Book report by Kambri HedlundTerry

Israel Keyes’s mug shot

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-15 15:36:28 UTC

Book and author

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:14:27 UTC

American predator by: Maureen Callahan

Why did you choose to read this book?

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:15:43 UTC

i love murder books and it was recommended to me by my stepmom

Who is the story focused on?

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:16:57 UTC

The book is focused on Israel Keyes. He is the serial killer that lives in Alaska but travels all around the country to kills whoever he can get his hands on.

Major event #1

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:19:48 UTC

When he killed Samantha and was finally caught this changed his life forever. He knew he was going to get caught eventually and was semi prepared for it.

Major event #2

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:20:11 UTC

His childhood played a huge part in why he was the way he was. He hated his family's strict and out of pocket religious beliefs. They were very antisocial and didn’t have much communication with the outside world.

Major event #3

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:20:41 UTC

When he started killing, 14-15 years ago, he didn’t care about the age or the status of his victims but when his daughter was born he did anything for her not to find out and for her to be safe. He then stopped looking for younger victims.

When does the story take place? (Setting)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:22:58 UTC

This took place in cities all around the United States but Israel Keyes lived in Alaska. This was in the 21st century. This was after ted bundy, or Jeffrey dahmer, so Israel had many role models and could learn from their misters and take pride in their victories. He killed for about 14-15 years and would kill multiple times a month to even a week.

How did the time period impact the people? (Setting)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:23:35 UTC

Israel had many role models to look up to and take ideas from. The police were much more advanced though and it was more modern.

Where did the main action of the story take place? (Setting)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:23:55 UTC

It starts in Anchorage, Alaska, where Israel lives, but he travels around the country to kill. Some of the places include the west coast and parts of Texas mostly.

How did the places impact the people? (Setting)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:24:22 UTC

It happened all around the United States so no one was necessarily safe all the time. It made him harder to find and locate when he was traveling all the time, disguising, and hiding the bodies so well.

What lesson/message did the author want the audience to take away after reading? And how do you know? (Author purpose)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:26:46 UTC

I think they want to bring more awareness to the topic. Also the childhood of children is very important to the way they grow up and think. If a child is treated badly and restricted from living and having friends, they will be more rebellious and more untrustworthy. I know this because most murder mystery books portray the same meaning or message. They want the public to know about situations like this to warn them and for them to take precautions.

How do you think the author’s personal and/or professional life impacted how, and why they wrote this book? (Authors purpose)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:27:49 UTC

I don't think the author put any personal life into this book. It was a book about a topic that was happening around her, not directly to her.

How did the author use ethos to develop the theme and purpose of this story? (Rhetorical appeals)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:28:27 UTC

The author used Israel’s connection and motivation from ted bundy to connect with us. Most people know about ted and his story So when the author connected them and related them it drew in more readers.

How did the author use pathos to develop the theme and purpose of this story? (Rhetorical appeals)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:29:10 UTC

The author used real emotions from the victims and the victims families to make us feel sad for them. When Israel would describe the situation in depth and realistic it makes the reader more sympathetic towards them.

How did the author use logos to develop the theme and purpose of this story? (Rhetorical appeals)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:29:52 UTC

They used real statistics when talking about percents of troubled children becoming killers.

Quotation

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 14:30:51 UTC

“It’s one thing to grow up in poverty. It’s another to have all the small pleasures of childhood denied.” (Pg. 185)

Musical connection

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:09:25 UTC

Psycho Killer By: Talking Heads

This song talks about a psycho killer and Israel is a psycho killer. Also it says that they don’t leave any tracks or evidence on their crimes just like Israel. They also say they flee from their crime scenes and fast. Israel never committed a crime in the same place twice and never returned after he left.

Samantha Koenig (last victim)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:32:00 UTC

“Murder Kits”

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:32:31 UTC

Coffee shop Samantha was taken from

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:32:54 UTC

Keyes family

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:33:10 UTC

Book Cover

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:33:33 UTC

Cites

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:35:14 UTC

American Predator. Amazon, www.amazon.com/-/he/Maureen-Callahan-ebook/dp/
B07L2GMT7J. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Coffee Shop. Seeking the Public's Assistance, 13 Aug. 2013, www.fbi.gov/news/
stories/new-information-released-in-serial-killer-case. Accessed 24 Apr.
2025.

Family. KIMA, Nicholas K Geranios, 8 Dec. 2012, kimatv.com/news/local/
family-of-confessed-serial-killer-holds-funeral-in-eastern-wash-11-14-2015.
Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Israel Keyes. Seeking the Public's Assistance, 13 Aug. 2013, www.fbi.gov/news/
stories/new-information-released-in-serial-killer-case. Accessed 24 Apr.
2025.

Murder Kit. Israel Keyes: Murder Kit, www.fbi.gov/image-repository/
israel-keyes-murder-kit.jpg/view. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Samantha Koenig. Inside the Grisly Murder of Samantha Koenig and the Horrifying
'Ransom' Photo Her Killer Took, Bernadette Giacomazzo, 31 May 2022,
allthatsinteresting.com/samantha-koenig. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

"Israel Keyes Interview." YouTube, 29 Nov. 2012, www.youtube.com/
watch?v=C-Yx0i3qOfQ. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

"Talking Heads." YouTube, 2010, www.youtube.com/
watch?v=O52jAYa4Pm8&list=RDO52jAYa4Pm8&start_radio=1. Accessed 24 Apr.
2025.

Song

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:48:21 UTC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O52jAYa4Pm8&list=RDO52jAYa4Pm8&start_radio=1

Video (interview)

27kxhedlundterry — 2025-04-24 16:57:46 UTC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-Yx0i3qOfQ