American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century

Today’s post is on American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan. It is 276 pages long and is published by Viking Press. The cover has at the top part of the picture of Keyes and the bottom has a picture of an open road in Alaska. The intended reader is someone who is interesting in serial killers and cold cases. There is mild foul language, descriptions of sex and sexual violence, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Most of us have never heard of Israel Keyes. But he is one of the most ambitious, meticulous serial killers of modern time. The FBI considered his behavior unprecedented. Described by a prosecutor as "a force of pure evil," he 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 and over the course of fourteen years, 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, 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 on-the-ground 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 the limitations of traditional law enforcement, in one of America's most isolated environments--Alaska--when faced with a killer who defies all expectation and categorization.

Review- Callahan gives the reader an in depth and terrifying account of a serial killer who was only caught by accident not the skill of the police. The story starts with the kidnapping of Samantha Koenig from her work place late at night. The police at first think that she has just run off when the money from the cash till but as the investigation goes on the local police realize that something much worse is going. From there the FBI is called in and the hunt is on for the person who took Samantha and the hope that she is still alive. The chase takes them to Texas and there is where they find Keyes with Samantha’s debit card but not her. Callahan gets her information from the investigators themselves and it gives the reader so much insight into the case and Keyes himself. An interesting case if more than a little bit scary as Keyes moved around, had no real type of victim, and was able to live a normal looking life. If you are a true crime reader then I recommend this book.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.