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Sins of the Father: The Untold Story Behind Schapelle Corby's Ill-fated Drug Run
A senior investigative journalist reveals the explosive results of his three year probe into Australia's most famous drug case. A reckless father, his dark past, an Adelaide drug trafficker and the Gold Coast beauty school dropout who kept her mouth shut. This is the explosive untold story of Schapelle Corby and how she took the rap for her father's drug syndicate.
The result of a three year investigation, Sins of the Father returns to the beginning of Australia's most famous drug case, to a time when nobody had ever heard the name Schapelle Corby. Finally, the missing pieces of the jigsaw fall into place as we are led, step by step, through the important weeks, days, and hours leading up to her dramatic arrest.
Shedding new light on her long-held claims of innocence, this is the book Schapelle's army of supporters do not want you to read.
The result of a three year investigation, Sins of the Father returns to the beginning of Australia's most famous drug case, to a time when nobody had ever heard the name Schapelle Corby. Finally, the missing pieces of the jigsaw fall into place as we are led, step by step, through the important weeks, days, and hours leading up to her dramatic arrest.
Shedding new light on her long-held claims of innocence, this is the book Schapelle's army of supporters do not want you to read.
401 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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341 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
January 14, 2012
Not too badly written. Paints the Corby family as complete media tarts, and Schapelle as as much a victim of their greed for money and fame as of the drug syndicate whose shipment she was carrying. But there's no real evidence in the book that Schapelle knew she was carrying drugs - just the assumption that because her family was involved in drugs, she would have known. There are a few loose ends left tantalisingly dangling, so I suspect this isn't the last we've heard on this.
The strongest message of the book for me is that what we assume to be factual news is far from that. That baggage-handler defence had everyone going, and turned out to be just a strategy dreamed up by her legal team. And never mind the ongoing bulletins about Schapelle in the women's magazines... Critical thinking needs to be engaged when reading the news, that's for sure.
The book also really made me think about how readily we form impressions of people based on how they look. I feel a great deal of sympathy for this girl despite her likely guilt, largely because part of me doesn't want to believe that someone with the advantages that physical beauty often confers would resort to this type of crime.
The strongest message of the book for me is that what we assume to be factual news is far from that. That baggage-handler defence had everyone going, and turned out to be just a strategy dreamed up by her legal team. And never mind the ongoing bulletins about Schapelle in the women's magazines... Critical thinking needs to be engaged when reading the news, that's for sure.
The book also really made me think about how readily we form impressions of people based on how they look. I feel a great deal of sympathy for this girl despite her likely guilt, largely because part of me doesn't want to believe that someone with the advantages that physical beauty often confers would resort to this type of crime.
November 20, 2011
First thing I have read concerning the Corby's that actually contains facts
December 4, 2011
rivetting read and thoroughly believable, certainly an alternative view to the media spin and publicity since Ms Corby's arrest. Whatever the truth, where there is smoke, there's fire.....
December 10, 2011
Brilliant. I always figured she was guilty, but this cinched it.
A great read.
A great read.
May 3, 2012
I am a true crime buff, and I think anyone who fell for the poor innocent abroad should read this independent account- easy conversationally journally style. I could not put it down.
May 31, 2025
It may be largely made up from what I’ve heard but it’s an interesting and entertaining read.
October 28, 2019
Fascinating read. I have no doubt that Duff got to the very bottom of the whole Corby drug saga. Like many people, at one stage I suspected that Schapelle might be innocent, but Duff definitely set that matter straight. A very significant book.
April 22, 2012
this contained alot of information i have read before.
January 26, 2013
The author has done a commendable job with his research. It is easy to read; well-written and I found it hard to put down.
May 20, 2022
Although it was a painfully slow start with what felt like way too much background, the book did pique my interest after about 100 or so pages. An interesting read on a saga I remember unfolding in the media many years ago. There is not a lot about Schapelle Corby herself but about the supposed events and people that led to all that unravelled.
November 13, 2019
#eamonndufflies #eamonnduffsued #corbyssued #defamation Absolute RUBBISH trash book written by a Liar ! #expendableproject #expendabletv #schapellecorby #innocent #corruptbaggagehandlers #sydneyairport #operationmocha
May 9, 2020
I really enjoyed this book - all the drama of growing hooter and transporting it around the country ... then Shapelle, who evidently took the rap for her father's illicit form of income. There is still loads of controversy around the whole event with some calling this book a sham. ... who knows!
September 8, 2020
I enjoyed reading this and finding out more about the whole Corby saga. Hearing a dofferent view from people that aren't hungry for money has made me open my eyes to the games that are played. Definitely a worthwhile read into a family who will always hold the truth from the public eye.
September 18, 2017
If you still think Schapelle is innocent, read this book. She's not.
December 13, 2017
Pulped following the defamation case, I read it beforehand. It was so obviously made-up fiction, yet Duff rode it regardless of the pain he caused Schapelle Corby in prison. What a piece of work.
January 19, 2020
An interesting read which makes you rethink your side
Read
March 18, 2021Interesting
April 5, 2021
Great easy read. Gives the full story of this trashy family
March 11, 2023
An interesting story about an Australian family who have been in the headlines for a long time. An easy read - not the nicest of topics - will make for a good book club discussion.
June 27, 2024
3.5/5 stars
June 25, 2013
I have given this book 3.5 stars
This is an easy read as it is well written in a journalist style. Duff certainly did accomplish a coup with having McCauley on board, because without him this book certainly could not have been written. I was impressed with the way Duff laid the background of each of the major players as separate threads running through the book, finally drawing them all together to illustrate an intricate web of deceit at the conclusion.
I felt this was a most informative read and I feel very sorry for Corby,regardless of whether people feel she is innocent or guilty. It’s not for me to judge, I am not privy to the prosecution evidence or the full knowledge the AFP may have, but this aside, McCauley’s straight talking is very compelling.
As for Corby’s family, they are obviously trying to deal with their own demons in relation these circumstances and the publicity seeking for payment can be seen from either side, whether it be self promotion or genuine desire to raise the funds to support Schapelle. To expect anything other than desperation and emotional angst is a tall order. However, it appears that Duff did well to investigate the background leading up to this disastrous event in a reasonably circumspect way. He did this as a truly competent investigative journalist and obviously, without his skill and inside contacts, he could never have pulled this off.
I would certainly recommend this book – I haven’t read any of the others – but I feel this is a worthwhile read. I certainly couldn’t put it down, this was due in large part to my own curiosity, but it also demonstrates the author’s skilful writing style and ability to compel the reader pick up the book again.
If I were to describe this book visually, it is like a large jigsaw puzzle where the pieces at the beginning are not making a lot of sense, but provide a tantalising glimpse of what is to come. As each part falls into place and the scene builds the reader feels excited about how the final picture will look. The final pieces being the revelations by McCauley and McHugh.
This is an easy read as it is well written in a journalist style. Duff certainly did accomplish a coup with having McCauley on board, because without him this book certainly could not have been written. I was impressed with the way Duff laid the background of each of the major players as separate threads running through the book, finally drawing them all together to illustrate an intricate web of deceit at the conclusion.
I felt this was a most informative read and I feel very sorry for Corby,regardless of whether people feel she is innocent or guilty. It’s not for me to judge, I am not privy to the prosecution evidence or the full knowledge the AFP may have, but this aside, McCauley’s straight talking is very compelling.
As for Corby’s family, they are obviously trying to deal with their own demons in relation these circumstances and the publicity seeking for payment can be seen from either side, whether it be self promotion or genuine desire to raise the funds to support Schapelle. To expect anything other than desperation and emotional angst is a tall order. However, it appears that Duff did well to investigate the background leading up to this disastrous event in a reasonably circumspect way. He did this as a truly competent investigative journalist and obviously, without his skill and inside contacts, he could never have pulled this off.
I would certainly recommend this book – I haven’t read any of the others – but I feel this is a worthwhile read. I certainly couldn’t put it down, this was due in large part to my own curiosity, but it also demonstrates the author’s skilful writing style and ability to compel the reader pick up the book again.
If I were to describe this book visually, it is like a large jigsaw puzzle where the pieces at the beginning are not making a lot of sense, but provide a tantalising glimpse of what is to come. As each part falls into place and the scene builds the reader feels excited about how the final picture will look. The final pieces being the revelations by McCauley and McHugh.
May 18, 2015
I was not going to read anything about Schappelle Corby, especially anything written by her or any members of her family. I don't believe that crime should pay in any shape or form. Yet a friend of mine recommended this book. It was not going to be yet another version of her being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Overall I have enjoyed this book. It was very well written and it opened my eyes to the drug trade in Australia. I liked how the author set the back ground and all these different players in the trafficking of drugs.
Shappelle's family is not painted very favourably in this book. Her mother, her sister and her brothers are of very interesting characters, and of course the father - the main cause for her fall. If everything written in this book is true (and I am not going to waste my time double checking the information), it was only a matter of time before the Corby family will have to pay the ultimate price.
I have always wondered how her family can afford going back and forth to Bali. Spend months there, yet have no financial worries. They didn't have to sell the house or the business to cover the lawyers and traveling costs. This is explained in the book. It is estimated that the family made over 2 million dollars from media deals - and who says that crime doesn't pay? So in this case I am quite upset that the Australian public and media were quick to simply give money away to family with such a questionable background.
I always believed that she has committed the crime. And for that she had to pay the price.
In some ways I think that the Australian media, is a little bit too quick to make a star or a hero from a criminal. Criminals are simply that - and should be treaded as such
Overall I have enjoyed this book. It was very well written and it opened my eyes to the drug trade in Australia. I liked how the author set the back ground and all these different players in the trafficking of drugs.
Shappelle's family is not painted very favourably in this book. Her mother, her sister and her brothers are of very interesting characters, and of course the father - the main cause for her fall. If everything written in this book is true (and I am not going to waste my time double checking the information), it was only a matter of time before the Corby family will have to pay the ultimate price.
I have always wondered how her family can afford going back and forth to Bali. Spend months there, yet have no financial worries. They didn't have to sell the house or the business to cover the lawyers and traveling costs. This is explained in the book. It is estimated that the family made over 2 million dollars from media deals - and who says that crime doesn't pay? So in this case I am quite upset that the Australian public and media were quick to simply give money away to family with such a questionable background.
I always believed that she has committed the crime. And for that she had to pay the price.
In some ways I think that the Australian media, is a little bit too quick to make a star or a hero from a criminal. Criminals are simply that - and should be treaded as such
July 29, 2012
This is the third book about Schapelle Corby and I have to confess that I haven’t read the other two – both of which portray Corby as an innocent victim. My reason for not reading the previous ‘tell-alls’ is that… well, I was a bit over the whole affair. Ever since 2004, when Corby was arrested in Bali in possession of 4.2kg of marijuana, her pale, anxious face, in all its fragile, tearful beauty, has regularly been plastered all over the women’s magazines, the newspapers and on television, proclaiming her innocence. Call me cynical if you like, but if Corby had been a little more rotund and her face a little less symmetrical, then I don’t think her case would have had such a high profile. Incidentally, according to “Sins of the Father”, the Corby family have made over $2million from all the media appearances, interviews and book sales.
Author Eamonn Duff writes a compelling story here. In “Sins of the father” he describes the Corby family and their connection to some of the leading players in a South Australian drug syndicate. Much of his information, gleaned from interviews with Malcolm McCauley, a former drug trafficker and part of the syndicate, portrays quite a different side to the Schapelle Corby story and highlights the major part her father played in the whole saga. In view of the Corby family’s high profile in the media, it is surprising that this information didn’t come to light earlier. I guess with any crime syndicate there must be a fair amount of "back- covering" going on. Anyway, McCauley came clean in the end, and with good reason too. A gripping read – well researched.
Author Eamonn Duff writes a compelling story here. In “Sins of the father” he describes the Corby family and their connection to some of the leading players in a South Australian drug syndicate. Much of his information, gleaned from interviews with Malcolm McCauley, a former drug trafficker and part of the syndicate, portrays quite a different side to the Schapelle Corby story and highlights the major part her father played in the whole saga. In view of the Corby family’s high profile in the media, it is surprising that this information didn’t come to light earlier. I guess with any crime syndicate there must be a fair amount of "back- covering" going on. Anyway, McCauley came clean in the end, and with good reason too. A gripping read – well researched.
March 27, 2014
Hmmm, well written but full of holes and no evidence whatsoever. So after reading this book I did some research. Most of this story and the main players in it have since been discredited from what I've read. Corby's dad is dead so he can't fight back, still, I don't believe that even Mr Bean is dumb enough to pose for a photo at the airport with a big grin on his face while at the same time trying to get that much dope past three airports without even putting a lock on the bags zipper. Please, it's just rediculous! And if you know anything about the judges who decided her fate you'd know that no one is found innocent in their courtroom. Sorry, not convinced. Ironic that the author worked for the same newspaper that crucified her with what have been proven to be lies. You can't trust the media. Who knows if she did it, perhaps there is someone on the planet dumb enough to try it, but IMO this book doesn't have the answers.
April 4, 2012
This isn't bad. Very readable, well written & researched. What is really good is the analysis of the uncritical reporting of the Corby case by the Australian media and the construction of the "baggage handler defence" by her family & legal team. The final thesis is that Schapelle knowingly acted as a drug courier for her father but in no way could be said to have the nous or contacts to have set up the run. I think probably the most poignant point made in the book is that by entrenching her in the unrealistic position of absolute innocence, Schapelle was done no favours by those supposedly acting in her best interests.
May 26, 2014
I listened to interviews given by an investigator who was contracted to various media outlets on case for years. He details how they tracked through years of telephone records to try and establish a link between this Adelaide drug peddler and Mick Corby. There was no evidence of telephone communication between the two found. Further, hundreds of hours of undercover audio surveillance on the Corby family also failed to establish any link whatsoever with the drug trade. Queensland Police are on record stating this story is "laughable". Court transcripts relating to others show particular characters portrayed in this book to be of questionable honesty.
October 8, 2012
A well researched account of the case that gripped our attention from day one. I read the book schapelle wrote with Katherine and found it a little repetitive and no evidence was given to support her supposed "not guilty" situation. I have always thought she was guilty and after reading this account I believe that even more so. This book answers many questions and shows the corby family as liars and complete media tarts who once loudly protested there innocence couldn't back down and admit guilt.
November 2, 2012
Great book, it is a great explanation about family history and the involvement towards the drug scene and often depicts as to more then likely the events that happened to Schapelle Corby are true and that she is in fact connected and involved in the importation of the 4.2kg of marijuana found at Denpasar Airport, Bali, Indonesia. What ever the facts may be one will truly not know as their is not enough factual evidence and only great speculation, however is a interesting read and greatly detailed in which has you questioning wether she is guilty or innocent.
December 18, 2012
I read the first 50 pages - in all that time it dealt with her father and families connections to drugs which no one disputes the book has an extremely negative tone and I can understand why the family didn't care for it at all.
none of the facts are in dispute I've read 2 books on Schapelle and this one is just way to negative to give it anymore of my time after page 50 I was done.
If you want a balanced story this book is not for you, if you want someone to confirm her "guilt" then you may enjoy it - I personally couldn't finish it
none of the facts are in dispute I've read 2 books on Schapelle and this one is just way to negative to give it anymore of my time after page 50 I was done.
If you want a balanced story this book is not for you, if you want someone to confirm her "guilt" then you may enjoy it - I personally couldn't finish it
March 28, 2012
Certainly some part of the narrative are tenuous, while other parts are convincing.
But I can't get away from the fact that this is a thoroughly engaging and easy to read book. I literally couldn't put it down after I read the first chapter. I'm sure you could find better works of literature, more enlightening, and probably better motivated works as well. But for maintaining my interest and readability throughout, this one gets my 5 stars.
But I can't get away from the fact that this is a thoroughly engaging and easy to read book. I literally couldn't put it down after I read the first chapter. I'm sure you could find better works of literature, more enlightening, and probably better motivated works as well. But for maintaining my interest and readability throughout, this one gets my 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews