In Cold Blood - A century of Truman Capote

Behind the Crimes with Robert Murphy

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In Cold Blood - A century of Truman Capote

There had been true crime books before, but In Cold Blood is the work which seemed to change everything. To mark Truman Capote's 100th birthday, Behind the Crimes speaks with his biographer.

Robert Murphy

Sep 25, 2024

Transcript

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In Cold Blood started as a study in how a heartbreaking killing impacted a Mid-West community. But Truman Capote got sucked into the story.

At first, the folk of Holcomb, Kansas, distrusted the flamboyant writer.

But slowly, he won the small city round.

And when the killers were caught, he built an unbelievable and controversial bond with them.

In this episode, Capote’s friend and biographer, Gerald Clarke, describes the awful murders of the Clutter family in 1959, how Capote spent six years writing his masterpiece and its legacy on true crime and non-fiction literature.

You can get a copy of In Cold Blood here.

You can get a copy of Gerald Clarke’s Capote here.

Discussion about this podcast

Behind the Crimes with Robert Murphy

### WINNER 'Outstanding Indie Podcast at the True Crime Awards 2024. ###

What makes a criminal? What makes a truly great detective?

Award-winning TV crime correspondent Robert Murphy speaks with people involved with some of the most fascinating true crime cases of recent years: detectives, victims, experts and sometimes even the criminals themselves.

What drives a person to ignore the morals, laws and conventions of normal society and pushes them to perform the darkest acts?

Sex? Money? Revenge? Love? Humiliation?

Are criminals born bad or are they a creation of their circumstances?

How can detectives catch people who are intent on causing truly dreadful harm to others? What happens when that criminal has done a brilliant job covering their tracks?

This podcast and newsletter explores some of our biggest crime stories - and some of the lesser-known, compelling cases which deserve a better understanding.

For video interviews, evidence from each case, articles and more, go to https://robertmurphy.substack.com/about

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