Hello Beautiful People! Welcome to another Baddie Book Review! For this review, I got into American Predator by Maureen Callahan.
American Predator is a true crime novel that focuses on the last major crime, and the capture of Israel Keys. Israel Keys was a prolific but less well-known serial killer who was charged but is also still suspected in many missing and murdered cases around the United States. I will say that before I read this book I had never heard of Israel Keys before, but after reading this book I’ll never forget him. So let’s get into the review!
Some warnings for future readers:
- Israel Keys is a real person and all his committed crimes affected real living people.
- Israel Keys was a man of many crimes who committed murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and robbery, his crimes were very violent in nature.
- Israel Keys committed crimes against people of all ages, races, and sexes, and did commit his crimes on children.
- Keys crimes are described in not overly gory detail but still are described in this book.
My Review
I really enjoyed American Predator by Maureen Callahan. I found Maureen’s writing style to be really interesting as I found myself constantly pulled into the way she told the story. I gave the book an 8/10 rating because I found it to be a disturbing book due to who Israel Keys is as a person, but with the way the book is written, it’s still a digestible story to read that’s not over-the-top. I appreciated her clear disgust and distaste for Keys, and while she does slightly go into telling how he grew up and why he is the way he is, she does not present it as an excuse for his crimes. I also appreciated how she wasn’t afraid to go into vivid detail about all the ways the different levels of the justice system royally fucked up this case.
I will say the one thing I didn’t like about the book (and this isn’t the author’s fault obviously) is the clear idiocy of the different ‘professionals’ who worked to commit Keys for his crimes. In my earlier description of Keys’ crimes, I spoke about how he was convicted for some crimes and suspected of others. The reason he is suspected for some is because of the incompetency of the different people working on this case, this ultimately led to a lot of people being left without answers. There definitely are detectives on the case who try their best to make sure justice is served, but the bureaucratic overstepping, and power games, ultimately lead for Keys to die with a lot of his victims’ names still only in his head.
I really recommend people read this book, and not to give Israel Keys fame because he isn’t a household name like Ted Bundy, it’s so more people know the names and stories of his victims. In the summary and commentary portion, I will be sharing the names of some of the victims whose names are in the books but for those who remained anonymous, they will be kept that way. Israel Keys is frightening because he was able to commit his crimes in plain sight. He would do his family man thing (his poor daughter btw I hope she’s doing okay wherever she is) during the day and murder at night. He used his family to be able to travel and commit his crimes. He felt not an ounce of remorse for anyone in this situation other than his daughter and for that, I hated him more. He only felt remorse once he was caught because he worried about how it would affect her, he didn’t care while he killed those people and robbed them in the moment, but only after. I appreciated that Maureen wasn’t afraid to let the readers know what a screwed-up man he was, she doesn’t give his crimes any ounce of romanticism and describes him for what he is a dangerous predator who felt no remorse for his crimes.
The thing I hated though was knowing how much Keys reveled in his crimes during his interviews after he was caught. He sees himself as this godly amazing man, who holds life in his hand. When he gets the urge to kill it’s his right to do so. Extremely disgusting man. He loved to plan out his journeys and create alibis for himself, it was his joy. When he was caught he just continued his game with the detectives and everyone ate out of his disgusting hand. He loved the power and control he had over everyone. Despite some of the people on this case handling it poorly I appreciated that Maureen made sure to give the detectives who did work hard to take him down, and not for the glory but for the victims, the proper praise they deserve. Due to Keys killing in different areas and jurisdictions, a lot of people had to work together to take him down, and when it was needed people came together to help.
Summary and Commentary
Initially, when I started reading the book I was a bit confused. My initial understanding of the book (and it was little to be fair) was that this was a true crime novel about a serial killer. The crime that we the reader first learn about is an odd missing persons case. On February 2nd, 2012 in Alaska, 18-year-old Samantha Koeing was missing from her job after working an evening shift. Initial police findings made it seem like Samantha could have potentially run away. Agent Steven Payne with the FBI heard of Samantha’s missing person case and initially suspected that Samantha did not run off. She left behind all of her things, her family, and her boyfriend. Along with that Samantha wasn’t very well off and didn’t have a lot of money in her bank account. Payne offered assistance on the case but was denied as the local police felt they knew what they were dealing with. Things changed quickly and Payne’s opinion was requested. I have to say throughout the book I really came to appreciate and respect Steve Payne. He’s an incredibly talented man in his work, and his empathetic ways throughout the book made him a very much-needed person in his case.
The aspect that changed the case is that once surveillance videos from the coffee shop Samantha worked at were looked at it’s clear she didn’t just walk away. In the video, Samantha is presented with a gun from a customer and requested to hand over the money. She does so and then is walked out of the shop by the man in the video who can’t be fully seen. For whatever reason further assistance from the FBI is again denied… people come on! Thankfully though APD John Bell is put on the case and he remains another consistent figure throughout the book who is clearly good at what he does. He is someone whose main focus remains on the victims and finding justice for them. It was initially believed that in the video Samantha may have been a willing participant in the hold-up. It’s clear in the video that she and the robber talk for long periods, and in total, it took 17 minutes for him to get the money and leave with her. It was odd the relaxed attitude of the kidnapping. Samantha also didn’t seem overly distressed (she definitely was distressed but maybe not as much as someone may think she should be) which made them think maybe she knew it was coming. I mean how stupid! It just seems too crazy and elaborate to be anywhere near the truth.
Thankfully Samantha’s father goes to war for her and believes she was kidnapped and won’t be convinced otherwise. Due to his loudness, the case quickly went national and the police needed to start looking into it harder because people wanted answers. The public felt like enough wasn’t being done… and it’s clear it wasn’t. Samantha’s father and boyfriend were the initial suspects. Samantha and her boyfriend had fought the day she went missing, making it seem like he could have done something to her. It was suspected her father was a part of a bad lifestyle, drinking, selling drugs, all that stuff. Sadly this made it seem like he could have done something to her, or been the reason something happened to her. I hated how heavily they judged Samantha’s life and her family to almost say it was her fault she was kidnapped. Finally, they officially brought in the FBI…only after she had been missing for a few days at this point.
They still had no evidence that she went willingly with this man. Her father created a reward for her return. On February 24th Samantha’s boyfriend received an odd text from her phone insinuating that he was to go to a specific spot at a park. Despite him calling the detectives to let them know apparently her boyfriend beat them to the spot by 15 minutes. Yikes. On the spot, they found a ransom note and a picture of Samantha with the day’s paper. The ransom requested that large amounts of money be put into Samantha’s banking account (the kidnapper had her bank card) if the demands were met she would be freed. See!! She didn’t run away! This was where I started to become confused because I was like wait, isn’t this a story about a serial killer? How does a teen being kidnapped for ransom play into what’s labelled on the cover as the most meticulous serial killer of the 21st century?
The author then talks about the different people on the case and they start to questions as to if Samantha is alive in the photo taken of her or not. It seems like she may be but there are parts to the photo that also make them question that. It also was a question if this was a stanger abduction or not. It was decided to keep Samantha’s card active in the hopes of finding out where the kidnapper may be by tracking it. For whatever reason though her father was initially hesitant to put the money in. He may suspect as well that once the kidnapper had the money he may kill Samantha anyway. He eventually comes around and deposits the amount requested. As quickly as the money is deposited the card becomes active. This makes the police suspicious as they wonder if her father was a part of this. He knew when the card would have the money on it. Three weeks after Samantha has been missing it finally dawns on them that they should check the security cameras for the other stores in the area to see where the man takes her. I was shocked! They hadn’t checked the other cameras? Is this not being a detective 101? God, I just felt bad for Samantha that people like this were handling her case. And surprise surprise, he parked his white truck at another store and walked her over there. Sadly the vehicle had its plate removed, but still, would have been good to know when they started this thing weeks ago.
It was clear based on the ATM transactions that the kidnapper was on the move, but then the other question became whether he had Samantha with him or not. If he didn’t, did that mean she was dead? Thankfully though by using ATM photos, they can tell he had switched vehicles and was using an elaborate disguise to hide what he looks like. Due to his travelling through it’s now clear that no one in Samantha’s family seemingly has anything to do with it. They may play a role as to why she was (retaliation) but considering they all were at home it was clear they weren’t using her card. Sadly once when they had been close to maybe zeroing in on his location the bank was unwilling to cooperate. It ended up not giving any useful information but it hurt the morale of the team trying to find Samantha.
Luckily the Texas Rangers had been closely following the case and the travel of Samantha’s ATM card. They were able to follow it better than the detectives in Alaska. Based on where the card was last used a Ranger was able to make an assumption of the hotel the kidnapper may be staying at. Thank god for this man because he was so on the fucking nose, and for the first time we are introduced to Israel Keys. The man in the suspected vehicle when they find a reason to pull him over is a resident of Alaska. Keys claims that he was travelling with his daughter to attend his sister’s wedding. This was actually true, which is so messed up once it gets more exposed to the kind of guy he is. Keys attitude and unwellness to cooperate is suspicious, and given he is in Texas they can search his car with the suspicions they have. Keys vehicle is searched and he has so many odd things in the car, along with it though he has Samantha’s driver’s licence and the ATM card. I say this again but thank god for these Rangers, if it wasn’t for them I question how long it would have taken for Keys to be found.
The initial interview with Israel Keys was difficult. When approached with the things of Samantha’s that were found in his wallet he shut down and refused to talk. A lot of questions were spinning. Where was Samantha? Was Keys doing this alone or did he have help? Keys was sent back to Alaska where they hoped they would have an easier time getting him to talk. Further, his home was initially searched and not much was found. An initial interview with Israel’s mother showed her to be an overly religious, very strict, and odd woman. She admitted that during their time in Texas Israel was acting odd, and didn’t really seem turned off at the fact her son could have kidnapped an 18-year-old girl. Finally, Keys told detectives he was ready to talk. No one is sure why he changed his mind but it seems like it was because he wanted his family kept out of the investigation.
I’ll be honest the next person who gets introduced in this story ends up being one of the most egotistical cancerous people in this case, aside from Keys. Kevin Feldis was a prosecutor for the US Attorney’s office, and he decided that he didn’t want the detectives doing the interview… he wanted to do it. When I say I almost had to put this book down because of my anger I mean it. Feldis is not and has never been a cop or detective. He has no training or ability to interview serial killers, yet he wants to do this for the glory. He wanted to be the one to get a confession from Keys. Since his position let him walk on water he was able to overstep everyone and put himself at the lead of the interview. Kevin Feldis abused his power to better his name. He ultimately ruined this case with his inability to interview someone as smart as Keys. Feldis ultimately became Israel Keys’s bitch, and Keys knew it and loved it. If any of the other detectives had led the interview, they would have claimed control, not Keys, because they know what they are fucking doing! It’s their job! Idk if Kevin Feldis still works to this day but I pray for all that is good that he does not. This man should never be allowed to practice law because he desires his own fame and spotlight more than justice being found for victims. Despite Feldis’s stupidity and ego Keys still was convicted for some crimes, but if Feldis hadn’t done what he had I believe Israel would have given up more of his victims. *I googled it he still does work. Hey Kevin Feldis if you ever read this, you suck! You should maybe start caring more about victims than your own career! Just an idea!*
The only thing if anything that Feldis brought to the table was being able to make Israel deals, which in my opinion he should have never been offered. But I guess if they wanted him to give up more victims, they would need him to think they would give him whatever he wanted. Feldis proves to fuck up the interviews and cannot outsmart Israel. He essentially exposes to him that they don’t have as much evidence as it seems. Throughout the process, they figure out that Samantha is dead, and Israel disposed of her body in the river. He had killed her in a shack by his house that the fucking police hadn’t even found yet when he told them, he just thought they had. During the interview, it was also found that Keys and Samantha passed multiple people at the time he had her. She also tried to escape a few times. The police were starting to realize how little they actually knew about Samantha’s kidnapping, and how much they could have if they tried a bit harder.
A lot of what Israel said in the interviews made them think that it wasn’t his first time doing something like this. He had way too much knowledge and confidence for this to be a first-time occurrence. This became really concerning because who knew how many people through how many jurisdictions had been hurt by Keys. It starts to become clear to them as well that money was never Keys motive, it was just something extra to fund his fun times. When asked if she was alive in the photo he admits she was not. What’s crazy though is Keys did all of this just before leaving for a trip with his daughter. I mean he does this and then just goes on a fun trip with his kid…how gross. Keys tells Feldis that if he wants to hear about how Samantha died he needs to bring in the female detective for him to talk to. I thought it was interesting because it’s clear here he tested the waters to see how much they would give him. He continued to ask for more, special privileges, families’ homes not being searched, and things to be left out of the media. The stupid guy got it all.
Eventually, Keys tells them that he raped Samantha and then killed her. He omits details in the hopes of keeping people on a leash. Keys essentially admits that he did the whole ransom thing because he thought it would be fun, and it was for him. Keys lets them know where he put Samantha’s body and they go to find it and are thankfully successful. At least poor Samantha could finally be laid to rest. It was such a long time from when she went missing to when they found her body, it’s all just so sad, she had so much life to give. With Samantha’s body being found Israel exposes to detectives that he has some more stories to tell. Of course, he does, and I am sure he will want something for them. In order for Keys to share more of his victims he wanted an execution date to be set. I was shocked by this. I mean it was cowardice if anything, something that Keys didn’t seem to think he was. He claimed the reason was that he didn’t want his daughter to suffer, but I think that’s bullshit. I think Israel Keys was weak and knew he wouldn’t hold up in prison and wanted an out. It was agreed they would try to do this for him in order for the exchange of more info.
The next bodies that detectives were given were that of Bill and Lorraine Currier. The couple was retired, but all in all an average couple. He wanted it to look like a robbery but his one and only desire was to hurt and kill Bill and Lorraine. It further came to light that Keys was attracted to both women and men, which explained his desire to take both genders or one or the other. The horrifying part that also was exposed was that Keys was the most feared kind of killer. He was an ambush killer. He just saw random people or chose random people as his victims. He did a bit of planning but ultimately all he would plan is that he wants to kill someone. It’s scary because people like Keys are rare. Most people have a connection to those they murder, but not him. Keys told the police in what abandoned farmhouse they could find the bodies. That’s not good news for police though because until they find them Keys won’t give them another, and abandoned farmhouses are a hard place to search.
Detectives also suspected that Keys was the killer in the missing case of Jimmy Tidwell in February 2012. Keys openly admitted to using Tidwell’s hair in a disguise of his when he robbed a bank. He only would have Tidwell’s hair if he cut it off of his dead body. This made me so sad because it’s clear Keys sees his victims as nothing but a method for his satisfaction and use. He doesn’t see them as people. I mean shit he had no qualms wearing a dead man’s hair that he just killed. Julie Harris who went missing in 1996 is also suspected to be one of Keys’s earliest kills, however, he was never directly linked as the killer in this case. Another young girl the name Cassie Emerson is suspected to have been a victim of his in 1997, along with her mother Marlene. Both girls were the age of 12. Clearly, Keys had been doing this for a very long time.
While awaiting his trial it’s clear that a lot of people were not taking Keys seriously as being a threat. When in prison he was often given things that he could hurt himself or others with. Despite Payne’s constant pleas for more attention to be paid to what Keys had access to no one would listen. Keys wants the whole process to get moving faster and must have noticed the thing that was making it take so long was his withholding information. I hated how almost bored Keys was with the whole thing. He doesn’t seem to care at all about anything but making things move faster so he can get what he wants which is death. He’s just such an ass it makes me mad. In a desire to speed up the process Keys gives them four more bodies, people he killed between 2001-2006. Mary Cooper and her daughter Susanna Stodden were killed by Keys when out for a hike one day. Keys was also suspected in the murder of Lauren Spierer in 2011. Keys was also suspected in the murder of Randi Gorenberg in 2007 after he kidnapped and let go of a different young woman who is unnamed. Around the same time, he is also suspected of killing Nancy and Joey Bochicchio a mother and daughter. It is also suspected that the Boca Killer (a serial killer in Florida) and Keys are one and the same.
Keys also gained the label of terrorist after it was found he had planned to blow up a church. It made sense that he would do something like this considering how he was raised and his seemingly distaste for it. On December 1st, 2012 Israel Keys was found dead in his cell. He had committed suicide with a razor blade and a noose. All things he wasn’t supposed to have. Lost with Israel were the names and locations of all of his victims. Israel’s death was only sad because so many people would be left without answers, he deserved to rot and suffer in prison until he slowly died as an old man. He was given the tools to take the easy way out. It’s believed that in his own blood Keys left a clue that he killed 11 people in his time, however, I would bet it’s probably five times that. He had no ability to stop himself, he would have done this at every opportunity he had.
There were a lot of things that allowed Israel Keys to have an extensive career in killing. His lack of accountability and emotion, his ability to separate the lives of his loved ones from the lives of those he killed, and his ability to hide in plain site by being a working-class somewhat attractive white man. I think the question is though if he had lived would he have really given up more names? Keys was only in the interest of exposing names so long as it provided him something. He saw it as a game, as something to play with. When he got bored it was no longer fun for him to give names. Furthermore, it seemed to me that with the inability to find the Currier’s bodies Keys became discouraged so he chose another route to get what he wanted. My best guess is that he never planned to give up more names and just wanted to see how much longer he could pull everyone along.
It’s been consistent speculation and guesses about who else was a victim of Israel Keys and sadly their names and ends to their stories go with him. It’s cruel but Israel enjoyed holding the power, so to him, this was the perfect way to go. I give all my love to the families of the victims of him.
I hope you enjoyed this review! What did you think of the book? Have you heard of Israel Keys before and his case? Feel free to follow all my socials @baddiebookreviews to be kept up to date for when I drop a new review.
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