In cold blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences

by Truman Capote

343 pages

English language

Published Feb. 24, 1994

ISBN:: 978-0-679-74558-7
Goodreads:: 168642

(137 reviews)

In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel by American author Truman Capote, first published in 1966. It details the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. Capote learned of the quadruple murder before the killers were captured, and he traveled to Kansas to write about the crime. He was accompanied by his childhood friend and fellow author Harper Lee, and they interviewed residents and investigators assigned to the case and took thousands of pages of notes. Killers Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were arrested six weeks after the murders and later executed by the state of Kansas. Capote ultimately spent six years working on the book. In Cold Blood was an instant success and is the second-best-selling true crime book in history, behind Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter (1974) about the Charles Manson murders. Some critics consider Capote's work the original non-fiction novel, although other writers had already explored the genre, such as Rodolfo Walsh in Operación Masacre (1957). In Cold Blood has been lauded for its eloquent prose, extensive detail, and triple narrative which describes the lives of the murderers, the victims, and other members of the rural community in alternating sequences. The psychologies and backgrounds of Hickock and Smith are given special attention, as is the pair's complex relationship during and after the murders. In Cold Blood is regarded by critics as a pioneering work in the true crime genre, although Capote was disappointed that the book failed to win the Pulitzer Prize. Parts of the book differ from the real events, including important details.

54 editions

The Gnome King reviewed In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Review of 'In Cold Blood' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book will always be one of my top 10, it was a turning point in my reading life, I went from reading easy books by Stephen King, Dean Koontz and James Herbert and started exploring the literary world. Because of this book I fell in love with Bukowski's stories.

So much of this it is just a recount of what a few people did in a day before their murder, nothing they do is interesting but it has been written so well you are drawn into their daily lives and every single moment has you on the edge of your seat, probably because you already know how things are going to end, I must have a very morbid interest in things.

Some people might be put off by the subject matter but it is not about the crime itself but about the lead up to the murders and why …

markm reviewed In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Review of 'In Cold Blood' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I don't know if this really was the first example of the new journalism, but it has a not quite objective quality that makes for an unusually riveting true crime story. I found the reading experience enhanced by whatever little familiarity I had with the author - mostly from his appearances on Dick Cavett in the 70s. I read the folio society edition.

Thomas Gaffney reviewed In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Review of 'In Cold Blood' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Fantastic! Captured the small-town, rural-America feeling that To Kill A Mockingbird had. A classic novel, even more exceptional due to the fact that it's a non-fiction story. Capote's writing brings life to the story, instead of just a clinical case analysis. I would recommend to everyone.