Officially Irritated With the Times Again At any given moment my attitude about the New York Times depends on whether its most recent true crime book review was a hatchet job. So right now I'm irritated because another good book has been trashed as "tabloid." The latest victim is author John Leake's book Entering Hades: The Double Life of a Serial Killer
'True Crime in the Big City' Not everybody in New York is a literary snob! The New York Public Library, cradle of the true crime gods, is hosting a fabulous panel discussion about the mystery and true crime genres featuring authors Paul LaRosa and E.J. Wagner.
If you’re anywhere near the Mid-Manhattan Library in New York on December 19 at 6:30 (or if someone thinks to make a podcast, hint, hint) you can enjoy -- "Ripped from the headlines... or buried on page 37... hear how authors select their subject matter, research their cases, and decide whether to speculate on outcomes. Learn how and why authors decide to revisit historic crimes (or alleged crimes). We’ll discuss political assassinations, killing sprees, unsolved murders, and deaths of or by celebrities. We’ll also talk about how writers discover the psychology of the perpetrators, research police investigations, and report on trial procedures. Join these best-selling authors as they discuss the genre and their work."
A Review of Never Enough I enjoyed Joe McGinniss's new book Never Enough
The story itself was fascinating, though, and that is the best measure of a book. The case of Rob and Nancy Kissel gave me several days' worth of stray thoughts concerning the psycho-logic puzzle that was their fairytale marriage. I don't think I've ever started reading a true crime story concerning a spousal murder that I didn't finish.
Unfortunately the author could not learn much about Nancy's early life. One can't fault him if her friends and family wouldn't talk. But as a result the murderess emerges from the page as a whole adult woman, as Venus emerged from the sea; she makes her entrance into the life of Andrew Kissel on a nude beach in the tropics. And he was such a curious man, a millionaire investment banker who worked 100 hours a week earning millions and neglecting his family. He knew Nancy was in distress, he knew of her affair, and toward the end he knew she trying to poison him - he told many people he feared her - and yet he just went on about his life as though all was well. Sound familiar?
Some reviews have credited Joe McGinniss with giving the story the "Fatal Vision treatment." But he did not do in this book what he did in Fatal Vision - fill in a void in the evidence, namely psychiatric testimony, with his own research. He did not consult his own experts and include an analysis of the defendant's psychology.
The Kissel case would have been rich fodder for such an approach. In omitting it he seems to refute the true crime treatment that made Fatal Vision such a satisfying read but which earned him some grief. Frankly I like to come to my own conclusions. Many of my ideas as to what finally made her haul off and .... come days after I've read the account. And this story, this twist in the tale, is a mariticide set against unimaginable wealth. Somewhat comforting for us proletariat sorts who like to read tabloid spousal murder stories.
For more -
An interview with Joe McGinniss from the Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post review of Never Enough
The same from Entertainment Weekly
Finally...
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Laura, I deliberately bought the book to annoy the N.Y. Times! (As if it will notice or care!)
Posted by: Fiz | December 06, 2007 at 06:55 AM
I am still reading this book, and the N.Y. Times is not accurate at all. Sometimes I wonder what planet some of these people are on when they write these reviews. It's like they didn't even read the same book!
Posted by: Katie | December 06, 2007 at 10:24 AM