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In Cold Blood : A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (Penguin Modern Classics)
 
 
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In Cold Blood : A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)

by Truman Capote (Author) "The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call 'out there' ..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (3 Feb 2000)
  • ISBN-10: 0141182571
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141182575
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,876 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Law & Disorder > Criminology
    #1 in  Books > Fiction > 20th Century Classics > Capote, Truman
    #9 in  Books > Biography > True Crime

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Product Description

Product Description
Controversial and compelling, In Cold Blood reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and both their children. Truman Capote's comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved. At the centre of his study are the amoral young killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock, who, vividly drawn by Capote, are shown to be reprehensible yet entirely and frighteningly human. The book that made Capote's name, In Cold Blood is a seminal work of modern prose, a remarkable synthesis of journalistic skill and powerfully evocative narrative.

About the Author
Truman Capote was born in New Orleans in 1925 and was raised in various parts of the south, his family spending winters in New Orleans and summers in Alabama and New Georgia. By the age of fourteen he had already started writing short stories, some of which were published. He left school when he was fifteen and subsequently worked for the New Yorker which provided his first - and last - regular job. Following his spell with the New Yorker, Capote spent two years on a Louisiana farm where he wrote Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). He lived, at one time or another, in Greece, Italy, Africa and the West Indies, and travelled in Russia and the Orient. He is the author of many highly praised books, including A Tree of Night and Other Stories (1949), The Grass Harp (1951), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958), In Cold Blood (1965), which immediately became the centre of a storm of controversy on its publication, Music for Chameleons (1980) and Answered Prayers (1986), all of which are published by Penguin. Truman Capote died in August 1984.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call 'out there'. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

48 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (48 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This is how it should be done, 6 April 2007
This is one of those books that I enjoyed so much it was just about `unputdownable`. However, because it`s quite short(especially compared with Mailer`s epic study in tedium The Executioner`s Song)I had to force myself to put it down from time to time just to make it last longer.

Very well written, and to the point. It`s an engrossing read.

GET IT !
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking, chilling and gruesomely voyeuristic, 16 Mar 2006
By A. Gordon "annettego" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Hard to believe that this book was written by the same author who wrote "Breakfast at Tiffany's" but it was. Capote takes you right into the mind of a murderer and tracks the whole desolate affair from the deed itself through to punishment.

It's one of those great books where you are barely conscious of reading the thing. Ideas, events, emotions and images pass in front of you in all their horrifying clarity. A lot of people will come to this novel as a result of the recent movie Capote and may approach it armed with the experience of seeing many films that portray serial killers. But when this book was written in the early 60's, close scrutiny of murder and murderers was both shocking and very disturbing to the reading public.

While the impact of the novel may be reduced to 21st century readers jaded by violence, the quality, incisiveness and skill of Capote's writing conveys the detail, mechanics and mental state of a murderer in a way that has never been surpassed. A masterpiece.

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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Capote's Masterpiece, 18 Feb 2005
By Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
While reading this book one must keep in mind that Truman Capote had two very distinct objects in mind as he worked on this project. First, he wanted to write a Nonfiction Novel and in that area he has succeeded marvelously. Many critics have in fact proclaimed this to be Capote's best work. The author's other intent was to make a statement against the death penalty, an object in which he is less successful.

Capote could not have picked a better case to write a novel about but he could hardly have found two condemned men who would illicit less sympathy. My own faith inclines me to oppose the death penalty but I would be hard pressed to stick to my convictions in this case. The crimes perpetrated by these two were of the worst kind and no matter their backgrounds I could muster little sympathy for either of them. Fortunately, Capote spends relatively little time overtly pleading his political case and the novel is not harmed much in this effort.

The novel itself is nothing short of a masterpiece and will keep the reader on the edge of their seat for almost it's entire length. Capote begins what is probably the first True Crime Novel by introducing the reader to both the Clutter family (the intended victims) and Perry Smith and Dick Hickock (the killers) along with the small Kansas town where the crime would take place. The reader follows the Clutter clan as they live their normal lives in the days before their murder and also rides along as Smith and Hickock plan their crime. From there, one rides the roller coaster through the crime, it's discovery, the getaway, the investigation, and the capture, trial, and execution of the perpetrators. Capote weaves his story in such a masterful manner that there will be times when the reader gets completely caught up in the story just as if he/she were there. While reading this book you will become very aware of every little noise outside your house so it may be better to read it during daylight hours.

I would advise anyone who likes Crime Novels or just good novels to put this book near the top of their to read list. The story is disturbing and a little graphic in places but this is the work of a master wordsmith and he has done his job well. This book deserves to be placed much higher than it is in the pantheon of great works of literature.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling
I love thrillers and crime novels, however I've never read one that was based on a true story.

Capote's depiction of the story of the Clutter family is simply the... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Kirsty B

5.0 out of 5 stars A Man Obsessed
A chilling, ironically life-affirming tale of motiveless murder based on real events. Written in journalistic detail and without prejudice - the latter quite a feat for Capote -... Read more
Published 3 months ago by T. Murphy

5.0 out of 5 stars In Cold Blood
`In Cold Blood' is probably Capote's best known novel and from the word go it makes for engrossing and fascinating reading. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Spider Monkey

3.0 out of 5 stars Just OK
I wanted to like this book more than I think I did. It is the first Capote I have read, and I really liked his writing and certainly will be reading more of him, but this book... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Boof

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Classic
Admittedly, I was only awakened to Truman Capote after the two popular recent films made in his honour. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Ganderson

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone Should Read This Book
As a teenager in the 1960's, this book had a profound effect on me. I had never read anything like it and I have never again found a 'true crime' book that can live up to this... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ms. Lesley Stansfield

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece that stands the test of time
The first ever 'non-fiction novel', as its author proudly proclaimed, takes crime (and dare we say prose) writing to another level. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Oscar Del Santo

1.0 out of 5 stars I'm definitely not following the crowd
So the general consensus seems to be that In Cold Blood is a masterpiece and Capote is a genius. Well I am sorry but I do not agree. Read more
Published 8 months ago by G. Soye

5.0 out of 5 stars Brutal Event in Journalistic Focus
This book is essentially a detailed and well-crafted piece of journalism with the level and quality of detail to bring it into horrific focus. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Douglas P. Murphy

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous prose
There is no doubt Capote was a man of rare ability. One of his contempories - Norman Mailer - described Truman as: "The most beautiful writer of my generation. Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. D. Aspinall

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