Legacy

Gangsters, Corruption and the London Olympics

By: Michael Gillard

Narrated by: Ben Elliot

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's Summary

Bloomsbury presents Legacy by Michael Gillard, read by Ben Elliot.

When billions poured into the neglected east London borough hosting the 2012 Olympics, a turf war broke out between crime families for control of a now valuable strip of land. 

Using violence, guile and corruption, one gangster, the Long Fella, emerged as a true untouchable. A team of local detectives made it their business to take him on until Scotland Yard threw them under the bus and the business of putting on 'the greatest show on earth' won the day. 

Award-winning journalist Michael Gillard took up where they left off to expose the tangled web of chief executives, big banks, politicians and dirty money where innocent lives are destroyed and the guilty flourish. Gillard’s efforts culminated in a landmark court case, which finally put a spotlight on the Long Fella and his friends and exposed London’s real Olympic legacy.

©2019 Michael Gillard (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic Reviews

"Reveals criminal corruption on a scale that the Kray twins would never have dreamt of." (John Pearson, author of The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins)

"Gillard's detailed investigation makes for a stunning and shocking read." (Barry Keeffe, author of The Long Good Friday)

"Legacy illustrates the sordid links between business, politics and organised crime." (Ioan Grillo, author of El Narco and Gangster Warlords)

Very Interesting book; numerous sub-plots

Excellent book, well told true life turn of events. The political back drops is barely believable, but equally obvious !

Not your average crime caper.

Excellent and interesting

Excellent presentation of something important and close to my understanding due to the location and the area

Excellent book

I listened to it in two days, which may be a record?

Very well researched, not unnecessarily dramatic for the sake of it.

A rare thing indeed.

Quality

This audiobook is a top drawer account of London crime, and police corruption. Well documented and great narration.

Excellent book

A disturbing book about crime in Newham and the indifference to it of those in senior positions in the police, politics and business.

Over promised

What I thought was going to be a rich and fulfilling listen seemed to be more a list of transactions of wrong doers and what they were infamous for. I expected a much better story, and a story it isn’t. More like a 5 year diary. I gave up at chapter 8 as it became monotonous .

Excellent Listen

Well researched although you will need to read in between the lines with some of the information

Incredible circumstances of one corner of London

Amazing story, about brave people investigating twisted people involved in endemic corruption. Bravely told also: not many people could do what Michael Gillard has done. Everyone in London should read this, we are all under the same Met police authority, this affects us all. Quite a lot of detail presented, I might by the paper book also to immerse myself in it again. Well read I thought though, and I am quite fussy about readers.

Intriguing read

Fascinating story with two main prongs: (i) the life story of gangster David Hunt and (ii) corruption in the police and Newham politics. There’s a few somewhat loosely connected tangents (West Ham’s bid for the Olympic stadium) but overall the Olympics don’t feature much.

This book is quality

one of the best books on east end london underworld on audible if not full sotp.Highly recomended