John Wayne Book:

Buried Dreams: Inside the Mind of Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy Reviews:
Buried Dreams vrs Killer Clown
2008-12-24 - Reading these reviews that sound conflicting, I will try to sum up the difference between Killer Clown and Buried Dreams and it is simply this: Cahill is a writer, Sullivan is not. And although Sullivan had help, his book is still almost coldly factual, even as it flows well, but you will not get much out of it that can't be found on a hundred crime sites, besides his own frustration and dedication during the investigation. I'm not condemning this in any way, and if that is what you want as a reader, then Killer Clown will satisfy your cravings for facts and justice.

Cahill, on the other hand, has the same facts of course, but what he does with them is something you won't find anywhere else, something unique. He tells the tale almost from Gacy's point of view, piecing his sick-mindedness and subsequent murders together in a remarkably cohesive and insightful way. Right from the beginning. Some--probably most-- serial killers talk and 'fess up before their executions. Gacy did his confessing early, and then later went for the long shot that somehow he would place doubts in people's minds and save himself from death, by denying what he did. Definitely, he had no remorse. Except for a few slip-ups here and there, he gave no further information on his motivation or how his victims died. Using the facts he had, Cahill filled in these blanks, and answered the tough questions that Sullivan couldn't or wouldn't.

Buried Dreams is not just facts. It is not a text-book blanket profiling of collective criminal minds. It is not the investigation, trial and conviction from the detectives and lawyers points of views. It is as close as Cahill could get to showing us Gacy, personally, from the inside and I doubt it's far off the mark. It's consistent with Gacy's personality right up to his lethal injection. Yes, chilling. As it should be.



Rather generic, but serviceable
2008-08-31 - This is a true crime book that attempts to capitalize on the gory nature of the subject to elicit the strongest possible emotional reaction from the reader. Forays "inside the mind" of Gacy are basically subjective, and may be more concerned with generating outrage than with getting at any larger truth.

That being said, it also does a serviceable job of laying out the facts of the case, and anyone who wants to learn about the horrifying details will get their fill here.

Balancing sensationalism and facts is the basic task of the true crime reporter-- this author has chosen to be as sensationalistic as possible, but also has included far more information than is necessary. This means that the book has passages which are a little boring, and passages that are very, very disturbing.

If you want to learn about Gacy, then I suppose that this book is as good a read as any, although something about the fact of the book itself seems sleazy-- for all his condemnation, Cahill is basking in the reflected glow of an obscene act, and that is a little unsettling.


Slow Moving
2007-06-29 - Some of this book was interesting, but most was very slow moving. It just didn't captivate. I believe it could have been better written. I don't feel that I or the author ever got "into the mind" of John Wayne Gacy. Then again, to the author's credit, after reading the book, I'm not sure if anyone could accomplish this feat. I came away feeling that on the surface, Gacy seemed calm and even rational almost all of the time, but was totally the opposite while committing the murders. Either way, the book didn't flow well and is lacking. It wasn't as "meaty" as expected... no pun intended.

true crime at it's very best
2006-09-07 - I first read this book in 1988 and recently read it again. It still gave me the creeps. In the same league as Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and The Boston Strangler by Gerald Frank. I highly recommend it.

... How Well Do You Know This Guy, Anyway?
2006-07-27 - Chilling. I could not put this one down. This book is a dramatized cover of the life and crimes of John Wayne Gacy which reads like a fiction novel (read: not boring or heavy with Dr. Bob said this) yet provides clear, factual, and consistent information in with some of the author's speculation as to what went on in the mind of Mr. Gacy.
The end result is a story which will make the hair on your arms stand on end - not only with possibilities and facts, but the feasible likeness of Mr. Gacy's mindset through his actions.