In November 1959, in the small and tight-knit town of Holcomb, Kansas, the Clutter family were killed one at a time with a sawn-off shotgun by two young men - Perry Smith and Dick Hickock - in the robbery of a radio, a pair of binoculars and a 'lousy $43.' The first meeting of the killers, their planning of the crime, the murder and their subsequent capture (I will not give away what happens next) was all documented by Truman Capote through his close personal interviews with the killers, local residents and investigators and compiled into his groundbreaking book In Cold Blood.
A mixture of storytelling and journalism, the novel creates an intimate image of the men behind the murders whilst simultaneously taking the reader through the captivating development of events, describing the whole story in detail yet still sustaining a level of suspense to keep the pages turning.
In a totally fabricated yet equally riveting novel written 20 years before by Agatha Christie, And Then There were None, ten guests are invited to a remote island south of England after a mysterious invitation from an unknown host.
After a first evening together they notice a nursery rhyme 'Ten Little Niggers' (changed to 'soldiers' in many editions) hanging on their walls and ten figures standing on the kitchen table. In the days that follow, the guests are killed one by one, each in the fashion written in the rhyme, paralleled by the spooky disappearance of a figure from the table each time someone is killed. In a postscript, the killer (no spoilers here) explains their motivation, methods and belief that he/she will never be found out (although the truth is conveniently revealed to the reader by the third person narrator).
But which is better? As I typically judge a book on ‘How much I enjoyed reading it,’ this would be a fitting platform to decide from. The second novel, And Then There were None, fits perfectly the murder mystery mould, creating a seemingly unsolvable murder before revealing a truth that leaves the reader kicking themselves - “How did I not see that coming?!” - yet marvelling at the creative genius of the author. Much of the pleasure from reading this comes in the anticipation felt throughout the novel; the knowledge that another death will happen at any moment keeps permanent tension and excitement for the reader, whilst the feeling that a crucial clue may be just around the corner glues you to the page in the false hope that you could figure it out (and win the family bragging rights that come with such observant detective work). As whodunnits go, this is the best of the best - possibly Christie’s most famous novel - and certainly worth reading for anyone who enjoys a murder mystery.
Capote's In Cold Blood creates a different but arguably more complete form of enjoyment in the reader as the plot progresses. In the storytelling Capote examines how these small town people react to the nationwide news of the death of their neighbours in the early pages before alternating the chapters between the murderers and victims, describing how their lives progress simultaneously before abruptly coming together. The story examines ‘why’ as well as ‘how’ with both questions giving equally intriguing answers. The biggest USP of this book comes in its authenticity; the real story that is being described increases your fascination in these people, whilst Capote’s avoidance of techniques like cliffhangers or exaggeration (commonly used in, for example, murder mysteries), form a more weighty and moving storyline. I trust that any reader will have done the same as me by looking up pictures of the killers and victims the second I closed the book. Any reader looking for a refreshing, moving non-fiction book that combines character examination with a compelling plot should get hold of In Cold Blood at once.
Final Verdict: Agatha Christie takes the lead on page-turn-ability, but Capote wins it with a memorable and intriguing piece of storytelling.
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