The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker

For more than five years, the Chicago police department has been on the hunt for a serial killer they’ve deemed as the Four Monkey Killer, 4MK for short. When his body is found after being hit by a bus, they find information that leads them to think his most recent victim is still alive. Detective Sam Porter is working the case, and is determined to save the girl that’s been taken my 4MK, and when he finds a diary in the pocket of the body, he finds himself in the mind of a psychopath that will stop at nothing to exact “punishment” on his victims.

Told in alternating timelines between the present day and diary entries that detail 4MK’s childhood, The Fourth Monkey is an edge of your seat thriller that you won’t want to miss!

The Fourth Monkey was one of my most anticipated thrillers of the year, and I’m so glad I finally got the change to sit down and read it! I loved every minute of it, and couldn’t get enough! The writing was superb, and every time I finished a chapter I kept telling myself “just one more!” because I was dying to know what would happen next.

I loved Detective Porter as our lead, and we got to see some of his personal life as well, which I really enjoyed. I would love to read more books about him and his team! The build up in this book was excellent, and there was a twist I didn’t see coming when all of the pieces of the puzzle were revealed, and I LOVED it! I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again now – I love when a book is able to surprise me! These days, I read so many thrillers that I can often see the “big reveals” coming, but this one caught me off guard. I also thought the ending of the book was perfect, and I was left speechless when I finished the book and put it down.

Overall, this is a book that quickly moved into my “favorite thrillers” list, and I’d recommend it for fans of the thriller genre! There are some parts that are a little gruesome, but as long as you’re okay with that, definitely pick this one up! You won’t want to miss it, and I think people will be talking about this book soon! This was a strong 5 star read for me. A huge thank you to Netgalley, J.D. Barker, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review.