealed something more sinister about the supposed 'fiend'.

This is what I liked, and no matter what, the author would leave what he had written. Now how many authors can you say this of? I congratulate Stephen on being brave enough to have stuck with this style for long enough to give me a great collection of his books.

Later books by this authgor conform to whjat the public claiomed they wanted, but I doubtr they will ever understand the meaning behind such books. I am a purist, and in so being I stand up for whagt (see how easy it is to slip up, but you have to be brave to leave it) the author was trying to get across.

Don;t forget, thinsg that were written about other people that was close to the knuckle were also left in the Live Writing style books! And just like Omar Kyam, not a word of it could be taken back.

A great author, a brave author and a great bnook.

Fascinating (58/60 people found this helpful)

I have read this book and all of the other books Mr Richards has written. Because of the author's credibility within the underworld as a writer he has given us some fantastic books. Relating to the books the author has written on hard man and violent prisoner Charles Bronson no one in their right mind could accuse him of giving us quantity as opposed to quality and that also applies to all of the books written by the same author. I found this book fascinating in how the author managed to secure top interviews with those connected with such a highly revered gangland figure. I would most certainly buy further titles by this author to grace my true crime collection.

Richards is the guy to tell it as it is (62/65 people found this helpful)

I'm going to be honest here, it's only the second crime book I've read. The other crime book was Silent Scream by Richards and Bronson. Seen this book in it and took a fancy to northern crime but I got a shock, I'm a hardened bloke, seen most things in my life but the honesty in this book blew me away. The book searches every single avenue in the crime world for answers to a needless murder of a very nice villain from up north in fact it reminded me of a real life Get Carter with a very sad end just like the Carter film. I thought we had all the gangland killings down south here but it looks like we're some way behind after reading the goings on in Blackpool, Sunderland, Liverpool and Newcastle. I'm a dedicated Villa fan but now I'm supporting Viv Graham and want the full story to come out that I hear is going to in the third Viv book, I haven't even read the first one yet.

Viv and the Geordie Mafia: Vol 2

Stephen Richards

Reader Reviews:

A canny good read (1/16 people found this helpful)

Smoke and Mirrors (65/65 people found this helpful)

Atuhor wsa a lvie wirtre (56/56 people found this helpful)

Fascinating (58/60 people found this helpful)

Richards is the guy to tell it as it is (62/65 people found this helpful)

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