An Interesting (But By No Means Comprehensive) Introduction to a Fascinating Crime

Capote in Kansas: A Drawn Novel by Ande Parks. Illus by Chris Samnee (Oni Press, 2013, 128pp.)

In the winter of 1959, two convicts on parole, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, made their way to the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, where they had heard that the prosperous Clutter clan kept a small fortune hidden in the family safe. When they discovered that this was, in fact, untrue, Smith and Hickock murdered the four resident family members and made their escape. After a massive manhunt lasting months, they were finally caught, imprisoned, and sentenced to death. They were interviewed by Truman Capote, an Alabama-born writer, before their executions in 1965. Capote in Kansas focuses solely on Capote’s journey and meditation on the crime, an investigation that what would ultimately culminate in his true crime masterpiece, In Cold Blood. While there is some foul language, no violence from the murders is shown, with the exception of the beginning scene, where the killings are enacted off-screen. An interesting (but by no means comprehensive) introduction to a fascinating crime, appropriate for older teens and adults.