Never Enough

by Joe McGinniss

At thirty-nine, Nancy Kissel had it all: glamour, gusto, garishly flaunted wealth, and the royal lifestyle of the expatriate wife. Not to mention three young children and what a friend described as "the best marriage in the universe." That marriage—to Merrill Lynch and former Goldman Sachs investment banker Robert Kissel—ended abruptly one November night in 2003 in the bedroom of their luxury apartment high above Hong Kong's glittering Victoria Harbour. Why?

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 who lived in a New Hampshire trailer park.

She said she'd killed in self-defense while fighting for her life against an abusive, cocaine-addicted husband who had forced her for years to submit to his brutal sexual demands.

Her 2005 trial, lasting for months and rich in lurid detail, captivated Hong Kong's expatriate community and attracted attention worldwide. Less than a year after the jury of seven Chinese citizens returned its unexpected verdict, Rob's brother, Andrew, a Connecticut real estate tycoon facing prison for fraud and embezzlement, was also found dead: stabbed in the back in the basement of his multimillion-dollar Greenwich mansion by person or persons unknown.

Never Enough is the harrowing true story of these two brothers, Robert and Andrew Kissel, who grew up wanting to own the world but instead wound up murdered half a world apart; and of Nancy Kissel, a riddle wrapped inside an enigma, a modern American woman for whom having it all might not have been enough.

In this singularly compelling narrative, Joe McGinniss—past master at exposing the dark heart of the American family in the bestsellers Fatal Vision, Blind Faith, and Cruel Doubt—explores his darkest and most disturbing subject yet: a smart and beautiful family so corroded by greed that it destroys itself from within.

Here is a family saga almost biblical in its tragic proportion but dazzlingly modern in flavor—and utterly unstoppable in its pulsating narrative drive. From the shimmering skyscrapers and greed-drenched bustle of Hong Kong to the moneyed hush and hauteur of backcountry Greenwich, McGinniss lures readers irresistibly forward, as this twisted tale of ambition gone mad and love gone bad rushes to its terrible, inexorable conclusion.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery, True Story, Biography

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2007

About the author

Joe McGinniss was an American journalist, non-fiction writer and novelist. He first came to prominence with the best-selling The Selling of the President 1968 which described the marketing of then-presidential candidate Richard Nixon. It spent more than six months on best-seller lists. He is popularly known for his trilogy of bestselling true crime books — Fatal Vision, Blind Faith and Cruel Doubt — which were adapted into several TV miniseries and movies. Over the course of forty years, McGinniss published twelve books.

Reviews

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

You've heard of a perfect murder, right? This was a not remotely perfect murder. I can't even count how many mistakes the murderer made.

I wondered why a multimillionaire investment banker would marry a sociopath. Then I read more about his family. Apparently sociopathic behavior was fairly common among his relatives, as was cocaine addiction, alcoholism, manipulation, lawsuits, threats, and tantrums. This is quite entertaining, from a safe distance, and so the family's traumas ended up being reported on by news media on at least three continents. His family members and all their spouses seemed to suffer from severe affluenza.

Reading can teach one a great deal about the world. This book taught me about alleged Mafia connections, shopping for luxury goods in Hong Kong, and the meaning of the word "twink." The investment banker occasionally searched the Internet for twinks to date--twinks being gay males age 18 to 20, usually blond, with very little body hair. Judging from the pictures in this book, the guy's wife was a female twink.

Of course it's all very funny for me to make remarks about people I don't know, but the fact is that the three kids in the family were neglected, even before the events that are the focus of this book, even as they lived in luxury. They had two parents, a nanny who worked practically 24-7, and a housekeeper, and yet nobody could figure out how to make them brush their teeth? And then the trouble really started. A newspaper reporter compared them to the children in the Lemony Snicket books. I hope they finally found someone to love them.

Reading the nonfiction book The Sociopath Next Door is helpful for people who want to understand the behaviors that this book describes.

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: 3.5

This story is set in the late 1990s as Rob and Nancy Kissell moved to Hong Kong from NYC. Rob was a wunderkind of banking and Hong Kong was the place to be to further his career. They were already millionaires but as the title says, there is never enough money. Especially for Nancy who is a greedy woman who can't spend it fast enough. She ignores her three children and her husband to reach her goal as the top dog of the ex-pat community in Hong Kong............she is also a psychopath.

While visiting her vacation home in Vermont, she has an affair with her television repairman(!) and begins to plan how to get rid of her husband but still keep her money. Of course we know where that will lead and she makes more ridiculous mistakes than I do when filling out the London Times crossword puzzle.

I took off 1/2 a star for the multitude of conversations among the characters which couldn't have been known to the author. Otherwise, it is a chilling and entertaining read that will make you shake your head.

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read a lot of true crime books. Ann Rule being one of my fave authors in that genre. But I haven't read one in a long time. Never Enough was recommenced to me, and I'm sorry I left it lingering on my kindle for so long. I LOVED it. It took a few chapters to get rolling and cover background info, but once I was invested in the story of Rob & Nancy Kissel, I was hooked.

I didn't know anything about this crime or these people prior to reading their story, and I would urge you not to Google anything beforehand b/c there are lots of spoilers out there due to the media coverage.

If you are a fan of crime stories, forensics, legal drama and marital angst of the uber wealthy, you will devour this book as quickly as I did. I did not want it to end...I seriously could've read like 30 more chapters about these people.

I shall now turn to the internet to feed my appetite for more info on them...

Highly recommend!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read a badly written true crime book, and this is one of the best. Plus, it proves the adage “Money will buy everything but real happiness”.

[MM Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Why hadn’t she simply called the police as soon as she realized Rob was dead to tell them that her husband had just tried to kill her but that she’d apparently killed him in self- defense?

Nancy Kissel claims the answer is "Simple: she couldn’t remember anything that had happened. She’d been in a state of dissociative amnesia." That's the biggest load of hooey I've ever heard, what really happened in my opinion is that her husband Robert Kissel got tired of her crazy, spoiled rich wife BS and wanted a divorce, she, afraid of losing her lifestyle fed him a drug cocktail that knocked him out, and she then wacked him in the head five times with a heavy statue. Once dead she kept his body in her bedroom for two days😫, then wrapped him up in a rug and had his body put away in a storage room. As murderers go she is not the sharpest tool in the shed, thank heavens.

The book was well done with plenty of background on both dysfunctional families, including Rob's criminal sketchy brother Andrew, who was apparently murdered at home sometime later, but with his lifestyle and the many enemies he made, there is no shortage of suspects there.

The only saving grace in this whole mess is that Nancy and Rob's children are being raised by a saner member of the Kissel family.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

First and foremost the title of this book is “Never Enough”, not “Greed Kills”. With that out of the way, the story Joe McGuiness paints of Robert and Nancy Kissel is a fascinating and sad tale. The plot of the story may be well known to many true-crime buffs… the murder of Robert Kissel, a wealthy investment banker stationed in Hong Kong. McGuiness style is what I like to call the “Dragnet” approach, “Just the facts.” But because the characters themselves are so interesting style gives way to substance and we can’t help but stare at them. It’s like a train wreck we see coming from a mile away and can’t (or don’t) do anything but watch. The author walks us through the life and background of Robert, Nancy, their parents and siblings. Special focus is directed on Robert’s brother, Andrew, whose role only contributes to the overall tragedy of this case. It is the Kissel children, though, that bear the brunt of this dysfunctional family. My heart went out to them on numerous occasions. But the real star of the show is the expatriate lifestyle of the Hong Kong elite. The money, the status, the money! Where who you are and your standing in the community is judged by what floor you live on in the best apartment complex in the city (the higher the floor, the more important you are). It’s a wonderful peek into a world most of us will never come close to knowing. The story of the murder and the case itself are not all that difficult. This is hardly a who-done –it. But Joe McGuiness serves up protagonist in Nancy Kissel that makes the book a gripping read. Like the stars of his previous true-crime novels (Jeff MacDonald in Fatal Vision and Rob Marshal in Blind Faith) Nancy is a true original and will stay with you long after you’ve put the book down. The only points at which the book dragged was in the exact, verbatim reprinting of letters and emails between Robert, Nancy and their friends. I have to say, they really liked to ramble on at times. “Never Enough” is a good overall read and a welcome addition to my library.

[SAM · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a shortish book and i'm not convinced there was enough of a story to justify its length. I won't compare it to Fatal Vision or Blind Faith as those two are in a different class. It was just OK.

[Olivermagnus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldman Sachs investment banker Robert Kissel, his wife Nancy, and their three children seemed to have it all. They were living in Hong Kong and fabulously rich. Nancy had nannies and maids to do all the unpleasant work, leaving her free to enjoy the royal lifestyle of the expatriate wife. That is until one night in 2003 when Nancy was charged with the murder of her husband.

This book follows them from childhood and their long, tumultuous history is played out during Nancy's trial which lasted for months. Nancy said Robert was sexually and physically abusive and she killed him in self defense. Prosecutors charged that she wanted to inherit Robert's millions and start a new life with a blue-collar lover who lived in a New Hampshire trailer park. One thing is certain........readers won't find too many likable people in this book.

I enjoy true crime and while Ann Rule is my favorite author, I find Joe McGinniss to be almost as good. My favorite book of his is Fatal Vision, but this one was quite interesting too. If you believe money can buy you happiness, you might enjoy this book.

[Soo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Notes:

Yay for libraries!

- I didn't know that this was a true crime novel until after I had borrowed it and started listening. All the things I noted about the lump summaries & factoids made sense after I found out it's a true crime novel. Another odd book recommendation experience. lol

- Michael McConnohie has a nice voice and did a nice job with this docu-fiction crime novel. He has a good reporter type of narration mixed with character voices. However, he mispronounced/accented a few words that drove me nuts. =P

- Writer had an odd sense of timing for the write-up of the book. It seemed to start in the "present" and then went deep into the background of the families. The way the facts were presented made all the involved people seem dumb as heck.

- The book may interest those who enjoy reading true crime books.

It'll be a while before I read another true crime write up. =P

[Marsmannix · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real page turner. The incredible story of an avaricious woman, two billionaire families, and the tragedy that engulfed them.
Situated within a world we mere mortal rarely see, the story follows the marriage and Rob and Nancy Kissels, heirs to great wealth, and makers of more. We peep into the rarified atmosphere of expat Hong Kong and high finance.
But, as the book's title hints, it's "Never Enough"

McGinnis writes in a fast-paced accessible style, with enough detail without bogging down. i only wish more crime writers had Ann Rule's talent for psychological post-mortems on the actors.

I will definitely read more by this author. I was left shaking my head at the end.

[Carol Gibbons · Rating 2 out of 5]

True story but not very exciting!!

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this author's books. He always does a really good job although for me nothing will beat Fatal Vision, which remains one of my most favourite books, ever. The research/story behind this one wasn't up to that one's standard, though. I wonder with 2 brothers being killed why he picked one over the other and didn't tell both stories in the same detail. I preferred Rob of the pair of them until the stuff at Nancy's trial came out and that put me off him a great deal. I'd thought of the Kissel men he was the only one with a redeeming feature but clearly not. Bill was a sh*thead of the highest order who raised his sons to be the same, it seemed.
Nancy was an utter piece of work that at times seemed to live in her own little parallel universe. As usual with true murder cases involving the very rich they have everything and still want more.....never satisfied. She especially upset me over Rob's 40th birthday...I had to laugh too at how many times she said her ribs were broken. Seems they were permanently in pieces !!
I hope their kids are managing alright. I'm pleased they're away from immediate Kissel influence. It may possibly be their salvation.
I spotted a couple of apostrophe errors and one horrendous spelling of Greenwich as Green-which that was pretty frightful but that was about it. And once again Simon & Schuster have THAT cover issue they're yet to resolve as well which never ceases to irritate me.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't anywhere near one of the best books I've read recently but it was a compelling true life story. After the first few chapters I thought I would get bored with the story however I kept reading and after a few more chapters I was sucked into the sensational soap opera that was the Kissel's lives. It was interesting look into the wealthy investment banker lifestyle although at times I felt like I was indulging myself in a tabloid like publication.

[Susan Liston · Rating 3 out of 5]

So how did I miss out on this one, never heard of the book, or the crime. Now I have to go find all the Datelines and 48 Hours episodes and watch them. I feel vaguely guilty saying I "enjoyed" a book about people getting murdered and other people going to prison but when they are people that it's really really hard to feel sorry for, it's easier. Since I didn't know about the crime and didn't cheat and read about it, this became quite a page turner.

[Dennis Littrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lifestyles of the one percent

Rob Kissel is an investment banker expat living in Hong Kong making millions of dollars by scooping up debt distressed properties and selling them for profit. His wife Nancy Kissel is a kind of trashy party girl whose family has a little money who somehow latches onto Rob whose family has even more money. They have three kids after something like 15 years of marriage.

Rob works nights and weekends and is on the road a lot chasing after the b-goddess of monetary success (and perhaps some other things as well). Nancy has a Chinese housekeeper to pick up after her and a Filipina nanny to take care of the children. She spends most of her time shopping at expensive stores. The “never enough” in the title refers to both of them. Rob can never make enough money and Nancy can never buy enough worldly trinkets to satisfy the emptiness of her life.

Some years ago I read and reviewed Joe McGinniss’ splendid true crime tale “Fatal Vision” about Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald who murdered his wife and two daughters. It is considered one of the classics of the genre. “Never Enough” is almost as good. It is a compelling read, the kind that will keep you up all night.

McGinniss employs a straightforward, unembellished style that concentrates the reader’s attention on the facts as he has learned them through an obviously lengthy research effort and on the personalities of the players. He has reconstructed much of the dialogue and quoted from primary sources. McGinniss doesn’t explain his methods but the result is an immersion into the life of two families set on self-destruction through murder, adultery, child neglect, drug abuse, forgery, criminal fraud, hate, unseemly fights over money, alcoholism, greed, and just plain stupidity.

The thing that always strikes me in these lurid true tales of murder is the glaring lack of any values that the characters possess beyond the desire to acquire and control. Nancy in particular had no values beyond conspicuous consumption and self-gratification. We have to ask ourselves, for such people what is the meaning of life? And the answer seems to be something like take all you can as fast as you can and let the chips fall where they may without regard for anyone other than yourself.

In the character of Nancy Kissel the reader may be reminded of Casey Anthony of more recent infamy. Both women had tempestuous relationships with their mothers; both women were able to spin the most amazing lies to deceive and get what they wanted; both women had vicious tempers; both women could cry copious tears for themselves at the drop of split nail; and both women were able to somehow live for days amid the decaying and putrefying bodies of a member of their family.

A weakness of the book is that there was so much ground to cover that the complete story of the two families, the Kissels and the Keeshins, is left untold. Inquiring minds would like to know more about the story of Rob’s older brother, Andrew, who defrauded a New York co-op board of millions of dollars and was later murdered (case unsolved). We’d like to know more about the details of the court fight for custody of Rob and Nancy’s three children and the disposition of the fifteen or so millions of dollars that went along with gaining custody of the children. We’d also like to know more about Nancy Kissel’s second trial for murder and why the first verdict was overthrown. These latter two events of course took place well after “Never Enough” was published in 2007. Maybe McGinnis should write an update.

Some other true crime tales are reviewed and discussed in my book, “Dennis Littrell’s True Crime Companion” available on Amazon and on the Nook.

--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”

[Maryka · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I felt like this book was slower, less compelling, than the other books I've read by Joe McGinniss.
And the type is double-spaced, which made me feel I was somehow missing half the story. Turned out to be really easy on the eyes, tho.

It's a complicated story. Two multi-millionaire brothers: good boy Rob, who made his millions the old-fashioned way, and bad boy Andrew, who used embezzlement and real-estate fraud to get to the top. A
narcissistic wife, wealthy expatriate life in Hong Kong, a ruthlessly ambitious father, vacation homes in ski country, reckless spending, planes criss-crossing the globe, lawsuits, convictions, messy child-custody fights, and the two brothers bizarrely murdered two years apart.

Andrew's story was in the news in the past couple of years, with his brother's murder mentioned in a sentence or two. I was always curious about what really happened to Rob. This book is, finally, mainly Rob's story. After a slowish start, the momentum picked up and I couldn't put it down. This story epitomizes the
saying "truth is stranger than fiction".

[Dianne Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy true crime and this book had everything. A dysfunctional family, lots of money, affairs and murder.

Rob and Nancy Kissel seemed to have a charmed life. He was a high powered investment banker in Hong Kong and she was a spoiled, spendthrift, lady-who-lunches. All that fell apart when she was staying at their home in Vermont and met the TV installer. Suddenly she was having an affair and trying to figure out how to get rid of Rob.

She ended up bashing his head in, rolling him in a carpet and dumping the carpet in their apartment building's storage room. Unfortunately for her, she left it too long and the movers got suspicious of the smell.

After she was charged a massive child custody case played out between her family and her husband's. Because his had more money they won. Suddenly, irony or ironies, the brother who was supposed to be the kids guardian gets murdered. (I think I saw this on Law & Order).

Anyway, it was an interesting look into lives that we will never (thank god) live. I enjoyed it.

[Melissa Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well "liked it" is not necessarily an accurate statement, but I couldn't give it two stars. It's not the author's fault that the characters in the book (real life people) were all dysfunctional - he was just telling it like he saw it.

This is the recounting of a true crime that took place in Hong Kong earlier this decade. A multi-millionaire investment banker is hacked to death by his wife who claimed she killed him after enduring years of sexual and emotional abuse. But that's not the only murder. The millionaire's brother is mysteriously murdered only a short time later - in Connecticut. The writing is good - the author keeps the story moving. He really did his research and includes viewpoints from all sides.

I know they say money can't buy happiness. This book definitely gives that statement some substance.

[Jlsimon · Rating 5 out of 5]

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. 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.

[CatBookMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as an ePub. Rounded up to 3 stars; this isn't nearly as good a story as Fatal Vision or Cruel Doubt.

While this may have had a huge amount of publicity, as presented in this book, the case against Nancy Kissell seemed pretty straightforward: her husband was drugged unconscious and she beat his head in. Then rolled him in carpets and plastic and sent his body to the apartment complex storage room. Seriously wacked woman.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This true crime story is a quick, engrossing read. Nancy Kissel is the wife of a super-successful Merill Lynch investment banker stationed in Hong Kong. Their extravagant expatriate lifestyle is detailed along with the unraveling of their marriage, which ends in a murder. A cautionary tale about how money doesn't buy happiness, this book tells about the unhappy wife's unfulfilling life filled with nothing but shopping. The family of Rob Kissel, the husband, gives new meaning to the word dysfunctional. McGinniss does a good job setting the stage for a truly morally bankrupt act.

[Megan O'malley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. This family’s issues and drama made me wanting more information.

Not to judge, but I’m wondering how does someone who has more than everyone get to this point?

The ending had me googling the Two Mr. Kissel movie. I’ll have to look into watching it.

I laughed in absurdity about the boyfriend getting a new gal. I’m not sure who was better for the other. How cliche.

You couldn’t make these stories up.

I feel bad for the children who will grow up without their father and uncle and possibly mother.

[Margaret Doolittle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was hard to stay away from this book! Amazing true crime story of two amazingly dysfunctional families.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I can say is wow. Nancy Kissel has to be the stupidest murderess of all times. Good book, clueless criminal.

[Lenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read. Never read any Joe McGinniss before. It was one of those stories that's so out there it's hard to believe it was true.

[Dianeparente62gmail.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is a master of true crime narratives, as his publishing record demonstrates. This is the first of his books I have read, but I would try others, based on his ability to tell a story with well developed characters and his display of imaginative writing.

This paragraph describing the main character’s “work environment” is an illustrative example: “Rob’s Hong Kong was one very long branch on which hundreds of vultures perched. They pushed and pulled and elbowed one another as they jostled for the best position from which to view the fresh carcasses below. When one flapped its wings to begin a descent, dozens followed. And there was no shortage of carrion to pick over. For a distressed-debt specialist based in Hong Kong, the East Asian financial crisis was the opportunity of a lifetime. Suddenly, there were trillions of dollars worth of distressed assets scattered all over the continent. It was a bonanza beyond belief."

The story, as true crime stories are wont to be, is a sordid one. Rob and Nancy emerge from well documented dysfunctional families to create a materialistic heaven followed by a descent into a hopeless hell. Rob is an investment banker successfully pursuing the big bucks in Hong Kong. Nancy’s primary occupation is spending the bucks as fast as he can make them. They are the parents of three children, given every advantage but largely raised by Filipino maids as Nancy avoids maternal duties and Rob is always working.

As the story descends into a maelstrom of infidelity and hatred, one can’t help but feel that the children are the primary victims even after the parents are removed from the scene. If one is to emerge from this narrative of murder and greed in any way enlightened, it is only by reading the book as a morality tale–what happens when a family roots itself in an endless pursuit of money with no ethical or religious system in place to provide perspective. The family’s “cultural Judaism” cannot rise to that task but instead is one more adornment, one more necessary possession in a shallow world.

This is a sad example of unrooted people caroming like pool balls in pursuit of “never enough.

[Darth Jader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book about a bizarre murder between a wealthy husband and wife! The author does a good job introducing his audience to the cast of characters, however he does seem a little biased against the person who committed the crime! I also get a clear picture that the author does not really like wealthy investment bankers (which the husband, Rob, was) which felt strange and close minded considering this is a true crime book which I think is supposed to be as unbiased as possible. I do think the author does a great job highlighting the flaws of both families, especially the Kissell family, and does a good job showing how the perpetrator of the crime is essentially a massive sociopath and concocts their own version of events that contradict the evidence. The trial process was really engrossing and kept me flipping the pages! I do like that it was bread and the author didn't bore us with writing exactly what went down over the entire trial! I think this is a very good true crime book and will keep any reader interested. The only reason this is given three stars was because it did feel a little biased (against both the perpetrator of the crime (granted what they did was horrible) and investment bankers) and the author sometimes would randomly go on tangents about expats and investment bankers that weren't really needed.

[Lori Rubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe McGinniss does a masterfull job if writing non-fiction true crime books. I first read his book, Fatal Vision, which was outstanding. As it begins, the reader believes the man accused of the murder of his family couldn't possibly do such a horrendous thing. But as McGinniss tells the story, you slowly begin to realize that he is really the monster who killed his wife and daughters and almost got away with it. That book was my first introduction to the true crime genre and I was hooked.

Never Enough is the story about a wealthy American expat family living in Hong Kong. They live a privileged life with servants to care for their children and enough money to buy anything they wanted. But money wasn't enough for one of them and the other ended up murdered.

This is a great read, more like a novel. I read it in a day. However there are photos midway through the book. The pictures give away some of what was coming before I got to those parts of the story. I wish the author had placed the photos individually at the appropriate places in the chronological story so as not to give away what was coming. But overall a great read.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an intriguing case.

I’m surprised I had never heard of it before it was suggested to me through Kindle Unlimited.

What a pack of very entitled, very selfish money hungry people.

I must say it took a very, very long time to catch my interest because of the backstory of people I didn’t need to know about in the two family trees.

I would say I was nearly halfway through before it got really interesting and once it picked up I didn’t put it down.

I was left dumbfounded by how one twisted woman could control a man who seemed to not be the type to be controlled by anyone.

Spoiled has a whole new meaning in this book.

I really don’t want to say too much because the reason I think I really got into it was because of the fact I knew nothing about the case.

If you are in the mood to have your mind blown by the sheer audacity of someone…. Or rather quite a few someones…. This is a book you should read…. But honestly…. You can easily skip the backstories and just get to the meat of the book.

It’s a fairly long book and I read it in one day. Now I have a crick in my neck…. But lots to ponder.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I haven’t read a true crime book for years, but I was in the mood this weekend and picked this up from a free little library up north. The story was FASCINATING. I can’t stop thinking about how twisted this woman was. I can’t give it 5 stars because the author spent far too much time on the development of the character relationships and rushed through the actual crime and trial, to the point that many important questions were left unanswered and I needed to look them up on my own using outside resources. The book jacket references a second murder and though the author attempts to string the two together, I thought they would have been better as two separate novels.