As a lover of true crime as well as crime fiction/thrillers, I had a feeling this would capture my interest, and it did just that. Born into a family already fully engaged with the criminal underworld and part of that close-knit fraternity where breaking the law was second nature and the surest way to survive life's complexities and adversities. Rather than distilling into Emmett discipline and beginning a typical childhood education, teachings on how to carry out crimes and get away with them took precedence over learning to read and write. It is a fascinating, enthralling and utterly gripping read from start to finish and one that jars so much with what most of us will remember being taught from our earliest moments. However, this is all Emmett had even known and knew no better (or different).

Interesting, intriguing, and strange. Those are 3 words I would use to describe this book. The story is interesting & intriguing yet the writing style I found was a little strange and didn’t seen to flow

Sins of fathers is the true story of Michael Emmett. following him through his childhood, and his introduction to crime through his father.. Ultimately Michael is sentenced to prison where he discovers prayer and is released from prison a reformed man.

The content is good but the writing style just did not hold my attention and I found it difficult to get through.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for me to review.

A fascinating look at the life of someone who grew up being taught how to break the law. Through the eyes of a Michael we see how that impacted his entire life and his families.

Although interesting I felt it lacked something within the narrative to make it a five star read.

4 Stars

As I've gotten older, the more the genre 'true crime' appeals to me. There's something quite intriguing about serial killers, prison inmates, and other people who have committed serious crimes. One of the first 'true crime' books I read was about the infamous Ted Bundy. I had heard of many others, for example, The Krays and Charles Manson, but Michael Emmett wasn't a name I had come across before. I wanted to find out who this man was, what drove him to commit a crime that landed him in prison for a substantial amount of time. Thankfully, 'Sins Of Fathers' answered those very questions and then some.

Michael Emmett was born into a criminal family. Not that I am defending his actions by any means, but crime was what he grew up to know. Most children when they're younger learn their alphabet, how to cross a road, manners. However Emmett was taught something completely different. He was taught how to break the law and how to keep it all hush hush without getting caught. Naturally the skills regarding the latter wasn't exactly perfected as he got caught, but you catch my drift. The differences in upbringings between Joe Bloggs and those in organised crime, are incredible, yet that was all he ever knew. It was a case of survival.

Michael Emmett documents his early life, speaking (from what I could gather), in an honest manner. Or, to put it rather bluntly, he owned his schnitzle. His crimes allowed him to live the life of Riley in terms of materialistic things. They also gave him a sense of superiority when it came to women. I don't know what it is, but some women seem to find 'bad boys' rather exciting, and of course Emmett went along with that and it went in his favour.

Until he got caught, obviously. The book describes Emmett's life in prison, name dropping a certain Kray prisoner who he befriended. Having read a lot about The Krays, it was so interesting to read a book where they just popped up in it as though it was the norm. A bit of background noise if you were.

I want to clarify again that I do not condone Michael Emmett's actions, however it wouldn't be my place to, even if that were to be the case. I'm not sitting here judging what he did as I review his book, 1) because I wasn't there and didn't see things with my own eyes, 2) it was his life and his life only, 3) nobody should judge another human without knowing all of the facts. Yes, Emmett is honest in his book, he explains what he did, he owns up to the fact that he shouldn't have done it and what he lost in the process. But that doesn't give anyone the right to question his motives. The only person that is entitled to question/judge/whatever you feel suits; is Michael Emmett himself.

Towards the end of the book, Emmett talks about how he found redemption and kudos to him for finding something positive, in his eyes, to hold onto. If it worked for him, who am I to disagree?

I do find it hard, believe it or not, to review autobiographies because it isn't my place to comment on someones life or the choices they made. I know, as humans, we are quick to comment on such things, but usually that is done in private, in a personal conversation, and not on a public platform for the world and his wife to see.

So yeah, rounding up my wonderful babbles, 'Sins Of Fathers' was 100% my cup of tea. It had the drama, the shock factor, the name dropping of other prison inmates, but, most importantly for me, it gave me insight to who Michael Emmett is, and who he was from a psychological point of view. If you're a fan of true crime, then I wholeheartedly recommend this book to you.

I’ve must admit that I’ve tried quite a few times to pick this one up . Unfortunately after 5 checks I just gave up. Too many people to keep up, not so much of an actual story for me to understand what’s happening here and I don’t know, too confusing overall. I did made it halfway through but I couldn’t read more.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

Found this one to be rather pedantic and not much of what I was expected - which was a peek into the world of crime from an insider. Getting there, to that part of the book, dragged too much and the family affairs didn't really do it for me (I see this a lot in memoirs - a 'telling' about the whole family tree, which ends up leaving the reader more confused than anything with all those names and people mentioned, so much so that you tend to lose sight of the actual plot of the book.)
Also wasn't expecting the religious angle being so preachy in this, which killed the vibe throughout, I'm afraid to say

Total disappointment I was not a fan, it was terribly written and I gave up. My opinion only but just not for me.

I am so so disappointed with this book. I was really looking forward to reading something a bit different to what I usually read but I don't think I have ever felt so deflated as I did with this.

I just couldn't get past the author's use of the word "naughty" to describe some pretty horrific and violent behaviour. According to the Collins English Dictionary, naughty is defined as "(esp of children or their behaviour) mischievous or disobedient; bad" and/or "mildly indecent; titillating". To me, that definition does not correlate with fatally stabbing someone and that is just one instance; the word "naughty" is used a lot and I mean, a lot.

Another thing that irked me somewhat was the glamorisation and glorification of a life of crime and violence and I felt the voice of the book was quite childish and there were times when I struggled to keep up with where I was in the timeline.

Having said all of the above, I realise this is Michael's story; it is his life he is writing about ... warts and all ... and therefore he should be forgiven for using the words and language that is the norm for him but, for me, I just couldn't get on with it and therefore struggled to read it.

In the end though, what I took from this book is that anyone can change; it might take a couple of tries but it can happen and those that do, should be applauded because it's easy just to keep doing what you have always known regardless of the hurt and pain it causes you, those you love and those you come into contact with.

My thanks must go to HarperCollins UK / HarperInspire via NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

Sins of Fathers is certainly an interesting read and gives some insight into the darker side of life and the criminal underworld in the UK. It is however very simply written, and almost childish at points. It was particularly jarring when Emmett refers to certain things being 'naughty'. Maybe it's just me, I see naughty as being a child snaffling a cookie. I don't see organised crime as 'naughty'. I don't see fatally stabbing someone as 'naughty'. These aren't little boys. These are adults committing very adult crimes. It seemed vastly incongruous with the actions described.

There's also a lot of name dropping throughout as well - the Kray brothers, the Great Train Robbers for example - and I never got the sense that Emmett was ashamed of these connections, the opposite in fact. These are often dropped at really incongruous points as well, such as the funerals of close family members. I mean, periodically there were some really interesting actual conversations to go along with the name dropping like when Emmett was in prison, but largely they add little to the narrative other than the empathise that Emmett and his father were playing with the big boys.

I felt that this was a narrative that really needed the hand of a skilled editor to shape it and mould it better. The writing style needed polishing and neatening up. It often felt like I was just being told 'and this happened, then this happened' without any context, build up or exposition. There's a decent concept here and Emmett has certainly lived an interesting life, but the writing style doesn't quite hold up to scrutiny.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

Michael Emmett gives a frank and detailed depiction of his life away from his criminal past in the East End of London.  He tells of how he has turned his life around through finding God.   
 
Michael uses the word naughty to describe his past.  He was quite young when the criminal behaviour began and under the influence of his father and I wonder if he uses this as a coping mechanism.  It did feel as though he glamourised his past and I think this is because he has nothing else in his life, hence writing about it. 
 
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the book much, but I’m glad I read it.  I would rate it 2 stars 🌟🌟.

Sins of Fathers is the true story of Michael Emmett and how he turned his life around after his criminal lifestyle ended with a long stretch in prison. I was captivated by the book from the start, and enjoyed the turn of phrase and the detail of the way he writes about the people and events in his life. The narrative is rich and lively. Uncomfortable to read at times, but ultimately a story of hope and finding a true meaning in life. Emmett speaks with raw honesty about his story, that he ultimately sees as the truth of who he is, and not something to be ashamed of. A good read.

Michael Emmett’s life story was hard to put down - almost devoured in one sitting.
From a disturbed childhood, through to where he is now, Michael takes you on a journey from the East End of London, via prison and Marbella, drugs, drink, crimes and women. His journey shows us what is possible, and how he is now using his experiences to help others.
Thanks to #netgalley for the advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperInspire for the arc of Sins of Fathers by Michael Emmett.

A true story of an ex-cons attempts to break away from his criminal past. An honest, well-written and believable account of his road to redemption. A good read.

Violence, intimidation, criminality, drug abuse, infidelity, sex, lies and cheating it is all in this book. It's not a memoir of remorse but a glamorised account of the authors life. Disturbed me throughout., it's not a book for me although the cynical part of me knows the book it is likely to appeal to many readers and be a publishing success.

Former criminal Michael Emmett follows in his father’s footsteps.
Quite a depressing book and, even though it may have not been his objective, Michael does glorify his criminal activity.
He and his father are jailed for their part in a multi million smuggling ring and serve time in the same prison.
Michael finds God in prison and sets about changing his life.
The writing is a bit patchy and repetitive so it was a struggle to finish.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.
2.5 Stars ⭐️

I finished this book unsure of my feelings. Accepting that the author had a horrendous time as a child and was exposed to crime and violence very early, it is unsurprising that he would go down that route. But there is a little too much glorifying the excitement and too little talking responsibility, in my opinion. I assumed that the second half after Mr Emmett “found God” would start to address that deficit. But it doesn’t...

Making poor choices is something we all do and the author certainly tries to improve his lot and recognises that he is hurting and damaging people by his behaviour. He finds he tries to change and lessen his poor impact but it is a struggle. Mr Emmett is not a writer and the style is very choppy and he jumps about but this somehow shows the honesty of his story.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I was not a fan of this book. However I have since heard great reviews about it. So will definitely look to reading it in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperInspire for the arc of Sins of Fathers by Michael Emmett.

5 star read- this follows Michaels memoir, It follows him through his childhood, and then the glimpses of crime he got through his father and then Through his prison sentence, and eventually on to his reformation and rehabilitation. This book highlights about what is important in life and that you will have setbacks and you just have to try your best!.

this was a great read, highly recommend.

5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I found this to be self indulgent in the extreme. A member of a crime family responsible for destroying the life of people describes horrific actions as naughty. He appears to be proud of the criminal actions of those around him and his only real regret is being caught. I had very little sympathy for the author at any point in his life and while I wish him well in his religious conversion somehow there doesn’t feel any real contrition for previous criminal acts.