4.5 - The diary of and interactions with the serial killer absolutely made this book. Some twists were a little predictable, but there were still a few bombshells throughout the story. The dialogue was a little awkward, but the story itself made it easy to get past. I look forward to reading the next book. ( )

Spannend verhaal van begin tot einde.
Ik kijk al uit om het vervolg te lezen ( )

One of the best thriller crime series I have read in a long time! on to #2! ( )

3.5 Stars
-
I usually don’t read straight up detective books, but someone recommended it to me & my curiosity about serial killers got the best of me.

It was an interesting concept, made more interesting by the chapters alternating between today and events written in a diary. I don’t know that I loved the book. The characters were not really fleshed out for me, and I’m a character driven reader. The twists were decent, but I feel like there was just something missing and I can’t figure out if it was the writing or the way all the events came together or the fact that some of those events were rather far-fetched? Something felt lacking for me. Still, it was an interesting read & the cliffhanger is making me really think about reading the next book…. ( )

*Thank you to Netgalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and JD Barker for an advance reader copy of The Fourth Monkey.

Wow! What a great read. With comparisons drawn between The Fourth Monkey and Seven (arguably one of the smartest serial killer flicks in years) I worried I had expectations no book could live up to, but I was wrong.

Brilliantly written from multiple points of view, The Fourth Monkey chronicles the journey of a victim, a detective, and a killer (told in hindsight from the point of view of his formative years).

First, I have to explain who the fourth monkey is. You know “see no evil,” “hear no evil,” “speak no evil?” The fourth is “do no evil,” and 4MK (killer’s moniker in short) deals in making villains pay for their sins through the flesh of a loved one. Typically a child. He mails an ear, then eyes, then a tongue to the parent (all taken while the victim is alive), and up until this final victim whose life hangs in the balance, their dead body surfaces shortly thereafter. Since we understand 4MK’s MO, it stands to reason that young Emory (his latest victim) is in serious trouble.

Enter Porter, a detective whose wife has been recently murdered and who, from the outset is a well-rounded, likable hero. His backstory evokes immediate sympathy and by the end we see how dedicated this man is to justice. He is a great character well worth rooting for. The perfect anti-4MK.

Which brings us to the killer, assumedly dead on the road after stepping in front of a bus—or is he? The clues found on the body will lead to the missing girl, if the detectives can “puzzle it out” in time. 4MK leaves behind a diary for detectives to find, detailing years of not “abuse” per se because he wasn’t an abused child, but what do I call this? An unusual upbringing? Serial killer training? Torture boot camp? God, his parents were real pieces of work. Think American Psycho. Well-rounded, upper middle class (Dad drives a Porsche, mom’s the stay-at-home type) with a penchant for killing, etiquette, and grammar. This might seem done before, but one of the ways JD Barker is effective in his storytelling from multiple viewpoints is that each character has a distinct voice, in 4MK’s case and oddly proper one (atypical for a young man).

It’s difficult to write one compelling story, but that JD Barker manages to write three at an almost unrelenting pace is to be commended. I didn’t mind the back and forth because the stories drew me along between past and present, and other than Clair’s POV (which I might say is one too many), I couldn’t stop turning the page.

Be aware, this is a serial killer tale and as such is graphic in its depiction of violence. JD Barker doesn’t shy away from the grim details, and writes with authority where police procedure is concerned. He commits to the minutia and honestly, I have a hard time finding fault with anything in this well thought out book. Everything is so purposeful. And the ending! Talk about leaving readers clamoring for more. I’m a stickler for tying up of loose ends. I hadn’t realized when I picked up this book that it’s the beginning of a series, which normally might turn me off. Some authors will leave a cliffhanger and too much unresolved in favor of the next book but not JD Barker. Even if I wasn’t dying for the next book (which I am), The Fourth Monkey stands alone nicely.

I can’t praise this book enough. Congratulations, JD Barker. I’m a new fan!


( )