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John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster  By  cover art

John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster

By: Sam L. Amirante,Danny Broderick
Narrated by: Robin Bloodworth
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Editorial reviews

Judge Sam L. Amirante and Danny Broderick’s John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster is an unforgettable work, a rare chilling glance behind the scenes of a universally well-known story, that of notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

Amirante and Broderick, Gacy’s public defender, have constructed a gripping work that not only reveals for the first time new facts about one of America’s most infamous killers, but grapples with great questions of humanity, including the question of what it means to deserve defense - even if your crimes are as great as Gacy’s. Actor Robin Bloodworth’s performance is emotionally powerful and well-paced, and he excels especially at emphasizing those new elements of Gacy’s story which make this audiobook a must-listen.

Publisher's summary

For the first time Gacy’s lawyer and confidant tells his chilling tale of how he defended an American serial killer.

“Sam, could you do me a favor?”

Thus begins a story that has now become part of America's true-crime hall of fame. It is a gory, grotesque tale befitting a Stephen King novel. It is also a David and Goliath saga - the story of a young lawyer fresh from the public defender's office whose first client in private practice turns out to be the worst serial killer in our nation's history. This is a gripping true crime narrative that reenacts the gruesome killings and the famous trial that shocked a nation.

©2012 Sam L. Amirante and Danny Broderick (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster

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Ultimately an excellent listen

This audiobook ultimately rated 4 stars, although I did have some issues with it. However for the most part I was enthralled by the narrative of Gacy's defense lawyer's quest to give his client a fair trial. Most of it was extremely well written, and both interesting and engaging, even for someone familiar with this case. I found myself more interested in the defense lawyer's experiences than I would have expected. It is a bit of a shame that only a couple of murders were dealt with in any detail, although one senses that the authors wanted to refrain from repeating what had been written many times before. The book could have done with some editing most notably the last 2 hours which almost exclusively dealt with the closing arguments of both defense and prosecution. This entire section could have been cut, and made me less enthusiastic about a full star review. Another point I found irritating was the constant repetition of the author's argument that Gacy deserved a fair trial. I thought that the authors made a rather convincing and elegant argument in the introduction, based on the American Constitution's insurance of a fair trial for everyone, no matter how repugnant (as Gacy was). But the authors return again and again to re-word this argument and it beleaguered the point. I couldn't help thinking: Sir, thou doth protest too much! However the absolute BEST thing about this audiobook was the standout performance given by Robin Bloodworth. His portrayal of Gacy's confession to his lawyers was outstanding and riveting. He must surely have studied Gacy's affectations as he nailed it perfectly. On the whole this was an excellent book, and well worth the listen. Recommended!

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75 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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After Having Read Many Books On Serial Killers...

I came to the one I had been avoiding. Given the nature of his crimes, I find Gacy to be the most disgusting of the disgusting, and even thinking about what he did is not easy. This book is not easy. But it is professional, reportorial, direct. There are, mercifully, no attempts at sensationalism or inflating the importance of the unspeakable evil that was Gacy.

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52 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

It's never what you think

I thought this would go into more detail about the legal process, but it kind of skimmed over the trial. The book mainly talked about JWG's quirks and personality problems, which was interesting enough. It didn't get too much into the gory details, which I appreciated.

One thing I didn't like, the attorney writing this often paused to wrap himself in the American Flag and rhapsodize about the right to a fair trial- A sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with, but he didn't need to beat it into the ground.

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    2 out of 5 stars

Some blatant transphobia in this one.

I was willing to put up with the author’s waxing poetic about the flawlessness of the American justice system for the first 9.5 hours until he recounted the story of his questioning of the witness Donita Gannon, in which he outed her as a trans woman in an attempt to discredit her testimony for the defense and insinuate to the jury that “her entire life was one big lie.” He explicitly states this intention in the book and stands by it. All in the name of defending a literal serial killer. I think maybe he should take society’s disdain for criminal defense lawyers a little bit more seriously.

All of that being said, the story was interesting enough. Good thing there’s a ton of other places you can go to hear it. I recommend picking a different book.

The narration was fine.

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28 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Defense of a monster

What did you love best about John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster?
I really enjoyed the smooth tone of Robin Bloodworth, his voice was easy on the ears.

What was one of the most memorable moments of John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster?
The fact that we heard a pretty decent description of what it is like to defend someone so sick. I have always wondered how someone could take on a case like this and now I know. Did John Wayne Gacy deserve the best defense I don't know but in America this is what we pride ourselves on I guess.

Which scene was your favorite?
I cannot answer that question just relief there was no question on whether this guy was indeed guilty, that made it easier knowing he wouldn't walk away from the carnage he left behind.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
A lot of sadness for the parents that lost their sons to this sadistic four letter word.

Any additional comments?
I would feel compelled to justify my defense of a criminal such as Gacy if I had been his defense attorney. Glad he wrote a book, he seemed to be a reasonable enough guy someone had to do the job. I also have to say I am relieved this book did not cover to many gory details making the book stomach-able, when I purchased the book I was prepared to shut it off if it got to personal on the horrible details it was moderate on that level.

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23 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Don't let the description fool you

This book does not re-enact any of the killings, in fact it lacks the gory details we tend to find in most books about the lives and deeds of serial killers. As someone who is fascinated by the psychology of these minds, I was truly looking forward to some insight from Gacy's 1st attorney. (One that Gacy himself would later refer to as inept).

This is typical attorney blah blah. There is very little insight into Gacy or the case, and a lot of self important blathering about a young attorney's first client. As the author himself writes in the postscript, there is nothing in this book that hasn't been said somewhere else so he is not violating privilege. There are in fact many more other published pieces that focus more on Gacy, the crimes, and his personality than this book. I kept waiting for it to get better, to hear something shocking, or revealing......and it never happened. I found myself running details of the crimes gathered from other sources over the narration of this book because it was so lacking in detail.

It comes off being a self important missive by a braggart about his first case, which oddly enough, is the same way he referred to Gacy. Funny don't you think?

The only redeeming quality to this book is the authors open mindedness regarding homosexuality. That it is not a choice, but a defect in the body / brain wiring. Ie Right person wrong body. Sadly, that is the only thing I found redeeming about this book.

If you want a more accurate insight into Gacy, read The Serial Killer Whisperer, though be warned, you can't unhear that book and it is truly frightening.

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What a bizarre person.

Would you consider the audio edition of John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster to be better than the print version?

Robin Bloodworth's performance definitely sets the audio version apart from the print.

What other book might you compare John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster to and why?

Being my first listen of a serial killer I can't make that comparison.

What about Robin Bloodworth’s performance did you like?

Bloodworth's voices and accents allow the listener to distinguish between the characters. The voice of "Gacy" is chilling. This was Bloodworth's first performance in my library, it most certainly will not be the last. Incredible.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Wait for the DVD!

Any additional comments?

I was drawn in immediately upon starting the audio and I could not wait to turn it back on. After the trial began I found myself wanting to skip ahead. At times there are aspects of the trial that are redundant and mundane.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Drawn out with blatant transphobia by the author

If the book was more concise it would have been easier to get into. There are large sections of the book that really drag and youre barraged with boring details that hold no importance to the case. The biggest issue you can't ignore is the authors transphobia and misogyny that he makes no attempt to hide. You can't say a witness is not credible because they are Transgender and are lying about who they really are.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Appallingly transphobic and misogynistic

I love true crime, and this book had a good hook. Who wouldn't want to hear from the lawyer of John Wayne Gacy? And then I started in, and bruh, it got problematic quick. There is an entire section where the author refers to a transwoman as "a he/she/it", and makes horrific and debasing comments about her. He at least once referred to a woman as a "blonde bimbo", and honestly has more compassion for and good to say about Gacy than many of the innocent bystanders and victims. Probably don't give money to this human dumpster fire.

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Below average.

What disappointed you about John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster?

Sadly what could have been an engrossing true crime book turned out to be a below average attempt on the part of the author. I was immediately annoyed with the insertion of what Gacy's last victim was thinking minutes before he was murdered... really? How did the author come up with the thoughts of the poor victim? I thought this was a true crime book, not historical fiction. I was also put off by the amount of bleeding heart preaching done on the part of the author (Gacy's attorney). What more can be expected from a Chicago trial lawyer? Though there was some new light shed in this book, the overall performance left much to be desired.

Has John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

Would you be willing to try another one of Robin Bloodworth’s performances?

Perhaps. But, I have to admit that it seemed more appropriate to hear "This is a Librivox recording", rather than, "This is Audible". There were some distracting long pauses in the middle of sentences and then an ejaculatory finishing of the sentence, for example... "The detectives walked across........THE STREET". This sort of thing was a real bother at first but I got used to it after a few hours.

What character would you cut from John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster?

John Wayne Gacy. It would have been better if he'd never been born.

Any additional comments?

The book wasn't complete trash, but it was a big disappointment.

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