In Cold Blood

I also ramble review over at A Tiny Reader's Reference. Come say Hi!Short but Sweet: Despite suffering from weighty unnecessary detail and a story-like structure that leans more toward fiction than true crime, In Cold Blood utilizes a unique storytelling structure that allows for a peek into the minds of the killers, the effect the murders had on small town Holcomb Kansas, up to the trial and beyond. Caution: This book contains several uncensored uses of a racial slur toward people of color.That synopsis sounds good, right? Intriguing? No hint of any dated storytelling, long-winded writing, and detrimental attention to detail, right? Right?! [b:In Cold Blood 168642 In Cold Blood Truman Capote https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424931136s/168642.jpg 1940709] did not wow me. To be honest, I expected it to, based on the 4.04 rating on Goodreads and a title of ???must read!??? for the true crime genre. Perhaps that is where I went wrong, going into a book first published in 1965 with 2016 expectations.But, if I were still being honest, what tripped me up about this novel were a few things not related to date ??? mainly, the lengthy introduction/lack of a genuine hook, the detail that felt overloaded or unnecessary, and the lack of a conclusion/exploration on the killers themselves. I shall explain.The opening in [b:In Cold Blood 168642 In Cold Blood Truman Capote https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424931136s/168642.jpg 1940709] is long. The viewpoints alternate between the family before their murder (and the investigating force afterward) and the killers. While this sounds like a viable storytelling method (and for the most part, it is) we are dropped in around twelve hours before their demise ??? twelve hours of hearing about Nancy???s relationships, Bonnie???s mental health issues, Herbert???s morning routine, etc. It goes far beyond establishment of routine and character. A method of print empathy and characterization I???m sure, but quite frustrating to trudge through when it stretches on and on.This method is not spared for the killers either, where we get to read pages and pages of their prep before the murder ??? like the restaurant they ate at, the exact food they ordered, the car they drove, who drove, where they slept, the arrangements, etc. This is one of many examples of the weighty detail that permeates through each section, something I feel reduces the effectivity of actual, relevant detail.Interspersed in the narration was, literally, copy-pasted segments relevant to the chapter or section at that time. In one situation, it was the entire letter penned by the sister of one of the killers ??? all four and a half pages worth. In another, it was conclusions, from a newspaper, drawn and published ??? all five pages of it. I surmise they were included in this novel for transparency, but it really didn???t do it for me??? I ended up skimming through it.[b:In Cold Blood 168642 In Cold Blood Truman Capote https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424931136s/168642.jpg 1940709] did not reach a point of excitement for me until the infamous break in the case occurred, and then the ball got rolling and became more exciting ??? especially as the killers began to make poor decisions that would, ultimately, allow for their capture.I feel I should have loved this more than I do. It???s been regarded as a ???pioneer in the true crime genre??? and praised for accurately delving into the psyche of the killers (source), a claim I will unfortunately have to partly disagree with.Is the background of the killers discussed? Absolutely. In-depth, long-winded discussion. But when I finally turned the last page and closed the book, I felt like I didn???t have a full understanding of the killers and why they did what they did. The conclusions, if any, felt incomplete and cobbled together. It felt wasted, especially given the conflicted and changing stories about that night, and the apparent choice-based juxtaposition one of the killers had ??? a venue I wished had been explored more thoroughly.I sound like I hated this novel, and I truly did not. Once it picked up, I had to finish it. I even did some research afterward, and saw some pictures (both NSFL and otherwise) so it was a really neat thing to connect story to picture. But the work that I had to do in order to get into the novel in the first place bothered me enough to almost put it down, had the reviews not saved it.I???d recommend picking this up if you???re a fan of true crime (my reason) or if Vincent Bugliosi???s [b:Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders 105992 Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Vincent Bugliosi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg 1077715] was far too long and/or dry. It presents the crime and aftermath as a tale rather than a succession of events, a method that may appeal to you. To my disappointment, it did not appeal to me.