Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - In Cold Blood

What made In Cold Blood important is not just its place in history as a leader in modern true crime, but also in its ability to inspire empathy for all involved parties: Victims, killers, the law, and the affected townspeople. Truman Capote was apparently thorough in his collection of accounts. To be sure, this retelling has its problems, not all of which were poorly-aged language; I must wonder about the stories that Capote intentionally or ignorantly omitted. I appreciated this novel for what it was and what it contributes to even, potentially, restorative justice with its empathetic tilt – Alongside its problems, this appears to be an example of thorough journalism. I just don't see myself needing to read it again.

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itshrewsbury's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

4.0

This book does a really good job of humanizing the perpetrators, but also not downplaying their horrific crimes. It was a very slow read for me; the style of writing just wasn’t what I like, but it’s still a good read if you enjoy in-depth character studies. In terms of how well I liked it, it’s a 3 star, but the writing is noteworthy.

18+

TW/CW: murder, pedophilia, gun violence, abuse

Content Warnings