MinuteRead
5 min
Loading…
In Cold Blood is a new form of journalism that is referred to as a “nonfiction novel,” which tells, as if it were a novel, the story of how Dick Hickock and Perry Smith conspired, prepared, and killed the Clutter family in rural Kansas in the fall of 1959, and what it took for the police to catch them so they could be brought to justice by hanging in 1965.
In Cold Blood is a new form of journalism that is referred to as a “nonfiction novel,” which tells, as if it were a novel, the story of how Dick Hickock and Perry Smith conspired, prepared, and killed the Clutter family in rural Kansas in the fall of 1959, and what it took for the police to catch them so they could be brought to justice by hanging in 1965.
Normally, the Clutter family was at church every Sunday. But on this particular Sunday in 1959, they didn’t show up, causing a concerned neighbor to call them. When they didn’t answer, she and a few other neighbors decided they would stop by to check on them.
Things appeared normal from the outside. But when they looked through the window and saw food untouched on the table and the contents of a purse strewn on the floor, they knew something wasn’t right.
Susan Kidwell let herself in to investigate and soon found the gruesome scene of 16-year-old Nancy Clutter tied up and murdered in her bedroom.
They called first responders and soon they found the other members of the family, each bound with their mouths taped shut. All four had been shot in the head, and Mr. Clutter had his throat slit as well. The scene was horrendous, and no one could understand why.
To make things worse, the police had no leads whatsoever.
The first info about the murders came to light when a prisoner overheard the news on the radio. Floyd Wells recognized the Clutter name immediately. He knew exactly who had done this. He once shared a cell with a man named Dick Hickock. He recalled telling a very interested Dick all about Mr. Clutter, a wealthy man whom he had once worked for. Dick had a particular interest in a safe in the Clutter home and wanted all the details. Floyd came forward with what he knew, and soon the story unraveled. Dick had befriended a man named Perry Smith in prison. Dick saw Perry as a “natural killer” and he believed he could use his lack of conscience to his advantage. After their release, Perry said he would accompany Dick to Kansas, though he wanted to see an old friend rather than be part of the heist. But when they got there, the friend was gone, so Perry decided instead to go with Dick to the Clutter home that night. It seemed like they would get away with it too, except they made the mistake of going back to Kansas after the murders. Dick returned to con a shopkeeper by giving a blank check that would never clear. But the shop owner was suspicious and took…
Continue reading in the MinuteRead app
Get the complete 5-minute summary of In Cold Blood
Get the complete summary in the appTragedy and horror struck a small Kansas community when Dick Hickock and Perry Smith murdered the Clutter family.
The memory of an inmate combined with a mistake by Hickock and Perry was just what the police needed to close the case.
The murders took place after the men discovered there was no cash or riches to steal.
"In Cold Blood" is a strong fit if you want practical ideas around culture, history, society—especially themes like tragedy and horror struck a small kansas community when dick hickock and perry smith murdered the clutter family; the memory of an inmate combined with a mistake by hickock and perry was just what the police needed to close the case. The MinuteRead summary distills these concepts into a focused read, whether you're deciding whether to buy the book or applying its lessons at work.
Truman Capote was born in New Orleans in 1925 and was raised in various parts of the south, his family spending winters in New Orleans and summers in Alabama and New Georgia. By the age of fourteen he had already started writing short stories, some of which were published. He left school when he was fifteen and subsequently worked for the New Yorker which provided his first - and last - regular job. Following his spell with the New Yorker, Capote spent two years on a Louisiana farm where he wrot…
View all summaries by Truman CapoteContinue Reading
Access the complete 5-minute summary and thousands more nonfiction books in the MinuteRead app.
Continue reading the complete summary in the MinuteRead app.
