<human>: My brother and I are the third generation of my father's, first of my mothers. He's had three wives, and still with my mother. We've got a sketchy past with the second generation who are in their 40s, I'm assuming (two daughters). One of them I know for sure is completely awful, twisted and manipulative, but I've not talked to the other much at all. They're both no contact.

I have a half-brother; around the same age as my mother. I've never met this man, and when I've asked about him I've only heard bad stuff.

This guy is slightly famous, has written a book about himself and genuinely seems to have changed. He used to be a gangster in Glasgow, I think he's killed someone in the past... But he genuinely seems to be a changed man. I know he's tried contacting my father, he doesn't use facebook at all, and my mother uses his account to play stuff like Farmville. My father got a message from him, whom only I and my mother know of AFAIK, from my half-brother asking general stuff, but it was left ignored.

Now my mother keeps telling me he's still an awful man, that he has said abusive things to her, but she also says she has never spoke to him. There must be a lot of stuff I don't know about, my family has plenty of secrets which is absolutely great...

I would absolutely LOVE to get in contact with my half-brother. He seems like someone I could talk to about his life for hours, and I'm sure he would like to know who his father is. My father is very ill and only getting worse, I don't know if this would be just too much stress for him, if he wants nothing to do with him, or if he might actually want to meet him. I've brought it up once, but my mother completely tore the idea down. I 100% understand why she wouldn't want to.

Am I being crazy wanting to meet someone like this? Are my parents hiding something? Should I just drop it?

Can you succinctly summarize the text in 1-3 sentences?
<bot>: I have a half-brother who is an ex-con that I've never met and my parents hate, wat do?