Author: J.D. Barker
Series: 4MK Thriller #1
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Publication date: June 27, 2017
Book Description: 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.
Thoughts:
This felt like a fast-paced read, it can be done in a couple of days or if you really have the time in two sittings. This is a murder mystery and we do follow the detectives in charge of the investigation so it's not exactly unique, but it works and it didn't feel as predictable. Also, we do not follow an unreliable narrator which has been my unlucky streak lately, so it's a plus.
As usual, the story begins with the death of the man real soon clues are revealed and the detectives reach the conclusion that the dead man is the serial killer they have been hunting. He's known as The Fourth Monkey Killer, a killer that has terrorized Chicago for the last 5 years. We're all familiar with the three monkeys - hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. The fourth monkey represents 'do no evil' which, coming from a serial killer is hilarious.
On the day he died, he was on his way to a mailbox with a package, his signature feature, so now that they know there is another victim out there, the race begins. The man had kidnapped his last victim and following his MO, he would keep her alive for a few days while he sends messages to the grieving family.
All of this is in the book summary but it's really hard to talk about it without giving it all away. We follow two different timelines, one is the present- the detectives trying to solve the case. On the body, they found a diary, it starts with his early childhood and family life, so we are getting the back story of the killer. If what he wrote is true, there is nothing that can be verified by the police. The story of his life is slow but it does provide a lot of clues about his thought process, it does engage you, but then it suddenly cuts off at the peak of discovering some dark secret and the story brings you back to the present. Those constant cliffhangers got annoying real quick for me.
Be warned this is very graphic in torture and injuries so if you are easily turned off by gorey details, it might not be the best for you. I did find some parts distressing, but I was able to look past it.
This is a physiological thriller, it does have a lot of shock factor but it does follow a very over-the-top plot. The reveals will feel bunkers and the more the story progresses the more the reveals feel ridiculous. I had to suspend disbelief during the story but it's a very gripping story as you read, my main problem is that after reading it and moving past the gore- there was just a classic murder mystery, not too remarkable, and I was not really engaged with Sam. The detective felt flat and forgettable, or more like interchangeable with many other detectives. For a one-time read, it was good, but highly unlikely for me to go out of my way to reread it.
I am not sure I will continue the series. I might just do it because they're easy to-get-through stories, but it's not the type of book I am going to consider my top murder mysteries of te year.
I gave this
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