When I was about 14 years old, way back in the 1970’s, I read my first true crime novel – ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote. When I read it again as an adult, I really wondered what drew me to it at that young age.
The text is flowery, for lack of a better term. It’s not like most true crime novels, full of overly detailed descriptions of gore, blood or crime scenes. Of course, there is some of that. But somehow, Capote managed to make it all sound so . . . civilized. I think that helped me to keep my interest at such a young age, because I wasn’t put off by those kinds of visual details that might have caused me to turn away.
In Cold Blood tells of the story of the Clutters, a well-known farming family murdered in their home in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959. Capote actually learned about the crime before the murderers were captured, so he travelled to Kansas with his friend and fellow writer, Harper Lee.
Wait. What? That would have been a fascinating car ride.
It wasn’t until 6 weeks after the murders that Perry Smith and Richard Hickock were arrested and brought back to face the music in Kansas. This gap in time gave Capote the luxury to be in the small town with the people and observe their actions and interactions.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE STORY
Two men broke into the Clutter home, apparently hoping to find money hidden in a safe somewhere in the home. This was information one of the intruders had received from a former prison mate who had worked on the Clutter Farm before later going to prison. They needlessly and brutally murdered the 4 members of the family who were home at the time, and they got away with next to nothing. Some say only about $30-40, but most agree it was less than $50 (which is just under $500 today). They also took a radio and a pair of binoculars.
The thing happened close to my home state of Missouri. It was a bizarre story for our part of the country especially at that time. But is that why I liked the book – because it was bizarre and unusual? By the time I read it, the crime was more than 10 years old.
At that time, parents like mine who were older didn’t discuss the news with their children. They certainly would not talk about this type of shocking information in our presence. Mostly, kids didn’t watch the news unless we had a school project – that was for old people. Besides, if my dad was watching television, the kids would have to be quiet. That was too hard to do.
So what drew me to this book more than any other book I had read at that time? I had no idea this case was the beginning of something – not just for me and my interests, but for an entire genre of writing and story telling. True crime wasn’t really a thing back then, at least not as a popular genre. But the journey for me and many others started in part there in Holcomb with Truman Capote.
Capote has been both hailed and criticized for this piece of work. It’s eloquently written, very thorough and was like nothing we had seen before. But many also thought it was inaccurate and glorified the killers while unfairly portraying some of the family and community members.
Capote had unprecedented access to the story and the murderers from the moment they were captured. I can only presume this might explain why he concentrated on their perspective over others.
So how did I become interested more than 10 years after the book came out? I don’t recall specifically, but I believe because I saw the movie, starring Robert Blake, when I was in middle school. Even though it came out in 1967, I wouldn’t have been allowed to see it until I was older. I certainly wouldn’t have seen it in a movie theater. We didn’t get “movie channels” until I was a teenager. After watching the movie, I was fascinated by the story. So, I went to the local library and checked out the book. (I know – all these references tell you that I am old).
I WAS HOOKED
And then it happened – I was hooked on true crime. My love of the genre has come and gone and come back again over time. Marriage, jobs, kids, life….it all gets in the way of our hobbies, right? Besides, when I was a young mom, I thought people would think I was weird for being interested in serial killers and other crimes, so I kept it to myself. Then I let it go….for a while.
Luckily in today’s world, true crime is a legit hobby and passion for many people – especially women it seems. We listen to it via podcasts, we read about it in books and online, we watch movies and limited series telling us about all kinds of crimes that actually happened. Thankfully, Netflix, Prime, Hulu and all the others are full of options for those of us who can’t get enough of it – even though our husbands or significant others look at us with reservation and mostly don’t get why we are so intrigued.
Finally, I am able to devote some time to this hobby. I have started doing lots of research and reading….and reading and reading. There is so much out there, so of course what I put on this website will only be the tip of the iceberg of information available. But, it will be the cases and stories that I want to delve into and that interest me. I really hope I can do them justice.