In Cold Blood

By Truman Capote
Lexile = 1040

Full Disclosure: I've been book-talking this title for a couple of years....telling students about its graphic nature and the horrible crime recounted in terrible detail. Certain students seemed disappointed that it wasn't gory enough. Well. It's not. In Cold Blood is considered to be the first "True Crime" book. I was surprised to see how dispassionate (in good way) the crime and the aftermath are presented.

The crime took place in late 1959. From the beginning, the reader knows who did it. Capote masterfully tracks the movements and motives of the killers and the victims. The surprise here is getting "inside" the heads of all involved. The crime is heinous, but the humanity of the killers is still evident.

Crime investigation has changed so much in the ensuing years. The access to the crime scene and to interviewing witnesses is completely different now than it was when Capote was working on this book in the sixties. I have never been a fan of crime narratives, but I loved this book!