Status
Checked out
Genres
Collection
Publication
Pocket Star (2008), Edition: First Edition
Description
Nancy Kissel had it all: glamour, wealth, and what a friend described as "the best marriage in the universe." That marriage--to Merrill Lynch investment banker Robert Kissel--ended abruptly one night in 2003 in their luxury apartment high above Hong Kong's glittering Victoria Harbour. Hong Kong prosecutors, who charged Nancy with murder, said she wanted to inherit Rob's millions and start a new life with a blue-collar lover. She said she'd killed while fighting for her life against an abusive, cocaine-addicted husband. Less than a year later, Rob's brother Andrew, a Connecticut real estate tycoon facing prison for fraud and embezzlement, was found stabbed in the back in the basement of his multimillion-dollar mansion. This is the harrowing true story of these two brothers, who grew up wanting to own the world but instead wound up murdered half a world apart; and of a modern American woman for whom having it all might not have been enough.--From publisher description.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member nancyewhite
A compelling look at the Kissel brothers who had it "all" and yet died violently. The book primarily focuses on the family of Rob and Nancy Kissel. They were living the high life in Hong Kong and yet she killed him, wrapped him in a rug and tried to have him stuffed into a storage
Ultimately, the book is an indictment of overconsumption. There are definitely some voyeuristic aspects of looking at another family's tragedy, but it is so well told that it overcomes most of the pornographic elements of the true crime genre.
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locker.Ultimately, the book is an indictment of overconsumption. There are definitely some voyeuristic aspects of looking at another family's tragedy, but it is so well told that it overcomes most of the pornographic elements of the true crime genre.
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LibraryThing member afterthought
Being an expat's wife must be really good. Or so we thought.
Never Enough tells us how such a good life can go wrong and unspeakable horror can happen even to the rich and glamorous.
Only thing is right from the start we are told who the guilty one is so no mystery there. And in a way this kinda
Never Enough tells us how such a good life can go wrong and unspeakable horror can happen even to the rich and glamorous.
Only thing is right from the start we are told who the guilty one is so no mystery there. And in a way this kinda
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kills off the fun as whatever she claimed happened become just monotonous lies.. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lidbud
The true story of a dysfunctional american family with too much money and no brains. Nancy the wife of a corporate raider murdered her husband Rob while having an affair with a nobody in Vermont while living in Hong King. A bit of travel and deception was involved. Basically thats the story, so it
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is padded out to make it a bit more interesting. The really interesting part of the story was the murder of Rob Kissell's brother Andrew, as this was never solved. I think the author had finished his story on Nancy and Rob when Andrew was also murdered. Not much of a read really, as I skipped bits to get to the end. By Mr Lidbud Show Less
LibraryThing member mrtall
Never Enough is a diverting, if conventional, true crime story.
I have mixed feelings toward this genre: I occasionally find myself fascinated by true crime books, and will read a spate of them, but then I lose interest for months or even years. Murder (since of course few true crime novels are
But I couldn’t pass up this book. It’s the story of Nancy Kissel, a spoiled American expatriate wife living in Hong Kong who did in her banker husband in an unusually colorful and gory way. (It’s not often you get a combination of a drugged milkshake and repeated bludgeoning). And since I’m a long-term expatriate in Hong Kong myself, and was therefore quite familiar with the outlines of the story, including the sensational impact it had on the expat community here, I had no problems sticking with this story.
Joe McGinness is typical of true crime writers in many ways. He writes competently, but in a flat, seemingly disinterested tone. He’s obviously trying to project an objective stance, but it’s hard to imagine anyone reading this book and not figuring out what he really thinks about the facts of the case. This is no slur on his conclusions, by the way: I think it’s likely he’s absolutely right. But there is something odd after a while about reading an elaborate and purportedly authoritative reconstruction of the innermost thoughts of the parties involved – when one is dead and the other incarcerated.
Those looking for much local color (i.e. good description of or insight into Hong Kong) will be disappointed. The SAR is no more than a setting here, with attention paid only to the ways in which well-paid expats are tempted to remain in their own comfy little bubbles lording it over the locals. This does indeed happen, but McGinness does little to get beyond the obvious on this topic.
So if you’re a true crime fan, hey, this one’s good enough, and it’ll provide a solid diversion. But if you’re looking for anything more, I’d look elsewhere.
I have mixed feelings toward this genre: I occasionally find myself fascinated by true crime books, and will read a spate of them, but then I lose interest for months or even years. Murder (since of course few true crime novels are
Show More
written unless some serious blood has been shed) is atavistically compelling, but the evil that motivates it is so often predictable that it's frankly not worth reading about in detailed long form. It’s no wonder many crime readers focus on serial killers.But I couldn’t pass up this book. It’s the story of Nancy Kissel, a spoiled American expatriate wife living in Hong Kong who did in her banker husband in an unusually colorful and gory way. (It’s not often you get a combination of a drugged milkshake and repeated bludgeoning). And since I’m a long-term expatriate in Hong Kong myself, and was therefore quite familiar with the outlines of the story, including the sensational impact it had on the expat community here, I had no problems sticking with this story.
Joe McGinness is typical of true crime writers in many ways. He writes competently, but in a flat, seemingly disinterested tone. He’s obviously trying to project an objective stance, but it’s hard to imagine anyone reading this book and not figuring out what he really thinks about the facts of the case. This is no slur on his conclusions, by the way: I think it’s likely he’s absolutely right. But there is something odd after a while about reading an elaborate and purportedly authoritative reconstruction of the innermost thoughts of the parties involved – when one is dead and the other incarcerated.
Those looking for much local color (i.e. good description of or insight into Hong Kong) will be disappointed. The SAR is no more than a setting here, with attention paid only to the ways in which well-paid expats are tempted to remain in their own comfy little bubbles lording it over the locals. This does indeed happen, but McGinness does little to get beyond the obvious on this topic.
So if you’re a true crime fan, hey, this one’s good enough, and it’ll provide a solid diversion. But if you’re looking for anything more, I’d look elsewhere.
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LibraryThing member jlsimon7
I had not heard of this story prior to reading the book. Nancy Kissel must be some piece of work. Then again, for all we know her story is true. It's not really possible for me to say her story of abuse has no grounds, after all, Rob's family did not sound like it was the picture of mental health.
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The amount of pressure to perform that a bank trader would be under could only be handled by someone that copes well with being always under the gun. So... In the end this book is an interesting read for a true crime reader, but you don't walk away thinking you know all the answers. At least, I didn't walk away feeling like I knew the answers. Show Less
LibraryThing member carolfoisset
This story exemplifies the saying "money can't buy you happiness". So many sad, tragic lives in this book. I realize that there are two sides to every story, but this book left me with a lot of questions about motives and true actions of many of the main players. Did not like the audio reader much,
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took me awhile to get used to the tone, but it was an easy (if not light) book to listen to while walking the dog. Show Less
Original language
English
Physical description
4.25 x 0.99 inches
ISBN
1416527176 / 9781416527176