In Cold Blood
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy.
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Readers say *In Cold Blood* is a groundbreaking true crime classic praised for Truman Capote’s unique, novelistic style and meticulous research. Revie...
This story is beautifully written by Capote. I'm not one to enjoy a documentary of any sort, but the way he unfolds this story by following the investigation and relaying in real real time, the journey of the two criminals in tandem, keeps intrigue and the plot moving. The development of the criminal characters lends a lot of investment into them as their verdict is presented and we, as readers are left to contemplate the severity of the death penalty. The crime is horrific but there is no real, left standing, victims presented in this tale except for the town as a whole. The people of Holcomb, a well to do, small town, suffer a catastrophic event affecting their daily existence and are somewhat shook out of their sense of safety and trust in comfort and the right thing. The event is jarring. The investigation is intense. The journey through it all is worth a read through Capote's novel.
I loved this read. My book club recommends it highly on audio or as a physical read.
Entirely too long ! And biased since Truman Capote is known to fabricate and change the narrative to fit his own agenda. Plus it didn’t help that he fell for the killer. There was proven facts by others who witnessed the execution that Perry never apologized and for me - this was a senseless killing by two idiots who didn’t deserve to be glorified in a book. The poor Clutter family… victims of two lifelong thieves looking to score big and then felt the need to leave no witnesses so they executed them. I sped this up to 3.0 just to get through it and watched Infamous movie , Capote movie and the mini series In Cold Blood to see if I would have changed my perspective. Nope.
Only reason I give it 3 stars is because of the writing but it’s just about 5 hours too long. The story should have been highlighted in the magazine as Capote was initially instructed yet he wanted to provide a false narrative of sympathy for the killers. Go read The Executioners Song for that. That was beautifully written and the mini series with Tommy Lee Jones was amazing. At least Gary Gilmore acknowledged his crime and petitioned to die. This book does not cut it for me.
Only reason I give it 3 stars is because of the writing but it’s just about 5 hours too long. The story should have been highlighted in the magazine as Capote was initially instructed yet he wanted to provide a false narrative of sympathy for the killers. Go read The Executioners Song for that. That was beautifully written and the mini series with Tommy Lee Jones was amazing. At least Gary Gilmore acknowledged his crime and petitioned to die. This book does not cut it for me.
Written 11/20/08
Liked it- first heard about this book by watching the movie- realized Truman Capote had done the research and wrote a story based on the incident- I love his writing, his style is unlike anything I remember reading-I can't wait to read more by him-
Story is about a family murder which took place in Kansas in the 60's. The author goes through a day in the life of the family members "The Clutter's"- The father, a farmer, the mother - her health is not good- The 12 year old daughter and the 15 year old son.
The murderers had heard of the Clutter family from a cell mate. They had gone to rob and murder any witnesses to the robbery. They got away with $40, a radio, and a few other little things. The story continues through the investigation in Kansas as well as the days after the murders for the murderers. It was very interesting to read about what these people went through from the families of the victims and the accused and how things like this effect so many people. It's sad that we don't realize what these events actually do besides taking a life.
Liked it- first heard about this book by watching the movie- realized Truman Capote had done the research and wrote a story based on the incident- I love his writing, his style is unlike anything I remember reading-I can't wait to read more by him-
Story is about a family murder which took place in Kansas in the 60's. The author goes through a day in the life of the family members "The Clutter's"- The father, a farmer, the mother - her health is not good- The 12 year old daughter and the 15 year old son.
The murderers had heard of the Clutter family from a cell mate. They had gone to rob and murder any witnesses to the robbery. They got away with $40, a radio, and a few other little things. The story continues through the investigation in Kansas as well as the days after the murders for the murderers. It was very interesting to read about what these people went through from the families of the victims and the accused and how things like this effect so many people. It's sad that we don't realize what these events actually do besides taking a life.
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