The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker Book Review

BLURB

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil ... Do No Evil

For over five years, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorised the residents of Chicago. When his body is found, the police quickly realise he was on his way to deliver one final message, one which proves he has taken another victim who may still be alive.

As the lead investigator Detective Sam Porter knows even in death, the killer is far from finished. When he discovers a personal diary in the jacket pocket of the body, Porter finds himself caught up in the mind of a psychopath, unravelling a twisted history in hopes of finding one last girl, all while struggling with personal demons of his own.

With only a handful of clues, the elusive killer's identity remains a mystery. Time is running out and the Four Monkey Killer taunts from beyond the grave in this masterfully written fast-paced thriller.

MY THOUGHTS

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of The Fourth Monkey by J. D Barker. I tend not to read too much American crime; I do read a lot of British detective series, however. But The Fourth Monkey may have just changed that. The Fourth Monkey is terrifying, creepy and surprisingly funny in places, a real corker of a read and one that I highly recommend for thriller fans.

The police in Chicago are hunting a dangerous criminal who has been murdering people over the past decade and has so far evaded justice. And now they may have had a breakthrough, I don’t want to say too much about what happens from here as I don’t want to spoil it for readers but what follows is a tense, gripping read that will keep you reading well into the night.

The serial killer in this book is very twisted and there are some gruesome scenes, it isn’t for the faint hearted, particularly if you don't like rats. I also thought that some of the ideas in the book were very original, I really liked the fact that there was a lot of dialogue, particularly in the scenes featuring the detectives working on the case. I also really liked the diary extracts, and the voice that the author gave the Four Monkey Killer felt very authentic, and the author drew me into his murky world. 

This is the first novel by J.D. Barker which I have read and I will definitely be reading more from him in the future. The writing is pacy and it didn’t take me long to finish. The final scenes in this novel are explosive and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m sure a lot of people are going to be talking about this book come the summer. Thank you to Lucy Richardson at Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing me with a copy to read. 

Verdict: Five Stars 

Publisher: HQ

Publication date: 27th June 2017

Print length: 480 pages

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