The way that Capote structured the narrative is wonderful - even though we know what is going to happen he manages to build suspense. From how the criminals carried out the murder and how the police tracked them down, to how the trial went and how the sentences were carried out, I felt pulled through most of the book.Most, but not all. In the middle a bunch of background material written directly by Hickock and Smith bogged me down. The accounts end up being important later in the story when the killers' mental state comes under scrutiny but at the time I was bored.I've always been against capital punishment and the facts of this case reinforced my convictions. It surprised me that at the time Kansas did not have a "life without possibility of parole" option and life sentences ended up equaling only 15 years of jail time. With those options death looks more appealing but... no. And not by hanging - the fact that hearts can beat for 20 minutes afterwards shocked me. Not good.
