JD Barker quote
The Fourth Monkey —The Fourth Monkey in English - is the second novel by American author JD Barker. Published in June 2017, it is the first installment of the 4MK Thrillers series, which has been very well received by the public and critics. Also, that year the book received the Apple E-Book awards in the category of "Excellence in Independent Publishing" and the Audie for best suspense thriller.
By then, Barker was already well known as a creator of crime, horror and science fiction stories thanks to Forsaken (2014), her debut novel. In fact, film and television rights of The fourth monkey were sold almost a year before the book was released to Paramount Pictures and CBSrespectively.
Summary of The fourth monkey
Argument
The title of the book alludes to the Chinese moral code of the three wise monkeys: see no evil, hear no evil, do no evil. For this reason, from the first page a succession of events is anticipated, conducted to the rhythm of a truly sick, violent and creative mind. In this point the key question is who or what is the fourth monkey?
For the serial killer it is simply a game designed to demonstrate his intellectual superiority. It's basically a riddle designed just for the police that ends with a chance to save the next victim.. But, from the beginning the murderer begins one step ahead of his persecutors ... Although he is already dead, there could be another victim.
The psycho
For five years, the serial killer dubbed "The Fourth Monkey" by the citizens of Chicago has terrorized its residents. When his body is found, police officers quickly become aware of a pressing situation. Apparently, the criminal was trying to send them a final message: there is another victim who may still be alive.
Consequently, the detective Sam Porter —Leader of the 4MK special task squad— intuits that, despite being dead, the murderer's ghoulish plans are far from over. This feeling is confirmed after the discovery of a diary in one of the pockets of the psychopath's jacket.
The victim
As you read the haunting lines written by the fourth monkey, Porter understands that he is already hopelessly trapped within an insane plot. In addition, the state of decomposition of the body makes it difficult to find out the identity of the murderer, therefore, it is more difficult to find the whereabouts of the victim. To make matters worse, the police have little time to save the dam.
Meta
Classic and original
The narrative thread of The fourth monkey evokes the sensations generated by the great classics of contemporary suspense (such as The silence of the lambs o Seven, for instance). Nevertheless, the development of the book is extremely original. Firstly, there is no such thing as a typical detective in pursuit of a murderer, since the latter has passed away beforehand.
Similarly, history encompasses all the indispensable components of a good thriller: intricate mind games, a young woman in mortal danger, permanent tension and drastic plot twists. Further, the homicide's diary shows a realistic evolution from an apparently normal childhood until a really twisted adulthood.
Style
Much of the down payment quota achieved by JD Barker in The fourth monkey it derives from the impact of their descriptions. In fact, eschatological details are relatively frequent in the story, thus, It is not a recommended reading for all types of people. The result has been an intense, dark and disturbing story for sensitive readers.
In consecuense, Barker's storytelling style offers highly dramatic and entertaining cinematic frames for thriller fans. For these reasons, the majority of literary criticism has rated Fourth Monkey as a dynamic, entertaining and addictive book.
About the Author
JD Barker
Childhood, adolescence and studies
Jonathan Dylan Barker was born on January 7, 1971 in Lombard, Illinois, United States. He lived his entire childhood in his home state until in 1985 he moved with his family to Englewood, Florida. There, earned his high school degree from Lemon Bay High School (1989). Later, he enrolled in the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale to study business administration.
First jobs
Barker job by the hand of Paul Gallota in the magazine Parallel 25th during his time as a university student. In that magazine had a close co-worker with Brian Hugh Warner (who later became world famous under the name of marilyn mason). Among his most prominent assignments are interviews with bands like Seventeen or TeenBeat.
Beginnings as a writer
In 1992, Barker began to show the results of his investigations related to paranormal events in Revealed, a small newspaper column. In parallel, he took his first steps as ghost writer (ghostwriter) while helping other emerging authors with their publications.
Literary consecration
On the official website of the Illinois writer, it appears that Stephen King authorized him to use the character of Leland Gaunt (of the novel Needful things) after reading a fragment of the first edition of Forsaken. Additionally, Barker's first novel became one of Amazon's best sellers and was nominated for numerous awards from the publishing world.
Influences
Apart from King, Barker has mentioned Neil Gaiman, Dean Koontz, and John Saul among his literary influences.. Currently, this American author is one of the most popular in his country within the genres of mystery, horror, science fiction and paranormal stories. Certainly, these are inclinations developed by the author from an early age and used in his writings.
About, the following note appears on the official Barker website: “… Rest only came after checking under my bed at least twice and then tuck myself under the safety of my sheets (which no monster could penetrate), tightly covering my head. He never went down to the basement. Never".
JD Barker's Posts
Short stories
- mondays (1993)
- Among Us (1995)
- The sitter (1996)
- Wicked ways (1997)
- A Caller's Game (1997)
- Room 108 (1998)
- Hybrid (2012)
- of the lake (2016)
Novels
Shadow Cove Saga
- Forsaken (2014)
4MK Thrillers Series
- Fourth Monkey (2017)
- The Fifth to Die (2018)
- The Sixth Wicked Child (2019)
Novels in collaboration with James Patterson
- The Coast to Coast Murders (2020)
- The noise (2021)
Other novels
- Dracul (co-author with Dacre Stoker - 2018)
- She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be (2020)
- A Caller's Game (2021)