Karen's Reviews > In Cold Blood

“Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped there.”

Catching up…

I know. This is a book that has been around for a while. But when it became a donation to my Little Free Library Shed recently, I knew it was time to re-visit it and share my thoughts.

This book actually began as a New York Times murder story that transformed itself into spine-tingling suspense. Can you imagine picking up your newspaper and devouring this headline story with your breakfast coffee?

Capote felt he could tell the story of this Midwest killing that featured sinister murderers in a way that would capture readers’ interest.

A 4-member family of a prosperous farming family are viciously murdered at close-range with a shotgun. No apparent motive. Limited clues. A local FBI investigator, Alvin Dewey is shocked at how meaningless and cruel the crime appears. Who would do this and why? And, how could Capote get the details he needed to write his story beyond headline grabbers?

“Imagination, of course, can open any door – turn the key and let terror walk right in.”

He turned to friend and fellow author, Harper Lee, obviously known for “To Kill a Mockingbird.” She had a way of penetrating the silence that seemed to be protecting the remote Kansas community entrenched in the murders.

Once he was in, Capote conducted his own investigation which would encompass the manhunt, arrest and trial of the culprits. Capote shared…

“…the greatest intensity in art in all its shapes and sizes is achieved with a deliberate, hard and cool head.”

It truly is a real-crime drama that captivates as readers turn pages. And, even if we think we know the story already, probably through endless documentaries we have watched, it still is a privilege to read Capote.