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Truman Capote and the Legacy of "In Cold Blood"
Ralph F. Voss was a high school junior in Plainville, Kansas in mid-November of 1959 when four members of the Herbert Clutter family were murdered in Holcomb, Kansas, by “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives,” an unimaginable horror in a quiet farm community during the Eisenhower years. No one in Kansas or elsewhere could then have foreseen the emergence of Capote’s book–which has never gone out of print, has twice been made into a major motion picture, remains required reading in criminology, American Studies, sociology, and English classes, and has been the source of two recent biographical films.
Voss examines Capote and In Cold Blood from many perspectives, not only as the crowning achievement of Capote’s career, but also as a story in itself, focusing on Capote’s artfully composed text, his extravagant claims for it as reportage, and its larger status in American popular culture.
Voss argues that Capote’s publication of In Cold Blood in 1966 forever transcended his reputation as a first-rate stylist but second-rate writer of “Southern gothic” fiction; that In Cold Blood actually is a gothic novel, a sophisticated culmination of Capote’s artistic development and interest in lurid regionalism, but one that nonetheless eclipsed him both personally and artistically. He also explores Capote’s famous claim that he created a genre called the “non-fiction novel,” and its status as a foundational work of “true crime” writing as practiced by authors ranging from Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer to James Ellroy, Joe McGinniss, and John Berendt.
Voss also examines Capote’s artful manipulation of the story’s facts and his masking of crucial homoerotic elements to enhance its marketability; his need for the killers to remain alive long enough to get the story, and then his need for them to die so that he could complete it; and Capote’s style, his shaping of the narrative, and his selection of details–why it served him to include this and not that , and the effects of such choices―all despite confident declarations that “every word is true.”
Though it’s been nearly 50 years since the Clutter murders and far more gruesome crimes have been documented, In Cold Blood continues to resonate deeply in popular culture. Beyond questions of artistic selection and claims of truth, beyond questions about capital punishment and Capote’s own post-publication dissolution, In Cold Blood ’s ongoing relevance stems, argues Voss, from its unmatched role as a touchstone for enduring issues of truth, exploitation, victimization, and the power of narrative.
Voss examines Capote and In Cold Blood from many perspectives, not only as the crowning achievement of Capote’s career, but also as a story in itself, focusing on Capote’s artfully composed text, his extravagant claims for it as reportage, and its larger status in American popular culture.
Voss argues that Capote’s publication of In Cold Blood in 1966 forever transcended his reputation as a first-rate stylist but second-rate writer of “Southern gothic” fiction; that In Cold Blood actually is a gothic novel, a sophisticated culmination of Capote’s artistic development and interest in lurid regionalism, but one that nonetheless eclipsed him both personally and artistically. He also explores Capote’s famous claim that he created a genre called the “non-fiction novel,” and its status as a foundational work of “true crime” writing as practiced by authors ranging from Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer to James Ellroy, Joe McGinniss, and John Berendt.
Voss also examines Capote’s artful manipulation of the story’s facts and his masking of crucial homoerotic elements to enhance its marketability; his need for the killers to remain alive long enough to get the story, and then his need for them to die so that he could complete it; and Capote’s style, his shaping of the narrative, and his selection of details–why it served him to include this and not that , and the effects of such choices―all despite confident declarations that “every word is true.”
Though it’s been nearly 50 years since the Clutter murders and far more gruesome crimes have been documented, In Cold Blood continues to resonate deeply in popular culture. Beyond questions of artistic selection and claims of truth, beyond questions about capital punishment and Capote’s own post-publication dissolution, In Cold Blood ’s ongoing relevance stems, argues Voss, from its unmatched role as a touchstone for enduring issues of truth, exploitation, victimization, and the power of narrative.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 30, 2017
Having recently read, “In Cold Blood,” for the first time, I was intrigued to discover more about the background, impact and writing of this fascinating book. This mirrors, “In Cold Blood,” in that it begins with the background of the crime itself. Sadly, there was nothing too original about either the murders, or the criminals. “In Cold Blood,” is the second best selling crime book, with only the excellent, “Helter Skelter,” outselling it. However, “Helter Skelter,” has the draw of the Manson murders – with celebrity victims, a cult leader, links to Beatles songs and members of the Beach Boys. Capote weaved his tale out of the tragic murder of a respected family in rural Kansas and the arrest, and trial, of two petty criminals who turned to murder. If the difference was not the crime itself, then the difference was Capote himself. The crime may have ‘shocked a nation.’ It may have been senseless and brutal, but it only received one column in the newspaper that Capote came across. There was not even a headline and so the fascination comes from the background and detail that he, as an author, put into the book.
The author of this investigation into the book looks at the legacy of Capote’s celebrity, Gothic writing, the myth of the nonfiction novel, the gay subtext of the novel, Capote’s views on capital punishment, the legacy of the books creative influence and the legacy left in Kansas itself. This would be a good starting point for anyone studying this book, but it is also an interesting read for those readers, like myself, who would like to know more about how this book was written. It certainly gave me new insight into how the book has been viewed through the years and why it has remained a classic.
The author of this investigation into the book looks at the legacy of Capote’s celebrity, Gothic writing, the myth of the nonfiction novel, the gay subtext of the novel, Capote’s views on capital punishment, the legacy of the books creative influence and the legacy left in Kansas itself. This would be a good starting point for anyone studying this book, but it is also an interesting read for those readers, like myself, who would like to know more about how this book was written. It certainly gave me new insight into how the book has been viewed through the years and why it has remained a classic.
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October 14, 2025Pre-review: I swear I will finish this one someday...
This is an interesting cultural case study, will re-read later.
This is an interesting cultural case study, will re-read later.
June 17, 2017
Author Ralph Voss was a teenager in Kansas in 1959, when the Herbert Clutter family was murdered in their home in another quiet Kansas community. Parents and two teenagers were gunned down in the peace of their farm house by two recently-released convicts, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock. The crime, subsequent manhunt, trial, and execution, was immortalised in the book, "In Cold Blood", by infant-terrible Truman Capote.
More than 50 years have passed and the Clutters have been joined in death by their murderers, Truman Capote, and many of the members of Kansas law enforcement who apprehended and tried Smith and Hickock. But the crime lives on, in Capote's book and subsequent books and movies. I'm sure most - if not all - of the readers of this review have read "In Cold Blood" and have seen at least one of the movies about Truman Capote. Ralph Voss takes a look at how both the cold-blooded murder of a family of four and the books and movies have affected the Clutter's Kansas neighbors and Truman Capote's life and place in society.
Truman Capote was already a well-known and respected writer in New York City when in November, 1959, he read a small article in the New York Times, telling of a home-invasion/murder in the small Kansas farm community of Holcomb. He was looking for a "project" and persuaded his boss at the "New Yorker" to pay for him to travel to Kansas to write what he first thought would be a magazine article. He also convinced his old friend from Alabama - Nelle Harper Lee - to accompany him and act as his assistant. Nelle - better known as "Harper Lee" - had just published her first - and only - novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" and the book was beginning to garner praise and sales. Certainly an article on a murder-in-the-farmlands would be a change from Capote's previous writing; the novel, "Breakfast at Tiffany's", several highly-regarded books of short stories, as well as a couple of movie scripts. Capote was the toast of New York society but was somewhat bored by "the ladies who lunch".
Truman and Nelle arrived in Garden City, Kansas and settled in to interview and write a true-crime article. People in Kansas didn't quite know what to make of Truman Capote - clearly a gay man - and the "interesting" Nelle Lee. But the two finally became accepted into the community where they began to work. Interviewing the Clutter's neighbors and friends and the Kansas law enforcement officers, the two were there when the murderers - Perry Smith and Richard Hickock - were apprehended in Las Vegas after five weeks on-the-lam and returned to Garden City to face trial for their crimes. And it was looking at Perry Smith, a short, violent, childish-looking man, from a highly dysfunctional family, that Truman Capote fell in love. The original article length piece Capote was planning to write for the "New Yorker" gradually expanded into book-length.
Truman Capote's writing expanded because he was now writing about the killers as well as the victims. He also wrote about the police and law-enforcement community. He was given access to the jails, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation's (KBI) files and records, and the prison where Hickock and Smith spent five years awaiting their executions. Those five years - between trial verdict and the gallows - were painful for Capote. He couldn't finish and publish his book (actually first published as four magazine articles) until Hickock and Smith were executed but he didn't want them - particularly Perry Smith - to die. He told the two murderers that he would hire appellate attorneys to represent them, but never followed through. He maintained a sort of "prison romance" with Perry Smith, the exact details of which have never been completely substantiated. Capote always said he and Perry Smith were two very similar men from similar dysfunctional families who took completely different paths in life. Smith's life ended on the gallows in a Kansas prison, while Capote's ended at Joanne Carson's guest house in California. He never achieved the literary or social success after his fame of "In Cold Blood" and never published another novel.
Ralph Voss recounts Capote's life both before and after his time in Kansas writing "In Cold Blood". He critiques the book and also the movies that were made from the book, and the movies made of Truman Capote's life. He also returns to the scene of the crime - Holcomb, Kansas - in 1959 a small rural town that has grown into a much larger community as economic prosperity came to that part of Kansas. Voss is an excellent writer and researcher. The book, "Truman Capote and the Legacy of 'In Cold Blood'" is a worthwhile read if you want to know more about the hideous crime and its aftermath in that small Kansas town more than 50 years ago.
More than 50 years have passed and the Clutters have been joined in death by their murderers, Truman Capote, and many of the members of Kansas law enforcement who apprehended and tried Smith and Hickock. But the crime lives on, in Capote's book and subsequent books and movies. I'm sure most - if not all - of the readers of this review have read "In Cold Blood" and have seen at least one of the movies about Truman Capote. Ralph Voss takes a look at how both the cold-blooded murder of a family of four and the books and movies have affected the Clutter's Kansas neighbors and Truman Capote's life and place in society.
Truman Capote was already a well-known and respected writer in New York City when in November, 1959, he read a small article in the New York Times, telling of a home-invasion/murder in the small Kansas farm community of Holcomb. He was looking for a "project" and persuaded his boss at the "New Yorker" to pay for him to travel to Kansas to write what he first thought would be a magazine article. He also convinced his old friend from Alabama - Nelle Harper Lee - to accompany him and act as his assistant. Nelle - better known as "Harper Lee" - had just published her first - and only - novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" and the book was beginning to garner praise and sales. Certainly an article on a murder-in-the-farmlands would be a change from Capote's previous writing; the novel, "Breakfast at Tiffany's", several highly-regarded books of short stories, as well as a couple of movie scripts. Capote was the toast of New York society but was somewhat bored by "the ladies who lunch".
Truman and Nelle arrived in Garden City, Kansas and settled in to interview and write a true-crime article. People in Kansas didn't quite know what to make of Truman Capote - clearly a gay man - and the "interesting" Nelle Lee. But the two finally became accepted into the community where they began to work. Interviewing the Clutter's neighbors and friends and the Kansas law enforcement officers, the two were there when the murderers - Perry Smith and Richard Hickock - were apprehended in Las Vegas after five weeks on-the-lam and returned to Garden City to face trial for their crimes. And it was looking at Perry Smith, a short, violent, childish-looking man, from a highly dysfunctional family, that Truman Capote fell in love. The original article length piece Capote was planning to write for the "New Yorker" gradually expanded into book-length.
Truman Capote's writing expanded because he was now writing about the killers as well as the victims. He also wrote about the police and law-enforcement community. He was given access to the jails, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation's (KBI) files and records, and the prison where Hickock and Smith spent five years awaiting their executions. Those five years - between trial verdict and the gallows - were painful for Capote. He couldn't finish and publish his book (actually first published as four magazine articles) until Hickock and Smith were executed but he didn't want them - particularly Perry Smith - to die. He told the two murderers that he would hire appellate attorneys to represent them, but never followed through. He maintained a sort of "prison romance" with Perry Smith, the exact details of which have never been completely substantiated. Capote always said he and Perry Smith were two very similar men from similar dysfunctional families who took completely different paths in life. Smith's life ended on the gallows in a Kansas prison, while Capote's ended at Joanne Carson's guest house in California. He never achieved the literary or social success after his fame of "In Cold Blood" and never published another novel.
Ralph Voss recounts Capote's life both before and after his time in Kansas writing "In Cold Blood". He critiques the book and also the movies that were made from the book, and the movies made of Truman Capote's life. He also returns to the scene of the crime - Holcomb, Kansas - in 1959 a small rural town that has grown into a much larger community as economic prosperity came to that part of Kansas. Voss is an excellent writer and researcher. The book, "Truman Capote and the Legacy of 'In Cold Blood'" is a worthwhile read if you want to know more about the hideous crime and its aftermath in that small Kansas town more than 50 years ago.
January 9, 2021
I got what I wanted - a one-stop compendium of additional insight into Truman Capote and In Cold Blood. Coming in with no background knowledge beyond Wikipedia, I was the intended reader. And yet even I struggled with the extremely repetitiveness and the prolonged summaries. Looking back, I got the most out of the chapters on Capote’s life, the linkages with other litt genres, and the insight into the various film and fiction adaptations (so that way I don’t need to read them myself). Turns out I am uninterested in the kerfuffle over “nonfiction novels,” very interested in Harper Lee and Capote’s intertwined lives and sensibilities, and intrigued to learn more about Southern Gothic. Major takeaway? In Cold Blood is a work of high art, but in order to produce it Capote made Faustian bargains that were absolutely exploitative vis a vis the people of Kansas and basically lost the the ability to do anything else for the rest of his career. Intense stuff.
December 6, 2014
Excellent literary study of IN COLD BLOOD. Voss (who has taught the book in his college lit courses) looks at the book from a variety of points of view: historical, geographic, social, artistic, sex orientation. Best chapters: "The Myth of the Nonfiction Novel" and "The Legacy of Creative Influence." "Creative Influence" includes commentary on the films. I picked up several related titles I want to read.
September 29, 2022
I listened to the audiobook, but that wasn't an option to choose, FYI...
Since I recently read "In Cold Blood" for a class that I'm teaching, I wanted to dive deeper into the story. This was a wonderful book to read so soon after reading "In Cold Blood." It gives so much context and answers the questions I had after reading ICB, such as: What was Capote's relationship with Dewey? What was Capote's real relationship with Perry? The book also talks about ICB in pop culture and the way that the story has been portrayed in film. I really enjoyed the last chapter about the book's legacy in Kansas and what some of the main players thought about the book and Capote as years went on. I need to buy this in print so I can highlight and take notes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read ICB or especially those who are teaching the book.
Since I recently read "In Cold Blood" for a class that I'm teaching, I wanted to dive deeper into the story. This was a wonderful book to read so soon after reading "In Cold Blood." It gives so much context and answers the questions I had after reading ICB, such as: What was Capote's relationship with Dewey? What was Capote's real relationship with Perry? The book also talks about ICB in pop culture and the way that the story has been portrayed in film. I really enjoyed the last chapter about the book's legacy in Kansas and what some of the main players thought about the book and Capote as years went on. I need to buy this in print so I can highlight and take notes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read ICB or especially those who are teaching the book.
August 13, 2019
I read In Cold Blood recently, and was interested enough to follow that up with some reviews and general info searches. I found a hornet's nest of conflicting information. Voss's take is a good place for the casually interested, as he summarizes the different criticisms of Capote's work and actions and recounts where they come from and what proof exists. He also summarizes the various films and extraneous works to date about the Clutter murders.
If you are already well-versed in this case, however, a lot of this information will seem unnecessary.
If you are already well-versed in this case, however, a lot of this information will seem unnecessary.
May 22, 2019
This was a good read. The author covers Capote and his book from numerous angles. Learned new things about the man, the book, the aftermath. I had no idea the original movie filmed the murder scene in the Clutter house.
Voss makes me want to reread In Cold Blood and watch the movies he references.
A final note to say that, in my opinion, a book on the friendship between Capote and Harper Lee would be an amazing read. Alas...
Voss makes me want to reread In Cold Blood and watch the movies he references.
A final note to say that, in my opinion, a book on the friendship between Capote and Harper Lee would be an amazing read. Alas...
May 22, 2025
Capote logra un retrato escalofriante y profundamente humano del crimen que marcó a una comunidad. La mezcla entre periodismo y literatura es brillante, y el perfil psicológico de los asesinos, especialmente de Perry, es inquietante y conmovedor.
Le resto una estrella porque algunos tramos se sienten lentos, pero sigue siendo una obra imprescindible del género.
Le resto una estrella porque algunos tramos se sienten lentos, pero sigue siendo una obra imprescindible del género.
March 16, 2022
I actually read in cold blood but I couldn’t find it on Good reads. This books was wonderfully written and captivating. It was a thriller and the author did a fantastic job with describing landscapes and such.
September 20, 2013
I have been a Capote fan since high school, have read almost all of his work (including In Cold Blood), and have seen both recent films based on his time spent in Kansas (Capote in 2005 and Infamous in 2006). While researching a project of my own, I decided it was time to read Ralph F. Voss’s book also devoted to Capote and his time spent in Kansas.
While it is a well researched book (30% of the text is Voss’s notes and bibliography), there is nothing new here for readers like me who are already well versed in the topic of Capote’s real-time research of the Clutter murders, the capture and trial of the killers, their execution, all culminating with the publication of In Cold Blood.
I would highly recommend this book to a new person who has just become interested in the topic, perhaps someone who has just finished reading In Cold Blood, but has not seen any of the movies or read anything else; someone who is intrigued and now wants to dive a bit deeper into it. If that’s you, then this book is a gold mine.
For the others out there like me who are a bit more familiar with all of it, you might find yourself bored. Voss’s style of writing reads more like an essay or public speech: “In the next chapter, I will argue this” or “As I stated in chapter 6″ and”I will now discuss this.” You are constantly reminded of the author’s presence and opinion, which gave the book a rough edge for me.
Another problem is that after Voss pinpoints his lead sources of inspiration (movies and books), he spends quite a bit of time just regurgitating their plot lines and discussing their elements like a book reviewer or movie critic would. Obviously, he discusses In Cold Blood in detail, along with its 1960s movie, the 1990s television remake, the film Capote of 2005, Infamous of 2006, Gerald Clarke’s Capote biography, George Plimpton’s book on Capote; and for some odd reason Kim Powers’ fictional book Capote in Kansas of 2008, and even the comic book version of 2006 – spelling out every detail of how they are different and giving his opinion of how they relate to the real life facts, even though the latter two are complete fiction! Again, this made for quite a tedious read, filling up pages with information that interested readers might want to find out on their own, if they haven’t already.
Am I glad I read this book? Yes. There are several pictures sprinkled throughout the text, some taken by Voss in Kansas which I had not seen before. And, being a diehard Capote fan, I always appreciate hearing someone else’s thoughts on Capote and his “infamous” work. Is there anything new here for fans like me? Not really, but you might want to take a stab at it anyway.
While it is a well researched book (30% of the text is Voss’s notes and bibliography), there is nothing new here for readers like me who are already well versed in the topic of Capote’s real-time research of the Clutter murders, the capture and trial of the killers, their execution, all culminating with the publication of In Cold Blood.
I would highly recommend this book to a new person who has just become interested in the topic, perhaps someone who has just finished reading In Cold Blood, but has not seen any of the movies or read anything else; someone who is intrigued and now wants to dive a bit deeper into it. If that’s you, then this book is a gold mine.
For the others out there like me who are a bit more familiar with all of it, you might find yourself bored. Voss’s style of writing reads more like an essay or public speech: “In the next chapter, I will argue this” or “As I stated in chapter 6″ and”I will now discuss this.” You are constantly reminded of the author’s presence and opinion, which gave the book a rough edge for me.
Another problem is that after Voss pinpoints his lead sources of inspiration (movies and books), he spends quite a bit of time just regurgitating their plot lines and discussing their elements like a book reviewer or movie critic would. Obviously, he discusses In Cold Blood in detail, along with its 1960s movie, the 1990s television remake, the film Capote of 2005, Infamous of 2006, Gerald Clarke’s Capote biography, George Plimpton’s book on Capote; and for some odd reason Kim Powers’ fictional book Capote in Kansas of 2008, and even the comic book version of 2006 – spelling out every detail of how they are different and giving his opinion of how they relate to the real life facts, even though the latter two are complete fiction! Again, this made for quite a tedious read, filling up pages with information that interested readers might want to find out on their own, if they haven’t already.
Am I glad I read this book? Yes. There are several pictures sprinkled throughout the text, some taken by Voss in Kansas which I had not seen before. And, being a diehard Capote fan, I always appreciate hearing someone else’s thoughts on Capote and his “infamous” work. Is there anything new here for fans like me? Not really, but you might want to take a stab at it anyway.
March 22, 2014
The book is most rewarding for being a single repository for sources about Capote's "In Cold Blood." There was very little here that, if you had already read Gerald Clarke's "Capote" and the book "In Cold Blood" that came as a revelation. Perhaps the most interesting chapter concerned the response both then and now of the residents of Holcomb and those lives touched by the Clutter murders and Capote/Nelle Harper's time there. Voss is a compent fact-gatherer, but the first half of the book reads much like a high school term paper. His observations were well... obvious... but meticulously referenced and footnoted. I did enjoy the chapter surveying the "legacy" films/books/plays. A handy one-stop reference guide to a book that, as Voss very rightly notes, resonated since its publication.
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December 14, 2012This wasnt quite what it was made out to be, but an interesting survey of ICB as a historical document, literary inspiration and sometime blessing or bane to Kansans. Also interesting to read in light of new developments in a cold case in Florida, a murder of a family of four that may have also been the work of Hickock and Smith.
April 12, 2015
Outstanding exploration of the author and the event that was most responsible for making him a legend. I learned new details concerning Capote's career as well as new details of the crime and subsequent trial.
March 9, 2012
So helpful!
January 6, 2013
This was very informative. I now have tons of behind-the-scenes information on "In Cold Blood" to share with my students.
October 30, 2015
This was a fascinating analysis of the writer and his masterpiece. I learned a great deal about both the man and his work.
September 29, 2016
An indispensable resource to supplement the teaching of In Cold Blood. Meticulously researched and enjoyable at the same time.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews