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  • In Cold Blood

  • By: Truman Capote
  • Narrated by: Scott Brick
  • Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (15,074 ratings)

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In Cold Blood

By: Truman Capote
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Editorial review


By Kat Johnson, Audible Editor

IN COLD BLOOD IS STILL THE GOLD STANDARD IN TRUE CRIME

In Cold Blood was the first true crime book I ever read, and after that, the bar was set. I was a junior in high school and a massive bookworm, though until then I’d read almost exclusively fiction, usually of the Great American Novel variety. For all I knew when I first picked it up, at a thrift shop or take-one/leave-one library where I hunted down cheap books, it WAS fiction, such was the towering reputation of Truman Capote and the breathless description of murder and Americana on the back cover.

Of course, as I now know full well, In Cold Blood is Capote’s 1966 masterpiece of narrative nonfiction—so rich in detail, dialogue, and character that it’s also called a "nonfiction novel"—and the crime it depicts was real, a media sensation in its day. Capote had already published a bestselling debut novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948), and the triumphant novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) when he went to Holcomb, Kansas with his friend Harper Lee to report on the shocking murders of four members of the popular and prosperous Clutter family, inspired by little more than a brief New York Times article calling it "the case of a psychotic killer." Armed with charm, confidence, and boundless ambition, Capote gained the locals’ trust and soon convinced all the key sources that his story was the one they had to be part of.

Capote was right. Like Serial a half-century later, In Cold Blood ushered in a new kind of true crime storytelling, one that centered both journalistic excellence and the narrative art of fiction. Showcasing Capote’s immaculate prose and intimate access to those involved (particularly convicted killer Perry Smith), the book was an instant success whose reputation has only grown. From its frightening description of the murders—the lonely Clutter farmhouse and open Kansas plain scare me to bits even without the quadruple homicide, thank you—to Capote’s authenticity-soaked regionalisms and atmosphere, In Cold Blood is an entire world as seen through the lens of a crime: the random, senseless violence; the hyper-nuanced portraits of the victims and killers, who lives might have turned out some other way, any other way; the peculiar celebrity of murder; the slow machinations of justice and the horror of death row.

I will never forget that first time reading it, which transported me from my dorm room in Rhode Island to a Kansas farmhouse, then to a claustrophobic prison cell. More recently I discovered the audio version, a legend in its own right thanks to narrator Scott Brick’s pitch-perfect performance, which seamlessly marries Capote’s haunting authorial voice with homespun prairie-isms (I lost count of all the "I don’t rightly know"s). With chilling precision and palpable respect for the material, Brick captivates as the tale gathers momentum. Depending on where you are when you listen, his performance might even be too immersive for comfort.

True crime conveys truths about the world that can be hard to hear. But in Capote’s telling and Brick’s performance, In Cold Blood beats with beauty, humanity, and propulsive storytelling to keep us listening through the darkness and through the decades.

Continue reading Kat's review >

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The most famous true crime novel of all time "chills the blood and exercises the intelligence" (The New York Review of Books)—and haunted its author long after he finished writing it.

On 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.

In one of the first non-fiction novels ever written, Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, generating 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.

©1965 Truman Capote (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A masterpiece ... a spellbinding work." —Life

"A remarkable, tensely exciting, superbly written 'true account'. " —The New York Times

"The best documentary account of an American crime ever written ... The book chills the blood and exercises the intelligence ... harrowing." —The New York Review of Books

Featured Article: The top 100 classics of all time


Before we whipped out our old high school syllabi and dug deep into our libraries to start selecting contenders for this list, we first had to answer the question, "How do we define a classic?" The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might guess, though there’s a lot to be said for the old adage, "You know it when you see it" (or, in this case, hear it). Of course, most critically, each of our picks had to be fabulous in audio. So dust off your aspirational listening list—we have some amazing additions you don’t want to miss.

What listeners say about In Cold Blood

Average customer ratings
Overall
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Excellent!

What did you love best about In Cold Blood?

that is is based on a true story that could have been a life long mystery if not for the police having good luck.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

I always love Scott Brick - he seems to be able to "feel" the story.

Any additional comments?

Very good book and a must listen - this was one that Audible suggested for me when I returned a horrible book and they did not lead me wrong.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Greatly written

I really enjoyed the story, although it was sad, volient, and horrible act. But the back grounds for all involved were given, the writer did his homework. I recommend this book!!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Classic that does not disappoint

What eloquent prose for such a horrific and tragic tale. No question was left unanswered after I completed this book. Such sadness and waste told of so beautifully.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Sad

Devastating knowing there are people so evil to do such a thing. I didn’t really like all the side stories. I can’t say I liked or enjoyed the book as that would be morbid, I did want to read more of Capotes books though. I loved “Breakfast at Tiffany’s “. That is more my speed, so to say.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Narrator

The narrator was very bland. This should have been read by 2-3 different voices to break up the monotone. it would have given the story more depth.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent!

This is my first time reading any work by Truman Capote. I had heard of the Clutter family tragedy, but not until reading “In Cold Blood”, did the story fully come to light for me. Capote does a magnificent job of capturing not only the essence and story of the victims, but the criminals as well. The reader comes away with a feeling of sadness for all involved in the story. Amazing book, takes the reader on a deep look at the very basic human level, what influences us, how environment shapes who we are and in the end that there may be a little good in all of us.

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Good listen/read

Great book. Good story and well written. Great Mix of true crime and a novel.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not t too Bad

This wasn't my favorite, but I did find the story intriguing. Wouldn't read again. The narrator is not very exciting.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A non-fiction book that feels like fiction

If you are trying to read more non-fiction but have a hard time, this is the one to pick. So well written and keeps you in the story the whole time.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great read

Truman Capote writes in a long-winded style, that at first I found off-putting. A different meter that can take a while to style into. I really enjoyed this book and now fully understand its enormous impact.

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