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laurenscholle's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve heard endless things about this novel being the birth of true crime non fiction and it didn’t disappoint. There were some parts that drug on and it took a minute to get used to Capote’s narrative style, but the second that I did, I was hooked. Some of the reviews mention the boringness or mundanity of talking about every player in Holcomb, but that is what made the book so compelling to me. True crime can often times focus too little on the victims and too much on the perpetrators (the fourth part of the book did focus a lot on Smith and Hicock) but Capote paints Holcomb and its residences so endearingly. I can see why so many people reference this as a true crime staple.
marypaz13's review against another edition
dark
informative
fast-paced
3.5
Read for book club.
This is my first Capote book. I didn’t realize this was a literary nonfiction book, or a “non-fiction novel” (I guess they call it narrative non-fiction now).
It read like David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
The narrative portion was the conversation of the characters(?). I liked that background was provided about everyone directly involved. I feel like that created, or in my case attempted to, a sense of empathy beyond pity for the specific person.
The killers were psycho & sociopaths. I had to look at their picture.
This is my first Capote book. I didn’t realize this was a literary nonfiction book, or a “non-fiction novel” (I guess they call it narrative non-fiction now).
It read like David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
The narrative portion was the conversation of the characters(?). I liked that background was provided about everyone directly involved. I feel like that created, or in my case attempted to, a sense of empathy beyond pity for the specific person.
The killers were psycho & sociopaths. I had to look at their picture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
jrmarr's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, Goodreads, when will you give us half stars?!!! This is a real 4.5 star book for me - better than many but not quite the perfect 5. This book first came to my attention when I saw the film 'Capote', but it's taken me a good while to read the book. And I'm very glad I did. Not sure quite what it is about it, but it certainly kept me hooked for a story in which I knew the ending. An extremely disconcerting tale of the best and worst of people, but somehow there is still hope there. This one has stayed with me beyond the reading of it.
sreyasreya's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book! I enjoyed it a lot very fun and interesting. Not my favorite true crime book but a good classic book. Definitely recommend to everyone to just get a basis of true crime knowledge.
kristinetp's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
glad to add another classic and another nonfiction to my completed list. I liked the narrative/story telling approach, it made it so much more accessible. I read this in the middle of a true crime haze and it helped scratch that itch. I’m okay getting rid of this book lol
amydarcy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
3.0
in cold blood is often recognised as the OG true crime novel + it’s clear how much influence it had on the genre. interestingly, it’s written in a similar format to a fictional murder mystery (minus the mystery bc, yanno, it’s a real case). while it was well written, there was so much over explaining and unnecessary details that left me feeling bored for large chunks of the book