American Predator is absolutely chilling! Israel Keyes is the embodiment of the boogeyman, the monster under the bed, and scary things that go bump in the night. The narrative of his story is fascinating and terrifying.
Maureen Callahan does a tremendous job of bringing together thousands of hours and pages of interviews and documents to draw a picture of Israel Keyes, the FBI hunt for him, and the aftermath of his capture.
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century raises the bar for the true crime genre.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group/Viking for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This engrossing account of the investigation, apprehension and interrogation of a little-known serial killer named Israel Keyes kept me on the edge of my seat. It is a fascinating look at various branches of law enforcement and their interactions, the mind and behaviors of a deeply depraved man, and the possible causes for his depravity. Although Keyes was only proven to have killed several times, it is highly likely that he killed many more people. He was very intelligent, and meticulous about covering his tracks and not leaving evidence behind, so, until his apprehension by a clever and resourceful Texas Ranger and his associates, he had never been caught or even suspected. He had no criminal record, lived in a house with his respectable girlfriend and ten-year-old daughter, and worked at his own construction company. Even after searching his computers, home, and cars for evidence, and receiving some information from Keyes himself during interrogations, the FBI along with local law enforcement were unable to find any evidence to pin crimes on him that seemed to definitely be his work. If all his crimes could be uncovered, it is likely that he would be considered one of the most active and lethal serial killers in history.
This is a compelling read and a must for true crime lovers. Recommended.

It was amazing to me that this is so recent in history, but how many actually new about this man. This was a very disturbing book, Reading about this mans violent crimes was just creepy. He was finally arrested in 2012 in Alaska, but I never heard much about it.

This seems like this book should be read by many, it was a very creepy crazy read.. Thank you Netgalley for the copy of this book.

A very well researched book, I learned be things about Israel Keyes. As a true crime lover, this is one of the best books I've read in 2019.

While I think it's going to be a long time before anyone can write a comprehensive book on Keyes, this was a good introduction . Callahan did a good job balance empathy for the victim and portraying Keyes without glorifying him, and it had a good pace and structure. But if you've listened to a podcast or watched a documentary about Keyes, I don't think you'll learn anything new. If you hate watching or listening to true crime and prefer reading it, however, this would probably be a decent match.

When an eighteen year old girl went missing from her job in Alaska, worried officials had no idea they had one of the most cunning serial killers ever living among them. Almost by sheer luck they arrest Israel Keyes, an unassuming local carpenter, and begin to discover the monster behind his eyes and the depths of depravity he's been committing undetected for years. Maureen Callahan does a very good job of relaying the facts and suspicions surrounding this enigmatic serial killer. His constant hunting for victims with no clear preference as to gender or race to satisfy his own dark desires unnerved me to say the least. Not for the faint hearted this was a very interesting read.

This book was better than I expected. Polished, well written, well researched, & well edited volumes are generally a joy to read & this was no exception.

The author deftly addresses questions most readers may ask & clearly explains the difficulties with obtaining information from a government agency. She does not sugar coat aspects that should have been handled differently such as the prosecutor's continual blunders or the apparent apathy of the jail staff.

This book was TERRIFYING, written about a serial killer who not only criss-crossed the country & possibly the world but also defied many of the long-held beliefs about serial killers. Because he had no "type," as the author succinctly notes in the epilogue, "Any one of us could have been a victim" of this monster.

A fascinating account of a lesser-known serial killer. Meticulously researched by the author, this book will send a shiver down your spine. The dreadful crimes of Israel Keyes are unsettling to say the least, and all the more so for going under the radar in comparison to more infamous figures.
A must-read for fans of true crime.

A really interesting book about a serial killer and his exploits around the country. Through some impressive police work, Israel Keyes is captured but the successes seem to end there. Based on the ineptitude of the entire system, many families never received the closure they hoped for as Israel strung the investigators along at will. It seemed to end very abruptly as I was hoping for a little more but in real life sometimes that happens. A good read. Very engrossing.
Thank you Neggalley, Maureen Callahan and PENGUIN GROUP Viking for the ARC for my honest review.

This was an enlightening book about a serial killer that I hadn't been aware of.
It was well-written, moved at a nice pace and was enjoyable, or as enjoyable
as reading about a serial killer can be. I found it insightful and unsettling.
I will recommend this book to my students as outside reading. If you enjoy
true crime books, this is a MUST!!!

Maureen Callahan's book American Predator examines the life and crimes of Israel Keyes, a meticulous and organized serial killer. Keyes traveled the country, hiding kill bags, and murdering random victims. This book is a fascinating chronicle of a truly frightening monster.

Great read on serial killer Israel Keyes. Easy to follow and set at a great pace. Would be a great addition to any true crime collection.

This was an amazing book! Very interesting and the author did a great job shedding light onto this story. At first the layout was a bit confusing, because you knew it was going to be about a serial killer but readers were only learning about one victim. However, as the book progressed it became obvious why the book was laid out the way it was.

I found this to be well-researched and a very good look into the life of a serial killer. I had already heard of Israel Keyes before reading this book so I was familiar with his story but I hadn't known the details of the case that led to his arrest and I thought it was an interesting way to open up the book. The book opens by giving us a detailed look at a missing persons case (Samantha Koenig) in Alaska and how that led to Keyes' arrest in Texas, which ultimately uncovered a 14-year murder and crime spree across the country. Callahan also does a great job examining the increasingly complicated police investigation that was going on as Keyes crimes eventually crossed more and more states and jurisdictions. I highly recommend this to anyone who has an interest in true crime.

I am one of those people that listens to True Crime podcasts by the dozen. I watch all of the documentaries, and I read all the books. I have heard the story of the Alaskan based serial killer Isreal Keyes several times, but as I read Callahan’s narrative, it didn’t feel like another serial killer tome. This felt like you were reading a psychological thriller.

<i>American Predator</i> was very good. It belongs up there with <i>I’ll Be Gone in the Dark</i> as one of my favorites. Callahan does an excellent job of weaving through the facts and telling you the story of the victims as well.

I read this book in just a few before bed sessions, wide-eyed and in shock. How in the world did I not know who Israel Keyes was before?!? Marginally new to the true crime book world, I had no idea how American Predator would effect me. I recounted what I had read the night before with my poor unsuspecting co-workers, often shouting at events long passed things like:
"Why did you allow him in the room? It was obvious nothing good could happen!"
"What in the world?"
"How?!?"
The writing is accessible, interesting, and fast paced. I loved this book so much that I checked out Maureen Callahan's other books but they're all in genres I am not particularly interested in. I hope she continues to write true crime.

True crime is something that has always pique my curiosity- what is going on in someone's mind that leads them to perform such brutal acts of crime? This was a fascinating read. I didn't know much about Israel Keyes until recently and even then there was so much that was unknown. This book gives us a closer look into who he is, the crimes that he committed that we know of and how he was captured. Yet so much still remains a mystery. This book was very well researched and informative. Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was blown away by this story. Maureen Callahan does an exquisite job of building up to the horrors done by serial killer, Israel Keyes.

The book starts by building on a single case of a young woman (Samantha) from Anchorage, Alaska taken at night from her job by what appears to be a tall man in a sweatshirt according to surveillance tapes. About 50% of the book details the search for Samantha and the toll it takes on the community in Anchorage. Local investigators quickly find out that they are beyond their scope or jurisdiction and they are on the hunt for a very peculiar and precise criminal.

Maureen Callahan weaves a True Crime story that is rich with human emotion, the victims are at the heart of this story as well as the individuals that work to bring these killers to justice. I recommend not reading too much about Israel Keyes before getting into the book - there were many shocking and appalling moments in the book that made me glad I only knew the bare bones of his story and the stories of his victims. You also get to learn about Israel himself, his fascinating childhood and the meticulous lengths he took to remain for the most part, anonymous and elusive to police and even the FBI.

Bone-chilling, shocking, and fascinating all at the same time.

Well researched of a seerial killer that baffled many. I enjoy true crime, ewatching many TV programs. Israel was a crazy guy and wnated to kill for fun.

True crime has been a guilty pleasure of mine for at least 30 years…I remember working in a public library and happily discovering the 364.1523 shelves (where even today I still browse, although TBH public library budgets often prevent a lot of trashy ephemeral reading material from making it to the shelves). These days, true crime has become a pop culture THING, and there’s no shortage of readily available books, movies, and podcasts dedicated to what used to be very much a niche market. I was very happy to receive an ARC of American Predator by Maureen Callahan from Penguin Group/Viking and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

The blurb for this book says most of us “…have never heard of Israel Keyes. But he is one of the most ambitious, meticulous serial killers of modern time.” Possibly coincidence, but I felt like I was WAY more familiar with the crimes this unspeakably evil man committed than I might like, because very recently I had listened to two podcasts covering Keyes and his exploits: Generation Why and Crime Junkie. (I totally recommend Crime Junkie. Host Ashley Flowers does actual research, has an excellent presentation style, and adds relevant material including photos on her website). – and, knowing this book was likely to invade my dreams (which it did), I dove right in. (BTW, I don’t reveal spoilers for fiction – but true crime info is already out there, so there may be some facts revealed here. )

Keyes lived (and died) in Alaska, where the book’s opening disappearance of teenage barista Samantha Koenig from her night shift work at a coffee kiosk sets off a hunt for her abductor that results in Keyes’ capture in Texas. Callahan writes well, and I loved her description of the Alaskan setting: “Never does this place feel so literally on the edge of the Earth, seesawing between the temporal world and some black chasm of the unknown phenomena, as the six months it sinks into near-total darkness. The isolation alone means anything goes. It is a rough place to be a woman.”

The book has extensive detail about the investigation and interrogation of Keyes, and reveals the incredibly serendipitous nature of his arrest. What set him apart from many criminals was his incredible planning, including scouting out locations for future crimes and burying a “kit” including things like weapons, duct tape, cable ties, gloves, etc. which he could return (sometimes years later) and dig up to have ready to go. This allowed him to fly in to a town previously scouted, commit his crimes and vanish without a trace.

Although there were a few awkward sentences (“Keyes was wrong to think a burner phone can’t be tracked but right about that.” – About WHAT?), the writing is good. This isn’t some quickie exploitative TC book, dashed off to cash in on a currently popular topic. Ms. Callahan’s years of experience as a writer and editor for the New York Post with a focus on popular culture is perhaps part of why she can cover a grisly topic and present it in a way that will likely appeal to a general audience.

The story is unsettling, partly because there were so many ways the agencies fighting over who got credit and who got to take the lead on investigating/prosecuting totally screwed things up. It’s kind of a miracle he was in jail, and that he confessed to several crimes…but it seems there were countless other incidents he was involved in, and we will never know the extent of his crimes. It’s also unsettling to think he lived with his daughter and girlfriend, committed grisly murder literally in his own backyard, and his friends, family and neighbors had NO CLUE that he was basically two people. His MO included the burial of his “kill kits” noted above (cash, weapons, and body-disposal tools) in remote locations across the country. Seriously, how creepy is it that over the span of fourteen years, he would repeatedly fly to a random city, rent a car, and drive thousands of miles in order to use those kits? He would break into the house of a complete stranger, sometimes abducting victims in broad daylight, kill and dispose of them in a few hours, then calmly return home and resume his “other persona” as a reliable construction worker who was lovingly devoted to his young daughter. (As Ashley Flowers’ co-host Brit would say, “Full. Body. Chills.”

To this day, so much of his activity remains a total mystery. Pretty much all we know of his exploits is what he chose to reveal during his interrogation, and that only happened due to a fluke traffic stop in Texas. It’s also odd that “…forty-five thousand pages of case files remain unreleased by the Department of Justice,” and that the circumstances of his death are so clouded in mystery (where did he get razor blades, and why did the guards not notice the blood flowing out of his cell the night he died?). For true crime fans in general and anyone interested in Israel Keyes in particular, five stars.