In Cold Blood is a nonfiction novel written by Truman Capote. Capote learned about the four murders before the killers were captured, and he traveled to Kansas to write about the crime. Capote spent weeks interviewing residents and investigators who were assigned to the case and then took thousands of pages of notes. Capote then spent the next 6 years working on this book.
The story opens up with the Clutter family being introduced on November 15, 1959, the day they were murdered. They were described as a tight-knit family. Herb Clutter spent most of his time running his ranch. He is characterized as a fair and good boss to his employees but won’t hire anyone who drinks or keeps alcohol. Herb’s daughter Nancy is seen as a popular, attractive, and kind teenager who dreams of moving to New York City and hoping to attend college there. Herb’s wife Bonny suffers from severe depression after the births of her four children. Due to this, Bonny is miserable while her daughter and husband are in charge of running the household. The youngest member of the Clutter Family, Kenyon, spends most of his time rebuilding different electronics and gadgets. He is a very intelligent kid and hopes to become an engineer or inventor.
Once the characters are introduced, there is the introduction of Perry Smith and Dick Hickock who are making their way to the Clutter home with the intention of murdering them all. There seems to be a lack of motive for this murder; however, Dick is described as bloodthirsty as he plans to leave no witnesses. While his partner Perry Smith seems to be less bloodthirsty and enthusiastic, he is more concerned about concealing his identity with facemasks and eventually persuades Dick to buy them. Perry has an incredible interest in words and the English language and his sole motive for participating in the crime is to stay with Dick long enough to reunite with one of his old friend Willie-Jay, who is a former prison mate, and the thought behind a lot of Perry’s actions. Perry told Dick a story about him once murdering a man with a bicycle chain in which Dick was fascinated by this story. Dick wanted to see if Perry was a true killer, giving him the challenge to help him murder the Clutter family. After the Clutter family is murdered, Perry just returns to his hotel room while Dick returns to the home of his parents.
After the murder of the Clutter family, three of Herbert’s friends arrive at the Clutter home after the bodies had been removed and the police finish their initial investigation. Perry and Dick have gone to Mexico by writing bad checks to avoid arrest as much as possible. Back in Holcomb, the murder has a major impact on the town. The town is known as a place where people can trust each other but after the murder, residents are keeping lights on at all hours and making sure they lock their doors. Capote then switches perspectives to talk about Perry’s childhood. Perry is thought to have had a very hard childhood: being abused in children’s homes, getting in physical fights with his father, and losing his siblings to suicide.
A former cellmate of Dick, Floyd Wells hears about the murder of the Clutter family and instantly knows who did it. Floyd worked on Herb’s ranch and remembers telling Dick about the job and figures Dick was misled to believe there was a safe in the home. This is the only motive we see throughout the novel: robbery. Al Dewye learns more about Dick and Perry and the possibility of them being the murderers. Dewey sees evidence such as photos and word of mouth that these men were the last to be seen by the Clutter family. Meanwhile, Dick and Perry return to Kansas City, eventually leaving again without incident, making them feel they will never be connected to the murder. They eventually decide to take a journey out west through the desert where they eventually meet their fate. They were arrested in Las Vegas, on December 30th, 1959. They were captured based on the license plate number of the stolen vehicle they were driving. The two are interrogated by police, where they eventually crack and Dick tells them that it was Perry who killed the Clutter family and that he was just unable to stop him.
Dick and Perry are eventually incarcerated and await trial. The two are separated in county jail, where Perry eventually changes his statement to reflect that he did most of the killing and not Dick, he does this to comfort Dick’s mother. Dick becomes popular amongst the inmates and begins to plot an escape. This plan is unsuccessful as Perry begins to contemplate committing suicide. The two eventually get lawyers as there is evidence linked to them committing the crime. Don Cullivan, who is the lawyer of Perry, is worried for Perry’s soul as he feels no remorse or empathy for murdering the Clutter family. The two men eventually get put on death row where they are supposed to stay for five years. Perry attempts to starve himself because he does not want to stay for five years and this attempt is unsuccessful. Then, Perry and Dick meet and form bonds with other inmates who are in similar situations as them. The men were eventually put to death on April 14th, 1965. Al Dewey attends the execution and feels deep empathy for Perry and sees him as a child. The book ends optimistically, looking ahead to the future, showing that Suan Kidwell and Al Dewey are moving on in life.
I think this book was very well crafted, including lots of details about an entertaining plot. The author used different interviews with people to help form his story after taking thousands of notes. This book kept me entertained even after the murder took place wondering what was going to be the fate for Dick and Perry. The author uses a traditional approach to writing this investigative novel, starting out by introducing the characters and background with a slow start, then picking up the plot with more entertaining content. I found the slow start boring when the author was just introducing characters and setting up the plot, but I think it is an essential part to think about when selecting an investigative novel to read as it helps the flow of the story allowing the reader to make a connection with the characters. I would recommend this book to people as I thought it was very well written and the only hard part is making it through the boring stuff, but anyone who is into thrilling books I think will enjoy this book.
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