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.” Two days to save her . . . 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 … one final message, one which proves he has taken another victim who may still be alive.
One day . . .
As the lead investigator on the 4MK task force, Detective Sam Porter knows that 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.
Zero.
With only a handful of clues, the elusive killer’s identity remains a mystery. Time is running out as the Four Monkey Killer taunts from beyond the grave in this masterfully written fast-paced thriller.
“Creepy, scary . . . and impossible to put down! The Fourth Monkey is everything a thriller should be–a must-read!”–Heather Graham, New York Times best-selling author of Law and Disorder
“A twisted, movie-worthy serial killer thriller.”–Crime by the Book
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Although I didn’t feel this book lived up to all the reviews claiming it was a cross between Se7en and Silence of the Lambs, it was a pretty good read. The author needs to work on his subtlety (if he was trying to be subtle).The whole thing about Potter’s wife was obvious, and when you’re pretty sure you’ve picked out the bad guy within pages of his first appearance you have to figure that either the author needs more seasoning, or maybe he really did mean for you to know.The story isn’t ruined by knowing. And the characters are mostly likeable. So I can’t say it kept me on the edge of my seat, as promised, but I will probably read the sequel (i want to find out if I’m right about the killer’s mother).
This was definitely a book that was hard to put down. I am looking forward to the next in the series.
Suspenseful. New ideas and interesting writing style. Great believable characters. You get mostly Porter and the killer’s stories & I hope the next book fills out Nash & Clair some more. You can’t help but like who the players are, and can’t help but want more. Even reading the killer’s diary makes you interested and curious about him.
Hard to put down but had to work or would have finished much sooner.
Hate that I have to wait for next book to come out in a year.
The book opens with a man being run over by a city bus. When detectives arrive on the scene, they discover he is carrying a box with a severed ear, and was apparently on route to mail it to the family of his latest victim. This is the MO of the Four Monkey Killer, a serial killer who has terrorized the town for the last five years. Although on personal leave, Detective Sam Porter is called in on the case, since he has been working the case since its beginning. With the killer dead, it becomes a race to find his latest victim, before they die of hunger/thirst.
On the killer’s body, is a diary written by him. It is the story of his childhood. As we get to read the diary, it tells the story of a really twisted, messed up childhood. There is a creepy, overly polite tone to the writing. The chapters of the diary are interspersed between the chapters of Porter’s hunt for the victim. Both storylines are amazing. There were twists and turns in both stories that I didn’t see coming. I didn’t want to stop reading.
This book does have some graphic violence and very disturbing imagery. There was a scene with a rat and a bowl that was particularly hard to read. Be advised that if you are squeamish, there might be some difficult scenes for you.
This book was everything a book should be. It was intense, surprising, and very interesting. I loved it and highly recommend it.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.