This was a good book but I quickly became uninterested. Maybe it’s because I like JD Barker’s supernatural books much more.

I just love J D Barker and he wrote this book with a co writer Christine Daigle and between them wrote a great book.
I built a connection with the main character Jena Campbell who arrested the Leviticus killer now a new killer has popped up and he wants Leviticus released from prison or people will die plus unless she confesses the lie she has been keeping she will not save them.
The ending was brilliant.
A must read.

Heavy Are the Stones, by JD Barker and Christine Daigle, is a police thriller that gains momentum as you progress. This is, for me, a bounce-back book from Barker.

The combination of present-day technology, from drones to VR, with Biblical justifications for murder makes this an interesting read. I was curious how they would mesh and they did so quite well. That said, it is still the characters that drive a story, and the main characters here are well-drawn. In particular Jenna, the lead detective, is your typical (but well done) flawed protagonist.

One issue I had with a previous book from Barker was the use of, by my standards, gratuitous gore well beyond what was necessary to move the story along. That isn't the case here, we do get detailed descriptions, some that make your skin crawl, but all in service to the plot.

I tend to like novels, especially thrillers, that use short chapters to propel the reader as well as the action. Interspersing these with documents (police reports, psychiatric reports, news articles, etc) that serve as flashbacks but from a dispassionate POV worked very well. They didn't always have an obvious connection to what came just before or after, but they did always add to our understanding of the bigger picture.

The antagonist's identity isn't too hard to figure out well before the reveal, but it isn't so obvious that it spoils anything. There are a couple possibilities, and you can never, if you're honest, know for certain which one it is, even if you strongly believe it is this person.

I would definitely recommend this to readers of grittier mysteries, thrillers, and maybe soft horror readers. It has some action, especially near the end, plenty of potential directions it could go, and a compelling protagonist.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for my ARC of this book.

Felt a bit stilted at times and the main character was annoying

3/5

Wow! This book was excellent! 5/5⭐️!! The storyline was gripping and unique, the characters were complex and the fast paced nature made it hard to put down! I have read other books by this author and loved this one as much, if not more than his others. Well done, J.D. Barker!

An intense, incredible thrill-ride. This book doesn't stop. Action from the first page to the last. Love the main character, Jena Campbell. Complex, and always moving, always giving us something to work with her. I read this in one sitting.

The murders were crazy! I had to know how the next person was going to die. And the mystery surrounding the killer was engaging from beginning to end.

This reminded me of an 80's thriller, but updated for current times. All gas, no brake. At times funny, gory, and God damn intense. Highly Recommend.

I grabbed this because I’m a huge fan of The Fourth Monkey series. Barker’s collab with Christine Daigle is another hit with both authors working perfectly together to bring readers a suspenseful novel with a unique premise. This is certainly going to be a best seller and I’m grateful for the chance to read in advance!

This felt like a trip back to early days of Barker’s writing with a nicely paced ending. Would recommend to fans of his the Fourth Monkey series.

JD Barker's “Heavy Are the Stones” is a gripping, dark thriller that fans of his 4MK series will absolutely devour. The story follows Detective Jena Campbell as she is forced to confront the terrifying secrets of her past when a mysterious figure threatens to unleash a series of deadly plagues. The intricate plot is masterfully woven, making it easy to follow despite its complexity, and I found myself fully invested in the fate of the characters. Though the book dives into some truly terrifying and dark territory, I enjoyed every minute of it. A solid 5-star read! Thanks to NetGalley for providing an early release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Jena Campbell must confront her darkest secret and her past when a man threatens to unleash ten deadly plagues unless a killer, she put behind bars is released. With only ten days to stop the madness, she must team up with the man she condemned to find the mysterious Azrael before it's too late. But as she faces the truth, she realizes the real terror lies within herself.

All of us who adored the 4MK Series approached this book with open minds, eager to see what this collaboration would bring. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as it exudes great J.D. vibes with an added layer of intrigue. The plot is truly captivating, with each author bringing a unique approach to the table that ultimately flows seamlessly and keeps the reader gripped. Well done to both of you!

I found myself eagerly anticipating the big reveal and how it would all unfold. This captivating read reminded me of Criminal Minds TV show. The ending felt a bit open, perhaps there will be a sequel?

Thank you NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When Det. Jena Campbell arrested the Leviticus Killer, five years ago, she thought the nightmare was over. It was not. Someone is very patient.

And now, someone is playing with her. A new killer is picking up where Leviticus left off. And they have demands. Release him or people will die. There is also a nasty little secret Jena has been keeping, but not too well.

Now unless she confesses, the killing will continue.

The tension and suspense were so thick, and the ending…well, that was really good!


NetGalley/ Hampton Creek Press November 26, 2024

Let me start by confessing that I'm a J.D. Barker fan. He hooked me with "The Fourth Monkey". Now he has partnered with Christine Daigle.

His latest offering, "Heavy Are the Stones", is another home run. It's a bit dark, but what good suspense thriller isn't?

If you're looking for a book that will keep you awake at night, give this one a whirl!

Oh dear. I usually enjoy J.D. Barkers books, I think the only one I didn’t get on with was when he co-wrote the book and it has happened again here.

A rather predictable and ponderous story of religious fundamentalism and murder mixed with VR and technology, it’s an instantly forgettable piece that has few if any redeeming features.

Cardboard thin characters, uninteresting and ludicrous storyline with “baddies” that must be the least interesting ever put to paper.

The whole thing felt like the author(s) thought the story was more profound or interesting than it actually was. There was a whiff of self importance about the whole thing, especially the absolutely cringeworthy last few pages, the pseudo religious rhetoric and the “followers”, I’m sure it was an attempt at shining a light on modern life, the divisive politics that have reared their heads at both ends of the spectrum and the religious rhetoric mixed into politics but it’s kinda like if Spinal Tap thought it was a serious look at trials and tribulations of a rock band.

I’m only giving this 2 stars because it’s J.D. Barker and there are serial killers but everything else about this was kinda dumb and well, really really poor.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC though Netgalley.

It's no secret I'm a huge Barker fan. With that being said, this did not feel like a Barker book. Maybe it's the collaboration with Daigle.

The writing fell completely flat for me. I didn't like any of the characters. The overuse of biblical references detracted from the story (even though the theme was biblical). I found myself praying for the book to just end by 30% in. I plowed through though. A little piece of me was curious to where the book would go.

I made myself a mental note that if Barker pairs up with Daigle again, I won't be reading it. It's nothing against either one of them, but the writing combo just isn't my cup of tea.

My rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ absolutely loved it!!!

Ten days to keep a lie.
Ten plagues if you deny.
Ten ways to watch them die!

This book is written by J.D. Barker and Christine Daigle - I do not know Christine’s work but whatever the two of them did in this one it was a winner for me!! I also read somewhere (might have been another reviewer wrote it in their review) that J.D. Barker writes Literary Popcorn with a purpose of entertainment and not to be profound… I think that will help some people if you haven’t read his books before, it is easier to suspend your disbelief if you are going into it knowing its supposed to be over the top and supposed to be for pure entertainment.

With that said… I loved it. It wasn’t perfect but I wasn’t looking for that. I loved so many things about this book and it will be the exact same things that some people will hate about it. If you have read the 4MK Thrillers by this same author and loved those then I would guess you will love this as well.

Firstly, it has multi POV, and I mean multi - there are quite a lot of thoughts, stories and people to keep track of, I know a lot of people who say nahhh that is too confusing - perhaps skip this one if thats the case. For me though if done well (which I feel this was) then it adds so much to a story. To me its like when I watch a webinar or go to a meeting on Teams and one single person is talking at me with their boring ass PowerPoint slide for 1 hour … I want to punch on with my laptop - one long boring voice the entire time. Now don’t get me wrong I do enjoy books without multi pov but personally its something I am fully on board with and love.

Second, it had other things… like news articles, case notes, list of suspects and evidence - I think this book will be great to see in paperback/hardcover I reckon it will look cool on the pages. Not to say you cant read it on Kindle (I did) but the uncorrected proof didn’t do those parts the justice that I think a real live book will do and for that reason I think I will even go and purchase it when its released.

It also had a moral dilemma - one that I clocked pretty early on but I got it… I thought to myself wow what would I have done in that situation… you know those really grey areas that are taking a turn for the bad but you get why it happens. I love that.

I loved how imperfect Jena was, she could be unlikeable but so likeable all at once. She was full of anguish and she just wanted to get shit done and her total personality opposite her partner Mary was pretty lovely as well. It was great to have two FMC cops that were partners but were written in a way that I thought was a bit different. There was no YEAH MY DAD WAS A COP AND I NEED TO BE LIKE HIM AND ALL MY BROTHERS AND ANCESTORS BEFORE ME … OOH CAVEWOMAN STYLE!! They had their own issues and personalities because they were their own unique people… I liked that.

AND we have the POV from one of the victims with hints of what is happening from the killers POV… YES!! Call me a sicko but we almost never get that and when we do and its done well its great!!

Another really cool factor was when we got articles from the news it was online posts so there were comments from people added in and you get to see basically what happens in real life on those articles the mix of genuine all the way to insane comments and the online fighting and trolling… loved it.

Look I could keep going… but I loved it. 5 stars and I would recommend it to anyone who loves this authors work and anyone who loves all the things I do above. This one is a bit of a treat too it is under 400 pages which is rare for this author so if you want to dive in somewhere but don't want to start with 600 pages this is a good place to start. It could be a standalone but I am hopeful it will turn into a series… I won’t say more because I don’t want to give anything away.

This was a good book, but not great. It lacked character development, the entire story felt very shallow, I never built a connection with the main character or any of the characters. It had a lot of great action scenes and the premise, although predictable, kept me intrigued and wanting to find out how it ends. I was just hoping for more depth.

Jena is a police detective involved in an investigation with biblical undertones, as she matches wits with a killer called Azrael who is threatening to unleash a series of plagues unless his terms are met. For more plot details, read the book! This is a dark psychological crime thriller, and the authors don't shy away from graphic details. I like J. D. Barker's writing and trust him for a twisty, creepy thrill ride. Always expect the unexpected! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this! I've been on the hunt for a really good thriller and this scratched that itch! This is one of those stay up all night and keep turning pages until your eyes get blurry reads.

Detective Jena Campbell is forced to revel a secret she’s never wanted revealed, as the serial killer who calls himself Azrael demands that she tells the truth and sets free the Leviticus Killer whom she falsely sent to prison five years ago. Azrael kidnaps the Governor’s son Jack and sets in motion killings that mimic the Ten Plagues of the Old Testament. Azrael plans on putting the killings on Social Media, one day at a time until day ten when he plans on killing Jack as his last victim. Can Jena reveal her secret and ruin her life, her job, and possibly set another killer free or will a child’s life that hangs in the balance set in motion the unthinkable. This was a interesting read and the ending may set the tone for a sequel.

I won't give you a summary of the story; several people have already done that very well.

As usual, J.D. Barker offers us a mix of suspense, psychological thriller and mystery, combining religion, a policewoman with a dark and painful past and a cruel crazy assassin. It's a good recipe for piquing our curiosity. And the author keeps it alive with plenty of thrilling scenes.

I've read some of this author's previous books and really enjoyed them too. His talent is still undeniable here.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for this excellent novel.