True-crime books notoriously put a section of crappy black-and-white photos in the middle. These photos are the first thing readers look at, usually spoiling any mystery as to exactly “who done it.” For that reason, I won’t be ruining anything by saying that Nancy Kissel offs her husband Rob in NEVER ENOUGH by Joe McGinniss.
Rob is an American who’s made it big in the world of high finance. Rob puts in more time at the office than at home, making him a rock-star finance whiz. He moves his bride and young children to Hong Kong, where he earns more money than they need or could ever use.
Meanwhile, Nancy seems more interested in climbing the social ladder and shopping than in her duties as a wife and mother. She leaves the household chores and the pesky task of raising their children to a maid and a nanny.
His success makes him arrogant and cocky. Or maybe it’s because he comes from an arrogant, cocky and wealthy family, who doesn’t hesitate to remind him that he’s married outside of his class. As if Rob’s long hours, living in a foreign country and dealing with unreasonable in-laws didn’t cause enough stress to their marriage, Nancy seduces and then falls in love with a blue-collar schmuck named Michael Del Priore. She met her Romeo when he was hired to install a home entertainment system in the stateside home she was furnishing.
As in most tales, things really get good when the sex starts. What follows is a series of sexual rendezvous, surveillance by private eyes, computer sleuthing, heated arguments, tepid make-ups, etc. Things reach a climax when Rob goes missing. The investigation and subsequent trial is an interesting look into the world of Hong Kong’s law enforcement and court systems, which are based on British common law.
McGinniss (FATAL VISION) does a fine job of painting Nancy as a cunt with a capital “C.” While no one deserves to be murdered, Rob is downplayed as genuine family man who simply had no chance of happiness with the likes of her. Reading between the lines one can surmise that he was an absentee father whose only ambition was to earn, earn, earn … at all costs. But just like all murder victims, one ends up feeling sorry for him in the end, despite his faults.
With the trial only three years ago, I was surprised to have no recollection of this crime or couple. This is perhaps because it was followed closely only by the rich American socialites living in Hong Kong at the time. This true-crime story is well-documented and told in such a way that one almost feels the author was a witness to even the most intimate arguments between Nancy and Rob, and the most intimate moments between Nancy and Michael. McGinniss has done a fine job in bringing this story to America. —Ken Davis
Related posts:
- Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong
- See KONG, read KONG
- Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her
- How much KONG can you handle?
- Fan-Tan
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Never heard of this case, either. Must be the Communist blockade or the one of middle class America. Why a spouse reaches for a murder weapon instead of a phone to call to a divorce lawyer still makes for an interesting plot, however.