American Predator

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

By: Maureen Callahan

Narrated by: Amy Landon

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times Best Seller
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”

"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 14 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.

©2019 Maureen Callahan (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A deep dive into the twisted life of Israel Keyes, ‘a new kind of monster’.... Serial killers often commit their crimes close to home, inside a comfort zone, but as the author documents throughout this compelling narrative, little about Keyes fit the conventional serial-killer mold...[Callahan] offers fascinating context about law enforcement investigative techniques and revelations about how a murderer can strike again and again without being detected for more than a decade.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“American Predator is the scariest book I’ve ever read. No exaggeration - the book you hold is bone-chilling. Maureen Callahan explores the black heart of a new kind of American monster - a serial killer that confounded our most elite criminal profilers - and the race-against-time investigation to follow. This is the work of a journalist in her prime, telling you the story the FBI doesn’t want you to hear and delivering an unforgettable tale of evil that will haunt you. Mark my words: This modern true crime classic will stand with the likes of Jeff Guinn’s Manson, Ann Rule’s The Stranger Beside Me, and Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.” (Susannah Cahalan, New York Times best-selling author of Brain on Fire)

“Investigative journalist Callahan provides a chilling true-crime narrative in this detailed study of Israel Keyes, whom she describes as ‘a new kind of monster, likely responsible for the greatest string of unsolved disappearances and murders in modern American history.’... Through Callahan’s access to many of the key players in law enforcement, she has produced the definitive account of a terrifying psychopath.” (Publishers Weekly)

Why you shouldn’t listen to Reviews

This read is exactly why you have to judge things for yourself & not depend totally on reviews. I almost didn’t buy this from all the “man voice” comments. The reader of this book is so awesome until I have to wonder if people are actually listening to the book or if they’re reading the reviews and simply commenting in kind.
Landon makes this book unputdownable. Please see for yourself. You can barely differentiate between her “man” voice and her narrative woman’s voice. There is only a slight lowering of the voice to show changes btw speakers. Had she not done that it would have been difficult to keep up if you multitask, like me, while listening to books and get distracted for a moment or two. Please LISTEN FOR YOURSELF!

Why don't people think?

Everyone dropped the ball on this one from his family to the army to the criminal justice system. If you see or hear of someone torturing animals turn them in! If someone hurts people, turn them in! If someone talks about wanting to hold people for ransom or kill them, turn them in! Come on people, it's better to have tried and gotten a record started then to have sat there and said "yeah I thought he was no good." UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

riveting!

great narrator. fascinating story of a monster's mind. I will look for more works by this author and books narrated by Landon.

“Man voice?”

After I read the reviews, I was expecting an absurd “man voice” from the narrator. Instead, I found that she drops her voice a bit when reading male quotes. I didn’t find it distracting or comical at all. Good story, well plotted.

Scary to ponder

this book reveals a lot of information not released in other formats concerning Israel Keyes .

MUST READ

wow! such good book. A bit disappointing that he never confessed or provided a list with all his victims. I'm sure they were so many more.

so good!

I learned so much more about this horrific serial killer, it is so well written! I highly recommend this book!!!

Likes/dislikes

Liked the story line, did not like the voice over for men voices. Did not like the back and forth exp- keys “” bell “” keys “” bell “”

story is great l, narrator is not.

extremely interesting story that is captivating. the narrator is very monotone and her attempts to do a man's voice are terrible.

great story telling of horrible acts

There are so many reviews bashing the narrators voice, don't listen to them . I almost didn't get this book because of those reviews. I am so glad I didn't listen. She does an amazing job narrating the horrible actions of Israel Keyes. The story itself is brutal yet riveting.