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The Man Who Killed Boys: The John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Story
A true story of mass murder in a Chicago suburb.
Successful businessman, community benefactor, good friend and neighbor-- and perverted mass murderer.
Over a period of three years, John Wayne Gacy, Jr. sexually tortured and murdered 33 boys. His friends and neighbors in his unassuming Illinois community never suspected a thing. Gacy was a Jekyll-and-Hyde figure, leading an outwardly normal life, but secretly brutalizing dozens of young men in a hidden lair, and concealing their bodies under the floorboards of his suburban home.
Through extensive personal interviews with those who knew Gacy, veteran true-crime scribe Clifford L. Linedecker takes us on a shocking ride through Gacy's life, delving deep into the man's troubled past, recounting his appalling series of murders, and recreating the drama of his trial-- which resulted in his execution by lethal injection in 1994. Gruesome and horrifying, The Man Who Killed Boys reveals stark terror set amid the daily lives of an ordinary community.
Documented with an 8-page photo archive
Successful businessman, community benefactor, good friend and neighbor-- and perverted mass murderer.
Over a period of three years, John Wayne Gacy, Jr. sexually tortured and murdered 33 boys. His friends and neighbors in his unassuming Illinois community never suspected a thing. Gacy was a Jekyll-and-Hyde figure, leading an outwardly normal life, but secretly brutalizing dozens of young men in a hidden lair, and concealing their bodies under the floorboards of his suburban home.
Through extensive personal interviews with those who knew Gacy, veteran true-crime scribe Clifford L. Linedecker takes us on a shocking ride through Gacy's life, delving deep into the man's troubled past, recounting his appalling series of murders, and recreating the drama of his trial-- which resulted in his execution by lethal injection in 1994. Gruesome and horrifying, The Man Who Killed Boys reveals stark terror set amid the daily lives of an ordinary community.
Documented with an 8-page photo archive
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
28 people are currently reading
846 people want to read
About the author
Clifford L. Linedecker
55 books30 followersClifford L. Linedecker is a former daily newspaper journalist with eighteen years experience on the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rochester (N.Y.) Times-Union, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, and several other Indiana newspapers. He is an experienced investigative reporter who has covered police and the courts on each of the papers where he was employed. He is a former articles editor for National Features Syndicate in Chicago, and for "County Rambler" magazine. He is the author of numerous true crime titles, including The Man Who Killed Boys, Night Stalker, Killer Kids, Blood in the Sand, and Deadly White Female.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
April 27, 2021
I read this many years ago (circa 1997) after a university course on human aggression sparked my interest in mass murderers and serial killers. Gacy was a respected citizen and a (somewhat minor) pillar of his community - that is, until someone noticed the foul odor of rotting flesh emanating from his crawl space.
March 11, 2022
An incredibly well written book that focuses not only on the crimes or the trial, but also on Gacy and what he was like before all hell broke loose for him. Linedecker provides accounts of his friends, neighbors and associates, painting a fuller picture of a man than any other book I have read on the case so far. It also shows how Gacy was able to slip through the cracks as he did, not being caught until he became truly reckless and all that he did came to light.
Gacy was as so many other serial killers were/are - just a man consumed by his own desire to indulge himself and allow himself everything, thinking he can get away no matter what. But as the saying goes - a law's hand is long and it eventually caught him. For the better too, because he wouldn't've stopped unless caught.
Still, this book is extremely well written and researched and I found many interesting facts I haven't known before between its pages. A good read through and through.
Gacy was as so many other serial killers were/are - just a man consumed by his own desire to indulge himself and allow himself everything, thinking he can get away no matter what. But as the saying goes - a law's hand is long and it eventually caught him. For the better too, because he wouldn't've stopped unless caught.
Still, this book is extremely well written and researched and I found many interesting facts I haven't known before between its pages. A good read through and through.
March 4, 2009
A man born at the turn of last century marries, has three children (two daughters and one son), becomes an abusive alcoholic, and dies while his only son is in prison for having sexually assaulted a teenaged boy. And so went the life of John Wayne Gacy, Sr.
But it was the beginning of a life of turmoil for that imprisoned son, John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
J. W. Gacy, Jr. was known amongst his circle of friends as a shameless embellisher at best - a volatile pervert, at worst. Yet, none suspected that his true nature had allowed him to murder 33 young men. He had been a successful entrepreneur, one who had hosted large galas in his backyard (catered by Gacy himself), and who was personally thanked by Rosalynn Carter for his efforts in support of the Democratic party. How could he have killed so many?
How could no one else have suspected?
The clues all added up, in retrospect. Gacy was known to frequent gay bars while categorically denying his sexuality to most people, even going so far as to associate with violent homophobes and to verbally berate gays himself. Many had seen his temper blaze as destructive as wildfire before instantly dissipating and bringing back a placid, jovial Gacy who seemed oblivious to his own explosion. Some of the inexperienced boys he had hired for contracting work had vanished, as had many others in the surrounding area, with only the ex-con Gacy having knowledge of the boys' allegedly expressed desires to "get out of town." And then there was the perpetual smell of death lingering all around the Gacy homestead. That unmistakably foul, putrid, nauseating odour - strong enough to give neighbours cause to complain - emanating from the crawl space that singularly marked the death house.
How could no one else have suspected anything at all?
John Wayne Gacy, as presented in The Man Who Killed Boys, was a charmer, a social success story, who inspired many community residents to become leaders themselves. People looked up to Gacy, even though they were aware of his penchant for making his deeds seem larger-than-life. Neighbours knew that the 33-year-old man they grew to love must have been lying about much of his past, with his stories of being a former Marine, former police officer, former Emergency Medical Technician, former fireman, former chef, and (with a definite pattern arising of past successes) former husband to the daughter of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Saunders. But none cared so much about his past than with the efforts he currently put forth with entertaining local politicians and sick children (as "Pogo The Clown," Gacy's alter ego with the grease-painted - and decidedly horrifying - grimace).
Author Clifford L. Linedecker compiles the life and crimes of John Wayne Gacy, Jr. up until his conviction. Unfortunately, he falls into the all-too-common trap of injecting commentary into a seemingly factual account. For instance, Linedecker focuses on Gacy's physical girth with loaded descriptions such as "the pug-faced killer" with "fat, ruddy cheeks" and "jowls that slumped wearily into a double chin." And there are portions of the narrative which deviate from the "facts" with obvious novelization, such as verbatim dialogue not on the record and with incidental descriptions of a person's reactions to words or surroundings (one young man "shivered as he stepped away from the apartment building", or a person's "words were forced out at a hoarse croak," as if the author - who was never in a position to make any such florid observation - had seen it all for himself). Such portraiture somewhat betrays the legitimacy of the writing, the uninvolved author having interjected too much of himself into the text.
Overall a fairly well-written book, although no new ground is broken with respect to media coverage given to the story. The most appealing aspect is that the basics of the criminal's life are compiled in a single volume as presented.
But it was the beginning of a life of turmoil for that imprisoned son, John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
J. W. Gacy, Jr. was known amongst his circle of friends as a shameless embellisher at best - a volatile pervert, at worst. Yet, none suspected that his true nature had allowed him to murder 33 young men. He had been a successful entrepreneur, one who had hosted large galas in his backyard (catered by Gacy himself), and who was personally thanked by Rosalynn Carter for his efforts in support of the Democratic party. How could he have killed so many?
How could no one else have suspected?
The clues all added up, in retrospect. Gacy was known to frequent gay bars while categorically denying his sexuality to most people, even going so far as to associate with violent homophobes and to verbally berate gays himself. Many had seen his temper blaze as destructive as wildfire before instantly dissipating and bringing back a placid, jovial Gacy who seemed oblivious to his own explosion. Some of the inexperienced boys he had hired for contracting work had vanished, as had many others in the surrounding area, with only the ex-con Gacy having knowledge of the boys' allegedly expressed desires to "get out of town." And then there was the perpetual smell of death lingering all around the Gacy homestead. That unmistakably foul, putrid, nauseating odour - strong enough to give neighbours cause to complain - emanating from the crawl space that singularly marked the death house.
How could no one else have suspected anything at all?
John Wayne Gacy, as presented in The Man Who Killed Boys, was a charmer, a social success story, who inspired many community residents to become leaders themselves. People looked up to Gacy, even though they were aware of his penchant for making his deeds seem larger-than-life. Neighbours knew that the 33-year-old man they grew to love must have been lying about much of his past, with his stories of being a former Marine, former police officer, former Emergency Medical Technician, former fireman, former chef, and (with a definite pattern arising of past successes) former husband to the daughter of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Saunders. But none cared so much about his past than with the efforts he currently put forth with entertaining local politicians and sick children (as "Pogo The Clown," Gacy's alter ego with the grease-painted - and decidedly horrifying - grimace).
Author Clifford L. Linedecker compiles the life and crimes of John Wayne Gacy, Jr. up until his conviction. Unfortunately, he falls into the all-too-common trap of injecting commentary into a seemingly factual account. For instance, Linedecker focuses on Gacy's physical girth with loaded descriptions such as "the pug-faced killer" with "fat, ruddy cheeks" and "jowls that slumped wearily into a double chin." And there are portions of the narrative which deviate from the "facts" with obvious novelization, such as verbatim dialogue not on the record and with incidental descriptions of a person's reactions to words or surroundings (one young man "shivered as he stepped away from the apartment building", or a person's "words were forced out at a hoarse croak," as if the author - who was never in a position to make any such florid observation - had seen it all for himself). Such portraiture somewhat betrays the legitimacy of the writing, the uninvolved author having interjected too much of himself into the text.
Overall a fairly well-written book, although no new ground is broken with respect to media coverage given to the story. The most appealing aspect is that the basics of the criminal's life are compiled in a single volume as presented.
January 14, 2020
Gacy is one of my all time favorite cases [second favorite actually] and I own several books about the case. I got The man who killed boys because of the fact that it had interviews with those who were close to Gacy and more info about the victims. This book does provide details that I was not aware of in the Gacy case. The book pretty much paints a more complete picture of Gacy in context of other books and documentaries. Lots more context of who Gacy was and who he was to his friends and neighbors. When it comes to the case...it's not very complete. Lots of facts are missing and the book isn't really that well written. Not terrible though. Just not as good as other Gacy books I own. One reason is because it was written before Gacy was even convicted and that's obvious from the ending of the book.
You really don't get the full story of Gacy's crimes and all the other stuff that was going on, such as the investigation. No "Clowns can get away with murder.", barely any Pogo the clown, and no Mattel electronic stakeouts, but it is another context to the case and Gacy him self. It doesn't paint the full picture of Gacy, only one side of Gacy; the nice friendly eccentric compulsive lying and bragging Gacy, but it does add more context that is hinted at in other books and that's the main reason why I got it in the first place.
You don't get the completely arrogant "ruthless sadistic killing machine" Gacy who had ZERO remorse for his victims and their families.
During the trial the defense said Gacy's alcohol intake might of been responsible for the crimes. That his drunk mind clouded his judgement and "fueled" his murderous impulses. So he raped, tortured, and killed these teenage boys...later on in prison Gacy legally got drunk off scotch while attached to a machine to monitor his brain waves as he got drunk. The prison guard said "He was arrogant. He just thought it was a joke." It was a joke!
His abusive childhood is completely absent from the book. No mention of the first victim who was stabbed to death.
It does talk about the areas Gacy picked up many of his victims and the family members of victims. More so then other books.
This is definitely not the best Gacy book, but it does deserve it's place when it comes to studying the Gacy case. Not as good as I was hoping, a bit of a disappointment. It is not as entertaining as other Gacy books, but still worth reading. I would put this as a starting point for those who plan to read more books about Gacy.
Just to add some trivia and because it's relevant.
A criminologist talked to one of the neighbors and friends of Gacy who is cited in this book. Lillie Grexa to be exact. According to this criminologist, she visited in prison. In The man who killed boys, Linedecker says she went to a church mourning for the crimes. She is described as crying and saying she regretted saying "anything good about John Gacy." But she continuously visited him in prison and I am willing to bet she was one of the last people to see him alive before he was executed. Maybe during, who knows. His anti death penalty lawyer Karen Conti said "I saw his family, friends, neighbors, people who had known him his whole life sobbing uncontrollably. Who are just grieving horribly and I realized at that moment that, these people are certainly capable of unconditional love for John Gacy. To others he was a horrific murderer but these people knew him in a totally different light and grieved, grieved for him."
The criminologist asked her [according to him talking about it] "Lillie, don't you know he killed 33 people?" and she according to him said "I know, but I always knew him as a good neighbor."
You really don't get the full story of Gacy's crimes and all the other stuff that was going on, such as the investigation. No "Clowns can get away with murder.", barely any Pogo the clown, and no Mattel electronic stakeouts, but it is another context to the case and Gacy him self. It doesn't paint the full picture of Gacy, only one side of Gacy; the nice friendly eccentric compulsive lying and bragging Gacy, but it does add more context that is hinted at in other books and that's the main reason why I got it in the first place.
You don't get the completely arrogant "ruthless sadistic killing machine" Gacy who had ZERO remorse for his victims and their families.
During the trial the defense said Gacy's alcohol intake might of been responsible for the crimes. That his drunk mind clouded his judgement and "fueled" his murderous impulses. So he raped, tortured, and killed these teenage boys...later on in prison Gacy legally got drunk off scotch while attached to a machine to monitor his brain waves as he got drunk. The prison guard said "He was arrogant. He just thought it was a joke." It was a joke!
His abusive childhood is completely absent from the book. No mention of the first victim who was stabbed to death.
It does talk about the areas Gacy picked up many of his victims and the family members of victims. More so then other books.
This is definitely not the best Gacy book, but it does deserve it's place when it comes to studying the Gacy case. Not as good as I was hoping, a bit of a disappointment. It is not as entertaining as other Gacy books, but still worth reading. I would put this as a starting point for those who plan to read more books about Gacy.
Just to add some trivia and because it's relevant.
A criminologist talked to one of the neighbors and friends of Gacy who is cited in this book. Lillie Grexa to be exact. According to this criminologist, she visited in prison. In The man who killed boys, Linedecker says she went to a church mourning for the crimes. She is described as crying and saying she regretted saying "anything good about John Gacy." But she continuously visited him in prison and I am willing to bet she was one of the last people to see him alive before he was executed. Maybe during, who knows. His anti death penalty lawyer Karen Conti said "I saw his family, friends, neighbors, people who had known him his whole life sobbing uncontrollably. Who are just grieving horribly and I realized at that moment that, these people are certainly capable of unconditional love for John Gacy. To others he was a horrific murderer but these people knew him in a totally different light and grieved, grieved for him."
The criminologist asked her [according to him talking about it] "Lillie, don't you know he killed 33 people?" and she according to him said "I know, but I always knew him as a good neighbor."
January 14, 2016
A good read on one of the most horrible cases ever. This one focuses on what the neighbors saw, and tells us a little more about some of the victims, who in some of the books about Gacy are just names. I learned how they might have happened to cross Gacy's path and what kind of people they were. Linedecker did a bang-up research job on this case considering that he was clearly writing an instant paperback that went to press before Gacy even got through his trial, and before all the victims had been found. I recommend this one.
April 11, 2019
Very well researched true crime book about a sadistic killer in the late 70’s in a Chicago suburb who brutally tortured and killed at least thirty-three young men, not counting the dozens of others who lived through his depredations. The story makes you sick to read about but the writing of it is very well done. The author’s clear bias against homosexuality does shine through though which is what removed one star for me from my rating.
August 27, 2025
I've had this paperback in my tbr for years (gah, imagine if paperbacks were still $3.99 new?!) and its time finally came up. I read it on and off for over a month, having to take breaks because it's just so tragic and a difficult read. The failures of our law enforcement system and the failure to protect innocents from a predator are very hard to read. The ability of some people to discard their gay children is also heartrending and sadly hasn't changed in a big meaningful way in a lot of households. None of this needed to happen but as it goes people fall through the cracks and warning signs are ignored if one has a little charisma. It's all so gross.
It is well researched and I learned a lot about Gacy and those around him. Sometimes too much. I had no idea he was some sort of "pillar" of his community. Or at least he tried to be, all the while killing and raping young men and boys. It does tend to include too many details and skips around quite a bit which honestly hurt my head and forced me to put it down after a chapter several times.
I finished but it was a struggle for so many reasons.
It is well researched and I learned a lot about Gacy and those around him. Sometimes too much. I had no idea he was some sort of "pillar" of his community. Or at least he tried to be, all the while killing and raping young men and boys. It does tend to include too many details and skips around quite a bit which honestly hurt my head and forced me to put it down after a chapter several times.
I finished but it was a struggle for so many reasons.
July 24, 2025
An interesting recap that is largely focused on his personal life and other crimes leading up to the crimes that made him infamous. You can definitely see the pattern of behaviour snowball, and the missteps taken by law enforcement that had multiple opportunities to put an early end to the story. It was also interesting to get a true sense of the time, the city, and his inner circle of friends, it made for a much richer story.
May 30, 2019
Three and a half stars, rounded up.
Written in a sort of souped-up journalistic style that was very readable. A good account of Gacy the man. Plenty of information about the missing boys, but then comes the downside in that we only read detailed accounts of what happened to the young men who escaped him. A good primer.
Written in a sort of souped-up journalistic style that was very readable. A good account of Gacy the man. Plenty of information about the missing boys, but then comes the downside in that we only read detailed accounts of what happened to the young men who escaped him. A good primer.
May 8, 2020
I hate to say this about such a book but it was a tad bit boring. This book brought nothing new to the table and actually left a lot of detail out. The most exciting part about this book was the pictures at the end.
October 13, 2022
a very good and very tasteful true crime book. absolutely no hollywood interference and even criticized the gross behavior of those who idolized gacy and took pictures around his house. good work. exactly the type of true crime i hope to write someday
July 28, 2021
The story just plods along. Not very detailed and not very interesting to read.
August 18, 2024
Haunting stuff
Meticulously researched and disturbing, this feels like the definitive book on the crimes of John Wayne Gacy. Not for the faint hearted.
Meticulously researched and disturbing, this feels like the definitive book on the crimes of John Wayne Gacy. Not for the faint hearted.
November 6, 2024
One of the better John Wayne Gacy books I’ve read
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February 25, 2025dissertation book
March 31, 2011
This is a very disturbing book to read based on how this man killed his victims. The remorse that he carried for his actions were nonexistent because of the number of victims found. It would be safe to say that if he had not be caught, Mr. Gacy would have continued to kill innocent young boys.
The structure of the story is easy to follow in the beginning, but as you read on the author has a habit of dropping single names at certain points and then following up with their details later on. This makes it hard to follow at times because you have to thumb back to find the reference he was talking about, or vice versa, he may give detail of the person and then name drop later on, sometimes with just a last name.
The flaws in the book is that not all the victims of Mr. Gacy are in this book but only a few, perhaps due to the time the book was written and not updated. It was stated online that many of the later victims weren't identified for at least another 8 years after his initial arrest in 1978.
The names of the victims listed in the book are also different from those listed online, especially the wiki entry on John Gacy.
If you love true crime stories, this is one book that will leave you feeling sick for how the victims were killed. The method used is sickening and heart wrenching.
The book does not cover the last parts of Mr. Gacy life, but ends still in the trial but does not elaborate on the ending.
The structure of the story is easy to follow in the beginning, but as you read on the author has a habit of dropping single names at certain points and then following up with their details later on. This makes it hard to follow at times because you have to thumb back to find the reference he was talking about, or vice versa, he may give detail of the person and then name drop later on, sometimes with just a last name.
The flaws in the book is that not all the victims of Mr. Gacy are in this book but only a few, perhaps due to the time the book was written and not updated. It was stated online that many of the later victims weren't identified for at least another 8 years after his initial arrest in 1978.
The names of the victims listed in the book are also different from those listed online, especially the wiki entry on John Gacy.
If you love true crime stories, this is one book that will leave you feeling sick for how the victims were killed. The method used is sickening and heart wrenching.
The book does not cover the last parts of Mr. Gacy life, but ends still in the trial but does not elaborate on the ending.
March 24, 2016
Very well written book about one of the USA's most prolific serial killers.
Like the more expansive details of the victims and their families and the complete nightmare they went through. The young men were usually streetwise and Gacy took advantage of this confidence. The death of Robert Piest was heartwrenching though as he seemed a normal all American boy who was just in the wrong place at the right time for Gacy to take. Not to say anyone else deserved it more but his death hit home with me.
Also conjured up the image of Brian Dennehey's excellent portrayal of Gacy in To Catch a Killer. I would have liked more about the Polish-American detective Joe Kozenczak (played superbly by Michael Riley in To Catch a Killer) who led the team who eventually caught Gacy after years of painstaking investigating.
However on the whole a very very good book.
Like the more expansive details of the victims and their families and the complete nightmare they went through. The young men were usually streetwise and Gacy took advantage of this confidence. The death of Robert Piest was heartwrenching though as he seemed a normal all American boy who was just in the wrong place at the right time for Gacy to take. Not to say anyone else deserved it more but his death hit home with me.
Also conjured up the image of Brian Dennehey's excellent portrayal of Gacy in To Catch a Killer. I would have liked more about the Polish-American detective Joe Kozenczak (played superbly by Michael Riley in To Catch a Killer) who led the team who eventually caught Gacy after years of painstaking investigating.
However on the whole a very very good book.
March 2, 2011
This book was so good...I thought that I knew what there was to know about John Wayne Gacy, but I learned some things I wasn't aware of...and I was shocked about.
This book was in depth and well written and I look forward to reading another book by this author. Clifford L. Linedecker told a great deal of background about Gacy and even about a handful of his victims. He told the good as well as the bad and I really liked that.
I also learned a lot about how Chicago (parts of it) was back in the 70's. Things that I was also shocked to learn about. Kind of scary in fact and it makes me cringe wondering how bad it must be now!
If you like true crime books you need to pick this one up. Even if you think you know the story of Gacy you may learn some more things like I did.
This book was in depth and well written and I look forward to reading another book by this author. Clifford L. Linedecker told a great deal of background about Gacy and even about a handful of his victims. He told the good as well as the bad and I really liked that.
I also learned a lot about how Chicago (parts of it) was back in the 70's. Things that I was also shocked to learn about. Kind of scary in fact and it makes me cringe wondering how bad it must be now!
If you like true crime books you need to pick this one up. Even if you think you know the story of Gacy you may learn some more things like I did.
July 24, 2008
I just could not help myself--It happen in my relative backyard. Northwest IN, we often consider ourselves part of the Chicagoan area. This was the first really warped serial killer n our area in my life time. and I wanted to know more. The book did the usual job these books do. He was an evil vile man and the books does a good job covering that. Why 3 stars--these are printed to make money -- off the deaths of others...
February 12, 2008
I like true crime novels...not afraid to admit it. ;) I guess I take after my mom more than I thought!
November 4, 2008
This is a sick, sadistic man!
November 1, 2014
This book is really interesting. It outlines Gacy's life, and shows that *anyone* could be a serial killer, even your neighbor or friend, and you might never know it. What a sick man!
June 19, 2009
Very strange guy-glad he's not around anymore.
February 6, 2012
Read this book in about 4 hours. Simply written, easy to digest. Wish there was more on the trial.
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May 31, 2012Very powerful book if you are the type of person that enjoys True Crime. Note it is rather graphic in nature.
October 1, 2012
Eww what's that smell?
August 22, 2014
Read this back in the 90's. Horrific story - good writing.
January 22, 2015
Whoa! Gacy was a nutjob!
October 12, 2015
Well written. Horrible story but this gives good chronology though no real attempt at analysis of reasons for his behaviour
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews