While The Man Who Killed Boys offers to the reader a reasonably accurate chronicle of the events that were Gacy's twisted reality, it fails to dig deep below the surface to explore what made him tick. Moreover, it fails to probe Gacy's past as it glosses over his childhood years and spends the majority of the pages reciting murder after murder scene.

The back cover tells us that The Man Who Killed Boys recreates the drama of Gacy's trial... the book spends less precious few pages talking about the actual trial, while it consumes many a page discussing Gacy's jail conditions and other items related to his confinement.

If you want to read a story, this is probably an acceptable choice. But if you're seeking an explanation for or insight into what powers a monster like Gacy, keep moving as you wont find it here.


Not that bad   June 24, 2003
James Warner (CHICAGO, IL United States)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

While not as good as Buried Dreams or Killer Clown,which go into much greater detail about the entire story,this book had some details that I had not known when I read the other books many years ago. A lot of info on gacys neighbors,friends and mostly,some of his victims stories that were not as well publicized as the other unfortunate kids.


Only touches the surface.   March 8, 2000
Richard Harrold (Chicago, IL)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

Linedecker's description of the events as they were portrayed in the media is accurate and complete. Trouble is, it appears he simply went to all the old newspaper articles to cull the information he needed. He also managed to go through police reports. But this books is scant on first person interviews. All the quotes in the book appear to have been taken from newspapers. The book follows an easy narrative, one that is logical and continues to move forward. I agree with another reviewer's comment that the narrative at times is homophobic. But that's not surprising from a book originally published in 1980. While this book is lacking in content, it should not be ignored by those who are interested in Gacy. It at least provides a perspective of how the horrific events of the murders were revealed, as well as the typical nonchalance police exhibit when confronted with missing teen reports.


one of the worst of the genre   December 28, 1999
Johnny Roulette (Atlanta, GA)
11 out of 16 found this review helpful

Having read between 60-100 true crime books, including three onGacy, I feel qualified to critque this. The book simply skims thesurface in a shameful tabloid manner. The two other Gacy books, Buried Dreams & Killer Clown, were far superior in quality and mass. Gacy was a despicable human being, but even he deserved a better biography than this. This book doesn't offer much more than a few good photos. If it's information you are seeking, then I recommend Buried Dreams by Tim Cahill w/ Russ Ewing. Gacy wasn't a very interesting man to begin with, you could see through him like cellophane. He was sadistic, childish, and ignorant. I corresponded with him for a while and I would not only suggest skipping this book, but I would also recommend finding a better subject to read about. Try Randy Kraft, Jeffrey Dahmer, Dennis Nilsen or Gary Gilmore. Now Ian Brady, there's a sick mind worth exploring!