In Cold Blood Summary
Description
Here you will find a In Cold Blood summary (Truman Capote's book).
We begin with a summary of the entire book, and then you can read each individual chapter's summary by visiting the links on the "Chapters" section.
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Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024
Chapters In Cold Blood Summary Overview
On a crisp morning in November 1959, Herbert Clutter oversees his expansive ranch while across Kansas, Perry Smith rendezvouses with Dick Hickock. The Clutters carry on with their routines, unaware of the impending danger as Smith and Hickock prepare their car for a long journey. By the end of the day, they arrive at the Clutter residence, armed with deadly intentions. The following morning, the grim discovery of the Clutter family's lifeless bodies stuns two of Nancy Clutter's friends. The local authorities are initially perplexed, with Bobby Rupp, a friend of the family, briefly considered a suspect. The lead investigator, Alvin Dewey, theorizes that the culprit must be someone familiar with the family, setting the community into a whirlwind of speculation and fear. In the meantime, Smith and Hickock, the true culprits, have returned to Hickock's home in Olathe. After committing check fraud, they flee to Mexico, where they engage in frivolous spending and dream of a life of luxury. Perry, reminiscing about his troubled upbringing, knows the money won't last. As the investigation stagnates, a prisoner named Floyd Wells, incarcerated in the Kansas state prison at Lansing, recognizes Hickock's involvement in the crime. He contemplates revealing what he knows to the authorities. Concurrently, Smith and Hickock, now penniless in the American desert, attempt car theft unsuccessfully. Wells eventually confesses, prompting Dewey to initiate an extensive manhunt. The duo manage to avoid capture for a while, even returning to Kansas City and Miami, before their luck runs out in Las Vegas when their stolen vehicle's license plate is identified. Following intense interrogation, both men confess and are sentenced to death. They spend the following five years on Death Row, enduring the company of other hardened criminals, while their appeals are processed. As their execution approaches, Dick's demeanor is clumsy, while Perry expresses regret.
part 1
Holcomb, situated on the western Kansas plains, is home to Herbert Clutter's River Valley Farm. On November 14, 1959, Clutter goes about his usual morning activities, unaware that it's his final day. Meanwhile, Perry Smith, residing across the state, is fetched by his friend Dick Hickock. At the Clutter's, Nancy Clutter receives a call from a local girl who wants baking lessons. After adjusting her plans, she spends time talking with her friend Susan about her relationship with Bobby and her father's concerns. She also shares her inexplicable detection of cigarette smoke and her father's unusual worry. Meanwhile, Dick and Perry fine-tune a black Cadillac at Dick's workplace, preparing for an extended drive. After teaching Jolene Katz to bake, Nancy leaves, making way for Bonnie Clutter to show Jolene her miniatures before retiring to bed in her usual melancholic state. Perry and Dick tidy up before their trip. Despite Perry's physical challenges and Dick's small size, both sport tattoos, with Perry's being particularly elaborate. Simultaneously, hundreds of miles away, Herb Clutter drives Mrs. Ashida home from a meeting in Garden City, hoping she won't relocate from Holcomb. En route, Dick and Perry purchase rubber gloves, rope, and consider buying stockings for disguise, ensuring no surviving witnesses. Elsewhere, Kenyon Clutter, engrossed in crafting a hope chest for his sister, chats with the housekeeper's husband about an insurance salesman visiting his father. Pausing their journey, Dick and Perry unsuccessfully try to obtain black stockings at a convent. Perry recollects his parole violation reason for being in Kansas and his plans with Willie-Jay, which eventually led him to agree on a "score" with Dick. Back at the farm, Mr. Clutter secures a hefty life insurance policy. As they continue their drive, Perry strums his guitar while they bond over drinks. Bobby Rupp later tells police about his uneventful last night with the Clutters. At the same time, Dick and Perry enjoy a steak meal and buy gas in Garden City. Perry's painful legs and extended bathroom break make Dick suspect his hesitation. As Nancy records her thoughts in her diary, Dick and Perry arrive at the Clutter residence. The following morning, Nancy Ewalt and her father, unable to get a response at the Clutter's, take Susan Kidwell back to the house, where they discover the bodies. News of the murder reaches Sadie Truitt, the local mail carrier, and her postmistress daughter, Myrtle Clare, leaving them in shock. The news spreads, leading men to gather at Hartman's Cafe, where Bess Hartman fears the killer might be a local. While Perry rests in a hotel, Dick dines with his family before succumbing to exhaustion, claiming he and Perry were visiting Perry's sister in Fort Scott.
part 2
Mr. Clutter's old friends, feeling a moral obligation, clean the crime scene while Alvin Dewey from the KBI leads the investigation. The lack of physical evidence, other than a footprint and a stolen radio, leaves Dewey with little to go on, but he suspects multiple culprits. He believes the murderers might have known the family given the intimate knowledge of the house's layout. The brutal murder details exacerbate the fear spreading in Holcomb since the Clutters were respected community members. In a diner in Olathe, Dick divulges his misinformation to Perry who is worried about their imminent capture. At the Clutters' funeral attended by a thousand people, Susan Kidwell recalls Nancy and her pet horse. Perry and Dick continue their criminal spree in Olathe, scamming shops with bad checks to get cash and pawnable items. In Holcomb, Dewey is constantly bothered by well-meaning, but unhelpful tip-offs from the community, while his wife, Marie, longs for normalcy. The Clutter's younger daughter hastily moves her wedding date forward, while a letter from Bonnie Clutter's brother, Mr. Fox, pleads for the community to forgive the killers. Perry surprises himself with his capability of killing as he and Dick drive around Mexico. Back in Holcomb, the town's fear causes some families to relocate despite the absence of journalists. Perry and Dick, now penniless, befriend a wealthy German tourist, Otto, and enjoy a successful day of fishing before returning to Mexico City. The Clutter farm caretaker, Mr. Helms, reports a suspicious face at Bonnie Clutter's window, leading to the arrest of vagrant Jonathan Daniel Adrian. Meanwhile, Perry and Dick, out of money, must leave their Mexico City hotel by 2 p.m. Perry sorts through his belongings, including a letter from his father recounting his childhood. Perry's recollection of his past fills him with a mix of self-pity, love, and hate. He remembers his parents' rodeo days, their divorce, the physical abuse he suffered in a Catholic orphanage, and his limited education. His memories include joining the merchant marine at 16 and later the army, building a lodge with his father in Alaska, and his eventual fall into criminal activities. Perry finds a critical letter from his sister, Barbara, and an interpretation of it by his prison friend Willie-Jay. Despite his past, Perry is surprised to realize he still loathes his sister. Meanwhile, Dewey continuously works on the case until he's on the brink of exhaustion. He faces public pressure for an arrest to restore a sense of security in the community. Dick and Perry, now stranded in the Mojave Desert, plan their next crime.
part 3
Floyd Wells, an inmate well-acquainted with Dick Hickock, learns about the Clutter murders over the radio. Recognizing the crime from Hickock's previously discussed plans, Wells eventually reports his knowledge to the authorities. KBI agent Alvin Dewey comes home to his wife and shares the news of the suspects, revealing their mug shots. His excitement is palpable. Agent Harold Nye visits the Hickock's residence under the pretense of investigating Dick's fraudulent checks. He successfully uncovers that Dick might have been in Fort Scott during the time of the murders, noting a shotgun within the house. Dick and Perry, who are hitchhiking, narrowly miss their chance to bludgeon a well-to-do driver when he picks up another hitchhiker. In Las Vegas, Nye gleans insignificant information from Perry's previous landlord and finds a box of Perry's belongings. After speaking with Perry's sister Barbara in San Francisco, Nye learns that she has no contact with Perry. Meanwhile, Dick and Perry, now in Iowa, steal a car they find in a barn. Dewey keeps Wells' confession under wraps while the town remains oblivious to the development. After successfully changing their stolen car's license plate and passing fraudulent checks in Kansas City, Perry is haunted by images of being pursued by the police. Dewey dreams of capturing the killers only to be woken by a call from Nye revealing Dick's fraudulent check activities in Kansas City. Conversely, Dick and Perry enjoy Christmas on a Miami beach. Perry is repulsed when Dick attempts to befriend a young girl. Bobby Rupp spends the holiday reminiscing about the Clutters and ends up in their rotting orchard. With their funds depleted, the two criminals head West in search of work, picking up a young boy and his grandfather for bottle-collecting assistance. On December 30, Dewey gets a break in the case, which he has tirelessly worked on since mid-November. The pair's stolen car is eventually spotted by Las Vegas police, leading to Perry retrieving his memorabilia package from Mexico City. The four KBI agents, including Dewey and Nye, prepare to interrogate Dick and Perry, who believe they're only being queried about their fraudulent checks. Dick, very confident, recounts their travels but is taken aback when Nye accuses him of the murders. Perry, similarly interrogated, is also shaken by the accusations. The following day, Dick confesses after being presented with evidence of his footprints at the crime scene. He blames Perry for the actual murders. News of the arrest hits Hartman's Cafe, causing shock and disbelief among the locals. As they are transported to Garden City, Kansas, Perry only confesses to the crimes when Dewey uses Dick's confession as leverage. Perry provides a detailed account of the night, revealing Dick's intent to assault Nancy and his own refusal. He explains they ended up shooting the entire family in their restless search for the non-existent safe. Their arrival in Garden City is met with a stunned silence as they are led from the cars to the jail.
part 4
Wendle Meier, assistant sheriff, and his wife Josephine house Perry in the "ladies' cell" of their apartment in the Garden City jail. Perry keeps a journal and confesses to shooting all the victims. He learns from the radio that he may face the death penalty. His old army friend, Don Cullivan, writes to him, wanting to introduce him to Catholicism and be his friend. Meanwhile, Dick is secretly planning an escape. Perry's journal reveals his fantasies of rescue and belief that a yellow parrot will save him. His trial begins and requests for a change of venue and delay are rejected. Perry and Dick are asked to write their autobiographies by a psychologist. Perry's writing is intense, focusing on traumatic life events, while Dick's is casual. The trial continues, with witnesses and Floyd Wells testifying. The revelation that Dick planned to rape Nancy Clutter shocks everyone. Perry's conversion attempts by Don fail, but they share a meal. The defense case is presented, with the psychologist unsure of Perry's ability to distinguish right from wrong. However, the judge doesn't allow further testimony. Judge Tate demands the death penalty, and the jury agrees. Perry and Dick are sent to Death Row, known as "the Corner", in Lansing Penitentiary. They share the space with three prisoners, including Lowell Lee Andrews, a schizophrenic student who murdered his family. While Dick busies himself with smoking, reading, and writing appeal requests, Perry contemplates suicide but changes his mind after receiving a letter from his father. After two years, they are joined by George York and James Latham, teenage soldiers who went on a killing spree. A man named Shultz takes up their case arguing jury bias and inadequate defense, but these claims are dismissed. Dick talks freely with a visiting journalist about his relationships with other prisoners and his understanding of the death penalty. After five years and two Supreme Court appearances, Perry and Dick are hanged on April 15, 1965. Dewey, who attends the execution, is struck by the casual atmosphere. Dick expresses no resentment, while Perry opposes the death penalty and apologizes before his execution. Dewey leaves, recalling a recent visit to the Clutter's grave, where he ran into Susan Kidwell, Nancy's friend, who reported doing well and Bobby Rupp's recent marriage.
