Review of “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote

This is a true story written in a masterful dramatic style. It is told by an impersonal narrator but, because so much information was available to the author, the characters carry the story. I didn’t know the details of the grisly murder of the Clutter family in 1959, so reading this book was a surprise; I found it a real page turner, especially the scenes describing the murderers’ actions after the fact.

This could easily have been a fictional crime drama. Apparently the perpetrators were willing to share their experience, probably because they knew how it would end. Maybe their fifteen minutes of fame.

The writing is excellent; in fact, I just ordered the author’s first novel to see how he writes fiction, being constrained as he was by the facts in this book.

One last note, I didn’t notice any writer fatigue at the halfway point; the author never lost focus, and it shows in the final product.

I recommend this book both as a true crime novel and as simply a good read …