Wednesday, September 13, 2017

57. The Fourth Monkey by J. D. Barker

read on my iPhone
2017 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
404 pgs.
Adult murder mystery/police procedural
Finished 9/13/17
Goodreads rating:  4.19
My rating:  4.5/5
Setting:  contemporary Chicago

First line/s:  "There it was again, that incessant ping."

My comments:  A creepy, chilling, deliciously mesmerizing story of two men - one a cop, the other a psychopath.  So much happens in the story, and it's all told in very interesting ways.  We read the psychopath's diary, written especially for the cop, Sam Porter, to read.  We follow along with the cop as he returns to work after the murder of his wife (although it is slowly revealed that she has been murdered). And we suffer with the victim as she struggles through a horrible kidnapping.  There's a lot of violence.  Those parts sort of reminded me of the Archie Sheridan mysteries by Chelsea Cain.  I got creeped out a number of times, but couldn't wait to get back to find out what was going to happen next.  And the ending was really something.  Oh yes, there will be more....

Goodreads synopsis: 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.

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