The novel is about the events and people surrounding the brutal slaying of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, a small western town. It covers the events leading up to the murders in both the victims' and the murderers' lives, the crime, and the aftermath, including the police investigation, trial,imprisonment, and eventual hanging of the two young murderers, Richard Hickock and Perry Smith.

In Cold Blood both begins and ends with descriptions of the wheat fields around Holcomb, Kansas. Capote has said that part of his reasoning for choosing to write about the Clutter murders was the remoteness of the setting. He wanted to broaden his writing subjects beyond the too-narrow personal world with which most writers concern themselves. The setting of "In Cold Blood" matters very much to the symbolism of the plot.

A few days after the incident had occurred, the fellow ranchers and

Holcomb creates tension by "teasing" the reader with details and then quickly moving to the other story line.

Switching back and forth between Dick and Perry and the people in

ovel begins on the day that the murders take place. The Clutter family is going about their daily chores. Nancy, the town sweetheart, is contemplating about how she is to get all of her chores finished. Her father, brother, and mother are carrying on as they usually would on a Saturday morning. They are an extremely happy family that holds grudges with no one. Capote introduces the audience to the family on a personal level.

Just outside of the small town of Holcomb, Kansas awaits a man named Dick. He is waiting for a friend of his named Perry. Perry likes to travel. One of his hobbies is randomly picking a destination on a map and just going there. This is partly the reason that Dick is waiting for him.

While imprisoned, Perry and Dick considered Capote a true friend and wanted his help to get a pardon. Capote felt torn by his affections for the two and by the knowledge of the horrific murders they had committed. This is where the novel shows the extremely personal side of the characters. It shows how Capote got inside of the story and was able to evaluate all angles and views.

neighbors took on the job of cleaning the Clutter home. They saw it as the Christian thing to do. The men were equipped with mops and cleaning supplies. They removed all of the blood - soiled furniture and took it to burn, as there was no use for it any longer.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Kenyon Clutter, Cold Blood, Perry Dick, Holcomb Kansas, Eugene Hickock, Hickock Smith, Dick Clutters, Ewalt Nancy's, Dick Perry, Dick's Perry's, cold blood, clutter family, holcomb kansas, clutter residence, perry dick, perry dick real, fellow prisoner, clutter shot, kenyon clutter, dick waiting, hickock perry, hickock perry smith,
Approximate Word count = 1789
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)