For the Sins of My Father

A Mafia Killer, His Son, and the Legacy of a Mob Life

De: Albert DeMeo, Mary Jane Ross - contributor

Narrado por: Andrew J. Andersen

Al DeMeo will never forget the day in 1992 when a coworker taunted him with a copy of the hot new book Murder Machine, chronicling the horrific criminal life of DeMeo's father, Roy, the head of the most deadly gang in organized crime. The moment sent DeMeo into a psychological tailspin: How could he have spent his life looking up to, and loving, a vicious killer?

For the Sins of My Father recounts the chilling rise and fall of the man who led the Gambino family's most fearsome killers and thieves, through the eyes of a son who had never known any other kind of life. Coming of age in an opulent Long Island house where money is abundant but its source is unclear, Al becomes Roy's confidant, sent to call in loans at age fourteen and gradually coming to understand his father's job description-loan shark, car thief, porn purveyor and, above all, murderer. But when Al is seventeen, Roy's body is found in the trunk of a car, a gangland slaying that places Al between federal prosecutors seeking his testimony and a mob crew determined to keep him quiet.

With the implacable narrative drive of a thriller and the power of a painfully honest memoir, For the Sins of My Father presents a startling and unprecedented perspective on the underworld of organized crime, exposing for the first time the cruel legacy of a Mafia life.

©2002 Albert DeMeo (P)2022 Tantor

Worth a listen

I wasn't expecting too much , I kinda wanted to vomit as Albert was constantly saying how sweet his dad was . He was a maniac, but hey it WAS his dad so I get it . Oh gea and the narrator mispronounced bunch names .

Content from another point of view.

Was I wrong about Roy Dameo, The book Murder Machine left me with a view of Roy as a out of control monster,Now I'm hearing another side maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Surprisingly Great

I’ve read a hundred mob books, so it’s something when one of them really stands out . This is one of those books. Although there is plenty of mob intrigue , this book goes beyond the simple times, dates, and names. Because the author is Roy Demeo’s own son , there is a level of closeness and detail here simply not found in other sources. This is Roy Demeo up close , so you will get all sides of him , the father , the husband, the son, the gangster, and the tortured soul. It’s a deeply personal , unsettling journey , part true crime thriller , part heartbreaking memoir , about a boy who first wants to become his father , and a man who struggles to distance himself and become his own person . Use a credit , you’ll enjoy it .

A must read

This book puts you right in the works of one of the most bizarre lifestyles and treachery of the mob during their hay days.

interesting details

honest appraisal by the son about the wrongs of the father. Book was not great but ok

Courage

What a journey for such a young boy to go thru and the insight he eventually learned from that journey. Shame on the justice system for how they treated him.

Narrator pronunciations of main character names a bit off but otherwise good.

After reading “Murder Machine” about 5 times, I wanted to see Roy Demeo and the Demeo crew from the families perspective. Albert himself all but gives a raving review of “murder machine” himself in the last couple chapters. If you want the rest of the story and all the stuff Albert Demeo only knew tiny parts of, check out “murder machine”. These dudes killed about 10x the most prolific serial killer ever did, at their prime. Crazy story….. was very interesting to see Roy Demeo and how he was viewed by his family. I think they were seriously naive, but that is neither here nor there. They didn’t know what they didn’t know. Like the narrator didn’t now how to pronounce Nino Gaggi’s name, called him Gag-eee….. he was Roy’s boss and a Rather important figure in the story, you’d think you’d ask somebody, if nothing else.

Had muscle then alone.

Read many books about organized crime never the coolness of being a high ranking capo son and then the total fright of being alone and pitifully on your own with ghosts all around you.

Truth is told

I like that he was able to tell the truth about his life and his family history in the mob

My Father, over and over.

Practically every sentence began with “my father”.
Very annoying after awhile. Story line was just Ok. The book dragged a little,