TOW #20: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

These are the members of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, who were
viciously murdered in 1959. Their tragic story is the subject of Truman 
Capote's famous work, In Cold Blood.

In 1959, the Clutters of Holcomb, Kansas, were viciously killed in their home. Their murders and the six-week search for their killers captivated the nation, including talented screenwriter, playwright, and author Truman Capote. While writing his book In Cold Blood, he faced a challenge different from any he had ever encountered before: he wanted to be a pioneer of what would later be called "non-fiction novel-writing". Such works typically involve a huge amount of factual journalistic research, but the information is retold using methods similar to those used by writers of fiction. By alternating the story of the victims with that of the perpetrators and including an abundance of quotes and other pieces of research, Capote successfully blends fiction and non-fiction to create an innovative and captivating piece of writing.
In Cold Blood can be referred to as two stories in one book, as it switches between its 'characters', the Clutters (and the police), and the murderers, Perry Smith and Richard Hancock. For example, Capote alternates descriptions of the Clutter family's last hours and of the preparations Smith and Hancock made before killing them. Later, details of the police investigation are interrupted with information as to what Smith and Hancock did while on the run. This kind of structure makes In Cold Blood seem more like a work of fiction, as it is similar to the way that many writers alternate the points of view in their novels. It also contrasts the peaceful Clutter family with the unstable murderers, and the seriousness of the Clutters' deaths with the indifference Smith and Hancock felt towards the crimes. 
In order to write as accurate an account as possible, Capote went to the town where the Clutters lived and took thousands of pages of notes, interviewing residents and police officers about the family and the investigation. In Cold Blood compiles all of this factual information, which is the most obvious non-fiction element of the novel. One of the people Capote interviewed was Clutter family friend Andy Erhart, who said of patriarch Herbert Clutter, "Everything Herb had, he earned- with the help of God... He was a modest man but a proud man, as he had a right to be" (Capote 79). One section of the book includes a letter written from the father of one of the murderers to a court, as he tried to explain that his son was not a bad person. Genuine things like these examples are not found in fictional works, and they balance out the features of In Cold Blood that are common in fiction, aiding Capote in his effort to produce a non-fiction novel.
Although In Cold Blood was first published in 1966, it has truly stood the test of time, serving as an excellent example of both non-fiction novel writing and crime writing. It can be appreciated for its journalistic and fictional elements and for its ability to explain the unthinkable: the senseless murders of an innocent family.