‘In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences’ by Truman Capote outlines the investigation into the murders of farmer Herb Clutter, his wife Bonnie and two of their teenage children at their home in Kansas in November 1959. After reading a short news article in the New York Times about the killings, Capote travelled to the small town of Holcomb with his friend, Harper Lee, where he undertook extensive research and interviewed hundreds of people who lived in the area or were involved in the case including the chief investigator, Alvin Dewey, and eventually the murderers themselves.
Although Capote is perhaps still best known today for his novella ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, it was ‘In Cold Blood’ which truly made his name when it was serialised in 1965 and published as a book the following year. What makes ‘In Cold Blood’ stand out as a seminal work is Capote’s cool journalistic prose which offers chilling insight into the minds of the killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Much of the book focuses on their family backgrounds and the impact of events from their childhood. In his deftly drawn character studies, Capote ultimately portrays Hickock and Smith as flawed individuals rather than monsters but without glossing over the horrific nature of their crimes or going as far as provoking sympathy towards them. Overall, his impartial account avoids sensationalism and is far more powerful and effective than any number of hysterical headlines.
The Penguin Modern Classics edition of ‘In Cold Blood’ classifies it as non-fiction and I found the copy I read in the non-fiction True Crime section of the library. However, it has also been featured in The Guardian’s list of 100 best novels and there have been some recent claims that certain parts of the account were completely fictionalised including the final scene where Dewey visits the Clutter’s graves. Capote himself described ‘In Cold Blood’ as a “non-fiction novel” which is definitely the most accurate description for what has been achieved here. From crime scene to death row, he structured a plot around the events of the case and drawn characters from the people involved, thus producing a thoroughly engaging and suspenseful narrative based on true events.
Whatever its genre, ‘In Cold Blood’ is a classic and innovative work of true crime which still resonates strongly over fifty years after it was first published. An essential book for any serious reader.
A Little Blog of Books 
I thought I should start Capote with ‘Breakfast…’. But, I am surely going to go for ‘In Cold Blood’ first. This sounds amazing. Thank you. 🙂
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Thanks, I hope you enjoy it! I hadn’t realised until recently that Capote had written across so many genres – short stories, novels, true crime, travel writing, screenplays etc – so there’s a lot more to discover 🙂
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Absolutely! 🙂
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I was completely taken with this novel when I first read it. I think I was in my early 20s but it may have been earlier when I was finishing school. A great post.
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Thanks, yes it’s a really gripping read and I’m sure it will stay with me for a long time.
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So well written he really started the true crime genre with this one the way he got the two main guys to open up about what made them do it was so well
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Yes it’s an exceptional piece of work, I don’t think I’ve read anything else quite like it.
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Not to the extent he got in with the characters
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This is one of my sister’s favourite books, but I still haven’t read it. Thanks for the reminder!
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Thanks for reading my review! I hope you enjoy it when you read it. It’s definitely worth getting round to sooner rather than later.
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I was surprised by how much I loved reading this. I wasn’t sure if it would be too scary and/or gory for me. But it was so compelling and well-written, I couldn’t stop reading. Five stars for sure.
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Yes, absolutely, the descriptions are quite graphic but there is a lot more to the case than that part. Definitely a classic!
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Capote was very effective. I couldn’t sleep for a couple of nights.
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Yes, the description of the murders is very graphic but I didn’t feel it was done in a deliberately ghoulish way.
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When I read your reviews I always want to instantly drop everything and read the book you’ve posted about. Same again here!
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Wow, thanks, I hope none of them disappoint!
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Far from it…
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I adore this book, but agree that it’s hard to categorize. I tend to think of it like Joyce Carol Oates Blonde or Mailer’s The Executioners Song – as a fictionalised account rather than a true depiction. The movie with Toby Jones is also excellent.
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Yes, I think there were always going to be embellishments to help structure the book. I’m intrigued by Blonde but it’s such a long book and I would definitely need to commit a lot of time to it!
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It’s one of my Top 5 of all time. Big, yes. But amazing!
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I bought this book recently because I absolutely love true crime and have managed to miss this one for sooo long! My favourite Capote story is a short story, “Children on Their Birthdays”. If you are looking for something short and amazing.
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Thanks for the recommendation! I hadn’t realised until recently that Capote had written so much across different genres.
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I just watched an old Capote interview in which he talked about the research behind In Cold Blood. He became very engrossed with the story. I have only read Breakfast at Tiffany’s and a short story by Capote, but I have been thinking about reading this. Thanks for the review!
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Thanks, I agree that the story of how Capote undertook his research is just as fascinating as the case itself.
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Another book I’ve been meaning to read for ages, and forgotten about again… now you have reminded me, I have finally ordered it.
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Hope you enjoy it! I admit that I wasn’t really aware of this one until fairly recently but very glad I discovered it 🙂
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