Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders

A very enjoyable listen, an inside look from one side of this crime. After listening to the book by the defense attorney, "John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster" by Sam Amirante, this book shared the story from the other side of the legal spectrum. Interesting to hear how things look so different from each side. The facts are almost the same, the views in which they are presented are totally different, each book fills in the blanks from the other, not because either was wrong, just the hidden truthes from both side. I highly recommend listening to both, very well done books.

I was 11 years old when Gacy was caught, and growing up about an hour or so from where this took place, it was in the newspapers every day. I knew about 90% of what had happened, but I was really interested to know how he was caught, some of the details around the findings, and how the court case went.Written by the States Attorney that led up the investigation and prosecution, this will take you through the entire ordeal, from how Gacy first became a suspect, to putting the pieces together for two search warrants, briefing the reader on his arrest in Iowa back in August of '67, to interrogation conversations, and finally the entire court room proceedings.Within this book you'll read first hand statements from Gacy as he describes how he lured young men to his home and killed them. Some, believe it or not, even dug their own graves; Gacy admits to all of it in great detail (I believe he thought he'd get off on the insanity defense and therefore held-back nothing on the details). Gacy was a very charismatic person with born leadership skills, was very good at getting what he wanted, and was able to manipulate a lot of people. Had it not been for the relentless pusuit for answers from the parents of victim 33 (Robert Piest), Gacy may have gone on for many more years undetected.My only complaint about the book is that Gacy actually had two accomplices, yet we don't find out what happened to them. Regardless, the book is about Gacy...I really don't see how anyone could write a better book. When it's written by the man himself that led the investigation and prosecution you pretty much are getting it direct from the source.

(No spoilers here!) As an avid true crime fan, I bought this book a long time ago, and it sat on my shelf forever. I'll admit I was a little put off by the cover - the trashy tabloid look convinced me that this would be a poorly-written account of the most gruesome details in the Gacy case, a book hoping to make a buck off of shock factor. It was the OPPOSITE.Killer Clown is, quite honestly, one of the most well-written true crime books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The writing is succinct, the perspective unique. It's not often you come across a book where you get an insight into a suspect's behavior WHILE they are being surveyed by police.As far as gore goes, this is a light read. It would make a great starter for someone who's interested in true crime but not thrilled at the idea of stomach-churning gore.My favorite part of the book (surprisingly, as it rarely is) was the trial portion. Sullivan conveys the workings of a high-profile trial in a way that makes them easy to understand - right down to simplifying legal jargon for the reader. For someone like myself, who writes fiction, the lessons in the inner workings of the prosecution were invaluable information.Killer Clown doesn't go for the throat and is not written to mimic best-selling fiction; it approaches and unfolds the Gacy case in much the same way police and attorneys are required to - with a watchful eye and persistence. If you're worried about being bored, don't be. The book switches tacks often enough to keep the reader engaged, and leaves you wondering what it must have been like for that police surveillance team - a group of men who were both courted and deceived by one of the most infamous serial killers of all time.

I've read quite a few true crime books and I have my own criteria for what makes a good true crime book. The true crime books I like best are those from the criminals own words, such as "The Only Living Witness" about Ted Bundy and "I: The Creation of a Serial Killer" about the Happy Face Killer. These types of books give you a better understanding of what drives these people to do what they do and you can read details that you would never otherwise know. Granted, you can't believe everything they say, but at least you have a modicum of an idea of what's going on in their heads and what went on in their lives.After books from the criminal's own words are the books by very good investigative journalists. Those books provide a lot of extra tidbits from a myriad of sources that complete a picture of the murderer as well as the victim(s). In fact, these books help you sympathize with the victims more and give you a greater disdain for the murderer.Next would be books from the words of those in law enforcement, such as this book. Granted, you're going to get a very limited story and the story is going to be from one perspective only, but you can then put yourself in the hunt. You may only get postmortem details of the crimes, but you also get to know what tactics were being employed to the catch the bad guy, what mistakes were made, what things were done right, and what do the limits of the law allow. You also find out why certain details are not released to the public and how the media can help or hinder a case. Another good book like this is "Chasing the Devil" about the Green River Killer.I enjoyed reading this book and how the net around John Wayne Gacy closed to eventually trap him. Plus, there was a bit of insight to Gacy's conniving personality and his weaselly ways. For a nearly 400 page book, it was an easy read.

top creepy krimi!

gift

great item

Book arrived on the 1st and was as described, thank you.

A must for anyone who wants to get an insight into the life of a serial killer.

Good reading

Perfect!

Couldn't put it down - very gripping. Almost hard to read this by yourself. Very interesting story. I definitely recommend it.

Honestly, just got the book for a term paper in criminology. I actually ended up using a different one, but this was also a good read

I was really looking forward to getting stuck into this one and assumed I would've finished it over a few sittings but I was very wrong! I completely concur with the other reviewers who have stated that a large portion of the book is merely about the surveillance team, though not necessarily about them and Gacy, but detailed paragraphs on what they ate for dinner, what they drank, their topics of conversation, exact time they went to the toilet...well, maybe not the latter, but you catch my drift?!I have to admit, I've not yet fully completed it, but I don't have long to go...thank God!Ok, it's not awful and it does provide a somewhat general picture of Gacy but that is just it - 'somewhat general'.I've found it hard to get through due to the detailed analysis and repetitiveness of the actual surveillance - this continues well into the last couple of chapters...Disappointed - yes :-(

I have had this for a long time and it did the job well on holidays. Its quite entertaining. I would recommended.