Tearaways

At the turn of the 20th century, the port city of Liverpool, the trading heart of the British Empire, saw the emergence of ruthless gangs of street thugs who terrorised both the law-abiding and the lawless alike. The Ladder Gang, the Racing Boys and the Black Hand revelled in the fear their names evoked. They were joined by girl gangs, robbery teams and sectarian mobs who fought out religious rivalries in the city's alleyways and rookeries.


By 1946, the city had 86 juvenile gangs, with names like the Skull and the Snake Eyes, many of them living virtually beyond the law. New terrors such as the Peanut and Swallow gangs then appeared, only to themselves be followed in the 1950s by the Teddy Boys and territorial youth factions such as the Park Lane Gang, who could hold an entire district to ransom.


Sequel to the acclaimed 'The Gangs of Liverpool', which was shortlisted for the Portico Prize for Literature, 'Tearaways' is a compelling criminal history of Liverpool gangs from the 1890s to the 1960s.


'Lifts the lid on the scourge of young gangs that flourished in Liverpool since Victorian times.' THE WEEKLY NEWS


'A fascinating insight into past crimes in Liverpool.' LIVERPOOL ECHO