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In Cold Blood Audiobook
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(4.00) - 24 listener ratings
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Synopsis
First published in 1965 as a four-part serial in The New Yorker, Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" details the grisly murder of a family of Kansas farmers by two enigmatic (and misinformed) ex-cons who expected a quick score with a safe full of cash, but instead found themselves as the centerpiece of this pioneering masterwork of the true crime genre. Filled with the kind of gory, detailed violence that we find commonplace today, the book was an immediate sensation.
After reading about the murders, Capote traveled to Kansas with his childhood friend Harper Lee (who would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for her novel To Kill A Mockingbird) to interview the locals about the crime.
After the criminals were captured, tried, and convicted, Capote continued his copious research, conducting personal interviews with both killers in a book writing process that would ultimately last six years and outlast both Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, who were hung in April of 1965 at the Kansas State Penitentiary.
Rumors persist to this day of a sexual relationship between Capote and Smith, for whom the author expressed a complicated and nuanced empathy. Three film adaptations did little to dispel the rumors and added to the rich pedigree of the book by garnishing a slew of Academy Award nominations.
Despite the acclaim he received for In Cold Blood and his earlier novella Breakfast At Tiffany's, Capote -- the outwardly gay, substance-abusing writer -- was arguably more famous than his work. He spent his last years maintaining his celebrity status by appearing on talk shows -- sometimes intoxicated -- and at one point publicly threatened suicide. His struggle with drugs and alcohol led to multiple stints in rehab and his untimely death from liver cancer in 1984.
"This is a chilling true account of an obscure multiple murder in rural Kansas in the late 1950's. Don't read it while alone at night. What amazes me is that this was written by the same author who created Holly Golightly/Breakfast At Tiffany's. "
— Susan (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Narrator Brick’s surefooted performance is nothing short of stunning. He settles comfortably into every character on this huge stage…generating the feel of a full-cast production…An award-worthy performance.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred audio review) -
“Scott Brick’s outstanding narration should introduce a generation of listeners to the complete story…Though the recording is more than fourteen hours, Brick is just so easy to listen to…He attempts no Kansas accents, no melodramatic phrasing. He steps back and lets the story breathe, and in doing so, leaves the listener breathless. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Chills the blood and exercises the intelligence.”
— New York Review of Books
Awards
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A #1 New York Times bestseller
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A New York Public Library Staff Pick of Favorite Books of the Last 125 Years
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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An Audible Pick of the Best Audio Version of a Classic
In Cold Blood Listener Reviews
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logg, 2/14/2024
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kim topping, 11/6/2022
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" i've always been fascinated by the mind of a criminal. i can't think of anything else to say, except that this book is awesome. "
— Anna, 5/22/2011 -
" At the end of Page 1 I was hooked. One of the few books I have read multiple (more than two) times. That says it all. A masterpiece of writing. "
— Pascal, 5/20/2011 -
" Quite a disturbing account of a real life murder....an honest portrayal of the murderers friendship and their crime. "
— Anushka, 5/20/2011 -
" Chilling but very well researched and written. "
— Judy, 5/19/2011 -
" A little dry, but worth the read. "
— Cathy, 5/16/2011 -
" Read a long time ago. When I read it I was intrigued that the on-the-lam Perry had once passed through <br/>the Worcester, Mass. bus station. A place I myself had passed through a few times back in the day. Date <br/>read is a guess. "
— Chris, 5/16/2011 -
" Fantastic book. Loved how it was written. Read it and you shall see. "
— Agustina, 5/13/2011 -
" Not sure what made me decide to read this now, 45 years after it was first published (other than that it was on sale). But I'm glad I did; it was interesting, and made me want to see the movie Capote. "
— Bethany, 5/13/2011 -
" I studied this at university and found it a compelling read. "
— Rosie, 5/13/2011 -
" I read this one a while ago. I remember the way this work felt more than the details. The men who perpetrated this crime were more stupid than criminal--the result however was tragically the same. "
— F., 5/12/2011
About Truman Capote
Truman Capote (1924–1984) was an American author, playwright, and actor. He is best known for his novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s and for his nonfiction novel In Cold Blood, which brought him literary acclaim and became an international bestseller. He also wrote short-story collections, novels, acclaimed travel writing, several short memoirs, two plays, and two films. He twice won the O. Henry Memorial Short Story Prize and was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Many of his works have been adapted for film and television.
About Scott Brick
Scott Brick, an acclaimed voice artist, screenwriter, and actor, has performed on film, television, and radio. He attended UCLA and spent ten years in a traveling Shakespeare company. Passionate about the spoken word, he has narrated a wide variety of audiobooks. winning won more than fifty AudioFile Earphones Awards and several of the prestigious Audie Awards. He was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine and the Voice of Choice for 2016 by Booklist magazine.