What if Smith and Hickock weren't acting alone that night? What if they left the third man out  of their confessions because of some sick allegiance and Capote never uncovered it? (If you haven't read In Cold Blood this is where I tell you to do so immediately.) We Were Killers Once by Becky Masterman re-imagines that there was a third man at the Clutter Farm the night that the family was brutally murdered and that this man alone committed the atrocities at the Walker home a few weeks later. Enter Jeremiah 'Jerry' Beaufort who has recently been released from his second stint in prison on a commuted sentence. Fearing that the truth about that night at the Clutters' farm and the Walker murder (which has remained unsolved but attributed to Smith & Hickock) will come out he starts his own investigation to find out exactly what the police know. And that's when Brigid Quinn, retired detective, stumbles onto the scene through the unlikely link of her new husband, an ex-priest and philosophy professor. (Yes, this does sound like a bad joke.) With just enough facts, this fictionalized  story has enough twists and turns to keep the pages flipping while the reader wonders if Quinn will get to the truth before Beaufort gets to her. True crime lovers will love this book especially if they've had the pleasure of reading Capote's book beforehand (it really is best read back-to-back I think). And it turns out Masterman has more novels starring Quinn so if you really dig this book you can check those out as well. :-) 9/10 

What I'm Currently Reading: Caging Skies by Christine Leunens

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler: The Philip Marlowe books are quintessential noir, with all it apparent flaws of this time period. And Marlowe is such a great character.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: Since we are allowed to name classics, this simply has to be on the list. 

Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany by Norman Oehler: The fascinating account how all of Germany was on drugs throughout WWII.

The Blind Assassin by Margarete Atwood: A wonderful story of two sisters in WWII times. Even though I´m a bit fuzzy about the details of the plot (have to reread this book), I still remember how it made me feel while reading it.

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden: A book about first nation Canadians and their struggle with another tribe and the Jesuit priest, who try to convert to Christianity. As this might suggest, this book is incredibly brutal at times, but it is also absolutely amazing. 

The Prestige by Christopher Priest: You will finish this book without having the faintest clue what you just have read. It´s so good, though.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: I´m comparing every true crime book that I read to this one and not a single one has even come close to Truman Capote´s masterpiece.

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger: The first non-fiction book I have ever and still one of my favorites. The second part of the novel is an edge-of-the-seat reading experience.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco: I don´ think this has been mentiones by anyone, but this simply has to be on the list too. I even enjoyed reading about the page long description of the door fresco.

This does not read like a true crime novel. It almost reads like a historical fiction novel but unfortunately all of the horrible events that take place happened. I recommend having something light and fluffy nearby to read when you're finished because this book will drag you down into a pit of despair.

The Cutter’s are a farming family and pillars of the community. Dad Herb is fair and liked by almost everyone. His daughter selflessly gives her time to everyone and his son, well, I don’t know much about him but he seems like a fine kid. The only one with issues is poor mom who suffers from depression and social anxiety and spends most of her time in her room.

They are just going about their lives with no idea that two thieves are planning to rob and murder them.

There is so much detail here, a little of it a wee bit unnecessary, and I had to force myself to stick with it in the beginning. Then I switched to audio and it went much smoother. It’s such a sad story but the author does a spectacular job of piecing together all of the historical details and making you feel a whole range of emotions, mostly anger and sorrow for the senseless loss of life. This isn’t a play-by-play emotionless retelling of a crime, Capote fills in the gaps with conversation and private thoughts. How accurate are they? I haven’t a clue but it makes the book go down a whole lot easier. I’m not a big fan of dry true novels and this wasn’t one of those. It’s a riveting story of a beloved family, two criminals with stories of their own, and the aftermath of that one terrible night.

Scott Brick narrated the version I read and his voice, strong and serious, is perfect for recounting this tragic story.

Task 7 

Book themes for Saint Lucia's Day: Read a book set in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden - and Finland for the purposes of this game) or a book where ice and snow are an important feature.

Nick Stone is getting recruited to help a group of amputees to go to North Pole. 

Ice and snow is the elementary danger beside the guns and fire. 

The plot starts with Nick Stone reluctantly drawn into a task that he didn't want in the first place. 

A guy he knew wanted Stone's help to get his son safe when he and a group of amputees tried to go to a hike on the North Pole. 

The son Jack was in the military and got his leg blown off shortly after he got into action.

Now that Jack and his fellow friends, other amputees would like to get to the North Pole but their sponsor pulled out.

Where to get the money is part of the problem.

Now they just landed on a place where there are some armed Russians want to get part of the action of oil underneath the ice.

The came the father drawing in Rune, a geek that suppose to put equipment on the ice to see if the ice is melting. 

The twist is that everyone is lying. The friend Jack has that could get the money is lying. And they got shot at.

After being chased. They ended up stranded  on ice. Cold and dying. Then they got escorted to a Russian submarine. 

The bigger picture is the behind twist. Who get the oil? The Americans or the Russians? 

Not as engaging as I hope. But I'm not that into extreme sports. 

Still a 4 stars read.  

This was recommended by my local independent bookseller when I mentioned how much I'd enjoyed Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

It's been sitting unread on my shelf for a few years now, so I reckon it's about time I read it.