MUSIC FOR CHAMELEONS - Penguin Modern Classics

The power and simplicity of Truman Capote's unique writing style shines through this collection of fourteen pieces. At its centre is Handcarved Coffins, which, like his bestselling novel, In Cold Blood, was based on the brutal crimes of a real-life murderer. Taking place in a small Midwestern town in America which has been beset by a series of grotesque killings, it offers chilling insights into the mind of a murderer and the obsession of the detective determined to expose him. Music for Chameleons also contains six short stories and seven conversational portraits, which range from a touching portrayal of Marilyn Monroe, glimpsed in full, tragic, childlike perplexity, to the hilarious account of a day in the life of a dope-smoking New York cleaning lady on her rounds in the city.