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  • 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
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (174 ratings)

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American Predator

By: Maureen Callahan
Narrated by: Amy Landon
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Publisher's Summary

Instant New York Times Best Seller
An Amazon “Best Book of 2019”

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

What listeners say about American Predator

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Hard to put down

Enthralling. I knew nothing about this case and i was engrossed from the start

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not a bad listen.

It was interesting but I felt like the ending was abrupt. I guess that might be because his was.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the story

The narrator sounds like a robot. I enjoyed the book but found it hard to listen too

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really interesting story

The only annoying the was her voice but you sort of get use to it after the first few parts, very well described storyline.


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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

legit true crime but just horrific

Its a good book, might have you checking locks more than usual though.
The narration has a female doing male voices which is jarring with a dumb husband tone to it.
The author makes some fairly strong judgements that felt harsh and without nuance.
The story is well plain evil and its unrelenting but its interesting in a technical sense. I get the feeling there is very much more to know but doubt we ever will.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed the narration

I found this book while perusing Audible looking for my next non-fiction read. This jumped out to me as I do enjoy true crime as a genre. I can honestly say that I had never heard of Israel Keyes before reading/listening to this book. I can't believe that I had never heard of this serial killer.

The title of the book says that Israel Keyes was the "most meticulous serial killer of the 21st century", but was he really or did he just have a streak of luck? To be meticulous you are "showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise", and while this in some ways sounds like Israel Keyes, I think it also fails to consider the fact that Keyes was a sporadic killer who killed at random and when he felt the desire. When you think about why Keyes got caught, you have to think, is that really the behaviour of a meticulous person?

I think this book is well research and informative. I like the structure of the novel- how part 1 focused on the disappear of Samantha Koenig and the subsequent parts focus on the apprehension and investigation into Keyes. I like how the reader really gets you invested into the characters involved in Samantha's life, so that when you finally read about her body being discovered your heart breaks.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Mel
  • 26-02-2021

Great Listen

Interesting story kept me bingeing on listening.Narrator could have been improved but overall if your a true crime fan this story is up there in the top ten of Great True crime Audible

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Deep dive that stops short

Interesting story, investigation laid out well, and narrator gives great performance. Book truncates, however, at the death of the subject, and .. we're done? Don't expect massive amount of closure.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great

Narration was fantastic
Story is well written and informative
Very scary guy Israel Keyes. Cheers

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible story, challenging narrator

This story is amazing and leaves you hanging for more as your perverse fascination with efficient serial killers proves unexpectedly burgeoning.

However, be warned that both narrator and narration path are far less efficient, and charismatic, than the killer. Starting backward, with painfully monotonous tone, this woman almost bludgeons the reader to death.

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2 people found this helpful

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