Roberta Kray

Roberta Kray (born 1959) is an English author best known for her crime fiction and thriller novels, many of which are set within London's criminal underworld. Before launching her career as a novelist, Kray gained public prominence as the wife of Reggie Kray, one of the UK's most notorious East End gangsters, whom she married in 1997 while he was serving a life sentence. Following his death in 2000, she channeled her deep familiarity with the atmosphere and culture of the British underworld into writing, debuting with her first novel, The Lost, in 2006. Over the subsequent decades, Kray established a distinct literary identity separate from her famous surname, earning critical acclaim and a dedicated readership for her authentic dialogue, and complex female protagonists, becoming one of Britain's most acclaimed novelists.

Roberta Kray (née Jones) was born in 1959 in Southport, Lancashire (now Merseyside), England.^[1][2] She moved to London as a young adult, where she attended the University of North London (now London Metropolitan University). She graduated with a degree in Classics and English Literature.^[3] Following her graduation, she remained in London for fifteen years, working extensively in the media and publishing sectors.^[1] During this period, she established and ran her own independent media research and public relations firm.^[3][4]

In early 1996, while running her own public relations and media research firm, Kray was hired to publicize a video about Ronnie Kray, the twin brother of notorious East End gangster Reggie Kray.^[5] This professional assignment led her to visit Reggie Kray at HM Prison Maidstone, where he was serving a life sentence for the 1967 murder of Jack "the Hat" McVitie.^[5][6] Though initially a business arrangement, the relationship evolved through regular correspondence, phone calls, and monthly prison visits.^[5] The couple fell in love and were married on 14 July 1997 in a private ceremony inside the prison chapel at HM Prison Maidstone.^[5][7] In 2000, Reggie Kray was diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer. Following a successful campaign for compassionate release, he was freed from prison on 22 September 2000 to spend his final weeks with Roberta.^[7] The couple stayed at a hotel in Norwich, Norfolk, where Roberta cared for him until his death on 1 October 2000.^[6][7] In 2002, she published Reg Kray: A Man Apart, a comprehensive biography detailing his life behind bars, their relationship, and his perspective on his criminal past.^[8] She has frequently stated that her time with Kray provided her with unique, firsthand insight into the psychological impacts of long-term imprisonment and the realities of the British crime scene, which later informed her career as a fiction writer.^[5][8]

Following the publication of her non-fiction biography in 2002, Kray transitioned into writing crime fiction and suspense thrillers.^[9] Her debut fiction novel, The Debt, was published in 2006 by Constable & Robinson.^[10] This release was quickly followed by The Pact (2007) and The Lost (2008), establishing her presence within the British mystery genre.^[9] Kray's fiction frequently features intricate plots and complex female protagonists operating within London's criminal underworld.^[11] Contemporary reviews have noted her realistic dialogue and narrative pace, drawing stylistic comparisons to peer authors such as Martina Cole and Jessie Keane.^[11][12] Over her multi-decade career as a novelist, she has published nearly twenty titles under the Sphere and Little, Brown Book Group imprints, including standalone suspense novels, short story serializations, and her recurring Lolly Bruce series.^[9][11]

• The Debt (2006)
• The Pact (2007)
• The Lost (2008)
• Strong Women (2009)
• The Villain's Daughter (2010)
• Broken Home (2011)
• Nothing But Trouble (2012)
• Bad Girl (2013)
• Streetwise (2013)
• No Mercy (2014)
• Dangerous Promises (2015)
• Exposed (2016)
• Betrayed (2017)
• Deceived (2018)
• Cheated (2019)
• Double Crossed (2021)
• Traitor (2022)
• Payback (2023)
• Sheltered (2024)

• Survivor (2018)
• Stolen (2019)

• Honeytrap (Parts 1–4) (2015)
• The Payment (Parts 1–4) (2017)

Following the death of her husband Reggie Kray in 2000, Kray chose to maintain a relatively private personal life away from the public eye, dedicating her time to her career as a full-time novelist.^[13] She relocated from her previous residence in Watton to a permanent home in the wider county of Norfolk, England, where she continues to live and write.^[1][14][15] Kray has consistently chosen not to remarry, maintaining in interviews that her time spent with Reggie Kray was a foundational period of her life that heavily influenced her subsequent personal and creative trajectory.^[1][16]