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Cocky cover art

Cocky

By: Tony Barnes, Richard Elias, Peter Walsh
Narrated by: Graham Mack
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Summary

Curtis Warren is an underworld legend, the Liverpool scally who took the methods of the street corner drug dealer and elevated them to an art form. He forged direct links with the cocaine cartels of Colombia, the heroin godfathers of Turkey, the cannabis growers of Morocco, and the ecstasy labs of Holland and Eastern Europe to source his supply as cheaply as possible and so maximize his profits. He then sold his narcotics around the world, from the clubs of London, Manchester, and Glasgow to the beaches of Sydney, Australia.

His underlings called him the "Cocky Watchman" for his eternal vigilance and his "sixth sense". His pursuers called him "Target One". This best-selling biography, shortlisted for the Gold Dagger for crime nonfiction, uncovers his meteoric rise to become "the richest and most successful British criminal who has ever been caught". Warren was pursued by the elite of British law enforcement but repeatedly evaded their clutches, even walking free from the country's biggest-ever drugs trial.

By the time he had risen to become the biggest trafficker in the country, navigating through gang warfare in Liverpool and a number of hefty seizures, both the police and HM Custom were desperate to bring him down. How they finally did so, after managing to tap his phones and listen to his most intimate conversations, is described in pulsating detail. It also reveals for the first time the preeminent role of Merseyside gangs in the UK's drug scene, and how they rose to such dizzy, dubious heights.

Cocky is a shocking insight into modern organized crime and a vivid account of the workings of the international underworld.

©2011 Peter Walsh (P)2022 Peter Walsh

Critic reviews

"Compelling." (The Observer)

What listeners say about Cocky

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KINGPIN

Real top boy . from start to finish love it, I hope one day he makes a film

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tales of liverpools criminal underworld

I bought this expecting a deep dive into the life and emotions of a criminal. However, this book took a different perspective. We went on a journey through the history of Liverpool and it’s journey into the hands of crime, deprivation and a drugs network that spans the world.
The book contains some great detail about real police work and the challenges officers faced whilst trying to lawfully gather evidence.
I enjoyed the narrators ability to move through various characters and he gave them personality with his adaptable voice skills and tone.

Worth a listen and great for long journeys.

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weak story, terribly narrated

Really poor, awfully narrated and full of conjecture, maybe, if, possibly, we think language. A lot of it is seemingly guess work and a real let down. might have "ok" if told by someone with a better tone, it came across very dull, boring and made up.

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Interesting character

Enjoyed listening to this story - how some people live compared to your average guy is quite astounding- the money they get through and the lives it also ruins- Interesting story about a larger than life player in the underworld .

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    4 out of 5 stars

Truly horrendous narration

Probably a good book but sadly hindered but the truly awful narration. I did observe the previous reviews before reading but figured ‘it can’t be that bad’. But unfortunately, it is that bad. I’d recommend purchasing a print copy instead.

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A IMMENSE BOOK

Top book about the biggest gangster about in the underworld of Liverpool in the modern era

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Excellent reveiw

Very interesting insight into the crime not just in Liverpool but worldwide. A very good read

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Fascinating

Love this in depth insight into Curtis. I’ve read books in the past but this is the best, especially the Steve McLaren- esque Dutch accents, hilarious!!

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Interesting

Interesting book, voice narration was good, only criticism is it is easy to get a bit lot along the way. It's interesting to learn about how many people both in law or not can be associated with Cartels. It's interesting to learn about how Liverpool came to be along with it's demographic history and how crime came into fruition in the city.

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Gripping

Loved this and couldn’t wait to get in the car to listen to the next bit, a real trip through history of Liverpool drugs whilst anchoring it to a main character.

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