Name: Jillian Roberts's review of The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker
Item: The Fourth Monkey
Rating: 4
Author: Jillian Roberts

J. D. Barker

Se7en meets The Silence of the Lambs when a notorious serial killer is hit by a bus while delivering his signature message, leaving detective Sam Porter days to locate the last victim using clues from the killer's disturbing diary, words that taunt Sam--even from beyond the grave.

The Fourth Monkey

Tennyson 

"Se7en meets The Silence of the Lambs in this dark and twisting novel from the author Jeffery Deaver called, "A talented writer with a delightfully devious mind." For over five years, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorized the residents of Chicago. When his body is found, the police quickly realize 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 on the 4MK task force, 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, unraveling 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"--

The fourth monkey

Graphic, disturbing, thrilling, twisty... Will be reading the next two books for sure

Jillian Roberts

Frederik Creemers

I was really torn between 4 and 5 stars here. I agree with others that the diary sections seem a bit over the top, and they take some getting used to. Soon though, suspension of disbelief kicked in, and it's been a thrilling ride ever since.

Denaiir

4.5 stars
Great one! The 4th Monkey killer's MO was quite original, the twists were good and the ending made me want to pick up book 2 asap.

This was a well written psychological thriller that kept you engage.  Detective Porter has been called off his mandatory leave when the 4MK Killer strikes again, kidnapping a prominent businessman’s daughter.  There is definitely twist and turns you do not see coming.

The reason I gave it a lower rating is because of the dark content regarding a child.  It was a bit too disturbing.

Trigger warnings:  extreme graphic material, sexual content, strong language and child abuse.

Barbara Williford

This was a well written psychological thriller that kept you engage.  Detective Porter has been called off his mandatory leave when the 4MK Killer strikes again, kidnapping a prominent businessman’s daughter.  There is definitely twist and turns you do not see coming.

The reason I gave it a lower rating is because of the dark content regarding a child.  It was a bit too disturbing.

Trigger warnings:  extreme graphic material, sexual content, strong language and child abuse.

Stef

Ga nyangka aja tebakan ku soal pelaku nya bener 😌😌 plot twist diakhir oke banget menutup kebosanan di bagian buku diary nya. Sumpah ngga nyangka tersangka si opnum itu. 😭😭. Crime investigation nya ini juga rapi, pembangunan plot nya dapat banget and one of my favorite rapi dan perasaan thrilling nya dapat.

Siya S

3.5 Stars, round down to solid 3 

Yeah, I see why this has been such a hype (at least in here where I live). It's complex, fast-paced, full of twists and turns — a real page turner. I finished this one in like, 1.5 days even though I had this thing called *sigh* work. I am amused. 

The less you know what this book was about, the better. Let's say it started with a shocking death of a notorious serial killer. Yup. Welcome to a wild rollercoaster ride. 

Also, everyone in this universe is super fucked up. So please consider yourself warned.

อ่านเพราะทนเสียงรบเร้าไม่ไหว เชื่อคนง่าย 555 สนุกและตื่นเต้นไป หลักๆคือมันเดินเรื่องไวแบบสับ และช็อคมากกับความห่าเหวของมนุษย์ในจักรวาลนี้ 5555 เราฟังตอนขับรถก็คือมันส์มาก ร้องเห้ยบ่อยมาก เพราะหักมุมในหักมุม เอาจริงๆพลอตไม่ใหม่ บางอย่างก็เดาทางได้ แต่วิธีเล่าคือเอาอยู่ สนุก

ไม่รู้อะไรมากน่าจะดีสุด เรื่องเริ่มต้นด้วยการตายของฆาตกรต่อเนื่อง 4MK ที่หลอกหลอนชิคาโก้มาหลายปี แต่สิ่งที่ควรจะเป็นจุดจบ ดันกลายเป็นเพียงจุดเริ่มต้นของเรื่องราวให้คุณนักสืบ แซม พอร์เตอร์ ต้องหัวหมุน ปั่นมาก เรื่องเกินเบอร์ไปมาก สนุกแบบสามดาว อาจจะอ่านภาคต่อมั้ง ยังไม่แน่ใจ 5555

lexie

non stop thrill ride. I read this 500 page book in about 3 days I couldn’t put it down. I think this is different from a lot of thrillers/mysteries out there. 

Se7en meets The Silence of the Lambs in this dark and twisting novel from the author Jeffery Deaver called “a talented writer with a delightfully devious mind.” Two days to save her . . . For over five years, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorized the residents of Chicago. When his body is found, the police quickly realize he was on his way to deliver one final message, one which proves he has taken another victim who may still be alive. One day . . . As the lead investigator on the 4MK task force, Detective Sam Porter knows that 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, unraveling a twisted history in hopes of finding one last girl, all while struggling with personal demons of his own. Zero. With only a handful of clues, the elusive killer’s identity remains a mystery. Time is running out as the Four Monkey Killer taunts from beyond the grave in this masterfully written fast-paced thriller. “Creepy, scary . . . and impossible to put down! The Fourth Monkey is everything a thriller should be—a must-read!”—Heather Graham, New York Times best-selling author of Law and Disorder “A twisted, movie-worthy serial killer thriller.”—Crime by the Book

Lori Keenom

I read this after all the hype. I enjoyed it, but not sure it lives up to all the hype. 

Starts out with a serial killer getting killed at the beginning, and team of detectives trying to find his latest victim before its too late. 

Meanwhile, throughout the book there are parts of an old diary throughout, that seemed to make the book drag. 

Not sure I will continue on with the series.

Jolie

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**

Rachel Schommer

What a wild ride!

I belong to a couple of thriller/suspense/crime genre fan groups and I've seen this series recommended a number of times in each of those, so I finally decided to go for it. I could not put this down! It had everything - twists, turns, jokes, and my favorite: super likable characters. Also, I didn't immediately guess what the heck was happening. Mainly because it was such a big plot that I didn't put it all together. But don't let that 'big plot' scare you, I promise it is all expertly gathered together in a nice little box and sealed with a ribbon for you :)

I'm jumping directly into the 2nd book of this series because DAMN! I just can't get enough, and I'm super excited to see what J.D. Barker has in store for the next 2 books.

Tennyson &
The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker

Reviews

Join the club

Tennyson &The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker

Reviews

Join the club

Tennyson &
The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker