Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders

by Peter T. Maiken and Terry Sullivan

Book Overview

The Real Story Of John Wayne Gacy-- By The Man Who Helped Catch Him

He was a model citizen. A hospital volunteer. And one of the most sadistic serial killers of all time. But few people could see the cruel monster beneath the colorful clown makeup that John Gacy wore to entertain children in his Chicago suburb. Few could imagine what lay buried beneath his house of horrors--until a teenaged boy disappeared before Christmas in 1978, leading...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786032545
• ISBN13: 9780786032549
• Release Date: April 2013
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Buy This Book!!

Fantastic read! I recommend this to anyone interested in this case. Very descriptive and has a lot of detail to what happened in that crawl space.

Outstanding book on the Gacy case

Recently re-read this book after many years. Terry Sullivan, member of the legal team that prosecuted Gacy and sent him to jail (and ultimately, his execution) has written an excellent and thorough account of the Gacy case. The book begins with the disappearance of Gacy's last victim, which triggered a massive law enforcement investigation and surveillance operation and led to the arrest of Gacy. Sullivan also recounts Gacy's initial confession to police for some of the murders (in later years he completely denied committing all but one murder) and his trial, focusing a great deal on the psychiatric testimony presented to determine Gacy's sanity. This is an outstanding book that covers all aspects of the case. The lives of several of the victims are given a voice in the book through the accounts of their surviving family members, who recount the last time they saw their sons alive, as well as the frustrating efforts made to try to find them. The book's flaw, perhaps, is Sullivan's choice to (I feel) overly detail the investigation section of the book and really test the patience of the reader by doing so. Virtually any police officer or detective who had any connection at all with the initial investigation of the case, it seems, is mentioned. I'm guessing Sullivan's intent was to be as thorough as possible in documenting the efforts made to track down and arrest Gacy, as well as provide credit where credit is due to the police officers who made it happen. But so many names are mentioned that it's sometimes difficult to follow. Details are provided that do nothing to advance the story (specific meals ordered in restaurants, coffee purchased that spills during a high speed chase, etc.). Once Gacy is captured, though, and the excavation of the crawlspace begins, the story picks up and holds you from there. Sullivan's sensitivity in his portrayal of the victims and their surviving families is particularly moving. Beyond the lurid aspects of the crime, the book ultimately leaves you with a feeling of sadness. It conveys the tragedy of young lives lost better than any other book I've read on Gacy. If you read only one book on Gacy, I would highly recommend "Killer Clown" as it provides the most thorough account of the case. You may have to be patient through the first third or so of the book, but stick with it, as it's a very worthwhile read. It's also less graphic than another outstanding book on the subject, Tim Cahill's "Buried Dreams", which offers an insight into Gacy's evil psyche that is truly frightening, and may be too much for some readers.

bad name, good book

Ann Rule once said to beware of true crime novels with pictures on the front. She could just as easily have said, "Avoid books with tag lines that say 'He murdered 33 boys. Now he will die for his crimes. Killer Clown!' for they are bound to be expoloitive and cheesy." But she didn't, and I normally would have except that's exactly what is printed on the cover of this book and it was great.By focusing mainly on the investigation and trial rather than detailling a blow by blow account of the murders themselves, Terry Sullivan creates an intriguing picture of Gacy without being relying on shock value. He touches on all the areas that interested me, including the forensic investigation, the legal maneuverings, and a brief but interesting psychological profile.Killer Clown provides alarming insight into the mind of a very creepy man. I just recommend reading it behind something less garish, particularly on the train since strange people will talk to you otherwise.

Superb true crime

In December of 1978, Terry Sullivan was working as a state's attorney in Cook County, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Lieutenant Joseph Kozenczak was commander of the Criminal Investigation Division of the nearby Des Plaines Police Department. And John Wayne Gacy was a thirty-six year old building contractor who had just lured away and killed a 15-year-old boy, Rob Piest. Over the next ten days, Kozenczak, Sullivan, and their teams of policeman and investigators would uncover Gacy's horrible crimes.This is a remarkable book that sets the standard for true crime stories. More than just an insider, Sullivan played an active role in the Gacy investigation. Kozenczak, then a 16-year veteran of the DPPD, came to Sullivan and his assistants early in the investigation into Rob Piest's disappearance to seek advice on how to deal with Gacy, who was emerging as their prime suspect. Sullivan was thus a participant in the entire case, including Gacy's trial, and he presents a vast amount of information here in Killer Clown.In this book, Sullivan (writing with Peter T. Maiken) paints the most comprehensive and accurate picture of Gacy that has ever emerged. It can be roughly divided into three parts: the investigation surrounding the disappearance of Rob Piest, the discovery of bodies on Gacy's property and the painstaking investigations into Gacy's past, and Gacy's trial and convictions for murder. For some, this book is "boring" because it spends too many pages discussing the police investigation. In fact, Sullivan actually does a service to true crime readers everywhere by detailing the interaction between a suspect and the police and how the investigation can be shaped by it.And there is more than enough cruelty, sexual sadism, and lurid details in these pages for even the most seasoned true crime fan. Sullivan discusses the fates of many of Gacy's known victims -- how they were tortured before and during sex, how they were killed and how they were buried beneath Gacy's house, some in graves that they themselves had dug! In fact, after reading this book, one senses that Sullivan could only reveal so much in his writing without crossing the line into bad taste or sheer shock value; he himself writes that he begun to wonder "if there was any limit to [Gacy's] brutality."A true story that reads like a novel, this book also has a huge cast of characters, from investigators to friends and neighbors to the victim's families. It's an exceptional account of an exceptionally evil man. I recommend it highly.

HORRORIFIC!

What scared me most in this account of the infamous Chicago-land serial killer, was the revelation that Gacy cruised Hi-Way 20 between Waterloo, IA, and Des Plaines, IL during his murderous spree. A quick glance at the Rand-McNally Road Atlas of the mid and late 70's, reveals he was driving right past my house in those days near Freeport, IL. Ooh! A near brush with death! A man so cold, his own lawyers begged the cops to stay in their office lobby as they encouraged him to flee the country/planet. Twisted beyond imagination, Gacy was a local rally-man for the Democractic Party, a respected community voice, a successful contractor, and much beloved for entertaining children as a fairly well known circus clown. He reveled in refering to the detectives that shadowed him as "...my bodygaurds...", and, like so many killers, was finally detained for a ridiculously petty marijuana charge, giving the state enough time to prepare a Search Warrant. The public was horrorfied as the body count kept growing day by day. He had hid most of his 30+ victims in the crawlspaces of his own home! Some he put in the river.

A "must-read" book for true crime followers

For anyone that follows true crime stories, "Killer Clown" is author Terry Sullivan's impeccably detailed and researched account of the John Wayne Gacy murders. Beginning with the seemingly meaningless piece of evidence (a photo receipt) that cast strong suspicion that Gacy may have had more to do with the disappearance of the victim that would be his final downfall to the ending of Gacy's innocence and freedom in the courtroom, this book should not be passed up. Sullivan does an outstanding job of researching the case that led police to the discovery of 28 young men that Gacy had molested and ultimately murdered, then buried in the crawlspace of his suburban Chicago home, as well as the discovery of 5 more bodies Gacy was responsible for. No clue is left alone and no stone was left unturned in Sullivan's mentally visual story. A truly frightening account, you feel as though you're right along with the police during their investigation of Gacy. It should be noted that this story can at times be gruesome in its revelations and depictions of the details of Gacy's deranged killing spree and may not be best suited for the sensitive reader. But after reading the book cover to cover, you almost feel like you were part of the investigation team that finally stopped Gacy's killing and eventually put him in prison which ultimately led to his execution. Immediately after being apprehended, in an apparent state of guilt and remorse, Gacy admitted to the killings, but shortly thereafter recanted on his confession and proclaimed his innocense all the way until his last day on earth. I spoke with Gacy several times before his execution and Gacy had so thoroughly convinced himself that he had never killed anyone, he believed the only crime he was guilty of was running a cemetary without a license. Gacy's take on the books and interviews and subsequent movie made about his case was that everything had been fabricated in an attempt to make him the scapegoat and to make the police and prosecutors look good. "Careers were made as a result of my conviction," Gacy once told me. Gacy's denial or not, Terry Sullivan and Peter T. Maiken's account of this true story is superbly written and conveyed to the reader and is a definate must read for any true crime buff.