In Cold Blood
Written by Truman Capote
Narrated by Scott Brick
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.
Editor's Note
Completely captivating…
Psychologically rich and emotionally gripping, Capote’s deeply researched account of the brutal slaying of a Kansas family defined the true crime genre and established Capote as one of the greatest writers of his time.
Truman Capote
Truman Capote (1924-1984) es uno de los mejores escritores norteamericanos del siglo XX. Anagrama le ha dedicado una Biblioteca Truman Capote: Otras voces, otros ámbitos, Un árbol de noche, Desayuno en Tiffany’s, A sangre fría, Música para camaleones, Plegarias atendidas, El arpa de hierba, Retratos, Tres cuentos, Los perros ladran, Cuentos completos y Crucero de verano.
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Reviews for In Cold Blood
6,099 ratings242 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read this book when I was about 13 years old and it scared the bejeesus out of me. For a year or two afterward I was afraid to go to sleep.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautiful prose about disturbing events.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent piece of investigative journalism. Although called the first "non-fiction novel" I don't consider it a novel. To do so would suppose that journalism is objective, it is not, and anyway by most accounts Capote mostly got it right. It's gripping journalism, extremely well researched, and very American. The juxtaposition of Capote, a liberal New Yorker, among the conservative mid-westerners should not go unnoticed. It strikes a chord with the American paradoxical character of "the new" versus "stability"; change versus safety; the search for frontier versus authenticity; the fear of anarchy versus the fear of authority; liberal versus conservative. On the one side the ultimate in safety, security and authority is represented by the Cutter family - and on the opposite side the killers, younger and free, represent change, "the new" and anarchy. Capote instinctively tapped into this dialectic and became part of it himself as an upstart homosexual New Yorker in the middle of stable, secure and patriarchal Kansas. This sort of "meta" author mirroring the story is the real aesthetic and creative achievement that has kept it a classic while later "new journalism" works, characterized by their use of literary techniques applied to non-fiction, have rarely if ever exceeded Capote's initial genesis.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5story of the 1959 Clutter family murders in Holcomb, KS and the men who did it; it's about the writing which is stunning
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thanks to David Bowie having this on his top 100 list, I picked it off and have now read it. I don't normally count myself a fan of crime or true crime novels, but I am thinking this could be classified as literary crime. I call it such seeing as the story- which, there's no denying, is an incredible one, is not just told, but is laid out carefully and with consideration to each word and the impression that it will give. The Clutter family are good people, kind, industrious- maybe the epitome of the American dream even. They have manners, religious affiliation, community spirit, and a decency that is evident in how their peers speak of them. But it is their killers that I find myself more interested in. Why? Why would they do this to them? It is a fascinating story of two men who have their plan, and who refuse to waver from it even when it is clear that they may not get what they originally thought they would from it. It is their story that kept me reading fervently. Their thoughts, however unsure I was that they were the genuine thoughts, intrigued me. The idea of getting that far into such an alien mind-scape impressed me. My only problem with this reading experience was the extended quotation of documents: letters, transcripts....I felt that this diluted the impact of the writing and had the feeling of padding. But, all in all, a book that kept me thinking and guessing and this is even days after finishing it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is great written, even if the content takes your breath away. [[Truman Capote]] has the murder of the Clutter family meticulous, but not judgmental investigated. On the one hand he describes the life and the murder of the family, on the other hand he deals with the murderers. He points out what made them do it, the symbiosis of the two perpetrators and also that they do not regret anything in their own way.During reading, I often came to the thought that there are people for whom a human life does not count, but only their satisfaction. The realization is frightening, but unfortunately only too true.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I absolutely loved this book. Capote is a great writer, and he chose a fascinating story to tell. He made me sympathize with the murdered family, but at times I also found myself empathizing a bit with one of the killers. I attribute that to Capote's ability to bring out everyone's complete humanity be it good or bad. This book is fantastic.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5i read this book for school, so i was dreading it.
i actually quite enjoyed it and thought the story interesting. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5disturbing
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It's the quintessential true-crime / non-fiction-novel. The subject matter isn't really enjoyable, but it's well done. Certainly a standard fare classic novel for literature classes.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thanks to David Bowie having this on his top 100 list, I picked it off and have now read it. I don't normally count myself a fan of crime or true crime novels, but I am thinking this could be classified as literary crime. I call it such seeing as the story- which, there's no denying, is an incredible one, is not just told, but is laid out carefully and with consideration to each word and the impression that it will give. The Clutter family are good people, kind, industrious- maybe the epitome of the American dream even. They have manners, religious affiliation, community spirit, and a decency that is evident in how their peers speak of them. But it is their killers that I find myself more interested in. Why? Why would they do this to them? It is a fascinating story of two men who have their plan, and who refuse to waver from it even when it is clear that they may not get what they originally thought they would from it. It is their story that kept me reading fervently. Their thoughts, however unsure I was that they were the genuine thoughts, intrigued me. The idea of getting that far into such an alien mind-scape impressed me. My only problem with this reading experience was the extended quotation of documents: letters, transcripts....I felt that this diluted the impact of the writing and had the feeling of padding. But, all in all, a book that kept me thinking and guessing and this is even days after finishing it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Truman Capote brings to life this horrific murder. Many of the conversations were fictionalized, but by and large I think they move the story forward without detracting from the validity of the crime. Capote captured the character of not only the victims, but also the perpetrators. The backstories on Perry Smith an Dick Hickock were especially interesting, their upbringing and the psychology. Smith captured my attention the most, perhaps because I was most horrified by him. And I loved how Capote intertwined actual letters and other artifacts relevant to the case. For instance, I found the article "Murder Without Apparent Motive--A study in Personality Disorganization" completely fascinating and very disturbing. Here are a few thoughts and outtakes to give the reader a feel for what's in store:I was duly impressed by Perry Smith's vocabulary: Thanatoid=deathlike; amerce=punishment, amount fixed by court; facinorous=atrociously wicked; hagiophobia=a morbid fear of holy places, etc. And his "diary" which really was just a place he kept favorite quotes and interesting tidbits of information. Whew!! The man was smart, but only book smart. He was morally bankrupt. I am horrified that his upbringing could have so warped him that he could go on to kill the Clutter family, especially when the prime instigator, Dick Hickock, seemed to back off the crime."The crime was a psychological accident, virtually an impersonal act; the victims might as well have been killed by lightening. Except for one thing: they had experienced terror, they had suffered." (Dewey)And Perry's response? "'Am I sorry? If that's what you mean--I'm not. I don't feel anything about it. I wish I did. But nothing about it bothers me a bit. half an hour after it happened, Dick was making jokes and I was laughing at them. Maybe we are not human. I'm human enough to feel sorry for myself. Sorry I can't walk out of here when you walk out. But that's all.' Sullivan could scarcely credit so detached an attitude; Perry was confused, mistaken, it was not possible for any man to be that devoid of conscience or compassion."A very compelling, if chilling read. Recommended.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thought it was time to read one of the great masterpieces. Chilling story written from the killers side and the victims side.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yep, every bit as good as you've heard.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Glad to be able to scratch this off the life-list. As a native Kansan, I was probably jaded against the 'Capote amongst the rubes' reputation. I am glad I finally read it, the book is simply magnificent.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Although I knew about the book, I had never read it nor seen the movie. I was expecting something a lot more graphic and violent. That's not what this was at all. A fantastic book, getting deep into the thoughts of the two men who committed the murder.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I generally enjoy true crime books, but I have to copnfess I found this one a little hard to get through. I think my main complaint was in how the book was structured and paced. You find out very quickly who is killed and who kills them, and the middle of the book tends to drag on a bit. Ultimately, I'm glad I read this book, Capote's imagery is second to none, and you get a wonderful sense of the physical landscape, and the main players in this story. I also enjoyed reading about police detective work in the modern age, but before DNA, and ballistics, and credit cards and cell phones. It makes you realize how much harder it was to track people across states and countries.
I would give this book 3.5 stars if goodreads would let me. for fans of true crime, this is a classic book, but just keep in mind that this was written nearly 60 years ago, and the writing style reflects a different age. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The book made me check my windows were locked every night!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Sorry, no, no and another no. What some might call "brilliance" due to "his style"...i call flowery and out-of-place, if not boring. A book which reads as if someone cites bible-verses using out-dated language does NOT make the book better.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent--A classic
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fantastic! Captured the small-town, rural-America feeling that To Kill A Mockingbird had. A classic novel, even more exceptional due to the fact that it's a non-fiction story. Capote's writing brings life to the story, instead of just a clinical case analysis. I would recommend to everyone.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chilling and intense. This non-fiction account of the murders of the Clutter family and the aftermath is incredibly detailed and reads almost like fiction. You can appreciate the detail and research that Truman Capote must have done in order to write this book. While I'm sure there were was some artistic license, you can't help but feel for the family and the horror of their experience. Fantastic read and a good reminder that terrible things can happen.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I could not put this book down. It is a fluid mix of amazing literature and horrifying scene that I couldn't turn away from. While I knew the "ending" because of the 2005 film "Capote," the entire book was captivating. I would not recommend it for everyone, and in fact I waited several years after purchasing it to pick it up and read it. It certainly is not the book to shake the winter blues - and led me to questions about the basics of humanity and community. I do, however, think it is a masterpiece of research and writing. For one author to possess the skills and craft to bring so much life into such a bleak story is genius. I easily give it 5 stars and more.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5One of the first true crime novels, this is Truman Capote's scintillating narration of the events leading up to and following the murder of the Kansas Clutter family. I enjoyed this, but I can't say it was riveting. The first 100 pages dragged, and I only managed to keep going because of the historical significance of this work in the field of literature. I wouldn't recommend it to a casual reader looking for a scandal; there are far more interesting true crime novels out there.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5True crime written originally from a journalistic viewpoint but with literary touches. Good as "documentary" before swerving into psychological musing and authorial sympathy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Timeless. I've been waiting to read this for a long time. Probably the 2nd best true crime book. The narrator is excellent.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As good as it is said to be. Excellent writing and narration.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I had to read this book for Language Art. It was quick difficult get through alone, but this audiobook made it a lot easier. His voice gave the characters a new interesting character. It was very well done! This got me through the book in about 3 days or so with persist listening.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In this true crime, Capote masterfully dictates the multiple narratives surrounding the heinous murders of the Clutter family. He doesn't skimp on the details, and describes people, places, and scenes with immaculate precision and depth. The audiobook itself is of great quality. My only qualm would be that at times the book was too creepy for me to listen to alone at night and I had to turn it off haha, and I generally don't get creeped out that easily.