"The horrifying tale of notorious American serial killer John Wayne Gacy, as told by daughter of one of the key witnesses. "
If you were to mention the name John Wayne Gacy to anyone in Chicago in the 1980s and 1990s, they would have shuddered.
He was known as the killer clown. The man who worked as a clown and was later convicted of killing 33 boys and young men. He buried most of them underneath his crawl space in his home near O’Hare International Airport. Everyone knew who he was. Everyone was horrified by his crimes.
John Wayne Gacy’s case is studied again in Courtney Lund O’Neil’s book, Postmortem: The Murderous Legacy of John Wayne Gacy. O’Neil has a unique perspective on the case, though. Her mother was one of the key witnesses in the case.
What follows is a true crime narrative non-fiction book, with two timelines—“Then,” which details the investigation, arrest and eventual conviction of Gacy—and “Now,” which follows O’Neil as she visits the Chicagoland area and interviews key people affiliated with the case, including her mother.
O’Neil’s mother, Kim, was working with Rob Piest, 15, at the neighbourhood chemist the night Gacy visited the store, ostensibly to measure the store for a possible refurbishment. Gacy told Piest he would hire him, but first he needed to speak to him outside. Piest was never seen again. Months later, rescuers recovered Piest’s body from a local river.
O’Neil offers a forensic examination into the case, which makes Postmortem, the perfect title. Well-written and compelling, fans of true crime would be riveted by this book.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
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