My Book Review: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

In Cold Blood

Arthur: Truman Capote

Plot: This is a book that details the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family. Truman Capote details the ordeal, and aftermath that takes place in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas.

My Review and Thoughts:

A masterpiece of criminal history. A masterpiece of literature. This is my second time reading. I read this 20 years ago and it has always stuck with me. I think no matter how many times one reads this you go away with how much of an amazing storyteller that Truman Capote was. He brought to life on these pages living breathing real life characters. He took you you on a darkened journey mixed with all the passions and emotional makeup of life.

In Cold Blood is a book that begs to be read. It's a book that captures great detail, a landscape and structure of everything that happened. He brought the people and the town and most of the murders and the aftermath into a crystal clarity of writing perfection.

His mastery not only built the victims but also the killers. He gave you the townsfolk. He gave you the daily reality of a small town being rocked by an unbelievable and horrendous ordeal. His prose to unfold history and life is what made Capote a master storyteller.

In Cold Blood, the story behind the mass murder of a family is a story that should never be forgotten. As long as this book remains the victims will have a voice. Capote not only gave a voice to the dead, but in a horrifying truth, he gave the killers humanity even though of there inhumanity.

There is a blunt nature to describing the crimes and yet also an honest, emotional, respect for the victims. Capote gave you a very sense of Life. His ability to express, pain, horror, discomfort during a time period where crimes like this didn't happen on a regular basis.

Now days crimes like this are always in the news, families killed or kids killing there families. But you the reader have to place yourself during the time period. This was a true shock to life, a true horror to the small town reality. This was murders of an unfathomable nature to the conscience of the mind.

Would I Recommend: With out a doubt. This should be required reading. It's a book that stands the test of time and is is a important today as it is when it came out. It's a masterpiece of storytelling of the Non-fiction reality.

Would I Return to: Already have this is my 2nd time reading it. I read it about 20 years ago and now adventured into it again. It was just as fantastic as it was when it was first read by me.

Four Final Words: Masterpiece. Superb. Thoughtful Perfection.

My Rating: 5 out of 5