The Fourth Monkey

Goodreads Description

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.

My Review

Every now and then I find myself in the mood for a good serial killer novel, and this one was pipped to be the best one of the year. When it arrived, I couldn't wait to finish what I was reading, and to jump in. And it didn't disappoint.

What I loved most about this story was that every alternative chapter was a passage from the serial killers diary, which he had made sure the lead investigator, Porter, found. The diary is a look back at the serial killer's life, at his totally screwed up childhood, his weird and callous parents and at the type of home the serial killer grew up in.

I thought that this was really unique and interesting. How many of us don't wonder about the childhoods of the world's most notorious serial killers? I know I do. I always wonder what happened in their lives to turn them into the monsters that they become. I can't remember ever reading about a serial killer whose background wasn't to some extent, messed up. They never seem to come from happy, loving homes, where they had wonderful, normal, loving parents...well not that I know of anyway.

This story is great. We get to meet a really twisted and deranged serial killer, but even more than that, we get to see what his life was like before he became a killer, what turned him into the person that he is. And then there's the added issue of whether the diary is in fact a totally true account of his life. Perhaps we'll never know, but what I can tell you is that this killer will give you the chills. What he does to his victims before he finally kills them is pretty sick and twisted, and up there with the worst of them.

I think you can see where I'm going with this review. Yip, you guessed it...recommended!

My Rating: * * * *

Publication Date: September 2017 (South Africa)

Genre: Serial Killer / Thriller

Format: Trade paperback

Source: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, J.D Barker and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.