In Cold Blood

This chilling nonfiction novel about a brutal 1959 killing in Holcomb, Kansas makes powerful reading. Author Truman Capote (1924-1984) writes superbly as he recreates the events of this horrid crime, and lets us peek into the minds of the perpetrators.

Dick Hickock and Perry Smith were losers who took it on faith from a fellow inmate that a certain farm family in Western Kansas had a cash-filled safe in their house. There was no such safe, and all these punks got for their terrible deed was $40. The author examines the family background of the two killers, their friendship, and their crime. We also learn about their capture, trial, and life on Kansas' death row. Ever mindful of the victims, Capote also lets us know the four members of the Clutter family who tragically lost their lives.

Capote apparently hoped to make a powerful statement against the death penalty, but his subjects are hardly the type to elicit sympathy. Still, this is a superbly moving (and at times disturbing) nonfiction novel.

Purchase: In Cold Blood