The Fifth To Die by J.D. Barker

Title: The Fifth To Die
Series: 4MK Thriller
Author: J.D. Barker
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: July 10, 2018

In the thrilling sequel to The Fourth Monkey, a new serial killer stalks the streets of Chicago, while Detective Porter delves deeper into the dark past of the Four Monkey Killer.

Detective Porter and the team have been pulled from the hunt for Anson Bishop, the Four Monkey Killer, by the feds. When the body of a young girl is found beneath the frozen waters of Jackson Park Lagoon, she is quickly identified as Ella Reynolds, missing three weeks. But how did she get there? The lagoon froze months earlier. More baffling? She’s found wearing the clothes of another girl, missing less than two days. While the detectives of Chicago Metro try to make sense of the quickly developing case, Porter secretly continues his pursuit of 4MK, knowing the best way to find Bishop is to track down his mother. When the captain finds out about Porter’s activities, he’s suspended, leaving his partners Clair and Nash to continue the search for the new killer alone.

Obsessed with catching Bishop, Porter follows a single grainy photograph from Chicago to the streets of New Orleans and stumbles into a world darker than he could have possibly imagined, where he quickly realizes that the only place more frightening than the mind of a serial killer is the mind of the mother from which he came.

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OH. MY. GOSH! 

May I please have the next book now?

The Fourth Monkey Killer was one of my favorite thrillers last year. I was left wanting for more. J. D. Barker listened to his readers and he has given them a present in the form of The Fifth To Die. 

Like so many other readers, I was dying to know more about Anson and detective Sam Porter.  I couldn't wait to know where was the story taking us!

At the end of 4MK, Anson told Sam, he was ready to find his mother. I was thinking nothing good could come from it, right? 

The Fifth to Die opens with the discovery of a girl frozen in a lake. Sam and his team are called to the scene. Nothing makes sense, the girl seems to have drowned in salt water and her clothes belong to another missing girl. It seems the city of Chicago has another serial killer on the loose.

Sadly, Sam won't be able to follow up on the case. Not soon after discovering the body of Ella Reynold, he's in trouble with his boss, work, and with the FBI. You see, Sam couldn't let it go. He's still searching for the 4MK. He's been doing his own investigation on the side and this is a no-no for his superiors. 

The Fifth to Die had me in a stage of complete wonder. I was trying to piece things together with the little clues J. D. Barker was spreading throughout the pages. There were multiple storylines, another diary by 4MK and the sense of urgency in finding any of the girls alive. The cast was fantastic. Sam, Anson, Clair, Nash, Kloz and Agent Poole all had a purpose. 

Now let's talk about the ending. Major cliffhanger. I hope we don't have to wait too long for the conclusion of this excellent series.

Kudos to J. D. Barker for following with a solid sequel. 

Cliffhanger: A major one.

4/5 Fangs


A complimentary copy was provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.