In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood        Jared B

            In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, is a non-fiction book about the murder of a family, and the escape, capture, and death sentence of the killers. It is an edgy and very entertaining read that you will enjoy if you like murder and mystery.

            Truman Capote started his career off in Europe. He wrote two books prior to coming to America. When he arrived, he wanted to write an astounding non-fiction book. He then came upon a story in Holcomb, Kansas about a murder. He researched the story, became close with the killers, and wrote In Cold Blood, which has become popular and made into a movie.

            In Cold Blood begins at the Clutter ranch in Holcomb, Kansas. It starts off as a normal day for the Clutters, a wealthy family of four. While on the other side of the spectrum, two men, Perry Smith and Dick Hitchcock, are on their way to the ranch at the same time. The book begins with a back and forth between the Clutters family and the two men. The Clutters are completely ignorant about what is about to happen, while the two men are coming fast. It jumps from the men to the family and back quickly to try and imitate a movie scene. It keeps you on your toes, on the edge, waiting to see what happens next. Once the men arrive at the ranch, Capote never actually writes about the murders. He gives details for you to imagine what happens, but waits until later to give away the full diagnosis to keep the reader hooked. Half of the fun is actually finding out how the murder took place.

            Once the murder happens, Dick and Perry head out to across the country. We see how they come to think of each other. For example, Perry got hurt in a motorcycle accident and his legs cause him pain. Occasionally, when Perry is feeling pain in his legs, Dick looks at it as Perry having second thoughts about everything. Nonetheless, the two men make it across the country by writing hot checks. Back in Holocomb, the investigation about who the murderers are, is taking place. That is the first order of business. Eventually, Dick and Perry run out of money, and are forced to head back West to look for work. About the same time, the KBI (Kansas Bureau of Investigation) learns that Dick and Perry where the ones who killed the Clutters by identifying a car license plate that the two men were in. Dick and Perry are caught. Then the questioning begins.

            They go through a series of questionings, asking each man about a certain event. Finally everything is learned about, the details of the murder, the motive, and the escape. Dick and Perry each are put on Death Row. As it comes close to their death, they each react differently. Perry seems to be remorseful while Dick is awkward. The story of In Cold Blood concludes there.

            I would most definitely recommend this book. I really enjoyed it. It was a fun read for people who like murder mysteries. But I read it somewhat quickly, because it kept me on my toes waiting to know more. The way Capote made the scenes jump from person to person let you see the event from both sides. Capote was able to incorporate irony into this book, which gave it an extra edge. This book was well written and very serious. The story line was interesting. This would be on my must read list.