Customer Reviews

The Chicago Killer

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Given his primary role in the investigation and arrest of John Wayne Gacy and his years of service in law enforcement, I wish I could say better things about Mr. Kozenczak's book.

Unfortunately, I can't. I purchased the book thinking it would offer new insights into the case from a detective who was an active participant. Instead, this is a dull and disjointed book. The writing is awkward, the story is hard to follow, and there are enough typos scattered throughout to make you want to whip out your red pen and start making corrections.

Plus, at least in the edition I read, there's an oversight that should have been caught prior to publication: Kozenczak omits one victim's name entirely--Greg Godzik--when he excerpts the portion of the trial where the prosecution named each identified victim and stated how their bodies were found.

The most interesting part of the book deals with the role of one particular psychic in the investigation, prior to Gacy's arrest when no one but the police knew he was a suspect. Other than that, I can't say this book really held my attention or offered much in the way of new information on the case.

This book was published 25 years after the death of Gacy's last victim, so Mr. Kozenczak has lived with this case for a while and probably knows it better than just about anybody. With that kind of familiarity, I guess I just expected a better book. Mr. Kozenczak has no doubt had a distinguished career and considerable professional achievements, but this book is a mediocre effort at best.

I just finished The Chicago Killer. As one reviewer noted--WOW! Did they desperately need a proofreader. At times the typos made it difficult to read. That said...I did enjoy this book. I've read all but 3 books on this case (Jeffrey Rignall's book 29 Below, the book Gacy himself wrote and Fall of the House of Gacy) but they are in my wish list. I was also a penpal of Gacy's for the last 5 years of life.
Although there wasn't a lot of new information about the case, the information about Kozenczak's contact with the psychics was interesting and I did enjoy the fictional parts relating to what was going on in Gacy's mind as they case progressed. Having had a lot of contact via mail and telephone calls with him, it did strike me as the way Gacy thought.
For someone unfamiliar with this case I would not suggest this as an introduction--try Buried Dreams. But for true crime enthusiasts you'll want this in your collection

This is a chilling true police story about the capture of John Wayne Gacy, one of America's most prolific serial killers. The story is told by the former Chief of Detectives for the Des Plaines, Illinois Police Department, Joseph R. Kozenczak and was co-authored with Karen M. Henrikson. The book offers two additional Bonus Chapters regarding the Use of Psychics in a serial Murder Investigation, along with an insight into the use of a lie-detector which helped in cracking the case. This book is a Silver Commemorative Issue, First Edition. Well worth reading!