JT Hunter

Just. Not. Good. Very flat. It started out like a lot of True Crime stories do...at the point of capture. I was waiting for the author to go back and develop the character of the murderer, what was his childhood like, where did he come from, who was he, but there was only about a paragraph about that:
"He had a happy childhood". No conjecture as to why he did it. No psychological theories of how someone with his background could become the monster he did. Then I was expecting some development of the victims but only got very little information (again a couple paragraphs) about just one of the victims, the final one. From there it quickly went right into the trial and the aftermath and never really discussed the other victims other than their names and how they were murdered. A lot of it was just reprinted transcripts from the trial and news paper reports, so the writer didn't really do much of the work. Pretty much a disappointment and honestly a disservice to the families of the victims. This author had the opportunity to tell their stories and didn't. This might have just been a long news paper story for what it contained. Just the facts ma'am, just the facts.… (més)

The purpose of my reading this book was two-fold. I am extremely interested in what made Israel Keyes the way he was and I am currently taking a psychology course covering serial killers.

JT Hunter goes into intricate detail into the multiple crimes committed by Keyes as well as the ways in which he was a person living two lives. The case that ended Israel's life of crime was the abduction and murder of Sarah Koenig in his home state of Alaska. After burying Sarah, Israel went on a trip to Texas where he was ultimately caught by very attentive Texas Rangers. Once imprisoned, Keyes attempts to control his destiny by giving information to the FBI only under certain circumstances - he wants to ensure that he receives the death penalty and that all information regarding his crimes is kept out of the media while he is alive to ensure that his daughter is not affected. Israel Keyes was a prime example that evil is not always a learned behavior - sometimes people are just born with psychopathic tendencies. Keyes expressed no remorse for his crimes and stated that he only wished he could have killed more people before being caught.

Hunter goes into Keyes killing sprees, his interviews with the FBI, and Keyes controlled ending of his own life. In taking his own life, Keyes forever took his secrets with him. Some of his victims will never be known - and that was exactly how he wanted it.… (més)