Breathtaking…

I’m re-reading In Cold Blood for what, I think, is the third time. I’m reading it in conjunction with the massive and fascinating biography of Truman Capote by Gerald Clarke, titled Capote: A Biography. It’s a great read, and I recommend it.

However, I just had to note, once again, that it never fails to take my breath away when I get to the following quote, attributed to Perry Smith by Capote:

“I didn’t want to harm the man (Herbert Clutter). I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat.”

It was a quote I neglected to mention in my previous review on the book, and one that I thought was worth noting as a particularly stellar and shocking perfect example of the true crime genre.

Published in: on April 20, 2007 at 8:53 pm

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  1. On July 14, 2007 at 4:58 pm SpotsCat Said:

    I too am re-reading “In Cold Blood”, after having watched Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s spot-on portrayal of Truman Capote in “Capote”, and after re-watching the original “ICB” movie with Robert Blake.

    And I was wondering –

    November 2009 will be the 50th anniversary of the murders, and curiously enough, the date(s) coincide with the date(s) of 1959 - Saturday is the 14th, Sunday the 15th.

    Does anyone know of any plans in Finney County to perhaps mark the anniversary of the murders?

    I am beginning to consider perhaps driving to Garden City & Holcomb that weekend in November, and I wonder if anyone else might be there too?

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