We all love a murder mystery. The true ones and the fiction ones: Ted Bundy, Freddy Krueger, and even the good ole H. H Holmes. But there is one murder mystery that to me, was unheard of until recently: the 1959 Clutter family murders.

This real life murder, mystery was not one that was introduced to me through a Netflix series, but rather a novel titled “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote. It was one of the hardest murders to solve. There was little evidence left behind, no obvious motive, and seemed to be completely random.

I am not sure what it was about this murder that appealed to me so much. Not only did I feel for the innocent family, but at the same time, I felt for the murderers who have had a hard life.

The Clutter family was a family that lived a simple life on a farm. Mr. Clutter had just purchased a large life insurance policy which stated that if something were to happen to him, his assets were to go to their surviving children. It was ironic, almost suspicious.

The book begins by allowing the reader to follow the family through their daily life before their murder. Then while carrying a reminiscent tone,Capote introduces the reader to the killers, giving insight into their life, telling where they met, what led them to commit the crime, and even how they were going to carry out their plan.

I felt a connection to Perry, one of the killers, as he was seen as the underdog. He was only standing five foot four inches tall and didn’t have a lot of money to his name.

He held grudges against a number of important people in his life and felt an urge to get that anger out. Capote illustrated the murder and the life of all the individuals, respectfully yet vividly in a way that I just couldn’t help sympathizing with the victims and the villains.

I would recommend this book to a reader who is interested in murder, mystery and true stories, as it is very much both. It took me two attempts to read it because the imagery is so detailed, but once I finally made the time to sit down and commit, I could not put it down.

With all things considered, I would give this book a solid 9.5 out of 10.