"Don't stop reading. I need you to understand what I have done."

This book has garnered a lot of attention on blogs and social media, with lots of 5 star reviews on Goodreads. But, as usually happens for me with majorly hyped books, I feel like I'm missing something. I did find The Fourth Monkey interesting and read it pretty quickly; it's got a particularly dark serial killer, a lot of twists and is fast paced. However, it's also completely unbelievable and borders on the silly. But, if you don't mind suspending your belief, and you have a strong stomach, then you'll probably enjoy The Fourth Monkey.

This is one to read if you want a relentless, twisty-turny thriller with gore and sex thrown in by the bucketful. It is not a slow-burning or subtle novel, you're not going to be particularly moved by it and, with my experience anyway, it won't stay with you afterwards (although it did take me a while to get over a few of the torture scenes).

If subtlety and realism are your thing then The Fourth Monkey is not for you. To be honest, I'm surprised I liked this book as much as I did because I do prefer a slow-moving mystery but you've got to go into this one with your eyes open. It's gory, it's fast-paced and it's not remotely based in reality. But if you know not to expect an authentic story then The Fourth Monkey is enjoyable.

Maybe enjoyable isn't the word, compulsive reading?

The Fourth Monkey has a good basic story; a serial killer found dead, the countdown to find his last victim and a diary to provide background. I do like serial killer thrillers and I especially like books that look at the childhood of the killer. 4MK does do this, and I did enjoy reading the diary extracts, but the whole time I was thinking, this is ridiculous. But, as I said before, suspend your belief and you'll plough throw the book.

I also enjoyed the whole concept of the fourth monkey and the killer targeting people who have broken the 'do no evil' rule. I won't give too much away as it's quite important to the book, but I do like how there is some background behind this.

"The wise monkeys may date back to the dawn of man."

I felt quite connected to both the killer and the 'goodie' Detective Sam Porter, probably because they both get the most page space and because Barker does delve into their minds a fair amount. However, I found the rest of the characters a little two dimentional and sort of fodder to bulk out the story.

As I mentioned before, this is a gory book with a lot about torture. While I don't mind a bit of gore this made me really uncomfortable and at times it just seemed to be unnecessary.

Having said that, I did read The Fourth Monkey pretty quickly and it was pretty scary and twisted so something must have kept me hooked.

Rating: 3/5

I received a copy of The Fourth Monkey via NetGalley in return for an honest review. My thanks to the author and publisher.

A Thief, a Tease, murderer and kidnapper
And that is exactly what our bad guy is through and through.
It’s been a while since I have read a book so enthralling and fast paced, that I have read it in one sitting, but to give the heads up, it is very hard to put this book down.
Sam Porter a 58 year old cop. He receives a text from his partner Nash about an accident, somewhat unusual a request given that he works in homicide. His partner Heather has left a note ‘Gone to get Milk’ but has not returned.
A man has jumped in front of a bus, upon him is a small parcel; a white box with black string to be addressed to a house across the road. A box just like the other 7 victims that contained via 3 boxes, an ear, an eye and a tongue. That makes 21 boxes over 5 years. And the serial killer has remained at large. Porter can’t help but question, could this be the fellow mowed down by a bus??
Our serial killer calls himself the 4th Monkey (4MK). He has left a diary to give Porter an insight in piecemeal form of how he was brought up to become a serial killer. The diary is absolutely fascinating and makes you feel like you have connected with as real as any serial killer, albeit as a teaser you have to be mindful some of it could well be fabricated/embellished. From the outside the family could have looked normal and happy, but actually they were homicidally deranged. There are a number of strings within the book the follow; Nash’s partner, the case he is following, the making of the 4 MK murderer and all the drama that this backstop entails. The book has a no holds bar, graphic approach, so not for the tentative. It’s exceptionally well crafted. The characters are bold and extremely memorable, the pace rapid and immersive. It is a real dark page turner, but one that retains a sense of twisted fun, one to devour.

I loved Porter and Nash, and the premise of the book made me want to read it immediately. Well written, gory in places, this book is a definite page turner. I did enjoy it, although it did take me a couple of chapters to get hooked. Once I was though, it was a race to the end!

This was a thrilling book that had my heart racing and really left me on the edge of my seat. From the get go, it was really one that left me wanting all the answers straight away but they came slow and steady in a way that was frustrating but also quite satisfying at the same time.

At first, I wasn’t a fan of the diary entries because of the proper tone that was used but I did get used to them and they were really compelling to read. I just wanted to find out more and more and they got crazier and crazier, seriously.

I did guess one thing near the end but I wasn’t too disappointed when I turned out to be right, I thought it was pretty clever and there was still a way to go before the conclusion so there was a lot of excitement and tension to come.

And the epilogue, wow! Need more now!

This is a fabulous book ,gruesome ,thrilling gripping exciting I just didn't want to put it down .Just when you think you have it all figured everything is spun around .I loved the characters ,the diary chapters were brilliant in a creepy and disturbing way can they really be true ?I never wanted the book to end but a brilliant ending it was .Wish I could give it 10 stars !!!!

Shocking, thrilling, stylish... many other superlatives can be used

For over five years, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorized 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 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 the hope of finding one last girl, all the while struggling with his own personal demons.

This is a very sick and twisted read and therefore right up my street! The killer's clues date back to his childhood and therein lies the fascination with this story as his was no ordinary childhood and his thoughts and actions, given his age, are utterly chilling. The oxymoron underlying the whole story is that the fourth monkey represents “Do No Evil” and the killer dispenses his own brand of vigilante justice to punish a family member whose relative has perpetrated an unpunished crime. Such depravity is always shocking to read about but strangely entertaining!

It is dark, scary and squeamish but interjected with some humour, especially that among Porter's team, a dollop of gallows humour. I loved the chapters devoted to the killer's diary which took me right into the mind of a sadistic killer. I identified with Detective Sam Porter's character - he's smart, vulnerable and funny and the sarcasm playing between him and his colleague, Nash, helped counterbalance some of the disturbing violence. The plot and writing style are perfect and the whole thing was topped off brilliantly by a massive twist right at the end. This is top notch thriller/horror writing and I implore, not ask, you to read it forthwith!

Digger 95

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I received my copy of The Fourth Monkey from NetGalley for an honest review.

The title intrigued me as I requested this book for review. What transpired was just literary genius I believe. It has been some time since a book gripped me to the point I wanted to keep reading to see where things went.

A serial killer has been out there killing for 5 years. His signature is leaving boxes with small parts of his victims. Time passes between each and after the 3rd a body is found.

Have the police and the lead detective had a break when an "accident" kills a man carrying the first of what would be 3 boxes? Time is then ticking to ensure that they find the potential victim.... could 2 or 3 days be enough for them to rescue the latest victim?

What then ensues is a cat and mouse story where the police believe they are homing in on the identity of the Fourth Monkey Killer only to be played and played well...

A book that was thoroughly enjoyable with a massive twist.... well worth the read !

A serial killer, known as the Fourth Monkey, jumps out in front of a bus killing himself but leaving his trade mark little white box tied with black string alongside his body. It contains the ear of his latest victim. It is a race against time to find the person to whom it belongs. The killer appears to leave several clues to guide Detective Sam Porter and his colleagues to reach the victim. Porter has been on his trail for many years and he has so far evaded capture. This fast paced story has the reader hooked from the first page and I genuinely could not put it down. The story flips from killer, victim and detectives and each chapter ends on a cliffhanger. Often dark and quite gruesome at times with several twists and shocks, I found this book an enthralling read and I would hope it is not the last featuring Sam Porter.

Well, what can I say??? Wow! Just wow, the book grabs you as soon as you open it! I loved the style and flow of the story, found it easy to read and a book I just wanted to read and read.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good serial killer/mystery story but, saying that, it is definitely NOT for the sqweamish!!!

5 star read if there ever was one!!

Superb,magnificent and any other word that describes a novel such as this. Brutal, graphic with a cast of good hearted heroes led by a broken detective and his cohorts. Moments of wry humour interspersed with the main perpetrators story make for a fascinating story. Once again Superb recommended!

Thanks to Net Galley and to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for offering me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
This novel ticks many of the boxes of successful thrillers: interesting and gruesome crimes (and a pretty bizarre serial killer), police procedural elements (and an investigating team easy to connect with and amusing at times), tension ticking (a girl has been taken by the 4MK [Four Monkey Killer] and she must be found before she dies), twists and turns (I suspect most avid readers of thrillers will guess some, at least, of them), red herrings… It is fairly long, although it keeps a good pace. If I missed anything, it was perhaps more psychological insight. And if we stop to think about it, the police force seems pretty ineffective but…
The story is told in chapters written in the third person from different points of view, mostly Porter’s (the lead investigator in the case although not fully back to work after some time off. We learn the reason later in the book) and Emory’s (the young victim), although there is the odd chapter from one of the other detective’s points of view, Clair. Interspersed with this we have fragments of the killer’s diary, which is found in the pocket of a man killed by a bus at the beginning of the book. The diary, that starts out pretty harmless, as the account of what seems to be a pretty normal childhood, gets creepier and creepier as it goes along and it provides an understanding (or justification of sorts) for the killer’s later behaviour (blood is thicker and all that, but there are also lies, secrets and betrayals. That is, if we are to believe the diary). That and other aspects of the book (and I don’t want to say much to avoid spoilers) including the cat-and-mouse chase, provide us with some interesting insights into the mind of the killer and emphasise the fact that appearances can be very deceptive. A seemingly normal middle-class family can hide all kinds of dirty secrets. And upper-class families can too, as becomes evident through the book. The revenge/avenging aspect of the murders (the sins of the fathers are visited…) is not new, although it makes the murderer more intriguing.
The other parts of the book help move the story forward and the events are set chronologically, from the moment Porter is awakened by a phone call that brings him back to the police, as he’s been chasing the 4MK Killer for over five years. Although Porter’s point of view dominates the novel, I did not feel we got to know him all that well. Yes, something has happened to him (I guessed what it was early on) and he is suffering and unwilling to openly acknowledge that or discuss it; he is not keen on gadgets and seems utterly out of touch with new technologies and social media, and he is determined and driven, putting himself at risk repeatedly for the good of others. But, although I liked the fact that the team of detectives investigating the case were pretty normal individuals (not corrupt, not twisted and bitter, even when it would be more than justified, not morally ambiguous psychopaths), I still missed having more of a sense of who Porter really is. Clair has little page space and I got no sense of her own personality, other than knowing that she cares for Porter and her colleagues and she has an amusing love/dislike relationship with Nash (who is the character that provides the light relief throughout the book). In the case of Emory, who finds herself in a terrifying situation, we get to share her experiences with her, and it is one of the most effective portions of the book, adding to the tension and the need to keep turning the pages.
The style of writing is direct, with only the necessary descriptions to allow us to follow the investigation (including descriptions of clues and places. I particularly enjoyed the idea of the tunnels from bootlegging times that help bring the setting’s history into the novel). The chronological storyline and the signposting of the different points of view, make it a story dynamic and easy to read, and although it is perhaps longer than the norm in the genre it is a fairly quick read.
As I said, there are plenty of twists and turns, enough to keep one’s mind busy, although I suspect avid readers of the genre will guess a few of them, if not all. I have read some of the comments disparaging the fact that the police seem to be pretty ineffective and they only get to rescue the victim thanks to the clues left by the killer. Indeed, that is so (in fairness, Porter, who seems the most clued-on of the team and the expert on this case, is battling personal issues of his own and not at his best) but, if anything, that further emphasises the relationship between Porter and the killer. What attracts the killer to Porter? The ending (oh, yes, very satisfying, although, of course, it creates intrigue for the next book in the series) highlights that issue even more. I get the feeling that this series will improve as it goes along but only time will tell.
In summary, a story of evil hiding in unexpected places, of secrets and lies that are covered by a thin veneer of normality, and a solid police procedural thriller, with a main character and a killer whose relationship holds the key to more mysteries to come. Ah, a word of warning. If you don’t like graphic violence and torture, you might want to give it a miss.

Absolutely on the edge of my seat with this book!
I started to read and lost myself in it, I couldn't put it down.
So many things I didn't see coming, which is unusual for me, so this was not a predictable plod along story line, this was knock you back twist and turn, keep you guessing brilliance.

This is a horrific serial killer thriller that will have you reading non stop till the end with its gripping narrative. Sam Porter is a Chicago detective dealing with a personal trauma that has him on leave. Then he gets a call from his partner, Brian Nash, to get himself pronto to a traffic death. For five years, Sam has been trying to get the Fourth Monkey serial killer, who sends three white boxes consecutively, containing the ear, the eyes and tongue of the victim alluding to the three monkeys who hear, see and speak no evil. This is to punish a relative of the victim, who turns out to have done evil in direct contradiction to the fourth monkey saying, do no evil. This is a dark tale, lightened only by the humour and banter of Sam's team.

The traffic death is that of the serial killer, who was in the process of posting a white box with an ear in it. Sam and his team race to find the final victim before she dies. There are several items on the body of the killer, all of which are vital clues for the police as the killer taunts them from beyond the grave. One is a journal, that Sam reads, that depicts the childhood of the killer with his parents and their next door neighbours, the Carters. It is a grisly read with parts I do not care to dwell on, I really don't need the nightmares. The killer has a close relationship with his parents, particularly his father. who instills the need to be polite at all times. What happens is directly related to the police investigation. The victim turns out to be fifteen year old Emory Connors, the illegitimate daughter of Arthur Talbot, a powerful and wealthy man. As Sam and his team try to get to the bottom of what exactly Talbot has done and find Emory, there is twist after twist until the connections come together and the surprising truth comes to light.

It is odd to think of a serial killer being driven by the moral imperative to put an end to evil deeds. This moral ambiguity gives rise to some questions, a man who does despicable things to innocents, to punish the guilty? Is it possible to feel empathy for the killer? Then there is the final twist which does not give Sam's reaction to the act. An impressively plotted novel with a narrative that is bound to hit the bestseller lists. A brilliantly gruesome read that I highly recommend. Thanks to Harlequin for an ARC.

Best book I've read in a long time. Compelling story kept me hooked and guessing from page one to the last.

"Se7en meets Silence of the Lambs"? Not quite. But very close.

There really is a lot to like about this book. From the very opening page to the dramatic, tantalising conclusion this is a book which will grab your attention and hang onto it with grim determination through every twist and turn.

Porter and his colleagues are wonderful points of colour against the darkness of the serial killer. The counterpoint of the diary against the current day narrative works particularly well, and the cutouts to the victim only serve to intensify the very tangible threat which pervades the book.

The pacing is excellent and drives the story forward. At no point did my interest wane of falter.

A word of warning - this can be a little graphic, though not gratuitously so. The explicit nature of the narrative is, in my view, perfectly pitched to elevate the storyline.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

Not for the faint hearted. A lot of really gory detail, too much at times! A very good psychological thriller set in Chicago. Dark, twisted and gruesome but a compelling read nevertheless. Watch out for this one, read and enjoy. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

Not sure my relaxing holiday was the best place to read this thrilling twisting exciting and oftimes graphic book but once I had started there was certainly no going back. Just have to say I was glad my holiday wasn't in Chicago or I think I may never have been able to sleep!!

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.

I really am a bit lost for words having just finished reading this book. In parts it was like lots of books I have read and the characters were a bit like others I have read, but collectively it was nothing like anything I've ever read before, ever! I predict that this will be a huge success and expect everyone to be talking about it and recommending it as a 'must read'.
Definitely a stand out book and I highly recommend it. To be honest you will need to read it to understand what all the fuss is about when it hits the bookshops.

Gripping and chilling, this book kept me hooked until the end. The characters were credible and the plot had twists which often threw me. Not for the faint-hearted as some parts were graphically gory, but personally I rather liked that!