The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker

Woah! What. A. Book. Literally speechless, it’s that good. I was only a few chapters in when I realized that this book is honestly so good. It hooks you in from the beginning. Some chapters give an intimate look into the life of the unforgiving, horrific serial killer known as the ‘Four Monkey Killer’, or the 4MK. I found these chapters particularly interesting because they were written from the killer’s perspective and were truly frightening, as they scared me to the core. It’s the kind of novel in which you honestly have no clue what the ending is going to be. Usually, when I read crime thrillers, I have a pretty good idea of what the ending will hold, but honestly I had no clue what was going to happen and I’m not complaining. If you’re a fan of cliff-hangers at the end of chapters, as I am, this one is for you.

The Four Monkey Killer has been killing people for the past five years. Not one person can identify who the killer is, not even the investigators. However, there’s a break in the case when a man is killed by a bus. He was carrying a black box tied with a white ribbon, which is the Four Monkey Killer’s signature. Additionally, in his pocket, a diary is found and in this diary, a psychopath’s life can be unravelled.

Sam Porter, the lead investigator on the 4MK case, begins to read this twisted journal and the reader also gets a glimpse into the diary entries. The chapters alternate between the investigator’s perspectives, the victim’s perspectives as well as the journal entries. I believe that having the journal entries as separate chapters made the book all the more interesting. These entries were chilling, sick and included many twists and turns.

In fact, the whole book was full of twists and turns, and the ending will seriously leave you speechless. I feel like I say that for a lot of books that I read, but one thing is for certain. This has been the creepiest, most intriguing page-turner I have ever read! This novel is definitely for adults and not for the faint-hearted, as it’s quite brutal!

I had a strong liking for Sam Porter, the lead detective. He’s an intelligent, fast-thinking individual who has a good sense of humour. Although he is battling his own demons throughout the novel, he is strong and hardworking. He is always focussed on the end goal and will do whatever it takes to get there!

Also, I really loved how there was a huge focus on the journey to finding the killer, rather than the procedural police work. This kept me hooked on the book, and I found myself not being able to part from the book until I finished the last page. I had a lot of trouble writing a review for this novel because I didn’t want to spoil the book for anyone, but nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a comment below if you’ve read this book already or if you’re going to add it to your TBR list. Happy reading!