In Cold Blood

Rating:
Summary: A literary landmark.
Review: Truman Capote's self-described 'nonfiction novel' created an entirely new genre of book, the True Crime thriller. Combining detailed investigative reporting with a strong literary voice, Capote tells the tale of a multiple murder and its aftermath in a small, tightly knit Kansas town. It is not only an engrossing read, but an essential book in any True Crime fan's library as well. Those looking for a good, smart read will also come away satisfied. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful...
Review: By today's standards the murder that Capote writes about in this book isn't really all that bad. In Cold Blood pales in comparrison to books and movies like Hannibal, etc. But that's the wonderful thing about this book, you don't read it for the gory details.

Never before have I read a true-crime book that drew me into the sotry like this book did. I enjoyed the book so much that I looked up the actual court cases at the local courthouses. It interested me that much.

The characters in this book are so interesting that they seem to be made up, but they're not.

Buy this book, read it, put it on your shelf and read it again in a couple of months. Its that good.

Rating:
Summary: THE first book of its kind
Review: How in the world did that little gnome with the helium voice and a penchant for the bizarre in his personal life manage to write such a gripping, tour de force true account of a grisley murder in Holcomb, Kansas?

I do not know. But it is so tightly written that it has to be by sheer genius.

Capote was arguably one of the weirdest celebrities of his day. Hobnobbing with the rich and famous after publication of his "Breakfast at Tiffany's", he then turned around and did some serious journalistic work on what would become: In Cold Blood.
This book was required reading for my high school law class.

The tone and perspective used in this book has been copied by countless authors to a much less effective level. It has been further copied by screenwriters and directors - also less effectively.

The black and white film version with Robert Blake is a fair rendition of the book, but could not truly capture the agony of the victims and the pitifulness and degredation of the killers.
Really a page turner, so if you haven't: read this book!

Rating:
Summary: The first and the best true crime novel.
Review: A testament to good research and poetic writing. A classic masterpiece in any genre.

Rating:
Summary: Superb book
Review: Truman Capote is a superb writer. In Cold Blood reminded me of
another story I just read, A Reason To Live by Dale Hudson and
Billy Hills. Both of these books are compelling page turners with
strong characters and plots which propel the stories forward. I
had read somewhere that Capote was so involved in the characters
of his story that he never used notes, thus inserting some of his
own self into the story. I think he carried his passion for the
criminals a little too far, as it was unnecessary for him to
get sexually involved with the murders. Another good book I recommend is Dead Man Walking. It has the same flavor as In Cold
Blood.

Rating:
Summary: Unless you have commitment to finish, do not read it!
Review: In Cold Blood was a true story about a murder that took place in the mid-1900. It happened in a small town in Kansas where everyone knows each other. The victims were a family of four called the Clutter's whom were liked by everyone in the town and had no enemies. The murderers were two men that wanted money but didn't get what they bargained for.
I do not recommend this book to anyone that doesn't have commitment to finish a book. It personally didn't make me want to read on until I was a little over halfway through the book. I would of quit reading if it wasn't for the fact that I needed to do a book report and a book talk on it. In my opinion, the beginning of it is boring. Another thing that I do not like is that the book skips around a lot, little too much for my liking.

Rating:
Summary: Great book! (But needs some help in chronological order)
Review: This book is one of the most complete and best murder stories of all time. The writing is very easy to follow, and there are plenty of ways to make a project out of it (as I did for my Junior Project). The order, however, is somewhat iffy. It is told from the perspectives of the criminals and of the townsfolk in Holcomb, Kansas. While the townsfolk are searching for answers, you already know the answers, so I suppose it cannot really be called a murder mystery. And the fact that the book skips over the time period when the murder actually occurred left me slightly frustrated. Overall, nevertheless, this is a good book.

Rating:
Summary: Blood and pulp
Review: Truman Capote captures the wanton criminal mind in this study of two unlikely killers. Based on the true story of the Clutter family massacre, each chapter mounts in tension as the killers approach their victims, then their eventual downfall. Though no one truly may reason the senseless act committed by this pair of recidivist vermin, the resulting public outcry for the death penalty, and subsequent laws mandating hefty sentences for repeat felons were byproducts stemming from their murderous rampage. The book, and the movie, are both unsettling forays into the netherworld of the violent sociopaths.

Rating:
Summary: In Response to Andyrew
Review: First of all, this was a great book. The way he recreated the story and the words to make it so vivid and clear was amazing. Second, Truman Capote is not homosexual so get your facts straight or prove it. Third, he was not in love with Perry and if he was, he still wrote the book in an impartial point of view. This book was awesome and if you want to talk about it or debate it sometime, then let's do it, Andyrew. P.S. I'm not disrespecting you but I'm just trying to get the facts straight because regardless of what he might be, he wrote this incredible book with clear details to recreate this horrible tragedy. Just think about that.

Rating:
Summary: The perfect true crime novel!
Review: From funny little Truman Capote came this classic and extraordinary novel detailing a horrific true-crime case. Consistently gripping and a chilling anthorpological study. If only he'd have written more like this....but the author's own personal obsession with one of the killer's must surely have contributed to its uniquely studied and strangely objective take.