In Cold Blood

| 4.29 | 865,487 ratings and reviews

Recommended by Lynda La Plante, Ben Shapiro, R J Ellory, and 3 others. See all reviews

Ranked #1 in Murder, Ranked #1 in True Crime — see more rankings.

On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.

As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. At the center of his study are the amoral young killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock, who, vividly drawn by Capote, are shown to be... more
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Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of In Cold Blood from the world's leading experts.

Lynda La Plante One of the reasons I like this true crime novelisation is down to the fact it was so out of character for Capote and took everyone by surprise. It is also an excellent, almost biographical, insight into the two young killers’ minds. (Source)

Ben Shapiro Truman Capote's best book. It's a really, really good book. (Source)

R J Ellory I think in all honesty it is one of the finest books ever written. It took him six years to finish it because he had to wait for the court case and the final verdict which was the two perpetrators being executed. (Source)

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