In Cold BloodIn Cold Blood
Score Classic
What it's about
In November 1959, Herb Clutter, a prosperous farmer, his wife and their two teenage children were murdered in their home in Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote read about the case in the newspaper and traveled to Kansas with his childhood friend Harper Lee to report it. Over six years he followed the investigation, the capture of the two killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, their trial, and their years on death row, telling it all like a novel.
Why it's worth reading
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and is on the Modern Library's list of the best nonfiction. It practically invented the true crime genre and the "nonfiction novel."
You'll love it if you liked
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Devil in the Grove
And Then There Were NoneGood to know
It's not graphic, but the murders are described. Capote took liberties with some details and scenes, which later reporters documented.
By the numbers
- Readers61 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller76 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Gripping, Dark
If you like this, read next
The Godfather
The Pillars of the Earth
Rebecca
Crime and Punishment
The Name of the Rose
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Quick answers
Is In Cold Blood worth reading?
Yes. It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list and is on the Modern Library's list of the best nonfiction. It ranks #140 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 85.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is In Cold Blood about?
In November 1959, Herb Clutter, a prosperous farmer, his wife and their two teenage children were murdered in their home in Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote read about the case in the newspaper and traveled to Kansas with his childhood friend Harper Lee to report it. Over six years he followed the investigation, the capture of the two killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, their trial, and their years on death row, telling it all like a novel.
How long does it take to read In Cold Blood?
About 9 hours (370 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after In Cold Blood?
If you liked it, try Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King or And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.