An Amazon “Best Book of 2019” A Washington Post “10 Books To Read in July”
A Los Angeles Times “Seven Highly Anticipated Books for Summer Reading”
A USA Today “20 of the Season’s Hottest New Books”
A New York Post “25 Best Beach Reads of 2019 You Need to Pre-Order Now” A Bustle “The Best New True Crime Books You Can Read Right Now”
“Maureen Callahan’s deft reporting and stylish writing have created one of the all-time-great serial-killer books: sensitive, chilling, and completely impossible to put down.” —Ada Calhoun, author of St. Marks Is Dead
Ted Bundy. John Wayne Gacy. Jeffrey Dahmer. The names of notorious serial killers are usually well-known; they echo in the news and in public consciousness. But most people have never heard of Israel Keyes, one of the most ambitious and terrifying serial killers in modern history. The FBI considered his behavior unprecedented. Described by a prosecutor as "a force of pure evil," Keyes was a predator who struck all over the United States. He buried "kill kits"--cash, weapons, and body-disposal tools--in remote locations across the country. Over the course of fourteen years, Keyes would fly to a city, rent a car, and drive thousands of miles in order to use his kits. He would break into a stranger's house, abduct his victims in broad daylight, and kill and dispose of them in mere hours. And then he would return home to Alaska, resuming life as a quiet, reliable construction worker devoted to his only daughter.
When journalist Maureen Callahan first heard about Israel Keyes in 2012, she was captivated by how a killer of this magnitude could go undetected by law enforcement for over a decade. And so began a project that consumed her for the next several years--uncovering the true story behind how the FBI ultimately caught Israel Keyes, and trying to understand what it means for a killer like Keyes to exist. A killer who left a path of monstrous, randomly committed crimes in his wake--many of which remain unsolved to this day.
American Predator is the ambitious culmination of years of interviews with key figures in law enforcement and in Keyes's life, and research uncovered from classified FBI files. Callahan takes us on a journey into the chilling, nightmarish mind of a relentless killer, and to the limitations of traditional law enforcement.
I devoured this book in one disturbing sitting. The writing is gripping and captivating, drawing me in from the author’s note at the beginning of the book. I don’t read a lot of true crime, but I grew up watching Unsolved Mysteries, CSI, and Criminal Minds, so when my friend Jess @ Fiction No Chaser screamed to me about this one, I had to read it myself!
“The subject of this book was unlike anything the FBI had ever encountered. He was a new kind of monster, likely responsible for the greatest string of unsolved disappearances and murders in modern history. And you have probably never heard of him.”
At the risk of sounding morbid, I know a lot about serial killers and was surprised that I had never heard of this guy. The book is very well researched and is based on hundreds of hours of interviews with the investigators involved. I don’t read a lot of true crime so I am not sure if this is typical of the genre, but American Predator reads like an episode of Criminal Minds – it is an incredibly engaging read.
The book begins with Israel Keyes’ last crime, Samantha’s disappearance from the coffee hut that she worked in (with people around!) and follows the search for her and who was responsible. From the friction between local police and the FBI to a grandstanding prosecutor, it was really heartbreaking to read about the various missteps in the investigation.
“Payne always likened the first meeting with a suspect to telling an author his own story. And, of course, only the author knows how that story ends.”
The second half of the book follows the countless interviews that investigators conducted with Keyes as it became clear that this wasn’t his first crime. The descriptions of his crimes are very detailed. Massive content warnings for rape, murder, and dismemberment.
If you are a fan of true crime, American Predator is a must-read. I knew I was reading nonfiction, but it almost feels like a thriller when reading it. Callahan’s writing is beautiful, descriptive, and past-paced, sucking you in until the last page is turned.
CONTENT WARNINGS: dismemberment, murder, rape
eARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. Quotations are taken from an uncorrected proof and subject to change upon final publication.
