Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Hello, fellow Crime, Mystery & Thriller readers! This discussion is about American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan, your discussion leader is (Danielle).

**IMPORTANT** This book is True Crime - nominated in the General polls and won for January 2020
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about spoilers

Please note: If you have not finished reading the book spoilers are permitted in this discussion from the start.
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Summary

A gripping tour de force of investigative journalism that takes us deep into the investigation behind one of the most frightening and enigmatic serial killers in modern American history, and into the ranks of a singular American police force: the Alaska PD.

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 behaviour 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' 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.

Hello, fellow readers! I wish you a happy new year and a lot of good readings!

I'm your discussion reader. I've begun reading the book. It's interesting till now. I hope you'll like it too.

Is there someone else reading this?

I have heard about the monster, one with "kill kits" buried around the country, on podcasts.
Read news articles and watched YouTube videos.
Now reading more into him with this book.

I was impressed with the writing and horrified at the same time.

Maureen Callahan has given us a deep insight into how he was caught, his shocking confessions, how the FBI was completely baffled by his meticulous planning and attention to detail and much more.

I recommend this to anyone who loves reading about true crime.