Fans of fast paced thrillers, buckle up. The intriguing comparison to 'Se7en meets The Silence of the Lambs' had me re-arrange my TBR pile and pick up 'The Fourth Monkey' ahead of many others I had lined up for the summer. This one is twisted! I'd throw in some vibes from 'The Bone Collector', too. Really enjoyed the plot, found a few parts to be borderline disturbing but the grit and darkness make for perfect accents to this creepy, stay up all night to finish book. A huge thank you to NetGalley for a free digital download!

Superb, nail bitting thriller - the tag line of Se7en meets the Silence of the Lambs is justified.
Good twists, well written blockbuster.
Highly recommended

My Review: 5/5
This book is so terrifying, suspenseful, and demented….and I absolutely LOVED it!!
The blurb gives you all you need to know about the book, so I’m not going to go into the plot.  Just trust me on this one. If you like Silence of the Lambs, or the movie Se7en, then you will also enjoy this book. 
It is one of the best books about a serial killer that I have read in a long time. The writing is top notch! The lead detective, Parker has been investigating the 4MK killer from the beginning. I felt like I was right there with him, revealing the clues, while feeling the anguish of his personal struggles as well.  The other characters are also well developed. They are minor at best, but with enough insight to make me like them.  
The story is told in different perspectives. One of the perspectives takes you back in time to the childhood of the 4MK killer. To relive what he lived is so terrifying and squeamish at times, the hair on my arms was standing tall, my heart was beating at a rapid pace, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!
This book is not for the faint of hearts. There are some scenes that are difficult to read. But if you have any interest at all to read a great detective novel, involving a terrific tale of a killer, I highly recommend this book. I cannot give it enough praise.  This one will definitely be one of my favorite reads of 2017.

The story is good but the format is very frustrating. Jumping from today, to killers diary, to another detective was very annoying. I had difficulty remembering where I was in each change. Change the format and you have a better story.

In these last couple of months, I have found myself reading a lot of murder/mystery/thriller books. Which is a glad change from the erotica/romance that I have read. A glad change. I like a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing what is going to happen next or what plot twist the author is going to throw in that will make me go “Well, I never saw that coming“. The Fourth Monkey is that book. It is a delicious blend of horror and mystery that will keep you up reading late in the night.

The plot lines of the book were fantastic. You have two major ones: the diary (or as I called it: the making of the Four Monkey Killer) and the race to find out where is last victim, a 15-year-old girl, is being held. I was fascinated by diary and how the 4 MK was shaped into the twisted person he was. Normally, if an author switches from 1st person to 3rd person every other chapter or so, it bothers me. But in this case, it didn’t because when that chapter of the diary ended, the book picked up right where the Four Monkey Killer was leading them. Which I haven’t seen done well until this book.

I felt awful for Porter and didn’t realize that he had a personal tragedy until almost halfway through the book. I did think certain scenes were odd when he was mentioning his wife but I figured, “Hey, he’s a homicide detective working lead on a case and is working odd hours“. It wasn’t until after he got the phone call and everything was explained that I went “No way” and I felt horrible for him.

I will say that I did like the lore behind the 4 monkeys and found it fascinating that there was a 4th monkey. The three monkeys that we know are: Hear no evil (monkey covering ears), See no evil (monkey covering eyes) and Speak no evil (monkey covering mouth). The fourth monkey is Do no evil (monkey covering stomach or genitals) and is very rarely mentioned in Japanese or Buddha lore (click here). The way that the author wove that lore into this story and how the fourth monkey was woven in was pretty awesome.

The end of the book was insane. Not only was the identity of the Four Monkey Killer found out, it was the last person that I thought it was going to be. I literally put my book down and shook my head when his identity was revealed. The final twist at the end of the book made me shake my head in disbelief and make me wonder if there will be a book 2.

How many stars will I give The Fourth Monkey: 5

Why: A beautifully written mystery/horror book that is true to its genre. An excellent read and I am looking forward to reading more books by J.D. Barker

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

One of the best books of 2017, and now one of my favs. The story of the 4MK killer is absolutely SUPERB. A thriller at it's best.

There are great thrillers, and then, ones that stick to your ribs. This one is both. The Fourth Monkey won't be easily forgotten.

Wow!!!! This particularly gruesome serial killer tale was my first J.D. Barker novel and received a very easy 5 *'s. Homicide detective Sam Porter has been chasing the Fourth Monkey Killer (4MK) for 5 years. He is called in when a man apparently commits suicide. A white box with a severed ear is found with the man which is a trademark of 4MK. Also found is a diary from the man's childhood. Porter begins a desperate search for the next victim led by clues carefully placed by 4MK. This was a great read and will certainly not be my last J.D. Barker novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book to review.

Great read! Absolutely loved this book! This is the first book that I've read by this author but I will be hot on his trail from here on out. Exciting, action packed read that does not let up, even to the last page. Solid and well written. I highly recommend this book!!

I LOVED this book! If you liked the movie Seven you will like this book. Starts out with detective Sam Porter being called to the scene of an accident where bus hit pedestrian. They discover in his possession a white box which is what the 4th monkey killer used to mail to his victims fathers. For 5 yrs they've been chasing him and now he takes them on a crazy journey as they try to find his last victim before she dies. He leaves a diary in his pocket of his sordid past. I could not put this book down. A must read!!

Caught my attention from the first pages! Detective John Porter and Sam Nash are partners in the Chicago Metro Police Department. Porter has been investigating a serial killer for 6 years, who has a unique method if killing his victims. He first cuts off their ear and sends it to Porter in a little white box with a black string tied on it. Also enclosed with the ear is a handwritten address. He would wait a few days, then cuts out their eyes and send them in the little white box, and waits a few more days and finally cut out the tongue, and sends that in the little white box. Then he kills them. So far he has killed 7 victims. There seems to be no rhyme or reasoning to killing his victims. Possibly Porter caught a break, because he has been called to an accident where an individual jumped in front of a transit bus on purpose and was killed. The individual had no ID on him just a diary, a few coins, aa dry cleaning receipt, pocket watch, and a small white box with a black string wrapped around it. The address is of an investment banker, Talbot. This serial killer has named himself The Fourth Monkey Killer or 4MK. This stands for "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil, and Do No Evil." 4MK instructs Porter to read his diary for clues to save a young girl, whom he has abducted. The book reverts back and forth from the investigation back to the diary, and gives the reader a sense of the type of person this serial killer evolved from. As the clues continue to build, Porters team think they will eventually capture him. There are lots of twists and turns in this book. The intrigue will keep you page turning until the end. What is the reason for 4MK picking specific victims? What is Talbot's secret? Will Porter be able to save the young girl, who was abducted? The characters and the plot are very realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading many more from this author.

After being in a bit of a reading slump lately, I began this book and it really helped me out. It was a very fast paced novel and from page one I was hooked. It really helped me jump back into reading.

The Fourth Monkey killer has been on the loose for years, always managing to miss the cops. Now, when a man is killed, the man is suspected to be this infamous man, since when he was found he had in his position an object that follows the pattern of the previous killings. Detective Sam Porter, one of the men who has been on the Fourth Monkey case from the beginning, is now on the hunt to find a new victim with a limited amount of time to do it while fighting his own inner battles. This book is filled with twists and turns and things the reader will never see coming.

I really enjoyed this book. It was filled with mystery, crime, and action. It was very detailed and written well. It was fast paced and had an interesting set of characters. The story switched from present time to a diary that followed the Fourth Monkey Killer as a youth, this was a great add to the storyline and helped see into the mind of this killer. It was a crime book, but with the story of the death of Sams wife, it brought a bit of sadness as well. It was really a great story. The ending was mind blowing and added a great and shocking twist. I was kept on the edge of my seat from page one.

Overall this was a great book. It was just the book I needed to jump back on the book train :)

I enjoyed this story. The Four Monkey Killer "4MK" is one nasty piece of work. I love the books that get into the serial killers head, and this one was messed up! I think my favorite bits were the relationship between the detectives, and even the swat team. They had me busting out laughing! These are 3 characters that I'd love to read more about. Hint, hint. The only thing that kept this from being a five star book was the wording. Mostly it was fine, but occasionally some awkward dialogue would show up. It made the characters seem stiff. Still, I plan on sticking around with this author. He's good, and I think he can only get better. Yep, I'd recommend this book and author. Thanks much to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Netgalley.

A great consistent well written read. I couldn't put it down once I got into it.

The evil little protagonist of this book, nicknamed 4MK (Fourth Monkey) was a little boy who grew up to become a cold-blooded torturer and murderer. As you read his diary, you begin to feel some compassion for the young child. This quickly ends when the story jumps forward to present day as a group of detectives works tirelessly to unmask who he is in the hopes of saving his latest, and the most innocent victim, 15-year old Emory.
The detectives’ viewpoints, led by Porter, who is reeling from the loss of his wife due to a gallon of milk he was too lazy to get, are told in the third person. The pace is quick; the detectives work together well with wit, knowledge and strong devotion to one another. As they move closer and closer to figuring out exactly who is who, they learn one of their own team isn’t who he portrayed himself as. Even worse, he may easily be the person they’ve been searching for all along.
The pace of events is quick. Just as you may grow bored with the search efforts, the book switches over to 4MK’s diary. This alone will keep your attention. It’s like a book within a book, and they’re both full of twists and blindsiding moves.
I don’t normally read detective-based books, but this one grabbed me and refused to turn loose. It’s a fun, quick, sometimes gruesome, sometimes humorous, sometimes compassionate mix of emotions. The ending is pure serendipity. You’ll find yourself once again, after all the senseless torture, smiling for the young child 4MK was. The perfect read!
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for making it available.)

Want your own letter from a serial killer? It's an actual prop from the upcoming television series and film to be directed by Marc Webb (The Amazing Spiderman, Gifted, 500 Days of Summer). Better yet, how would you like a draft copy of the novel? We're giveaway this and more - follow the link below for details:

http://jdbarker.com/fourth-monkey-contest-win-draft-copy-upcoming-novel-4mk/

"We are going to have such fun, you and I."
#4MK

I love when an author takes us inside a psychopath's mind, showing us how and why the person became a cold-blooded killer. The author does just that with The Fourth Monkey, giving us a complex serial killer with an interesting mix of nature/nurture disaster.

We learn a lot about the killer through his diary, with sections interspersed throughout the present-day story. I thought parts of the diary were over-the-top, stretching plausibility, and feeling almost satirical. Still, as a whole it works. Besides, it is a diary, written by a psychopath, so we might expect him to embellish and/or alter certain events.

The plot moves at a good pace, keeping us engaged as we uncover all the pieces of the puzzle. With Detective Sam Porter, we have the damaged hero trying to redeem himself. While that's become a standard with crime fiction, Sam is well developed and his story is unique. His vulnerability feels honest, adding dimension and realism to the 'typical cop' character.

This story is violent, dark, and sometimes graphic. We are reading about a serial killer, after all. I thought the author struck an excellent balance, not holding back but also not using graphic scenes for shock value.

I thoroughly enjoyed Barker's writing style. We are in the moment, with the characters, experiencing the events as they do. My only complaint is that the characters did a whole lot of eye rolling. (26 times, if we're counting.) I admit it's one of my quirks, getting sidetracked and hung up on this sort of thing, but I started rolling my own eyes at the characters. I read an ARC, so I'm hoping some of these eye rolls were edited out in the final version.

My other minor complaint is that this book has followed the new trend of cliffhanger endings. This cliffhanger isn't horrible, as many I've read over the past couple of months have been. (I'm not a fan of the trend.) Much of the story resolves itself. But not all of it. The storyline will continue into future books, which is now evident by the addition of 'A 4MK Thriller' after the title on Amazon's listing.

Sam Porter, a homicide detective in Chicago, has been chasing a serial killer, the Fourth Monkey Killer (4MK), for five years. One early morning, he received text messages from his partner Brian Nash and was requested to a fatal traffic accident scene. He then found the accident's victim carried the object that only 4MK would possess. Who was this man, 4MK? Who is the newest victim of 4MK? Where does 4MK hiding his victim? As the investigation progresses, Sam and his team gather more clues. Can they connect the dots quick enough to find the girl alive?

I was waiting for J.D. Barker’s new book since I read Forsaken. Obviously, this is not a sequel of Forsaken. Nevertheless, it didn’t disappoint me. I was so engrossed in the story from the first page and didn’t want it to end! The story is constructed with three different voices. The first one is, of course, Sam Porter and his investigation team. The second one is the newest victim of 4MK. The third one is a boy from 4MK’s diary. Emotions and temperatures of these three are so different that they intensify the suspense. Especially, the calmness and coldness of the boy beautifully contrasted with other two. There are some gruesome scenes, but hey, this is a psychological thriller, you know that, right?

The story is full of thrills and suspense, yet it’s not like one of those books that you only want to know how it ends. Every page and every episode are so intriguing, and you don’t want to miss any details. Besides, the author writes scenes so eloquent and vivid that you can almost see, taste, and smell it. It also has a fair share of plot twists, but they are not an “absolutely WTF-ending” kind of twists. (To be honest, I am getting tired of the nonsensical WTF-ending lately.) Rather, twists lead readers into a dark maze, deeper and deeper. It’s much more sophisticated and quietly exciting. It is the best psychological thriller I have read this year. I am so looking forward reading his next book!

I received an ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Net Galley, and this is my honest review.

The Fourth Monkey had a great twist which strikes at the right time!

As a lover of thrillers, I couldn't pass on this book and I'm glad I didn't. The last half of this novel had me completely enthralled.

The Fourth Monkey starts with the death of the serial killer known as the Four Monkey Killer or 4MK. Yet, even from the grave, he's able to throw the city of Chicago back into chaos one last time.

How?

Well, with his dead body a box containing the ear of another 4MK victim is found. This serial killer has taken the lives of numerous individuals over the years. He's very smart, methodical and he chooses his victims for a reason. When he has his next target he proceeds to cut their ear off and he sends it in a box as his calling card (S7ven anyone?). Then, the eyes, and last their tongue. So definitely gross stuff.

Detective Sam Porter has been trying to catch the 4MK for the last five years. Recently put on leave, Sam is called at home when the 4MK body is found. Sam knows he has to join his team in search for the new victim. Since they need a set of fresh eyes, the team decides to add a new smart CSI to help them out. They need to follow the clues left by the 4MK. They know a young woman is running out of time.

The Fourth Monkey Killer had a great set of characters. More specifically, 4MK. I like how the 4MK was portrayed. His diary shed a great insight into the reasons for his pathology. It was really interesting to learn about his beginnings. You are going to think I'm crazy, but even though he did despicable things, I didn't hate him. How can that be? I guess the answer to that question would be the fabulous writing is all to blame.

I'm looking forward to reading another novel by J. D. Barker now.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Four Monkey Killer (4MK) has been stumping law enforcement for five years. A body is found, carrying a small white box which holds the ear of a young girl (a 4MK calling card) and Sam Porter, taking time off to deal with his own inner demons, is drawn back in as lead on the case. It appears that even from the grave, 4MK has put into place a game to leave his final message. Clues are everywhere. A diary is found on the body and Sam is taken deep into 4MK's childhood, just one of many carrots dangling in front of his proverbial horse. Can Sam solve the clues before another person has to die?

WHAT A FREAKIN' RIDE!!! Barker takes us on quite the psychological journey. Alternating between Porter (lead detective on the case), Claire (another detective), Emory (the abducted girl) and 4MK's diary, he leads us right into the bowels of torture hell... and I love every single minute of it! I was mostly enthralled with 4MK's diary - we get a birds eye view right into how he became molded to be the person that he is - what can I say, I love a twisted mind. Reading this was like having 2 books in one - WIN WIN! The way Sam Porter pieces together clue after clue is exciting and I felt right in the middle of the chase. While some parts may not be for the squeamish, the author does it in a way that feels necessary and not for shock value. I definitely felt myself cringing at certain areas, but wide eyed and ready for more. There is also much humor in the banter between the characters that I truly appreciated and helped to alleviate from the somber, more disturbing parts of the story.

The hype for this book is absolutely legit and I'm not surprised this is optioned for film and TV. Full of surprising twists that are sure to freeze your eyes wide open (easy now, don't make it so easy on 4MK....), you'll be turning the pages as fast as you can to get to the ending. Be careful though, just when you think you're on the right trajectory, Barker fish hooks you and reels you in a completely different direction. Where is the next book? Surely it doesn't end with this. It can't. I won't accept it! **Scurries to buy everything by J.D. Barker**

The eye catching cover paired with the description, "Se7en meets The Silence of the Lambs" - there's no way I wasn't going to read this book. My first novel by JD Barker, THE FOURTH MONKEY was quite the way to start with his work. Dark, twisty, and gruesome - this is the perfect thriller for any horror and suspense fans out there.

Detective Sam Porter is woken up by a phone call - there's been an accident and he needs to come to the scene. Considering he works in homicide, Porter is confused but amuses his partner and goes. A man was hit by a bus, but this wasn't just any man, they believe that he is the Four Monkey Killer. The 4MK is a serial killer that had terrorized the Chicago area for half a decade and was never caught. He followed a very specific formula, and with the body, Porter finds a white box wrapped with a black string. He has another victim, another victim that could still be alive.

Not only do they find the package on his person, but they also recover a personal diary from the killer. Since his face was mangled in the bus crash, they still have no idea who he is. Porter takes the diary with him as they fight to find the next victim. You dive into the mind of a psychopathic killer. Through his diary he continues to taunt the detectives while giving very minimal clues as to who he has taken.

I loved this book. So twisted, gory, and fast paced. We go through alternating narrators in this story. The diary entries are my favorite - I found myself reading faster so I could get to those chapters! I really liked how the killer got his name. Not going to lie, when I saw the title I was thinking, "how the hell does someone get that as their nickname?" The whole, Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil monkeys come into play. He would first send an ear, then the eyes, the tongue, and then the body would be found with a note that read, Do No Evil (the Fourth Monkey).

This was my first time reading anything by JD Barker, and it definitely will not be my last! I love his style of writing. The short chapters made this read even faster. It was the perfect amount of twisted and demented for a serial killer thriller. Porter and his partner Nash were incredibly likable. Porter's backstory was effortlessly weaved into the story, which made his character seem even more human. If you like the thrillers where you dive into the mind of the killer and that isn't too heavy on the typical police procedural, then I'd highly recommend this one!

I give this 5/5 stars!

Thank you to HMH Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.