**"In Cold Blood": A Deep Dive into Truman Capote's Masterpiece**

Every day has its work. Before starting to read "In Cold Blood", I didn't know that Truman Capote wrote it almost in real-time. When his interest was piqued by the brutal murder of the four members of the Clutter family - Herbert and Bonnie, the parents, and Nancy and Kenyon, the two children of sixteen and fifteen years - shot point-blank in their faces (Herb, the father, was also slit open) in their farmhouse in Holcomb on November 15, 1959, in Kansas, everything was still unfolding. The assassins hadn't been arrested yet, the reason for the massacre (if one can speak of a reason) wasn't clear, and the KBI (the agency that, in the person of Sheriff Alvin Dewey, was tasked with conducting the investigations) was still groping in the dark.

I also didn't know that to conduct his research and interviews, which over the course of almost six years led Truman Capote to write the work that invented a hitherto non-existent and untested genre, the true crime novel, he was accompanied to Holcomb, "a desolate area that in the rest of the state is defined as down there", by his childhood friend Nelle Lee Harper, also a writer, who soon after would see the publication of her first novel "To Kill a Mockingbird". She accompanied and supported him for all the time it took Capote to complete his work.

Another thing I didn't know is that after the extraordinary success of "In Cold Blood", which brought him into the pantheon of literature and consecrated him in 1966, the year it was triumphantly presented to the public as the most famous author in the United States, Truman Capote was no longer able to complete any other novel and his life embarked on a long decline undermined by alcoholism, loneliness, and abandonment by the people who had loved him.

I also didn't know that Capote, with his research and the money he received from the proceeds of his then most famous novel, "Breakfast at Tiffany's", provided the legal expenses that contributed to suspending several times the death sentence initially imposed, in the hope that the court would consider the possibility of a new appeal.

As I was reading it, before even learning all these details that emerged from the news found online immediately after finishing the reading and were consolidated last night with the viewing of the film, as beautiful as it is disturbing, "Capote" by Bennett Miller, interpreted by an extraordinary Philip Seymour Hoffman, I was asking myself other things. First of all, I wondered what had caused the emergence of what would later prove to be a real obsession, what had sparked Capote's interest to the point of making him ask the New Yorker, the magazine for which he wrote, for an assignment and subsidies to go to the place and write an article. An article that, as we know, within a few weeks completely captured Capote's interest and transformed the project of the article into the project of a book.

Of course, I can't know what the trigger was; if he was simply emotionally affected by an unusual news story for the time, by the ferocity and brutality of the murders, by the senselessness of the act, apparently without a motive, or more by the subsequent and apparent incredulity and consternation that enveloped the entire rural community of Holcomb, the surroundings up to Garden City, and perhaps all of Kansas and the United States, which from that moment on discovered themselves to be vulnerable inside their own homes and all this without a reason that could justify so much violence.

Perhaps his was only an intuition, or perhaps it was that sort of exorcism rite that often leads us to be interested in crimes and misdeeds apparently without an explanation precisely because in those initially absent explanations we seek the assurance that what happened will not be repeated, because it is the result of a unique and unrepeatable event, and in any case, even if it were to be repeated, it could not hit us precisely because it is the result of an event light-years away from us and our daily lives.

Of the three parts that make up the work, the crime, the flight of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith through several states of the country, and the trial and prison, up to the execution of the death sentence, what struck me without a doubt was the writing, extremely flexible, versatile to the point of being able to be as fluid as required by a novel, to assume the cut and rhythm of journalism, to be able to transform itself into an essay when it delves into the meanders of psychiatry and jurisprudence and to maintain, at the same time, the unity of the work; to be able to oppose to the brutality and the description of all the events, from the description of the massacre to the execution of the death sentence, the refinement and the choice of words: now hard and sharp like the blade used to cut Herb Clutter's throat, now velvety, like the landscapes and the nature of the plains of Kansas, and soft like the pillow that Perry Smith's unexpectedly kind hand placed under Kenyon's head just before blowing a shotgun blast in his face.

What had also struck me, in contrast to the recent reading of "The Adversary" by Emmanuel Carrère, which in many ways descends from Capote's novel, and to the choice made by the author to narrate in the first person and to narrate with all the facts his own doubts and hesitations, was Capote's opposite choice of never showing himself instead in the first person, of having chosen to be an invisible narrator of the events; his ability to be present only and exclusively through his prose without ever giving the sensation of judging or expressing a personal opinion, to be able to be present, despite his total involvement, only through his prose, his style, his sensitivity as a writer and as a man.

Just as what struck me, for affinity of thought, were the words in which, instead, without half measures, Capote exposes himself to express all his opposition to the death penalty. Whether his was a deeply rooted conviction, or whether it matured after meeting the two assassins, whether the intimate relationship that would unite him from the arrest to the death in particular with Perry Smith, the young Cherokee of origin who, as his sister Barbara said, "when he was a boy he might cry because a sunset seemed beautiful to him. Or the moon. Oh, he can deceive very well. He can make you feel full of compassion for him…", in whom he would perceive with astonishment and compassion much of himself and what he had lived as a child, I am not able to say; I only know that the pages that describe the first phases of Perry's imprisonment in the cell of Finney County that overlooked the kitchen of the deputy sheriff's wife were among the most moving of the entire work, just as realizing that these two men in their early thirties, undoubtedly guilty, violent and psychotic, maladjusted and raised without anything that taught them what is moral and what is evil in life, probably irredeemable, were tried without anything being done, based on the laws in force at the time, to ascertain and document their mental conditions, and condemned in a hurry so that civil society could get rid of them in the shortest possible time.

I'm afraid I'll have to end here with all these reflections, even though I would like to write more about the risk one takes, offering one's pity to the guilty, of being accused of forgetting the victims; however, I am convinced that in a society regulated by human feelings and human laws, and not by primordial instincts, where the rule of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth does not prevail and a guilty person is not punished with the same guilt of which he has been stained, there is room for both, and that this is the only possible path: that no one touch Cain, today more than ever, must be shouted loudly, without fear, because one cannot invoke peace in the world and rejoice or feel protected when a guilty person, any guilty person, is killed in cold blood by those who make their own humanity, the attention to the sufferings of the populations oppressed by the rich West, their banner.

Just as I would like to continue writing about the impatience that at a certain point seized Capote, who saw the conclusion of the judicial story moving further and further away (and with it the possibility of writing the word END on his own novel moving further away to a date to be determined), which led him to distance himself and lose interest in the fates of the two condemned, even though he had come to write "It's as if I and Perry had come out of the same house. I from the front door and he from the back door" and to recognize in him and in his story his own self that he had not been, the one that brought him back to his unhappy childhood, to his continuous abandonments, to his fear of what could have been and that, thanks not only to nature and his character, but very probably also that education that both Dick Hickock and Perry Smith (judged particularly sensitive to art and of above-average intelligence) regretted not having had, was not, he distanced himself from them, letting them go towards their own destiny, even if it was marked from the beginning.

"Beware of what you do to get what you want", warns Capote's partner, the writer Jack Dunphy, in the film; and here, what I absolutely did not imagine, once I closed the last page of the novel, when I was about to watch the film, was that I would discover that Truman Capote, to see realized what from the beginning became a symbolic work, perhaps his best work, had to make a deal with himself and accept to sell his soul forever; and then, day after day, be destroyed by the ghosts of his own mind (and perhaps by his own conscience that had yielded to vanity).

Five stars are willingly, sincerely, and warmly given to "In Cold Blood", primarily for the author's remarkable work and the discreet, humble, and penetrating respect that characterizes the book's writing style and texture.

There is a silent dignity in the narration of the events without detaching from the tragedy, without resorting to emotional dependencies, without exaggeration and far from the typical journalistic approach.

It is a literary work that does not show or promise the distant, the future, the after, but focuses on the essence of the real story.

It manages in a masterful way to remain invisible the long-term research and processing that was done before it gave us a true sense of criminal fantasy as a cold-blooded experience.

The book refers to a chillingly banal murder of a prosperous, rural family in Kansas in 1959.

The murderers, two marginal, simple drifters, victims and perpetrators of an unhealed social psychopathology.

Their motive is base, their mindset is unstable, their crime is fatally and worryingly random.

The development of events and circumstances that lead to the disappearance of the family is a fine dividing line between everything that appears and is normal in people's daily lives and the absolute destruction that suddenly strikes from nowhere.

The fundamental respect is the element that penetrates and is transmitted throughout the book.

Capote respects the family of the victims that he portrays with an absolutely refined touch.

He accepts without grandiloquence the local enforcement of the laws in the rural area as well as the way of life and thinking of the people there.

He shows deep appreciation for every human existence, for institutions and entities that make up the functioning of society.

Even when he questions the judicial process, he does it silently and as objectively as would be appropriate for dignity.

I admired infinitely the author's remarkable talent of empathy and the understanding he expresses when analyzing the lives of the murderers.

In the first phase, he narrates the course of events towards the crime clearly, but on a deeper level, he leaves everything mysterious, unanswered, and unexplained regarding the reasons that create a murderer.

A sense of tragedy pervades the shaping of their lives, but the final reckoning clearly shows that he respects not "who" the murderers were but who they "could have" been.

*Admirable*

The incredible detail in the description, the elements that made up the result, the crime itself, the activities of those involved in the case or the simple observers, as well as the detailed associations with other equally abhorrent and merciless crimes, reveal the value of the author.

Nothing cancels out the basic sense of tragedy and the final result is completed with an eternal conflict.

The root of evil is the permanent envious opposition of two worlds that define the global society.

The dysfunctional, violent, deprived world of the weaker social strata takes revenge with regressive leftovers on the representatives of the organized and prosperous social classes that represent success and power.

Concluding, it leaves a bitter taste of uncertainty and fear in the reader who can distinguish the two worlds... and conclude from this that such mysteries behind this story always remain untraceable.

What remains forever unresolved is clearly something that can be repeated and develop on a more dramatic basis and essence.

Good reading.

Many greetings.

This is truly one of the great literary works. Truman Capote's curiosity blankets the town of Holcomb, Kansas.

The root of this masterpiece is a ghastly crime. Two recently released convicts, in search of a non-existent fortune, invade the Clutter family home. They tie up the four family members present, leaving no witnesses. It takes time for the perpetrators to be identified and then tracked down.

Capote delves into how the townspeople react. Many, fearing that one of their own was responsible, become withdrawn. He also examines how people mourn. He looks at the sequence of the investigation that ultimately leads to the capture of the suspects, with a focus on one of the chief investigators.

Moreover, he looks in-depth at the criminals. What makes them tick? How could people do such awful things? Reading this, I was reminded of some of the great panoramic art works of a bygone age, like those by Bosch or Breughel, where entire towns were brought together in one wide-screen image. This is precisely what Capote has accomplished.

But even with the vast territory he covers, there is considerable depth. I was also reminded, for an entirely different reason, of Thomas Hardy. Capote has an incredible gift for language. He writes beautifully, offering descriptions that can bring tears to anyone who truly loves language. It has the power of poetry.

This is truly a classic, a book that defined a new genre of literature. If you haven't read it, you must.

Truman Capote - image from the NY Post


Murderers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith - image from ABC Australia

In case you are in the market and in the neighborhood, this 10/24/19 item from SF Gate by Clare Trapasso, might be of interest - The Untold Story Behind the Infamous 'In Cold Blood' Murder House—and Why It's for Sale

In Cold Blood has long been on my TBR list, its reputation preceding it as the first and widely regarded as the best true crime novel. When given the challenge by the Night Shift Horror Group on Facebook to read a "grizzly true crime novel", there was only one option.
Published in 1966 after a serialised appearance in the New Yorker, written by Truman Capote, the acclaimed author of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Based on actual events in 1959, Capote was struck by an article reporting the horrific murder of a Kansas family, which soon became an obsession. His fictionalisation received massive acclaim and was adapted into movies in 1967 and 1996.
The story begins in 1959 with the murder of Herbert Clutter and three family members at their River Valley farm in Holcomb. No one could figure out who or why. Capote answers all the questions in a detailed and brutal account.
The writing blurs the line between fact and fiction, with Capote taking artistic licence to recreate the scenes beautifully. The converging story structure gives a comprehensive picture of the different elements and their impact. Meticulously researched, with help from Harper Lee, the prose is excellent, lulling you in before shocking you. The pacing is careful, giving multiple points of view to make the world come alive.
The characters are surprisingly effective and defined, with a level of humanity even in the killers, Perry Smith and Richard "Dick" Hickock. Capote delves into their backgrounds, making them the stars of the show. The Clutter family, especially sixteen-year-old Nancy, are also well-portrayed, adding to the emotional impact.
In conclusion, this is a must-read for anyone, not just true crime fans. It's a classic that raises important questions and gets a full five stars from me. So add it to your TBR and don't leave it there as long as I did.

**In Cold Blood: A Review and Reflection**

Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" is a remarkable work that has had a profound impact on the true crime genre. Published in 1966 and written over a period of 7 years, it is often credited with establishing the genre. The novel tells the story of the brutal murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. Capote does an excellent job of introducing the reader to both the victims and the killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. By doing so, he heightens the impact of the actual murders.

The structure of the novel is masterful. Capote keeps the narrative tension high throughout, despite the fact that the nature of the crime and the fate of the perpetrators are known from the start. He also provides a comprehensive account of the events, including the effect on the community, the actions of the police, and the trial of the killers. The book is well-written and engaging, with Capote's painstaking research evident on every page.

However, I did have some reservations about the book. While I thought it was a great piece of literature, it didn't have the emotional impact on me that I expected. This may be due to the fact that I have grown up in a world that has witnessed far worse horrors than those described in the novel. Additionally, I was reading some very gory books at the same time, which may have desensitized me to the violence in "In Cold Blood".

Overall, I think "In Cold Blood" is an important and influential book that everyone should read. It provides a fascinating look at a tragic event and the people involved. It also makes us think about the state of our society and how desensitized we have become to violence. While I may not have given it a full 5 stars, I still highly recommend it.

  




PART 1: STEVE’S REVIEW



4.0 to 4.5 stars. "In Cold Blood" is a landmark in the true crime genre. It was not the first of its kind, but it set the standard for those that followed. Capote's research and writing are both excellent, and the story is told in a way that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.



The book begins by introducing us to the Clutter family and the two murderers. Capote does a great job of making us care about the victims and understand the motives of the killers. The actual murders are described in graphic detail, but they are not gratuitous. Capote uses the violence to show the horror of what happened and the impact it had on the community.



One of the strengths of the book is its structure. Capote tells the story in a non-linear way, jumping back and forth in time to provide context and build tension. This keeps the reader on their toes and makes the book feel more like a thriller than a straightforward true crime account.



Another strength is Capote's attention to detail. He provides a wealth of information about the people, places, and events involved in the case. This makes the book feel very real and gives the reader a sense of being there.



Overall, I thought "In Cold Blood" was a great book. It is well-written, engaging, and thought-provoking. It is a must-read for anyone interested in true crime or American literature.



PART 2: STEVE’S CONFESSION



I only gave this book 4.0 to 4.5 stars, and I feel a bit weird about that. I really liked the book, but it just didn't have that something extra that would have made it a 5-star read for me. I think part of the reason for this is that I have read a lot of true crime books, and "In Cold Blood" didn't really stand out from the crowd for me.



Another reason may be that the book didn't have the emotional impact on me that I expected. I was shocked by the murders, but I didn't feel the same level of horror and sadness that I have felt with other true crime books. This may be because I have become desensitized to violence over the years, or it may be because Capote's writing style is more detached and objective than some other true crime authors.



However, I do think that "In Cold Blood" is a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in true crime or American literature. It is a classic for a reason, and it has had a significant impact on the genre.



PART 3: STEVE’S RANT



The world we live in today is a violent and fucked up place. We are bombarded with images of death and destruction on a daily basis, and it has become so normal that we hardly even notice it anymore. We watch movies and TV shows that are filled with blood and gore, we play video games that allow us to kill and maim, and we read books that describe the most heinous crimes in graphic detail.



And yet, when we read a book like "In Cold Blood", we are supposed to be shocked and appalled. We are supposed to feel the horror and sadness of what happened, and we are supposed to be outraged by the injustice. But the truth is, I don't think most of us really are. We may be shocked for a moment, but then we move on with our lives and forget about it.



This is not to say that "In Cold Blood" is a bad book. It is a great book, and it tells an important story. But it also makes me wonder if we have become so desensitized to violence that we have lost our ability to feel empathy and compassion for others. Are we so numbed by the constant stream of horror that we can no longer be moved by the suffering of others?



I don't have the answers to these questions, but I think they are important ones to ask. We need to be aware of the impact that violence has on our society and on our own psyches. We need to find ways to break free from the cycle of desensitization and start to care about each other again. Because if we don't, then the world is going to become an even darker and more violent place than it already is.

This book serves as a prime example of why I'm not overly keen on nonfiction, or perhaps it's just True Crime in general. The writing was outstanding, the characterizations were top-notch, the scenes were vividly depicted, and the dialog was spot-on. And yet, this story failed to grip me. In fact, it took me nearly the same amount of time to read Stephen King's hefty novel "The Stand" as it did this book, which is roughly a quarter of the size.

At first glance, there were only a few elements that seemed out of place. For instance, there were a few too many digressions about ultimately unimportant characters, or random info dumps that served little purpose. Did we really need a sample page from Perry's personal dictionary? That was truly painful to get through. It's also worth noting that this story isn't a completely factual account. Capote often embellished scenes and delved into great detail about private conversations, thoughts, and even dreams. He aimed to bring journalism into the realm of proper literature by adding some narrative flourishes, a new technique he called a "nonfiction novel."

Knowing many of the details of the case beforehand diminished any potential mystery. However, Capote didn't really try to hide the facts or create a mystery. He often did the opposite, revealing major details long before the scenes played out. He effectively piqued my curiosity about the possible motive behind such a horrific crime. But when that turned out to be rather ordinary, all that was left was essentially a character study.

Unfortunately, the characters of the saintly victims lacked depth. I find it hard to believe anyone is perfect, yet that's how the family was portrayed. Only the wife and mother was shown to have any flaws. When these "saints" were murdered, panic and terror spread throughout the small community. Suspicion and mistrust of neighbors ran wild. It was during this chaotic time that we met some of the more colorful characters. But it's the two criminals themselves, Dick and Perry, who were the main focus and, by default, the most interesting characters. This, however, was also the main issue I had with the book.

I'm usually a big fan of dark stories, but knowing that these events happened to real people dampened my enthusiasm significantly. I couldn't bring myself to sympathize with the criminals' difficult childhoods or poor life decisions. I didn't really care to explore their lives. These criminals weren't that interesting or clever, and their crimes weren't that unique. I'm not sure why this rural town crime, involving no one famous, captivated the nation. Maybe it's because it represented a loss of innocence in America. This crime was a catalyst for change in those communities, making people more suspicious of their neighbors. In the end, I gave this book 3 stars. To me, the entire story felt like an extended Dateline NBC episode. Read as part of another Non-Crunchy Cool Classic Buddy Read.

**"No One Laughs at Our Sorrow"**

Sometimes, when I think about how beautiful it could be, I lose my breath. The whole thing is the most interesting experience of my life and, to be honest, it has changed my life, it has changed my perspective on almost everything – it's a great job, believe me, and if I fail I will still have won anyway. Truman Capote, Letter to Newton Arvin

Considering the solitude and suffering in which Capote ended his days, nothing could seem further from the truth than this assessment of his; but then again, Capote is not a one-dimensional writer. He is a personality as brilliant as he is eclectic, who played every role that life wanted to assign to him. In Cold Blood is a founding text of the non-fiction novel genre and a milestone that christens the new journalism. A cursed and sacred novel, objective and analytical, realist to the point of dizziness. Skilled in an accurate and precise style, able to dig into wonder and horror with lightness and depth. The gaze of the New Yorker correspondent reveals itself in some aspects to be similar to the cinematic gaze of Hitchcock. The films related to the book are remarkable. The one from 1967 that won four Oscars, a noir and gothic adaptation of the book; and the one from 2005 that tells about Capote and how he came to write the book, with the unforgettable Philip Seymour Hoffman. The story and its coincidences. On November 15, 1959, the family of a landowner, mother, father, girl and boy, met their deaths without a genuine motive, just because two drifters were trying to get rich, looking for a safe full of money that didn't exist. Two ex-convicts who, by meeting, gave rise to a third personality, the criminal one. The massacre is brutal, blood, ropes, a shotgun, shots to the face, the escape. The author's spirit emerged irrevocably transformed from the experience lived in rural and dark America, on the outskirts of the Corn Belt, in the account of this murder and the consequent execution. Is it possible to write an investigation into a senseless and cruel crime with such an intimate nakedness that is so disarming? Of course. Capote was a rejected and desperate son, abandoned in childhood and thus condemned to a life of tormented and anguished narcissistic search. The author became a friend and confidant of the guilty, especially of one of them. He was supported by his friend Harper Lee and wrote letters to Alvin Dewey, who was in charge of the investigations in Kansas, and frequented his family. It wasn't emotions that were at stake, but emotional survival in the face of the encounter with horror; and so Capote was able to feel so deeply the intensity of the real story, and then free himself in the narration in an authorial exception of unconscious absence, creating a perfect book that brings him to damned and eternal fame. After all, masterpieces are not written without being, even if only for some significant moment, desperately unhappy.

“But then, in the early hours of that November morning, a Sunday, certain strange noises penetrated the normal night sounds of Holcomb: the mournful hysteria of the coyotes, the dry rustle of the amaranths in flight, the whistle of the locomotives that were speeding away. At the time, not a soul in Holcomb, a village immersed in sleep, heard them: four shotgun blasts that, all in all, put an end to six human lives. But later the inhabitants of the town, until then quite confident enough to rarely bother to lock the door of their house, hesitated to recreate them over and over again – dark detonations that set off fires of mistrust at whose glow many good neighbors of yesteryear looked at each other strangely, as if they were strangers.”

Holcomb, Kansas, November 15, 1959.

Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon, four out of the six members of the Clutter family, were bound, gagged, and brutally murdered in their own home. Herb and Bonnie, along with their two children, 16-year-old Nancy and 15-year-old Kenyon, were well-liked in the community and known as "good people."

Two parolees, Perry Edward Smith and Richard Hickcock, had heard that Mr. Clutter was wealthy and had a safe hidden in his home. Driven by greed, they entered the Clutter home on the fateful evening of November 15, 1959. Their actions ended the lives of those four innocent people, leaving behind two surviving children who were not present that night.

The town of Holcomb was plunged into terror. The idea that such a horrible crime could occur in their peaceful neighborhood was unfathomable. The townsfolk could not understand why these innocent people were murdered for seemingly no real reason.

Truman Capote was reportedly "obsessed" with this murder and closely followed its trial. The movie "Capote" is an excellent portrayal for those interested. This was the first book I read by Mr. Capote, and I am truly amazed by his writing.

This is not just a heartbreaking story; it is a harsh reality. I constantly had to remind myself that these events actually happened. It is a book that everyone should read, one that will stay with me for a long time. It is a masterpiece from start to finish, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Despite its grim content, it is an incredible read.

*Thanks, Dan 2.0! ;)

Within 10 minutes of finishing In Cold Blood, you'll find yourself on the internet, eagerly searching for pictures related to this real-world multiple-slaying that Truman Capote narrated so brilliantly. The photos are indeed there, and like a voyeur, you'll be irresistibly drawn, captivated, with an intense need to see the mug shots, the murdered family, the courtroom stills, the crime scene, and each room where a body lay with a head blown open like a busted melon.

Capote infuses such a remarkable sense of realism into the characters that all you require to complete the story are those black-and-white photos. With an economy of words and a clear, straightforward language, he successfully makes a difficult story highly readable and extremely believable. The challenging part was taking a true story constructed from witness statements, interrogations, and numerous interviews between the killers and the author, and then skillfully interweaving a dialogue that is perfectly deduced from a close personal knowledge of the killers - their attributes, their movements, their proclivities.

I had the distinct feeling that I was witnessing the action unfold, rather than merely reading it. And yet, Capote managed to achieve this without resorting to the cloying techniques so commonly found in the mass media paperbacks you encounter at large grocery store chains. There are no outrageous cliffhangers between chapters, no desperate chases, no irrational climax, and no unknown player suddenly revealed in the chapter finis. In fact, he chose to introduce the murderers right from the start, and then coolly alternates chapters between the killers and the victims. And when the victims were eliminated, he alternates between the killers and the prosecutors. I truly liked this approach. It's uncommon and it disarmed me, transforming the story into one of mechanical transaction rather than an emotional racetrack. For this reason, the story, for me, was more about 'why' rather than 'how'.

I also appreciated that Capote applied psychoanalysis to the crime. Surely, one would assume there must have been some element of insanity involved. But no, not really! And that was the real surprise. Apart from a tough childhood and some persistent hard knocks, the killers were probably no more deviant than a majority of cases that pass through the juvenile system, even today. The crucial ingredient in the crime was the bizarre congruency of their personalities - merely deviant when separated - that when combined, created a lethal combination. Operating together, the killers must have felt the bewilderment one experiences when finding 2 spalls of broken rock in a large pile and suddenly, absurdly, fitting them exactly together. Additionally, the sartorial details of the characters added another layer of authenticity to the story, making it even more engaging and immersive.

I just wonder why it took me so long to get this masterpiece on my currently-reading shelf. What a breathtaking story! And told in the most amazing novelistic style!

The cold-blooded murders in Kansas in 1956 are described by a cold, distant narrator via the interviews of the family, acquaintances, and community around the victims and the hair-raising stories of Perry and Bobby, the murderers. It is a real page-turner - I couldn't put it down!

The descriptions of the youth of all the tragic protagonists are explored from every angle under a magnifying glass. In Cold Blood kept me thinking that most of the recent murder mystery shows and movies were indebted to this piece of literature (that Capote probably deserved a Pulitzer for but was passed over, helas, in 1965).

There is this strange homoeroticism between the two murderers (who call each other "sugar" and "honey") but who both spout homophobic words throughout. Like the lawyers, I felt Richard was the coldest one and Perry the most twisted and tragic.

This book is a true masterpiece of the non-fiction novel (even if some of the facts brought out by Capote were disputed) and its narration is stupendous in character development and maintains an enormous amount of suspense end-to-end. It is even more astounding because the reader already knows who commits the crime, the novel only elucidates the "why" and even that is ambiguous and pathetic. An awesome read.

Note that in A Capote Reader, there is a great short essay about the making of the movie In Cold Blood where Capote talks a bit about the 6 years it took him to write this masterpiece. (Haven't seen the movie yet :/)

[UPDATE] I finally saw the movie Capote and it was absolutely amazing as a backstory to this book. I still haven't found the movie In Cold Blood yet.

I was truly captivated by this work. The way Capote weaves the tale, using the perspectives of various people, gives a comprehensive view of the events and the characters involved. The exploration of the murderers' psyches is both fascinating and disturbing.

The non-fiction novel genre is elevated to new heights with this book. The attention to detail in character development and the creation of a suspenseful atmosphere is remarkable. It makes one question the nature of crime and the people who commit it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime or great literature. It is a must-read that will leave a lasting impression.

A writer's investigation into a serial killer in which the members of a family are murdered. Entering the past of the serial killers, psychology and... serial killers. The result is that after that, the writer never returns to his normal life. A fascinating story that gets better as it goes along. The translation could be better. Truman Capote's life is also self-absorbed. This volume of good Jewish writers is interesting to me. There may be something in their culture that is very important.

In a remarkable display of courage, the story of a horrific incident of the murder of all the members of a well-known and respected family in Kansas in 1959 is told. Truman Capote, several years after the murders, delved into research and investigation on this past case, and the result is this book, which in my opinion, is of an extraordinary nature.

Here we are dealing with a police station story that we have seen many similar ones in various TV series these days (the final analysis strongly reminds me of the series "Mindhunter"). However, the main point is the method by which Capote tells this true story. From the very beginning of the book, we know who the killers of these four people are, and we accompany the members of the family in parallel with their story. Nevertheless, not only does the attractiveness and charm of the book not decrease, but also after the killers tell their own story of how the murder was committed, all the reader's predictions are also overturned. Capote has been able to gather the stories of the killers, the witnesses of the incident, and all those involved in this case to an extremely high degree, so that we are dealing with a story that is 100% factual in its details; a creative and first-class documentation!