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.
... riveting ... a fine book—exhaustively researched and candid without being prurient—that should be as illuminating to law-enforcement as it is fascinating to the general reader. If only there were some way to keep it from being read by would-be serial killers.
A gripping and chilling look into how a serial killer operates in plain view and exactly what it takes to capture him, American Predator is a must-read for any true crime enthusiast ... an objective and insightful profile of not only her subject, but also of the law enforcement professionals investigating his crimes. Her lack of sentiment is refreshing as she never elevates Keyes to the level of pop-culture idol, but instead reveals his true nature ... Instead of glorifying Keyes’ sociopathy, Callahan strips it bare ... Using actual transcripts of these conversations, Callahan gives the reader a front-row seat to not just the psychology of a serial killer and master manipulator, but also the thought process of the law enforcement professionals interviewing him who are working equally hard to force him to tell them more than he thinks he is ... succeeds in unmasking the unglamorous truth that drives sociopaths like Keyes: They inhabit their world alone, every other human on the planet exists merely as prey.
... a riveting true crime saga ... With an even hand, [Callahan] details the power struggles between the Anchorage criminal justice system and the FBI as their cooperative efforts close in on the insidious Israel Keyes, who seems to have materialized out of thin air ... Callahan doesn't elide the truly gruesome nature of the violence in Keyes's wake; however, she still manages to maintain the dignity of those who lost their lives to this cruel individual's secret mission. American Predator reveals a horrifying truth about the human capacity for bloodlust.
