Peter Gerrard

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Peter Gerrard is a writer and biographer who lives in Berkshire, England. He is known for his true crime biographies as well as his nature writings.

He began his writing career with a subject that was far removed from the genre for which he was to become well known. This was writing on the subject of nature, the countryside and wildlife.

Gerrard's Nature Through The Seasons (published by Midas Books in 1976) was well received[citation needed] and re-published by three further publishers - Sphere Books 1977, Readers Union 1977 and Transworld 1978, who included this title in a four-book boxed set with nature notables Phil Drabble, Tony Soper and Richard Mabey. During this period Gerrard was a prolific contributor to many county magazines.

During 1992, Gerrard decided to make his writing a full time career but with a different subject matter. This resulted in him working with many infamous names including the 60's gangster Reggie Kray, Ronnie Knight, once Britain's most wanted man and the bare-knuckle boxer, turned actor Lenny McLean. McLean and Gerrard's book The Guv'nor (Blake Publishing 1998) was the surprise bestseller of 1998,[citation needed] leaping to The Sunday Times number one slot two weeks after publication. It was to remain here for ten weeks and in the top ten for 53 weeks. Though unconnected to Guy Ritchie's smash hit Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (in which Mclean played a part) the book was recognised as the best biography of 1998,[citation needed] while Lock Stock was hailed as the best British film in the same year. Publicly demanded[citation needed] spin-offs from this success were, The Guv'nor - A Tribute, Married To The Guv'nor, written with Valerie McLean, McLean's widow and The Guv'nor Tapes 2006, the unedited transcription of early interview tape recordings.

Moving away from crime biographies Gerrard wrote T'rific (Partridge 1999) with comic and actor Mike Reid. He then wrote Inside The Kray Family (Carlton Books 2001) with Kray cousins, Joe Lee and Rita Smith, resulting in an intimate portrait of the Kray family.


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