Some fiction books are very powerful. But when a story is based on real events, it can hit even harder. And that’s exactly the case with one book that continues to “shock” readers 60 years after it was published. It tells the true story of a family brutally murdered in their own home and the police hunt to catch the killers.
Everything in the book really happened, and some readers say knowing that makes it even more chilling. The author spent years researching the case, speaking to detectives and people in the town where it happened. He even interviewed the killers in prison.
The result was In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. The story follows the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas.
Four members of the family were killed by two ex-convicts who thought they would find a safe full of cash.
They found almost nothing, but still murdered everyone inside. Capote began writing the book shortly after the crime.
He spent six years working on it and helped create a new type of true crime writing that felt like a novel, but was based entirely on facts.
His detailed scenes and character descriptions made the story gripping, but it was all real.
Capote followed every part of the case, from the night of the murders, to the trial, and the executions of Richard Hickock and Perry Smith.
In Cold Blood was a huge success and is still seen as one of the most important true crime books ever written.
One reader said: “It’s a very intense book but also the best thing anyone will probably ever read. Masterpiece in the book world.”
Another added: “Outstanding book. Brilliant author. This is one of the saddest books I have ever read and the fact it’s based on actual events is just heartbreaking.”
A third commented: “Simply one of the best books I have ever read. The way Capote writes this book is simply awe inspiring. It’s a must-read.”
Someone else wrote: “The greatest book I’ve ever read. No contest. Capote knew how to craft a novel.”
Despite being released in 1966, the book still attracts new readers today and often appears on school and university reading lists.
It has also been made into several films, including one starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote himself. The film, called Capote, follows the author’s writing process.
There is also a film titled In Cold Blood that directly adapts the murders themselves, based on Capote’s book.
Many who pick up the book now say it stays with them long after they finish it. “It’s heartbreaking, brilliant, and terrifying,” another reviewer said. “It stays with you long after the last page.”
