When you hear famous author Truman Capote’s name, you might immediately think of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and the iconic Audrey Hepburn film.

While “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was a major piece of Truman’s career, the final two books of his career, one being a major hit and the other being incomplete, are a fascinating bit of history to look at.

After “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was published in 1958, Truman entered a new phase of his writing career. By 1959, he embarked on an intense journey for his nonfiction novel, “In Cold Blood.”

Truman had read an article in The New York Times in 1959 about the tragic, brutal, and unexpected murder of a wealthy farmer, Herbert Clutter, and his family in Holcomb, Kansas.

Truman quickly traveled to Holcomb to investigate the murder and conduct research for a novel. He was there for five long years, carefully earning the trust of Holcomb’s residents, including the Chief Investigator of the case, Alvin “Al” Dewey, and his wife, Marie.

Shockingly, once the police had found the two men responsible for the Clutter’s murder, Truman was able to interview them and learn their stories. He felt a connection with one of the men, Perry Smith, and over time, he began to grow somewhat of a fondness for him with their similar upbringings and bonded with him.

When the two murderers were sentenced to death, including Perry, Truman became a changed man. Yet he finished his novel and successfully published “In Cold Blood” in 1966 after it was also placed in The New Yorker.

It became an international success and made Truman a celebrity. He suddenly became a household name and got a taste of glamor and wealth. However, after the execution of Perry and the years he spent researching a brutal murder, from the 1960s to the end of his life, Truman struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.

Amid his sad, downward spiral, Truman signed a book deal to write his final novel, “Answered Prayers.”

Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

The novel was supposed to be completed in 1968, but due to Truman’s personal issues, it was continuously delayed. He continued releasing bits of smaller projects, but “Unanswered Prayers” was left, well, unanswered.

Truman did his best to keep the momentum for the novel going and eventually published the beginning of it in Esquire magazine as “La Côte Basque 1965.”

Things took a turn when “La Côte Basque 1965” was published, as readers were quick to piece together that Truman was writing about the elite celebrities and socialites he had met in his newfound fame and he was writing about them in quite a gossipy, catty way.

Once the early chapter of “Unanswered Prayers” was out, people turned on Truman, and he was tossed out of the rich and famous’ good graces.

His final years were brutal, as he was often in and out of rehab programs and shocked audiences when he appeared inebriated on an on-air interview in 1978. He passed away due to liver disease in 1984 at 59.

“Unanswered Prayers” was never officially published.

Did you know the story behind Truman’s final works?

If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe

Before She Disappeared While Driving Home Alone To Colorado, She Called Her Dad To Say She Was Lost In A Rural Area In Texas

Did You Know That There Is A Woman Whose Name Is On The Declaration of Independence?

From New House To New Home: Tips For Injecting Your Personality Into Your Living Space

His Ex-Wife Reached Out To Him And Wants To Meet Up For The First Time In Over A Decade, But He’s Not Sure If It’s Worth Risking Heartbreak Again

He And His Wife Went Out To Dinner With Her Friends, And When The Check Came, He Didn’t Want To Pay The $700 Bill, Which Humiliated Her

His Late Wife Left Their Kids Money For College, And His New Wife Is Furious With Him For Never Disclosing That It’s A Substantial Amount of Cash

She Put A Drink Cover On Her Beverage During A First Date With A Guy At A Bar, But He Ripped It Off, And It Made Her Super Uncomfortable