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The Chicago Killer - The Hunt For Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy
THE CHICAGO The Hunt For Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy is the story of the capture of John Wayne Gacy, as told from the perspective of the former Chief of Detectives of the Des Plaines, Illinois Police Department , Joseph Kozenczak. The conviction of Gacy on 33 counts of murder is significant in the annals of the criminal justice system in the United States. Two articles give the reader a comprehensive insight into the use of psychics and the lie-detector in a serial murder investigation.
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 23, 2021
A very good and insightful book, that gave quite a few details I didn't know about before, which is always a plus when reading multiple books on the same case. Gacy, like other serial killers, was a despicable human being who took 33 lives and maybe even more. It's not an easy topic to write about, even for those who were involved with the case. Author tells his story with grace and a lot of compassion to the victims, their families and police officers who worked the case from the moment Robert Piest was reported missing. The only critique I have is - couple filler chapters at the end that focused on psychics used in criminal investigations and polygraph testing. Both were discussed by author already in great detail, so these chapters read more like a rehash of the book overall than any significant information being added. But overall this was a good read.
October 18, 2013
The book I read was the Chicago killer. It was the story of John Wayne Gacy, the gruesome tales of his victims, and the haunting investigation followed. The book went into significant detail on how Gacy would lure his victims and what he would say to them as he was trapping them. The emotions I felt throughout the book varied. I would be shocked one moment, then sympathetic, sad, then angry.
The book has suspense, surprise and all the things it should have to make a reader Interested in it. Although, if a reader has an easy stomach or can't really handle gruesome things, I don't recommend it. A reader might not be able to handle the things talked about in the book. I've previously seen all of the documentaries and read up in Gacy but nothing compared to what I learned in this book. Although it may be weird to say I loved a book that talked about a killer, but I do. I didnt love the killing, but it was just so interesting to read.
In conclusion I recommend the book to readers who like a good mature read. It talks about real serious situations, very interesting and although it might not be the happiest, it creates awareness of things that can happen .
The book has suspense, surprise and all the things it should have to make a reader Interested in it. Although, if a reader has an easy stomach or can't really handle gruesome things, I don't recommend it. A reader might not be able to handle the things talked about in the book. I've previously seen all of the documentaries and read up in Gacy but nothing compared to what I learned in this book. Although it may be weird to say I loved a book that talked about a killer, but I do. I didnt love the killing, but it was just so interesting to read.
In conclusion I recommend the book to readers who like a good mature read. It talks about real serious situations, very interesting and although it might not be the happiest, it creates awareness of things that can happen .
February 16, 2012
A book about John Wayne Gacy does not really need to be summarized so I will jump right in with my review. Joseph R Kozenczak was the arresting officer and chief investigator in the John Wayne Gacy serial murder investigation. John Wayne Gacy hated him, during interrogation he would answer any question the officers put to him, but refused to speak if Kozenczak was in the room.
Since this book was written by the chief investigation officer it is like a look inside the police department. It is detailed but does not get bogged down. Kozenczak is a very compassionate man with a lot of empathy for the victims and is unstinting with his praise of other officers dedication, talents and efforts extended to at first, find a missing young man, and then gather the evidence needed to arrest and convict Gacy. He’s a little light on the trail, something that is a plus with some readers, but even there he gives enough for you understand what happened.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to true crime fans.
Since this book was written by the chief investigation officer it is like a look inside the police department. It is detailed but does not get bogged down. Kozenczak is a very compassionate man with a lot of empathy for the victims and is unstinting with his praise of other officers dedication, talents and efforts extended to at first, find a missing young man, and then gather the evidence needed to arrest and convict Gacy. He’s a little light on the trail, something that is a plus with some readers, but even there he gives enough for you understand what happened.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to true crime fans.
September 15, 2018
This was a very good read. It gave me a much clearer idea of the timeline of events than Sullivan's "Killer Clown" and I got a policeman's-eye view of the investigation. Very suspenseful despite the fact that I knew exactly how it was all going to come out. There was quite a bit of new information in here even though I've read a couple of other books on this sorry case. I recommend this one.
July 18, 2014
Joseph Kozenczak was the lead investigator on the case but the writing is uninspired. The first person narrative felt clumsy and awkward. Not recommended.
February 17, 2026
For what the title entails, I think this book did a great job. I am truly impressed by how much information and recounting that Kozenczak was able to put in the pages. At one point, he even says that the week-ish leading to Gacy's arrest felt much longer than a handful of days, due to the amount of police work and investigating being done. As a reader, I felt the same way. There was so much attention to detail.
Unfortunately, some of the attention to detail got confusing. It was difficult to keep track of all the names involved in the investigation. Also, there seemed to be some jumping around on the timeline within certain days leading up to Gacy's arrest. Of course, I don't fault Kozenczak for this, as there were so many things to keep track of. Additionally, I wasn't the biggest fan of the italicized passages at the end of chapters that seemed to be from Gacy's perspective. The story there just didn't quite make sense to the rest of the book, a little too narrative in comparison.
I was not expecting the end of the book to be centered around the psychic and polygraphic aspects of the case. It's always seemed to me like the two worlds of parapsychology and police investigations are distanced, a view that the author shared. However, there was a lot of information provided that proved to me how useful having a psychic involved can be. I came to find out that Kozenczak had an interest in the paranormal, and this just might've turned into a big help in regards to the Gacy case. Very interesting.
Overall, I enjoyed myself while reading this. Everything involved happened close to home for me, which I find fascinating. Clearly, Kozenczak did some amazing work as a law enforcement officer in a neighboring jurisdiction, something that impresses me a ton. May he rest in peace.
Unfortunately, some of the attention to detail got confusing. It was difficult to keep track of all the names involved in the investigation. Also, there seemed to be some jumping around on the timeline within certain days leading up to Gacy's arrest. Of course, I don't fault Kozenczak for this, as there were so many things to keep track of. Additionally, I wasn't the biggest fan of the italicized passages at the end of chapters that seemed to be from Gacy's perspective. The story there just didn't quite make sense to the rest of the book, a little too narrative in comparison.
I was not expecting the end of the book to be centered around the psychic and polygraphic aspects of the case. It's always seemed to me like the two worlds of parapsychology and police investigations are distanced, a view that the author shared. However, there was a lot of information provided that proved to me how useful having a psychic involved can be. I came to find out that Kozenczak had an interest in the paranormal, and this just might've turned into a big help in regards to the Gacy case. Very interesting.
Overall, I enjoyed myself while reading this. Everything involved happened close to home for me, which I find fascinating. Clearly, Kozenczak did some amazing work as a law enforcement officer in a neighboring jurisdiction, something that impresses me a ton. May he rest in peace.
July 18, 2026
The best parts of The Chicago Killer are Joseph Kozenczak’s firsthand descriptions of the investigation. His account of how the case unfolded and how investigators worked to uncover the truth was detailed, interesting, and easily the strongest aspect of the book.
Unfortunately, each chapter also contains sections written as though they are taking place inside John Wayne Gacy’s mind. I did not care for these passages. They felt unnecessary, and I think leaving them out would have made the book much more focused and effective.
The final couple of chapters were also disappointing. They shifted away from the narrative and felt more like textbook chapters about polygraphs and the use of psychics in criminal investigations. Although those subjects may be relevant to the author’s experience, I found the presentation dry.
Overall, this was an okay book that offered some compelling firsthand insight into the investigation but was weakened by the imagined Gacy passages and the dry material near the end.
Unfortunately, each chapter also contains sections written as though they are taking place inside John Wayne Gacy’s mind. I did not care for these passages. They felt unnecessary, and I think leaving them out would have made the book much more focused and effective.
The final couple of chapters were also disappointing. They shifted away from the narrative and felt more like textbook chapters about polygraphs and the use of psychics in criminal investigations. Although those subjects may be relevant to the author’s experience, I found the presentation dry.
Overall, this was an okay book that offered some compelling firsthand insight into the investigation but was weakened by the imagined Gacy passages and the dry material near the end.
November 7, 2025
A sobering, thoughtful and intricately drawn portrait of the capture of John Wayne Gacy from the lead investigator. Here you get an inside look of Gacy but, more importantly, the workings of the officers that ultimately brought him to justice. At times with true crime books you get a sense that the writer is just running through a checklist of facts, ticking them off as they put them on display. Here the solid writing keeps the book moving and you get a real "inside" look at the department that brought this monster down.
May 18, 2026
never seen this book before and its a first edition hard cover so had to get it for my daughter it is written by the cop that finally caught john wayne gacy it is also the same book as the chicogo killer that was also written by him but that book has no photos in it this one does a great edition to her gacy collection written by the cop that gacy hated who wouldnt stop at nothing to get the serial killer
November 24, 2018
Sloppy job writing the book. Typos galore as well. Periods, comma all mixed up. You'll get much better info and story telling from Killer Clown by the State's Attorney, than by this Des Plaines cop.
June 18, 2020
Interesting. Maybe more so because of living near his neighborhood when I was growing up, because of stories afterward of encounters with people I knew. Then years later working with and knowing the authors and seeing it their perspective.
March 3, 2023
I enjoyed this book as I love reading how the determination of police officers catch the bad guy and put him away for a very long time. Kozenczak is a true hero in my eyes for latching onto Gacy and not letting him go.
My only complaint is the crimes were glossed over but the big thing about Gacy was his crimes. Worth a read.
My only complaint is the crimes were glossed over but the big thing about Gacy was his crimes. Worth a read.
October 21, 2016
I enjoyed this, it very much reminded me of Helter Skelter (though not as good)
The author was the main detective working on the disappearance of Robert Piest, when he first took the case on he had no idea of what the main suspect was capable of, you really get a feel of just what a disgusting person Gacy was.
The one thing that I noticed is how important Kozenczak found his family though out the investigation, this is extremely similar to Bugliosi in Helter Skelter, I guess that to be involved in a case of this magnitude you must really need a close family to almost keep you sane and stop the darkness of the case from consuming you.
I would have liked to have heard more about the actual court case but the investigation side of it was more than enough to hold my attention.
I only really had 2 complaints about the book and the first one was the way the police were portrayed as being infallible during the case, I understand that they did a fantastic job but it seemed almost too easy and there wasn't really any scratching of the heads, I struggle to believe that in the first few days of the case at least they wouldn't have encountered difficulties and dead ends, the author clearly has a bit of an ego (again this is similar to Bugliosi, I guess its a trait thats needed in their profession).
The second thing that I found a little tiresome was the final 30 pages or so, it delves into the use of psychics and lie detectors in investigations, now some people may find this interesting but I didn't really feel the need to have it explained to me in such detail and it felt a little like filler just to bump the book up to the 250 mark.
Still a really good read and I'd definitely recommend it to people who have an interest in these types of books.
The author was the main detective working on the disappearance of Robert Piest, when he first took the case on he had no idea of what the main suspect was capable of, you really get a feel of just what a disgusting person Gacy was.
The one thing that I noticed is how important Kozenczak found his family though out the investigation, this is extremely similar to Bugliosi in Helter Skelter, I guess that to be involved in a case of this magnitude you must really need a close family to almost keep you sane and stop the darkness of the case from consuming you.
I would have liked to have heard more about the actual court case but the investigation side of it was more than enough to hold my attention.
I only really had 2 complaints about the book and the first one was the way the police were portrayed as being infallible during the case, I understand that they did a fantastic job but it seemed almost too easy and there wasn't really any scratching of the heads, I struggle to believe that in the first few days of the case at least they wouldn't have encountered difficulties and dead ends, the author clearly has a bit of an ego (again this is similar to Bugliosi, I guess its a trait thats needed in their profession).
The second thing that I found a little tiresome was the final 30 pages or so, it delves into the use of psychics and lie detectors in investigations, now some people may find this interesting but I didn't really feel the need to have it explained to me in such detail and it felt a little like filler just to bump the book up to the 250 mark.
Still a really good read and I'd definitely recommend it to people who have an interest in these types of books.
February 29, 2016
A book about John Wayne Gacy does not really need to be summarized so I will jump right in with my review. Joseph R Kozenczak was the arresting officer and chief investigator in the John Wayne Gacy serial murder investigation. John Wayne Gacy hated him, during interrogation he would answer any question the officers put to him, but refused to speak if Kozenczak was in the room.
Since this book was written by the chief investigation officer it is like a look inside the police department. It is detailed but does not get bogged down. Kozenczak is a very compassionate man with a lot of empathy for the victims and is unstinting with his praise of other officers dedication, talents and efforts extended to at first, find a missing young man, and then gather the evidence needed to arrest and convict Gacy. He 19s a little light on the trail, something that is a plus with some readers, but even there he gives enough for you understand what happened.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to true crime fans.
True Crime, Non-fiction
Page count: 251
Stars: 4
Copyright: 2003
Since this book was written by the chief investigation officer it is like a look inside the police department. It is detailed but does not get bogged down. Kozenczak is a very compassionate man with a lot of empathy for the victims and is unstinting with his praise of other officers dedication, talents and efforts extended to at first, find a missing young man, and then gather the evidence needed to arrest and convict Gacy. He 19s a little light on the trail, something that is a plus with some readers, but even there he gives enough for you understand what happened.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to true crime fans.
True Crime, Non-fiction
Page count: 251
Stars: 4
Copyright: 2003
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews