In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (2006, Unabridged, Compact Disc)

Perry Smith and Dick Hickock’s senseless, brutal November 15, 1959 murder of Herb Clutter, his wife Bonnie, and two of their children caused tremors throughout this country. That they continue to resonate today is a direct result of this meticulously researched book, which was published in 1965 and set a new standard for true crime writing. Capote managed to gain not only the cooperation of the Kansas authorities and the family and friends of the victims and killers but also the confidence of Smith and Hickock themselves, who, over the course of time developed a personal relationship with the author. The result is a comprehensive and astutely sensitive portrayal of a middle-American town and the two drifters who snuffed out the lives of one of its finest families. Capote neither excuses the murderers nor judges them. Rather, he places them in their familial and societal context and lets their statements and actions speak for themselves. Scott Brick, following that lead, wisely gives a low-keyed performance, differentiating the characters only lightly and never competing with the unfolding tragedy or its aftermath.