ISBN: 0140187014
It may seem strange to recommend a book that is subtitled “A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences” but this is a seminal work of the 20th century with a synergetic union of real events and a novelist’s flair for description. Published in 1966, this “non-fiction novel”, as Capote described it, “In Cold Blood” refers to the killing in 1959 of four family members in an isolated house on the wheat plains of Western Kansas.
“In Cold Blood” is a book of contrasts with Capote’s insightful and compelling prose making it a gripping read. Capote formed relationships lasting over six years with the killers and also the key agent from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, allowing him a unique perspective. It is a psychological and historical study in a novel format. A deeply affecting testament of two contrasting worlds in 1950s and 1960s, this was Capote’s greatest work that ultimately destroyed him. A must-read.
Reviewed By: Jeanette Rycroft