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A review by oceanwriter
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Before reading, I paid minimal attention to what this book was about. I was halfway through before I realized this is in the true crime genre and not a crime novel. I jumped right into it. Had I realized right away I might have taken it in differently.
In 1959, four members of the Clutter family are murdered in their small-town Kansas home. A well-liked family, their deaths shook the town, and no one was able to figure out a reason as to why. Looking at the background of the Clutters as well as their murderers, we're taken through each movement of the capture and trial.
Not surprisingly, the writing is fantastic. The biggest issue for me was how slow it was. It picked up in the second half, but by then my interest had dwindled. I'm glad to have read it, though. Again, I might have appreciated the pace more if I'd realized off the bat that this was a work of nonfiction. It's interesting to see how much true crime books have evolved since the time of this book's publication.
In 1959, four members of the Clutter family are murdered in their small-town Kansas home. A well-liked family, their deaths shook the town, and no one was able to figure out a reason as to why. Looking at the background of the Clutters as well as their murderers, we're taken through each movement of the capture and trial.
Not surprisingly, the writing is fantastic. The biggest issue for me was how slow it was. It picked up in the second half, but by then my interest had dwindled. I'm glad to have read it, though. Again, I might have appreciated the pace more if I'd realized off the bat that this was a work of nonfiction. It's interesting to see how much true crime books have evolved since the time of this book's publication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Pedophilia