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98-600: In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel by the American author Truman Capote , first published in 1966. It details the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas . Capote learned of the quadruple murder before the killers were captured, and he traveled to Kansas to write about the crime. He was accompanied by his childhood friend and fellow author Harper Lee , and they interviewed residents and investigators assigned to

196-521: A controversial review of the novel, published in 1966 for The New Republic , Stanley Kauffmann , criticising Capote's writing style throughout the novel, states that Capote "demonstrates on almost every page that he is the most outrageously overrated stylist of our time" and later asserts that "the depth in this book is no deeper than its mine-shaft of factual detail; its height is rarely higher than that of good journalism and often falls below it." Tom Wolfe wrote in his essay " Pornoviolence ": "The book

294-473: A dictatorship (whose leader was the hard-line general Pedro Eugenio Aramburu ) into power. The book's style makes use of a constant shift between the first and third person narrative, with the protagonists' voices heard throughout the narration, interspersed with facts and details of the events described. Truman Capote later adopted the genre. He argued that the non-fiction novel should be devoid of first-person narration and, ideally, free of any mention of

392-499: A discussion about the death penalty and mental illness. Capote expressed that after completing the book and interviewing Hickock and Smith, he opposed the death penalty. This trial has also been cited as an example of "the limitations of the M'Naghten rules (also called M'Naghten test)." The M'Naghten rules are used to determine whether or not a criminal was insane at the time of their crime and therefore incapable of being tried fairly. Authors such as Karl Menninger strongly criticized

490-499: A female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population age distribution was as follows: The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males. The median income for

588-455: A household in the city was $ 53,000 and the median income for a family was $ 58,465. Males had a median income of $ 35,511 versus $ 27,554 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 22,060. About 6.6% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over. According to a 2004 study, Las Vegas has one of the highest divorce rates. The city's high divorce rate

686-504: A mandatory death sentence at the time. On appeal, Smith and Hickock contested the determinations that they were sane, and asserted that media coverage of the crime and trial had biased the jury, and that they had received inadequate assistance from their attorneys. Aspects of these appeals were submitted three times to the United States Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case. After five years on death row at

784-496: A movement to encourage xeriscapes . Another part of conservation efforts is scheduled watering days for residential landscaping. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant in 2008 funded a program that analyzed and forecast growth and environmental effects through 2019. Las Vegas has a subtropical hot desert climate ( Köppen climate classification : BWh ), typical of the Mojave Desert in which it lies. This climate

882-469: A novel, we can both appreciate his achievement and see its limits. For its best effects are novelistic and it falls short just where it is not novelistic enough." Other examples of the form are: Tom Wolfe 's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968) was an example of the school of New Journalism (often characterized as an invention of the mid-1960s). The novel is hybridized with journalistic narration, which, like Capote's prose, places little emphasis on

980-410: A reputed 8000 pages of research notes – is plotted and structured with taut writerly flair. Its characters pulse with recognisable life; its places are palpable. Careful prose binds the reader to his unfolding story. Put simply, the book was conceived of journalism and born of a novelist." Three film adaptations have been produced based upon the book. The first focuses on the details of the book, whereas

1078-451: A safe. Hickock soon hatched the idea to steal the safe and start a new life in Mexico . According to Capote, Hickock described his plan as "a cinch, the perfect score." Hickock later contacted Smith, another former cellmate, about committing the robbery with him. In fact, Herb Clutter had no safe and transacted essentially all of his business by check. After driving more than 400 miles across

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1176-480: A unique non-fiction story. New Journalism is a style of writing by which the author writes the non-fiction novel or story while it is developing in real life. This is exactly what Capote did as he followed the court trials and interviewed those close to the Clutter family to create this story while it was unfolding in the real world. As a result, he simultaneously researched and wrote the story we now know as In Cold Blood . In Cold Blood brought Capote much praise from

1274-436: A work of art. He has told exceedingly well a tale of high terror in his own way. But, despite the brilliance of his self-publicizing efforts, he has made both a tactical and a moral error that will hurt him in the short run. By insisting that "every word" of his book is true he has made himself vulnerable to those readers who are prepared to examine seriously such a sweeping claim. True-crime writer Jack Olsen also commented on

1372-591: Is 95 °F (35 °C) on July 19, 2005, and July 1, 2013. The official record cold daily maximum is 28 °F (−2 °C) on January 8 and 21, 1937. July 2024 was the hottest month ever recorded in Las Vegas, with its highest recorded mean daily average temperature over the month of 99.9 °F (38 °C), its highest recorded mean daily maximum temperature of 111.5 °F (44 °C), and its highest recorded mean nightly minimum temperature of 88.3 °F (31 °C). Due to concerns about climate change in

1470-478: Is True , lays out previously unknown facts of the investigation, and suggests that Herbert Clutter's death may have been a murder-for-hire plot which involved a potential third suspect. However, McAvoy concedes that "neither Hickock nor Smith mention any of this in their confessions, or in their defense at trial". In Cold Blood was first published as a four-part serial in The New Yorker , beginning with

1568-508: Is a collection of seven short stories by Danilo Kiš published in 1976 (and translated into English by Duska Mikic-Mitchell in 1978). The stories are based on historical events and deal with themes of political deception, betrayal, and murder in Eastern Europe during the first half of the 20th century (except for "Dogs and Books", which takes place in 14th century France). Several of the stories are written as fictional biographies wherein

1666-581: Is abundant in all seasons. December is both the year's coolest and cloudiest month, with an average daytime high of 56.9 °F (13.8 °C) and sunshine occurring during 78% of its daylight hours. Winter evenings are defined by clear skies and swift drops in temperature after sunset, with overnight minima averaging around 40 °F (4.4 °C) in December and January. Owing to its elevation that ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 feet (610 to 910 m), Las Vegas experiences markedly cooler winters than other areas of

1764-518: Is approximately 2,030 ft (620 m) above sea level, though the surrounding peaks reach elevations of over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and act as barriers to the strong flow of moisture from the surrounding area. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 135.86 sq mi (351.9 km ), of which 135.81 sq mi (351.7 km ) is land and 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km ) (0.03%)

1862-620: Is based exclusively on intellectual activity and capacity." A 1966 article in The New York Times stated that "neighborliness evaporated" in the Holcomb community. "The natural order seemed suspended. Chaos poised to rush in." In 2009, 50 years after the Clutter murders, the Huffington Post asked Kansas citizens about the effects of the trial, and their opinions of the book and subsequent movie and television series about

1960-551: Is credited as the first non- Native American to encounter the valley, in 1829. Trader Antonio Armijo led a 60-man party along the Spanish Trail to Los Angeles , California, in 1829. In 1844, John C. Frémont arrived, and his writings helped lure pioneers to the area. Downtown Las Vegas's Fremont Street is named after him. Eleven years later, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chose Las Vegas as

2058-435: Is marked by significant diurnal temperature variation . While less extreme than other parts of the state, nighttime lows in Las Vegas are often 30 °F (16.7 °C) or more lower than daytime highs. The average hottest night of the year is 90 °F (32 °C). The all-time record is at 95 °F (35 °C). Las Vegas winters are relatively short, with typically mild daytime temperatures and chilly nights. Sunshine

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2156-468: Is mentioned in the book, although this connection has not been proven. A defense motion that Smith and Hickock undergo comprehensive psychological testing was denied; instead, three local general practitioners were appointed to examine them to determine whether they were sane at the time of the crime. After only a short interview the doctors determined the defendants were not insane and were capable of being tried under M'Naghten rules . Defense lawyers sought

2254-406: Is neither a who-done-it nor a will-they-be-caught, since the answers to both questions are known from the outset ... Instead, the book's suspense is based largely on a totally new idea in detective stories: the promise of gory details, and the withholding of them until the end." In The Independent 's Book of a Lifetime series, reviewer Kate Colquhoun asserts that "the book – for which he made

2352-471: Is not wholly due to Las Vegans themselves getting divorced. Since divorce is easier in Nevada than in most other states, many people come from across the country for the easier process. Similarly, Nevada marriages are notoriously easy to get. Las Vegas has one of the highest marriage rates of U.S. cities, with many licenses issued to people from outside the area (see Las Vegas weddings ). The primary drivers of

2450-399: Is typified by long, extremely hot summers; warm transitional seasons; and short winters with mild days and cool nights. There is abundant sunshine throughout the year, with an average of 310 sunny days and bright sunshine during 86% of all daylight hours. Rainfall is scarce, with an average of 4.2 in (110 mm) dispersed between roughly 26 total rainy days per year. Las Vegas is among

2548-506: Is water. After Alaska and California, Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the U.S. It has been estimated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that over the next 50 years, there is a 10–20% chance of an M6.0 or greater earthquake occurring within 50 km (31 mi) of Las Vegas. Within the city are many lawns, trees, and other greenery. Due to water resource issues, there has been

2646-640: The 2010 Census , the racial composition of Las Vegas was as follows: Source: The city's most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic Whites, have proportionally declined from 72.1% of the population in 1990 to 47.9% in 2010, even as total numbers of all ethnicities have increased with the population. Hispanics or Latinos of any race make up 31.5% of the population. Of those 24.0% are of Mexican, 1.4% of Salvadoran, 0.9% of Puerto Rican, 0.9% of Cuban, 0.6% of Guatemalan, 0.2% of Peruvian, 0.2% of Colombian, 0.2% of Honduran and 0.2% of Nicaraguan descent. According to research by demographer William H. Frey using data from

2744-454: The 2010 United States Census , Las Vegas has the second-lowest level of black-white segregation of any of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas after Tucson, Arizona . Of the city's Asian residents, according to the city's Asian Chamber of Commerce, Filipinos make up the largest ethnic population within Vegas with over 200,000 in the city. Native Hawaiians are also a major demographic in

2842-688: The José León Suárez massacre , which involved the unlawful capture and shooting of twelve innocent civilians by the Buenos Aires ' Chief of Police, during an unrelated military uprising by the Peronist rebel leader Juan José Valle . These events followed a 1955 military coup , self-titled as “ Revolución Libertadora ” (“The Liberating Revolution”), which deposed the Argentine constitutional president Juan Domingo Perón and installed

2940-653: The Kansas Bureau of Investigation . They were brought back to Kansas, where they were tried together at the Finney County courthouse in Garden City, Kansas , from March 22 to 29, 1960. They both pleaded temporary insanity at the trial, but local general practitioners evaluated the accused and pronounced them sane. Hickock and Smith are also suspected of involvement in the Walker family murders , which

3038-485: The Kansas State Penitentiary , Smith and Hickock were executed by hanging on April 14, 1965. Hickock was executed first and was pronounced dead at 12:41 a.m. after hanging for nearly 20 minutes. Smith followed shortly afterward and was pronounced dead at 1:19 a.m. During the first few months of their trial and afterward, Hickock and Smith's murder case went unnoticed by most Americans. It

In Cold Blood - Misplaced Pages Continue

3136-610: The Las Vegas Strip just outside city limits. The Las Vegas Valley as a whole serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city had 641,903 residents in 2020, with a metropolitan population of 2,227,053, making it the 25th-most populous city in the United States. The city bills itself as the Entertainment Capital of

3234-420: The Mojave Desert and the adjacent Sonoran Desert that are closer to sea level. The city records freezing temperatures an average of 10 nights per winter. It is exceptionally rare for temperatures to reach or fall below 25 °F (−4 °C). Most of the annual precipitation falls during the winter. February, the wettest month, averages only four days of measurable rain. The mountains immediately surrounding

3332-717: The Northern Club (now the La Bayou ) opened. The most notable of the early casinos may have been Binion's Horseshoe (now Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel ) while it was run by Benny Binion . Boyd Gaming has a major presence downtown operating the California Hotel & Casino , the Fremont Hotel & Casino , and the Main Street Casino . The Four Queens also operates downtown along

3430-621: The Pulitzer Prize . Parts of the book differ from the real events, including important details. Herbert "Herb" Clutter was a prosperous farmer in western Kansas. He employed as many as 18 farmhands, who admired and respected him for his fair treatment and good wages. His two elder daughters, Eveanna and Beverly, had moved out and started their adult lives; his two younger children, daughter Nancy, 16, and son Kenyon, 15, were in high school. Clutter's wife Bonnie had reportedly been incapacitated by clinical depression and physical ailments since

3528-535: The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird ) to help gain the confidence of the locals in Kansas. Capote did copious research for the book, ultimately compiling 8,000 pages of notes. His research also included letters from Smith's Army buddy, Don Cullivan, who was present during the trial. After the criminals were found, tried, and convicted, Capote conducted personal interviews with both Smith and Hickock. Smith especially fascinated Capote; in

3626-423: The old City Hall building. Las Vegas is the county seat of Clark County , in a basin on the floor of the Mojave Desert , and is surrounded by mountain ranges. Much of the landscape is rocky and arid, with desert vegetation and wildlife. It can be subjected to torrential flash floods, although much has been done to mitigate the effects of flash floods through improved drainage systems. The city's elevation

3724-647: The 1970s, edited by Philip Roth . Later works classified as non-fiction novels include The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey: A Nonfiction Novel (1993) by Bland Simpson, which tells the dramatic story of the disappearance of 19-year-old Nell Cropsey from her riverside home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in November 1901; In the Time of the Butterflies (1995) by Julia Alvarez , which fictionalizes

3822-535: The Czech writer Vítězslav Nezval , such as Ulice Git-le-coeur (1936). One of the early English books in the genre is Rebecca West 's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (1941). Jim Bishop's The Glass Crutch (1945) was advertised as "one of the most unusual best-sellers ever published—a non-fiction novel." Perhaps the most influential non-fiction novel of the 20th century was John Hersey 's Hiroshima (1946). Scholar David Schmid writes that "many American writers during

3920-669: The Fremont Street Experience, was granted variances to allow bars to be closer together, similar to the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, the goal being to attract a different demographic than the Strip attracts. The Golden Gate Hotel and Casino , downtown along the Fremont Street Experience, is the oldest continuously operating hotel and casino in Las Vegas; it opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada. In 1931,

4018-597: The Las Vegas Valley accumulate snow every winter, but significant accumulation within the city is rare, although moderate accumulations occur every few years. The most recent accumulations occurred on February 18, 2019, when parts of the city received about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) of snow and on February 20 when the city received almost 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Other recent significant snow accumulations occurred on December 25, 2015, and December 17, 2008. Unofficially, Las Vegas's largest snowfall on record

In Cold Blood - Misplaced Pages Continue

4116-419: The Las Vegas economy are tourism, gaming , and conventions, which in turn feed the retail and restaurant industries. The major attractions in Las Vegas are the casinos and the hotels, although in recent years other new attractions have begun to emerge. Most casinos in the downtown area are on Fremont Street , with The STRAT Hotel, Casino & Skypod as one of the few exceptions. Fremont East , adjacent to

4214-399: The M'Naghten test, calling it absurd. Many "lawyers, judges, and psychiatrists" have sought to "get around" the M'Naghten rules. In Intention – Law and Society , James Marshall further criticizes the M'Naghten rules, calling into question the psychological principles upon which the rules are based. He stated that "the M'Naghten rules ... are founded on an erroneous hypothesis that behavior

4312-468: The September 25, 1965, issue. The piece was an immediate sensation, particularly in Kansas, where the usual number of New Yorker copies sold out immediately. In Cold Blood was first published in book form by Random House on January 17, 1966. The cover, which was designed by S. Neil Fujita , shows a hatpin with what appeared originally as a red drop of blood at its top end. After Capote first saw

4410-475: The World , and is famous for its luxurious and extremely large casino-hotels. With over 40.8 million visitors annually as of 2023, Las Vegas is one of the most visited cities in the United States . It is a top-three U.S. destination for business conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry , claiming more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any other city in the world. Las Vegas annually ranks as one of

4508-570: The areas on and near the Strip, which are actually in the unincorporated communities of Paradise and Winchester . The area was named Las Vegas , which is Spanish for "the meadows", as it featured abundant wild grasses, as well as the desert spring waters needed by westward travelers . The city is often simply called "Vegas". Nomadic Paleo-Indians traveled to the Las Vegas area 10,000 years ago, leaving behind petroglyphs. Ancient Puebloan and Paiute tribes followed at least 2,000 years ago. A young Mexican scout named Rafael Rivera

4606-556: The births of her children, although this was later disputed by her brother and other family members, who maintained that Bonnie's depression was not as debilitating as portrayed in the book. Two ex-convicts recently paroled from the Kansas State Penitentiary , Richard Eugene "Dick" Hickock and Perry Edward Smith , robbed and murdered Herb, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon in the early morning hours of November 15, 1959. A former cellmate of Hickock's, Floyd Wells, had worked for Herb Clutter and told Hickock that Clutter kept large amounts of cash in

4704-420: The book he is portrayed as the more sensitive of the two killers. The book was not completed until after Smith and Hickock were executed. An alternative explanation for Capote's interest holds that The New Yorker presented the Clutter story to him as one of two choices for a story; the other was to follow a Manhattan cleaning woman on her rounds. Capote supposedly chose the Clutter story, believing it would be

4802-422: The book would be true, word for word. To gather details, Capote interviewed the murderers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith . But Ben Yagoda notes that "almost from the start, skeptics challenged the accuracy of In Cold Blood. One early revelation (acknowledged by Capote before his death in 1984) was that the last scene in the book, a graveyard conversation between a detective and the murdered girl’s best friend,

4900-455: The brutality and severity of the crimes, the trial was covered nationwide, and even received some coverage internationally. The notoriety of the murders and subsequent trial brought lasting effects to the small Kansas town, and Capote became so famous and related to trials that he was called to help the Senate in an examination of the court case. The trial also brought into the national spotlight

4998-407: The case and took thousands of pages of notes. The killers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith , were arrested six weeks after the murders and later executed by the state of Kansas. Capote ultimately spent six years working on the book. In Cold Blood was an instant critical and commercial success. Considered by many to be the prototypical true crime novel, it is also the second-best-selling book in

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5096-648: The city was nicknamed the "Atomic City" . Residents and visitors were able to witness the mushroom clouds (and were exposed to the fallout) until 1963 when the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty required that nuclear tests be moved underground. In 1955, the Moulin Rouge Hotel opened and became the first racially integrated casino-hotel in Las Vegas. During the 1960s, corporations and business tycoons such as Howard Hughes were building and buying hotel-casino properties. Gambling

5194-620: The city, with some Hawaiians and Las Vegas residents calling the city the "ninth island of Hawaii " due to the major influx of Hawaiians to Vegas. There is an Ethiopian community in Las Vegas. The 2010 census showed the city contained 583,756 people, 211,689 households, and 117,538 families residing. The population density was 4,222.5/sq mi (1,630.3/km ). There were 190,724 housing units at an average density of 1,683.3/sq mi (649.9/km ). As of 2006, there were 176,750 households, of which 31.9% had children under age 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had

5292-445: The design, he requested that the drop be made a deeper shade of red to represent the passage of time since the incident. A black border was added to the ominous image. Writing for The New York Times , Conrad Knickerbocker praised Capote's talent for detail throughout the novel and declared the book a "masterpiece"; an "agonizing, terrible, possessed, proof that the times, so surfeited with disasters, are still capable of tragedy." In

5390-510: The downtown area. In 1911, Las Vegas was incorporated as a city. The year 1931 was pivotal for Las Vegas. At that time, Nevada legalized casino gambling and reduced residency requirements for divorce to six weeks. This year also witnessed the beginning of construction on nearby Hoover Dam . The influx of construction workers and their families helped Las Vegas avoid economic calamity during the Great Depression . The construction work

5488-411: The easier assignment. Capote later wrote a piece about following a cleaning woman, which he entitled "A Day's Work" and included in his book Music for Chameleons . Capote's novel was unconventional for its time. New Journalism , as a genre and style of writing, developed during the time in which In Cold Blood was written and Capote became a pioneer in showing how it can be used effectively to create

5586-662: The essential truth of his stories to be revealed. Las Vegas Las Vegas , colloquially referred to as Vegas , is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the seat of Clark County . The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert , and second-largest in the Southwestern United States . Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city , known primarily for its gambling , shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife , with most venues centered on downtown Las Vegas and more to

5684-405: The events. Many respondents said they had begun to lose their trust in others, "doors were locked. Strangers eyed with suspicion." Many still felt greatly affected and believed Capote had in a way taken advantage of their "great tragedy". Capote became interested in the murders after reading about them in The New York Times . He brought his childhood friend Nelle Harper Lee (who would later win

5782-436: The extended essay , the memoir , and the biography (and autobiography ), as well as autofiction , can explore similar territory. Joan Didion , for instance, has never called her own work a "non-fiction novel", while she has been repeatedly credited with writing them but calling them "extended" or "long" essays. A Tomb for Boris Davidovich (Serbo-Croatian: Grobnica za Borisa Davidoviča / Гробница за Бориса Давидовича )

5880-472: The fabrications: I recognized it as a work of art, but I know fakery when I see it ... Capote completely fabricated quotes and whole scenes ... The book made something like $ 6 million in 1960s money, and nobody wanted to discuss anything wrong with a moneymaker like that in the publishing business. His criticisms were quoted in Esquire , to which Capote replied, "Jack Olsen is just jealous." That

5978-582: The genre can be traced to books such as Ka-tzetnik 135633 's (Yehiel Dinur) novellas Salamdra (1946) and House of Dolls (1953), Carlos Bulosan 's America Is in the Heart (1946), and John Dos Passos 's USA trilogy (1930–36). House of Dolls describes the journey of the young Daniella Parleshnik during the Holocaust , as she becomes part of the "Joy Division," a Nazi system keeping Jewish women as sex slaves in concentration camps. The book's plot

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6076-535: The genre's history, behind Vincent Bugliosi 's Helter Skelter (1974) about the Charles Manson murders. Some critics also consider Capote's work the original non-fiction novel, although other writers had already explored the genre, such as Rodolfo Walsh in Operación Masacre (1957). In Cold Blood has been lauded for its eloquent prose, extensive detail, and triple narrative which describes

6174-509: The head. Capote writes that Smith recounted later, "I didn't want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat." Kenyon, Nancy, and then Mrs. Clutter were also murdered, each by a single shotgun blast to the head. Hickock and Smith left the crime scene with a small portable radio, a pair of binoculars, and less than $ 50 (equivalent to $ 523 in 2023) in cash. Smith later claimed in his oral confession that Hickock murdered

6272-428: The information, as the book portrays him doing, because he still believed that the murders were committed by locals who "had a grudge against Herb Clutter". Ronald Nye, the son of former Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Harold R. Nye, collaborated with author Gary McAvoy in disclosing parts of his father's personal investigative notebooks which challenged the veracity of In Cold Blood . Their book, And Every Word

6370-653: The later two explore Capote's fascination with researching the novel. In Cold Blood (1967) was directed by Richard Brooks and stars Robert Blake as Perry Smith and Scott Wilson as Richard Hickock. It features John Forsythe as investigator Alvin Dewey from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation who apprehended the killers. It was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The second and third films focus on Capote's experiences in writing

6468-778: The literary community. However, some critics have questioned its veracity, arguing that Capote changed facts to suit the story, added scenes that never took place, and manufactured dialogue. Phillip K. Tompkins noted factual discrepancies in Esquire in 1966 after he traveled to Kansas and talked to some of the people whom Capote had interviewed. Josephine Meier was the wife of Finney County Undersheriff Wendle Meier, and she denied that she heard Smith cry or that she held his hand, as described by Capote. In Cold Blood indicates that Meier and Smith became close, yet she told Tompkins that she spent little time with Smith and did not talk much with him. Tompkins concluded: Capote has, in short, achieved

6566-693: The lives of the Mirabal sisters who gave their lives fighting a dictatorship in the Dominican Republic , based on their accounts; and A Civil Action (1996) by Jonathan Harr, which describes the drama caused by a real-life water contamination scandal in Massachusetts in the 1980s. Homer Hickam , author of Rocket Boys (1998) and other well-known memoirs, has described his work as novel-memoirs or "novoirs", wherein he uses novelistic techniques, including fictional conversations, to allow

6664-404: The lives of the murderers, the victims, and other members of the rural community in alternating sequences. The psychologies and backgrounds of Hickock and Smith are given special attention, as is the pair's complex relationship during and after the murders. In Cold Blood is regarded by critics as a pioneering work in the true-crime genre, although Capote was disappointed that the book failed to win

6762-655: The main characters interact with historical figures. The Dalkey Archive Press edition includes an introduction by Joseph Brodsky and an afterword by William T. Vollmann. Harold Bloom includes A Tomb for Boris Davidovich in his list of canonical works of the period he names the Chaotic Age (1900–present) in The Western Canon. The book is featured in Penguin's series "Writers from the Other Europe" from

6860-535: The murders. Despite a series of malicious rumors, Capote himself was never considered a suspect in the killings. Alvin Dewey was the lead investigator portrayed in In Cold Blood , and stated that the scene in which he visits the Clutters' graves was Capote's invention. Other Kansas residents whom Capote interviewed later claimed that they or their relatives were mischaracterized or misquoted. Dewey said that

6958-534: The novelist. He was immediately intrigued after reading the story of the Clutter murders in The New York Times , and used the events surrounding the crime as a basis for In Cold Blood (1965). He spent years tracking the story, spent considerable time with the people involved, watched hours of film footage, listened to recordings, and read transcripts and notes. He once claimed that everything within

7056-565: The opinion of an experienced psychiatrist from the state's local mental hospital, who diagnosed definite signs of mental illness in Smith and felt that previous injuries to Hickock's head could have affected his behavior. This opinion was not admitted in the trial, however, because under Kansas law the psychiatrist could only opine on the defendant's sanity at the time of the crime. The jury deliberated for only 45 minutes before finding both Hickock and Smith guilty of murder. Their convictions carried

7154-537: The peak intensity of summer, overnight lows frequently remain above 80 °F (27 °C), and occasionally above 85 °F (29 °C). While most summer days are consistently hot, dry, and cloudless, the North American Monsoon sporadically interrupts this pattern and brings more cloud cover, thunderstorms, lightning, increased humidity, and brief spells of heavy rain. Potential monsoons affect Las Vegas between July and August. Summer in Las Vegas

7252-425: The post-World War II period, including Joan Didion , Truman Capote , and Norman Mailer , [chose] to follow Hersey’s lead." In The New York Times , Herbert Mitgang referred to Paul Goodman 's Making Do (1963) as falling into "the category [that] is that growing one which might be called the nonfiction novel." The next year, he applied the term to Leon Uris 's Armageddon (1964). Early influences on

7350-417: The process of narration (although Wolfe, unlike Capote, occasionally narrates from first-person). Hunter S. Thompson 's approach of " Gonzo Journalism " (in books like Hell's Angels (1966)) abandoned Capote's narrative style to intermingle personal experiences and observations with more traditional journalism. Since the 1970s, the non-fiction novel has somewhat fallen out of favor. However, forms such as

7448-467: The racial counts and placed in their own category) was 40.44% (259,561) White alone (non-Hispanic) , 12.33% (79,129) Black alone (non-Hispanic) , 0.36% (2,291) Native American alone (non-Hispanic) , 4.68% (22,411) Asian alone (non-Hispanic) , 0.40% (1,935) Pacific Islander alone (non-Hispanic) , 0.14% (650) Other Race alone (non-Hispanic) , 2.51% (11,987) Multiracial or Mixed Race (non-Hispanic) , and 23.61% (112,962) Hispanic or Latino . According to

7546-426: The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 46.05% (295,594) White alone , 12.85% (82,485) Black alone , 1.14% (7,318) Native American alone , 7.23% (46,398) Asian alone , 0.73% (4,662) Pacific Islander alone , 16.99% (109,045) Other Race alone , and 15.02% (96,401) Multiracial or Mixed Race . According to the 2020 U.S. Census , the racial and ethnic makeup (where Hispanics are excluded from

7644-459: The rest of the book was factually accurate, but further evidence indicates that it is not as "immaculately factual" as Capote had always claimed it to be. The book depicts Dewey as being the brilliant investigator who cracks the Clutter murder case, but files recovered from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation show that Floyd Wells came forward of his own volition to name Hickock and Smith as likely suspects; furthermore, Dewey did not immediately act on

7742-527: The site to build a fort halfway between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, where they would travel to gather supplies. The fort was abandoned several years afterward. The remainder of this Old Mormon Fort can still be seen at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue. Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905, when 110 acres (45 ha) of land adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks were auctioned in what would become

7840-543: The state of Kansas on the evening of November 14, Hickock and Smith arrived in Holcomb, located the Clutter home, and entered through an unlocked door while the family slept. Upon rousing the Clutters and discovering there was no safe, they bound and gagged the family, and continued to search for money, but found little of value in the house. Still determined to leave no witnesses, the pair briefly debated what to do; Smith, notoriously unstable and prone to violent acts in fits of rage, slit Herb Clutter's throat and then shot him in

7938-621: The story and his subsequent fascination with the murders. Capote (2005) stars Philip Seymour Hoffman , who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Truman Capote, Clifton Collins Jr. as Perry Smith , and Catherine Keener as Harper Lee . The film was critically acclaimed, won at the 78th Academy Awards for Best Actor (Hoffman), and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Keener), Best Director ( Bennett Miller ), and Best Adapted Screenplay ( Dan Futterman ). A year later, Infamous by Douglas McGrath

8036-579: The sunniest, driest, and least humid locations in North America, with exceptionally low dew points and humidity that sometimes remains below 10%. The summer months of June through September are extremely hot, though moderated by the low humidity levels. July is the hottest month, with an average daytime high of 104.5 °F (40.3 °C). On average, 137 days per year reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C), of which 78 days reach 100 °F (38 °C) and 10 days reach 110 °F (43 °C). During

8134-724: The top of each hour. Due to the realization of many revitalization efforts, 2012 was dubbed "The Year of Downtown". Projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars made their debut at this time, including the Smith Center for the Performing Arts , the DISCOVERY Children's Museum , the Mob Museum , the Neon Museum , a new City Hall complex, and renovations for a new Zappos.com corporate headquarters in

8232-629: The two women. When asked to sign his confession, however, Smith refused. According to Capote, he wanted to accept responsibility for all four killings because, he said, he was "sorry for Dick's mother." Smith added, "She's a real sweet person." Hickock always maintained that Smith committed all four killings. On the basis of a tip from Wells, who contacted the prison warden after hearing of the murders, Hickock and Smith were identified as suspects and arrested in Las Vegas on December 30, 1959. Both men eventually confessed after interrogations by detectives of

8330-415: The wake of a 2002 drought, daily water consumption has been reduced from 314 US gallons (1,190 L) per resident in 2003 to around 205 US gallons (780 L) in 2015. See or edit raw graph data . The U.S. Census accounts for race by two methodologies. "Race alone" and "Race alone less Hispanics" where Hispanics are delineated separately as if a separate race. According to the 2020 U.S. Census ,

8428-405: The whistle in my own weak way. I'd only published a couple of books at that time—but since it was such a superbly written book, nobody wanted to hear about it. The prosecutor involved in the case, Duane West, claimed that the story lacked veracity because Capote failed to get the true hero right. Richard Rohlader took the photo showing that two culprits were involved, and West suggested that Rohlader

8526-525: The world's most visited tourist destinations. The city's tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment has earned it the nickname " Sin City ", and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for literature, films , television programs , commercials and music videos. Las Vegas was settled in 1905 and officially incorporated in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, it was the most populated North American city founded within that century (a similar distinction

8624-677: Was adapted by Benedict Fitzgerald into the two-part television miniseries In Cold Blood (1996), starring Anthony Edwards as Dick Hickock, Eric Roberts as Perry Smith, and Sam Neill as Alvin Dewey. In 1995 the US composer Mikel Rouse released Failing Kansas , a one-person opera using live vocals and video that retells the story using transcripts and testimony from the original case as well as fragments of verse and songs by Robert W. Service , Thomas Gray and Perry Edward Smith . Non-fiction novel The genre goes back at least as far as André Breton 's Nadja (1928) and several books by

8722-625: Was completed in 1935. In late 1941, Las Vegas Army Airfield was established. Renamed Nellis Air Force Base in 1950, it is now home to the United States Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic team. Following World War II, lavishly decorated hotels, gambling casinos, and big-name entertainment became synonymous with Las Vegas. In 1951, nuclear weapons testing began at the Nevada Test Site , 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Las Vegas. During this time,

8820-409: Was earned by Chicago in the 19th century). Population growth has accelerated since the 1960s and into the 21st century, and between 1990 and 2000 the population nearly doubled, increasing by 85.2%. As with most major metropolitan areas, the name of the primary city ("Las Vegas" in this case) is often used to describe areas beyond official city limits. In the case of Las Vegas, this especially applies to

8918-678: Was inspired by the Dinur's experience from the Holocaust and his younger sister, who did not survive the Holocaust. Works of history or biography have often used the narrative devices of fiction to depict real-world events. Scholars have suggested that the novel Operación Masacre (1957) by the Argentine author and journalist Rodolfo Walsh was the first non-fiction novel in Spanish. Rodolfo Walsh 's Operación Masacre (1957) details

9016-488: Was not until months before their executions that they became "two of the most famous murderers in history." On 18 January 1960, Time magazine published "Kansas: The Killers", a story about the murders. Inspired by that article, Truman Capote wrote, in 1965 serialized in The New Yorker , and in 1966 published, as a " non-fiction novel ", In Cold Blood, a true-crime book that detailed the murders and trial. Due to

9114-480: Was pure invention." In his review of the book in The American Scholar , Robert Langbaum wrote, "Once we look at structure, we find many nonfiction works as artful and sometimes more artful than many novels. Northrop Frye has, in his influential Anatomy of Criticism , gone so far as to apply the word fiction to any 'work of art in prose.' ... By taking [Capote] at his word and comparing his book to

9212-571: Was referred to as "gaming", which transitioned it into a legitimate business. Learning from Las Vegas , published during this era, asked architects to take inspiration from the city's highly decorated buildings, helping to start the postmodern architecture movement. In 1995, the Fremont Street Experience opened in Las Vegas's downtown area. This canopied five-block area features 12.5 million LED lights and 550,000 watts of sound from dusk until midnight during shows held at

9310-532: Was released. The film covered the same events as Capote , including Capote and Lee researching and writing “In Cold Blood”. In the 2006, film Toby Jones played Capote, Sandra Bullock played Harper Lee, Daniel Craig played Perry Smith and Sigourney Weaver appeared as Babe Paley . J. T. Hunter's novel In Colder Blood (2016) discusses Hickock and Smith's possible involvement in the Walker family murders . Oni Press published Ande Parks and Chris Samnee 's graphic novel Capote in Kansas (2005). Capote's book

9408-519: Was the 12 inches (30 cm) that fell in 1909. In recent times, ice days have not occurred, although 29 °F (−2 °C) was measured in 1963. On average the coldest day is 44 °F (7 °C). The highest temperature officially observed for Las Vegas is 120 °F (48.9 °C), as measured at Harry Reid International Airport on July 7, 2024. The lowest temperature was 8 °F (−13 °C), recorded on two days: January 25, 1937, and January 13, 1963. The official record hot daily minimum

9506-453: Was the one deserving the greatest praise. Without that picture, West believed, the crime might not have been solved. West had been a friend of Capote's while he was writing the book, and had been invited by him to New York City to see Hello, Dolly! , where he met Carol Channing after the show. Their relationship soured when Capote's publisher attempted to get West to sign a non-compete agreement to prevent him from writing his own book about

9604-470: Was true, of course ... I was jealous—all that money? I'd been assigned the Clutter case by Harper & Row until we found out that Capote and his cousin [ sic ] Harper Lee had been already on the case in Dodge City for six months ... That book did two things. It made true crime an interesting, successful, commercial genre, but it also began the process of tearing it down. I blew

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