In Cold Blood

by Truman Capote

Written about the Clutter family murders in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959, the journey of the murderers from the crime scene to death row paralleled with the police investigation. But this book plays with your conscience and your principles. It was horrific, the way the family were murdered, although you don't find out exactly how until nearer the end but they are painted in such a golden angelic light at the beginning, that anybody could kill them is heartbreaking. But you get to know the murderers so well, Capote must have spent a great deal of time inside their heads, or at least Perry Smith's head. Dick is more straight forward, I didn't care too much about him, but much as I fought it I slowly developed an affection for Perry and I think that was the author's aim. But I don't want to feel affection for a man who "In Cold Blood" murdered an entire family in their beds.
I am entirely against the death penalty, entirely, so I didn't want anyone to hang, including the other inmates on death row but other than that I could care less about them. But I didn't want Perry to be so sad and I wanted someone to help him. Maybe they should have, should have made more of an effort to work with him but then you argue, why should they if he's shown no mercy to the Clutter's? How far should mental illness cover crime? But I can't help how I feel. I kind of liked Perry and he made me sad. I think the police felt it too.

What has really haunted me though was how on death row the lights are never turned off, ever and they can never go outside, of even their cells, and they lived like this for about 4 years. Personally I would have gone absolutely inside out insane!!