A review by hayleysbooks13
Killers Behind Bars: Britain's Deadliest Murderers Tell Their Stories by Kate Kray

4.0

‘‘It’s like being on another planet…that’s the only way you can cope with it. I had to forget about my life before and think of it as being taken away from the world I had always known and put into another world.’’

Kate Kray, the wife of the notorious twin, Ronnie Kray, has written this book to introduce the reader to 10 murderers that are ‘lifers’ (have a life sentence). It sounds simple and like every murder documentary on Netflix going, but I found this so much more than that. Some readers may believe that people who have murdered others don’t deserve their story to be told, but after reading this, you might think differently.

Kate Kray repeatedly says she agrees with these people being in prison, quite rightly(!), however listen to this: ‘In her chapter she openly admits taking the knives that killed the boy, but she didn’t kill him. Someone else did. Ricky too, should be punished for what he did, but doesn’t the fact that the vicar tried to abuse him count for anything?’ I recommend you read this book and see for yourself what the ‘lifers’ have to say.

The book is so interesting from the get go! It has sections on how disabled people cope in prison without any facilities, and it explains what happens when a woman is pregnant when she goes into prison. I’ve seen the standard Orange is the New Black, Prison Break, Line of Duty etc. but this book is so much more real; painting the picture of the ‘lifers’ from their own point of view. Were they in the wrong situation at the wrong time? Are they down-right lying? Or are they completely innocent?…

It’s so easy to get lost in the short stories of the different people and some parts are so interesting and unforgettable that I’ve gone back to read sections to my partner! I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re fascinated by criminals, unsolved cases and most of all – murders.

‘I don’t think that murder should carry a mandatory sentence. I do think that if you commit murder you should go to prison, but I think that each case should be judged on its own merits.’

Do you agree?

4/5 from me!