A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun: The Autobiography of a Career Criminal

Noel 'Razor' Smith

Jul 2005 · Penguin UK

About this eBook

A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun is the autobiography of convicted felon Noel 'Razor' Smith. An extraordinarily vivid account of how a tearaway kid from South London became a career criminal, it is both a searing indictment of a system that determinedly brutalized young offenders and a frank, unsentimental acknowledgement of the thrills of the criminal life. Shocking, fascinating and frightening by turns, it also reveals Razor Smith to be a remarkably talented writer.

Ratings and reviews

This was the first book I ever read that wouldn't let me put it down! So well written (unlike this review)!! It must be one of the only accounts of a young Ted/rockabilly to be published and a great one at that! I love this book! Follow this up with 'A Rusty Gun' (equally well written) and you'll soon struggle not to feel empathy for those inside!

ABSOLUTELY 100% BRILLIANT BOOK ALL TRUE BECAUSE I'VE DONE A BIT OF ROBBERY AND SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF THE POLICE AND THE SCREWS ANYWAY READ IT FOR YOURSELF YOU WON'T WANT TO PUT IT DOWN THEN WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED YOU"LL WANT TO READ IT AGAIN 👍

That LADbible video brought me here. Great read; of course it's not the Poet Laureate (yet), but then it's way better. Men like Noel need our acceptance, inclusion, and support as a society because the lack of it is precisely what's putting them (back) on the inside in the first place.

About the author

Noel 'Razor' Smith was born in London in 1960. He has 58 criminal convictions and has spent the greater portion of his adult life in prison. Whilst in prison he taught himself to read and write, gained an Honours Diploma from The London School of Journalism and an A-Level in Law. He has been awarded a number of Koestler awards for his writing and has contributed articles to the Independent, the Guardian, Punch, the Big Issue, the New Statesman and the New Law Journal. He is currently serving a life-sentence for armed robbery. A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun is his first book.