Great novel. I hadn’t read the earlier book but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this as a stand-alone. Will definitely read the next in the series

Once again... another incredible book in the series. The Fourth Monkey is one of my all time favorite reads and this is no different.

The wonderful Sam Porter, his beautiful team (I love them all), twisted as can be serial killer.
This book takes a delve into Bishops personal life as the crimes get more and more messed up, as the murders get darker Porter is pulled further into the hole Bishop is digging.

I loved the story telling method. Told in nearly real time, over 4 days and told from many points of view I flew through this 530+ page book in 3 sittings. It was equally as wonderful as the first. The only down side is THE CLIFFHANGER.
Barker best get writing because I can’t wait for the next.

#TheFifthToDie #NetGalley Prior to reading this book I read some reviews that said you must have read book one in the series (The Fourth Monkey) or this book will not make sense, so I started the book with some trepidation. But, for me, I found that not having read book one did not spoil anything. Yes, it may have been better to understand more about Bishop and Sam but there were enough references in the book to give me a good idea of what went on. The writing was excellent, the plot gripping and twisty and I really didn't want to put this book down. I loved the characters of Sam and his team and how they all supported Sam even when he was off the case. As I neared the end of the book, I was all geared up for a five star review and then …………….. I can understand and live with a cliffhanger at the end of a book, particularly if it is a series, that gives you a sneak preview of what the next book may be about. However, this book had so many loose ends and things unanswered about the main storylines that I felt cheated and frustrated. It was as though the author had hooked you in and then said 'ha ha, you will have to wait for the next book to find out what happened' Just like one of those never ending soap operas. I found this deeply disappointing, especially as it is likely to be some time before the next in the series is available. JD Barker is obviously a great thriller writer but leaving so much unfinished left me wanting to scream and rather spoilt the book for me. Will I give the next book a chance? I really don't know at this stage. I really wanted to give this a five star rating and if the ending had resolved at least the major story lines I would have been jumping up and down recommending this book but I feel, honestly, that I can only give it three stars.

Since The Fourth Monkey, the first book of this gripping series, kept me completely glued to the pages, I have been really looking forward to reading the sequel, THE FIFTH TO DIE, and once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down.

The book starts four months after the events of The Fourth Monkey and Chicago detective Sam Porter is still looking for Anson Bishop, aka 4MK (the Fourth Monkey Killer), even though the FBI has removed him from the case. In the meantime, there is another killer on the loose who is kidnapping and killing young girls while Anson Bishop wants his help in finding his mother.

Even though the novel is told from different points of views, from the detectives to the FBI, from the killer to the victims, and the reader seems to get a full view of the story, there are so many twists and surprises to keep you always on the edge of your seat. The chapters are short and almost each one of them ends with a shocking revelation or a twist that made me say “I’ll read just another chapter” and then I found myself reading another 100 pages.

The author created a cast of well-developed and multi-layered characters. Anson Bishop is very complex and we find out more about his troubled past. Sam Porter has also some secrets from the past and he is still helped by his team. I love the characters of Nash, Clair, and Kloz who have Sam’s back, even when he is forced to take a leave, and there were moments when they made me laugh with their quips and their irony. I also liked the character of FBI agent Poole and I am already looking forward to read more about this character.

THE FIFTH TO DIE is fast-paced, dark, intense, and chilling. The ending left me in complete shock and breathless and I can’t wait to read the third book of this brilliant and captivating series.

Whoa! The twister killer is back and every bit as scary as in The Fourth Monkey. Cannot wait for the next instalment in this creepy but compelling series.

This is the second story in the series and I think it is one where you really need to read the first book before to really appreciate this one.

Now I am going to try not to make any revelations that might spoil your enjoyment of either this book or its predecessor. It is essentially a serial killer murder mystery, told from multiple points of view. It is not clear if there’s only one killer or multiple and the whole case has been taken over by the FBI. However when more young women are kidnapped and bodies turn up in intriguing situations is it the same killer or another serial killer?

The story is a well paced read, a real page turner in which revelations from the diary of a killer are interspersed with current events. How these are linked, what exactly is the motivation - if any - and how to thwart the perpetrators make this a great suspense filled read. Much is resolved but don’t expect everything to be sorted as this is only the second story in the series. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley. This is my honest review after choosing to read it.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Netgalley and J.D. Barker for the chance to read and review this book.

Wow! Wow! Wow! That twist! That ending! I was screaming “It can’t end like that!” Barker how could you do that to me? As soon as I finished this book I needed to read book three. The wait will be torture….

This book started as it meant to go on: intense and gripping. The opening few pages were dripping with horror and suspense and pulled me back in to Bishop’s twisted world. This novel is the second book in the 4MK series and when I was approved to read and review it I hadn’t read book one. I don’t like reading a series out of order and the reviews I read suggested I would get more from this book after reading book one, so I decided to buy and read that first.

Despite the book opening with the 4MK killer, when the first body is found we seem to have a new killer ready to terrorise Chicago. How did Ella Reynold’s body come to be under a river frozen months before she disappeared? And whose clothes is she wearing? As more girls disappear and the killer also targets surprising victims it is clear they’re dealing with an organised killer with particular victims in mind. But can they find the link and the killer’s identity before too many lives are taken?

Although this book does a good job on catching you up on events from the last book and the history of the 4MK killer, having read the first book gives you that extra insight that makes little details more meaningful and increased my sense of apprehension. It also helped me understand Sam’s obsession with Bishop and why he’d risk everything to disappear and track down Bishop’s mother when he receives the picture. This move solidified what you’d expect of Porter’s character. He is someone who sees things through and is determined to find Bishop and get justice for his victims. But Sam doesn’t expect to find himself embroiled in Bishop’s twisted game in ways he never imagined.

While I initially didn’t find this book quite as gripping in places as The Fourth Monkey it was still a book that had those moments where you couldn’t stop reading. The final chapters were particularly captivating and had me transfixed in horror at the nefarious actions and revelations by Bishop and his mother. Suddenly so many little things took on a whole new meaning. The writing and plotting were cunning, masterful, mesmerising and flawless. This book has solidified this author and series as a must-read for lovers of psychological fiction. I just hope we aren’t waiting long for book three.

I loved, “The Fourth Monkey,” so was delighted to receive the sequel for review. This is set four months after the previous novel and features Sam Porter, along with Claire and Nash, and new characters who enter the book as the story progresses.

It is essential that you read the previous book first, or this will literally make no sense. The ending of, “The Fourth Monkey,” was a wonderful, brilliant twist. However, this novel is very much a continuation of the earlier novel and – it is worth saying – that there is also, obviously, going to be a sequel to, “The Fifth to Die,” and, as such, there is no clear cut ending.

This begins with a very creepy scenario. A missing schoolgirl is discovered, frozen under ice, dressed in the clothes of another missing girl… Thus enters another chase, as the team try to find how young girls are seemingly going with a killer voluntarily, only to become another victim. The scenes where the girls are held by the killer are deeply unpleasant. Personally, I don’t object to violence in crime books, but just be warned that some of the scenes in this novel are very graphic.

Meanwhile, side-lined from this investigation, Sam Porter is still obsessed with the MK4 killer and goes off to try to find his mother, as requested by him at the end of the last book. The press think that MK4 has returned, and, in this twisty, involved novel, we follow several interweaving threads. As such, I have to say that I don’t feel this was as deliciously dark and satisfying as the first book. It steered off in several different directions and it felt, at times, as though you were reading too many different storylines.

However, I will certainly read the next in the series (a trilogy, or perhaps we will have to wait longer to find some answers…) and look forward to some resolution in the next book. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

OMG WHAT A BOOK!!!!!!
After reading the blurb for this book i just knew that i had to read it. A serial killer that is two steps ahead of the police. This is a brilliant police procedural, it is dark, gory and its just everything i expect from this author. There were a lot of threads to the story but don't worry they do all meld together.
I read this book no i DEVOURED this book in one sitting. Forget the housework once i started this book i was in the zone. This book definitely got my heart racing, it is chocker block full of tension and action not forgetting the suspense WOW WOW WOW.
This is a thriller from a writer who is at the top of their game. I have read several of their other works and personally i think that this is the best one yet. If you are looking for a thriller that gets under your skin this is one par excellence. I do not read many books twice but i will definitely an exception with this book. An easy five stars if not more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !!!!!!!!
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC of this book in return for giving an honest review.

4.25 stars

This took me a while to get into,mainly as I'd missed book one (I keep saying I won't read a new series of books without starting at the beginning. Failed again).
There was obviously something quite epic going on with our murderer in book one,yet here he's a much smaller character.
Instead we have another murderer,fighting factions of the law and a back story that was slowly being revealed as we went along.
Once I'd got my head around our main trio of police,and knew what was happening,I actually didn't want to put it down.
By the time we got to the nail biting last few chapters,I was on the edge of my seat... and wondering did I misread or did that actually happen??
Book three better clear it all up for me.

There are so many reviews of this thriller that I will not waste time outlining aspects of the plot. Suffice it to say Barker is an old hand at raising suspense and tension with short snappy chapters and multiple threads that eventually connect. In enters another serial killer targeting young girls, torturing and killing them, imprisoning them in cages, an overused and too familiar trope as I wondered just how many serial killers the author is going to give us. Anson Bishop, the original 4MK serial killer is portrayed as the master serial killer, several steps ahead of Detective Porter searching for mommy dearest, Bishop's mother, and Agent Poole and the Chicago Metro police team. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading this octane fuelled sequel, however, it is beginning to bear all the hallmarks of a never ending soap opera for which my tolerance levels are starting to wear rather thin, particularly with its cliffhanger ending. I can probably see myself reading the next one, but after that, if it continues in this vein, I will probably drop it. Many thanks to HQ for an ARC.