Killer Clown: John Wayne: The John Wayne Gacy Murders (Paperback)

~ (Author), Peter Maiken (Author)
Key Phrases: photo receipt, sodomy conviction, surveillance officers, John Gacy, Des Plaines, Rob Piest (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786014229
• ISBN-13: 978-0786014224
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #561,527 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb true crime, December 5, 2000

By	Paul Cerra - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders (Paperback)

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.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chilling, without shock value, September 9, 2001

By	Jonathan Appleseed - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I recently ordered a number of true crime books, mostly dealing with motive and serial killers for a study I'm doing. When I pulled this book out of the box, I was extremely disappointed. The front cover of Killer Clown is unnecessarily garish, bearing a closer resemblance to the National Enquirer than a solid, well written book (which it is). The back also proclaimed that there were "16 pages of shocking photos!" With one or two exceptions, they're hardly shocking, although I did pause over the one picture of a victim they chose to include. But that was more in sadness than in shock -- it was the face of an innocent, apparently happy young boy, and that spoke more strongly than any amount of gratuitous schlock could hope to.

This was a well thought out book, and kudos to Terry Sullivan and Peter Maiken for not drawing on the wealth of gore that came with Gacy's case. I agree with the other reviewers with regard to its methodical step-by-step review of the entire case, from his last murder to the handing down of the death sentence.

It's a shame, though, for I'm sure that some serious students of true crime may have passed on this book simply because of its packaging. If you're having similar qualms -- don't. This is a worthwhile read.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must-read" book for true crime followers, September 20, 1998

By	S. Dryden "sdryden" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders (Hardcover)

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.