Tony Thompson

The landscape of British organised crime has changed beyond all recognition over the last five years. Youth violence, the drug trade and rising levels of gun crime are rarely out of the news. The country also continues to experience an influx of powerful foreign criminal syndicates who are establishing operations here in order to take advantage of Britain's global connections. Beginning on the troubled streets of the inner cities, Gang Land takes its readers on a journey up through the underworld hierarchy until it finally reaches the very highest levels, occupied by elusive and shadowy 'Mr Big' characters. Written using a mix of personal experiences, undercover work, primary research and cutting edge investigation, this fully updated paperback edition of Gang Land sheds new light onto this highly secretive, often terrifying and utterly fascinating world.

Creedence Clearwater Revival were a San Francisco band of the 1960s that had nothing to do with Human Be Ins, Timothy Leary, or the Summer of Love. They were, for a time, the most popular band in the US but never scored a number one hit. They were headliners at Woodstock but didn’t appear in the film or on the soundtrack LP. They shared a radical ‘back to basics’ sensibility with The Band but were not embraced by the emerging rock press with anywhere near the same enthusiasm. When the punks were hunting dinosaur bands to extinction in 1977, Richard Hell covered one of their songs on his debut album. In the 1980s, as their songs became staples of ‘classic rock’ radio, they were revered by underground bands like The Gun Club, The Minutemen and The Scientists. As Butch said to Sundance, ‘Who are those guys?’ In this book, a track-by-track analysis of all the band’s recorded output, Tony Thompson rolls up the sleeves on his plaid shirt and prepares to answer the big questions. Who’s Jody? What is ‘chooglin’? Where is Green River? Why can’t the singer leave Lodi? Who was the fortunate son? Is the bathroom on the right?

The Doors remain one of the most original acts in the history of Rock and Roll. However, their actual music is sometimes overshadowed by the cult of Jim Morrison. Those with long memories will recall a point in the 80s when he went from lead singer of an old band to a signifier of cool known as ‘Morrison.’ His image appeared everywhere on t-shirts, posters, and in the film The Lost Boys, adorning a wall in Keifer Sutherland’s vampire cave. A biopic in the 1990s attempted something like realism but managed only to dramatize the legend of the ‘Lizard King’. Meanwhile, outside of a few high rotation tracks on ‘classic’ rock stations, most of their work took a back seat to Jim’s ever-growing status as a cultural icon. This book dusts off the vinyl and puts on the headphones for a sustained reappraisal of the band’s musical career. Hidden gems, deep cuts, overrated top ten hits, and the enigmatic series of album closers are all subjected to late night interrogations. Let’s head to Venice Beach circa 1965, pick up a Fender bass organ on the way, take a face from the ancient gallery and walk on down the hall!

In an era, long before humans gained dominion over the world, it was the Age of the Dragon Race. The power of the Dragons has begun to wane and the End of Days draws near. A dark Wizard has risen to power in the Lands of the Khans, hoping to rule the world. With power stolen from the Dragons, Jochi threatens to bring forth an Apocalypse. In The Eighth Lion, a rogue Dragon named Meeha breaks a time-honored Covenant of the Dragon Race by sharing startling information kept hidden from humans for thousands of years. Her actions, and those of her decsendents, put Dragons and Humans alike on a collision course with destruction. Dragons and humans must work together to prevent the extinction of both races. In doing so, they may just answer a question, which has plagued humans for a millenial. Do Dragons have souls?

In an era, long before humans gained dominion over the world, it was the Age of the Dragon Race. The power of the Dragons has begun to wane and the End of Days draws near. A dark Wizard has risen to power in the Lands of the Khans, hoping to rule the world. With power stolen from the Dragons, Jochi threatens to bring forth an Apocalypse. In The Eighth Lion, a rogue Dragon named Meeha breaks a time-honored Covenant of the Dragon Race by sharing startling information kept hidden from humans for thousands of years. Her actions, and those of her decsendents, put Dragons and Humans alike on a collision course with destruction. Dragons and humans must work together to prevent the extinction of both races. In doing so, they may just answer a question, which has plagued humans for a millenial. Do Dragons have souls?

In the year 1818, Cha Kai Ta-or Crow to the warriors who follow him-has been consumed by a jealous hatred for his clever, younger brother, Nai Pa. He has hidden his feelings from his parents, his brother, and the other members of his tribe for years, but they burn within him growing in intensity with each passing year. Consumed by his rage, Crow commits the ultimate sin. His violence unknowingly unleashes an evil upon the children of the nearby lands for decades to come. Local inhabitants are forced into an unnatural alliance in order to combat a supernatural force. Driven by insatiable hunger and a thirst for revenge, only courage, strength, and a great sacrifice will bring an end to the hunt of the Beast. In this novel, a Great Lakes region tribe is forced to migrate south in order to avoid a coming war with the white settlers from overseas. This migration and the resulting events will trigger the creation of a violent, ravenous monster.

As one of the UK’s leading forensic scientists, Mike Silverman has helped to identify and convict dozens of murderers, rapists, armed robbers, burglars and muggers, thanks to the evidence they – or their victims – unwittingly left behind at the scenes of their crimes. Mike Silverman started his career in the days when fingerprints were still kept on card files and DNA profiling was just a pipe dream, so Written in Blood is more than just a casebook – it is also a definitive history of the development of forensic science over the course of the past thirty-five years.From collecting blood samples at gangland executions to investigating forensic science failings, including in the murders of Rachel Nickell and Damilola Taylor, Mike Silverman’s unique career provides a fascinating insight into the ways forensic science is used to help solve real-life crimes. Packed with genuine crime scene photographs and original sketches, Written in Blood is the ultimate insider’s account of the fascinating world of forensic science.

The shocking inside story of life in a biker gang, from one of Britain's top true-crime writers As a member of the international motorcycle club known as the Pagans, Daniel "Snake Dog" Boone had a ringside seat to some of the most violent biker battles ever fought. When he joined his small-town club in the early 1980s, Boone could never have imagined that the ragtag group would one day grow to become a part of the Outlaws, a major gang that would challenge the Hell's Angels for supremacy around the globe in a battle lasting decades. Through Boone's eyes, true-crime master Tony Thompson takes us into the fray, and into the heart of a shocking subculture. Outlaws is filled with outrageous stories that will have you gasping with equal parts laughter and horror.

Cambridge, 1961. A group of students set off on the trip of a lifetime. Against the backdrop of the Cold War they travel through the Soviet Union to the Middle East, South Asia and on to Africa. Their mode of transport? The iconic VW Kombi. This book tells the story of that trip, not just the people they met and the places they saw, but the many experiences - sometimes nerve-wracking, sometimes bizarre - that they encountered along the way. It provides a fascinating insight into a world on the brink of change - seen through the eyes of nine young men fresh from university. The two VW Kombis doggedly traversed treacherous mountain passes, near-impossible roads, jungle tracks and river crossings on their journey through Anatolia, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. This book is an affectionate and highly entertaining re-creation of the relationship between the nine young travellers and their companions, the two VW Kombis which functioned as transport, shelter, canteen and home. It is also a tribute to the determined and rugged determination of the VW Kombi whose descendants still tackle the highways and the more daunting roads of the world.

An outlaw motorcycle club is a band of brothers like no other. Hidden away from mainstream society behind multiple layers of secrecy, mythology and a sophisticated campaign of misinformation that portrays them as nothing more than loveable rogues, the brutal truth about the biker world has long escaped public scrutiny. In reality, today's outlaw bikers are at the epicentre of a violent underworld subculture, enforced by a ruthless code of silence, and control a global criminal empire worth millions. Spanning the UK, Europe, America, Canada and Australia, OUTLAWS is a compelling, shocking and chilling story of how bikers are born and made, and how and why they die.

This is the story of an international group of drug smugglers, their criminal success and the hunt to bring them to justice. There were sixteen of them, from America, Britain, Australia and Thailand, and together they were called 'The Ring'. They first began exporting marijuana in the aftermath of the Vietnam war, and over the years they smuggled vast shipments into the USA and Europe, becoming multi-millionaires in the process. In 1988, they decided to carry out one final heist that would ensure they could retire forever. However, they were intercepted by the police, and the key Ring members all had to flee to avoid being arrested. With unlimited money at their disposal and contacts in all parts of the globe, they were the ultimate fugitives. Tracking them down would call for a fifteen-year international manhunt. Tony Thompson describes their rise, fall and eventual capture in a thrilling, fast-paced true crime adventure.

From the bestselling author of GANGLAND BRITAIN and REEFER MEN.Organised crime is one of Britain's biggest industries. The number of gangland murders, shootings and kidnappings, along with the levels of drug trafficking, people smuggling and money laundering, have all experienced phenomenal growth. Multi-million pound drug deals and vicious turf wars have spread out from the inner cities and now affect even the most rural communities. The day-to-day impact of organised crime on our lives has never been greater.In GANGS, award-winning author Tony Thompson takes us on a gripping journey into the criminal underworld. From Triad human traffickers in Dover and ecstasy factory owners in Liverpool, to Albanian vice barons in London and gun-toting teenage crack dealers in Birmingham, GANGS reveals the inside story of contemporary organised crime.

An account of a triple-murder case in Essex, by the man who was its "supergrass". In December 1995, the bodies of three men were discovered in a Range Rover in a country lane. All three were well-known villains and each had been blasted with a shotgun at point-blank range.