Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy

Defending America's Most Evil Serial Killer on Death Row

By: Karen Conti

Narrated by: Karen Conti

John Wayne Gacy raped, tortured, and murdered 33 boys and young men, burying most of them in the crawlspace under his Chicago home. Karen Conti was in high school at the time watching the bodies being removed on the television news.

Fourteen years pass. Through a twist of fate, Conti, now a young and inexperienced attorney, is called upon to handle Gacy’s final death row appeals. The serial killer soon becomes her most famous, difficult, and haunting client.

Thirty years after Gacy’s execution, Conti looks back through the eyes of a seasoned professional on the legal and media circus that ensued—and her countless hours of detailed conversation with the killer clown. We hear for the first time about Gacy’s gruesome “Body Book.” Were there more victims? Conspirators involved in the murders? What secrets were buried with him?

If one were to ask Conti “How could you represent such a monster?,” she would respond “What you really want to know is, ‘What was he like?’” This book answers that question.

©2024 Karen Conti (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

I loved this book

I saw Karen speak recently at a live event and was blown away. This is an interesting read with a very unique perspective on the John Wayne Gacy case. If you’re a true crime fan, this is a must read.

Excellent read

I loved to hear the intricacies and conflicts for the author of dealing with the atrocities and humanity of Gacy. Super well written and read. I also enjoyed the humor in the book.
Highly recommend

Best book!🏆

This is a great book by someone who knew JW on a different level. Karen's book covers other aspects of the JW Gacey like prison protocol, vending machine choices, being a woman attorney at Menard maximum security prison, inmate food sharing etiquette, and the whole lethal injection debacle. She shares their conversations and his growing up history. The best part was that she narrated the book herself.
On a 1 to 5 scale, I give it a 10!

Uniquely Captivating

This book offers a different perspective death row and capital punishment. Whether you agree or disagree this book sucks you in instantly.

Very insightful

Well done— I never leave reviews. This book left me compelled to write a glowing review. Very well presented. The author should consider narrating other books.

Enjoyable and empowering

Very enjoyable to listen to Karen Conti share this part of her life. Karen Conti not only shares her experience representing John Wayne Gacy but also shares bits of her life and her experience as a female lawyer. She explains briefly the appeals process but not too much so it becomes boring. She humanizes JW, but in no way does she minimize how heinous his crimes were. I admire Karen for her strength and ability to stand up for her feelings on the death penalty, I can only imagine how terrifying this must have been. I laughed, I cried, and gained some knowledge while listening to this book. Thank you Karen

More memoir than I expected

Conti does a great job of explaining why and how she came to represent John Wayne Gacy, the impact on her life and the ups and downs of being a female lawyer. With great stories from her interactions with Gacy and her passion to secure the legal rights for everyone, including the worst among us this is a solid book.

Honest and interesting

Loved this book. Karen does a great job explaining the “why” and gives additional insight into John Wayne Gacy. Very well done.

Fair, empathetic and funny

Thank you Karen for this refreshing take on this story! I really appreciated your humor and style. 10/10.

Story line

From page one I was hooked. I love the way the story unfolds and how it explained so many different things. It wasn't just about the case itself, it had so many other aspects. At one point in my life I wanted to be a lawyer. I'm very grateful that didn't transpire and even more so after listening to this book.