In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood is a nonfiction true crime novel published in 1966 by the American author Truman Capote. First published a year earlier as a serial in The New Yorker, In Cold Blood tells a broadly true account of the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. Scholars consider the book one of the earliest and most successful examples of the nonfiction novel, a genre that combines journalistic reportage with techniques typically associated with fiction. Capote incorporates literary devices like symbolism and imaginatively reconstructs the inner thoughts of his characters. Controversy surrounds the novel concerning its accuracy; some of the individuals involved in the murder and subsequent investigation claim that Capote fabricated conversations and interactions. Moreover, the novel’s graphic violence and its allusions to sexual taboos periodically lands it on lists of banned books. Nevertheless, In Cold Blood had a significant cultural impact, helping to popularize the true crime genre and inspiring multiple film adaptations.

Plot Summary

Rotating between various points of view, Capote introduces the readers to the Clutters—a prosperous farming family in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas—and to their killers. The story begins on November 14, 1959, the last day of the Clutters’ lives.