One of beloved author Truman Capote's most celebrated works, In Cold Blood tells the real-life stories of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, of their brutal murders in 1959, and of their killers, Perry Smith and Richard "Dick" Hickock. The perpetrators seemed to leave no clues behind and there was no apparent motive, so they escaped scrutiny for a few years before being caught and executed. Capote himself interviewed and gathered background information about those involved, before gathering all of his findings into one book. However, the truthfulness of the account was questioned after In Cold Blood was published. Despite any criticism or discrepancies, the Clutter murders are still well-known today, thanks to how horrific they were and to Capote's storytelling talent.
I have heard about both In Cold Blood and Truman Capote for years, but never knew precisely what the story was about or why it is one of Capote's most famous works. I chose the book almost randomly, and when I found out that it was about a quadruple murder, my interest was macabrely piqued. I am interested in many subjects, and one of them is true crime; I frequently watch crime shows, have taken a psychology class, and am currently enrolled in a forensics class. Of course, I do not want to commit crimes myself, but instead simply enjoy studying them. Having the opportunity to read a book like In Cold Blood for school is very exciting to me. Now that I have begun reading it, I cannot put it down; Capote was right in calling his book a "nonfiction novel" because it is written in a very compelling way, characterizing and describing each person while still reminding the reader that they were all real people. I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of In Cold Blood and perhaps to reading more of Capote's work.
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