A man has committed suicide by jumping in front of a bus and Detective Sam Porter gets the call he has been waiting for - it looks like the man is the "Fourth Monkey Killer" he has spent years chasing because the man has a box in his pocket containing a human ear and addressed to a prominent local business man. Porter, and his partner Nash, know that this means a member of this man's immediate family is missing and they need to find her before it's too late. The thing is, the man's wife and daughter are safe so who is missing? Can the diary in the killer's pocket give the answers Porter, Nash and their team are desparately looking for before it's too late? 
 "The Fourth Monkey" is a police precedural at heart but is so much more than that, having interesting characters on all sides and therefore plenty of people to root for aside from simply wanting the killer to be caught. The story is written from multiple points of view and this definitely adds to the tensions of the story, particularly those involving Emory Connors. The other fascinating sections are those from the killer's diary and the divergent parts coming together definitely add welcome tension to the novel without making it feel as if the author is stringing things out. 
 Apparently JD Barker is a "horror" writer, but I would certainly not pigeonhole this book in that way - there are some slightly unpleasant bits but nothing more than a usual crime novel and these were only used as a necessity to further the story. As I said, this is much more of a thriller so perfect for any fans of crime fiction of all types. 
 I did really enjoy this novel, I liked Porter and Nash's team very much, and I could see it continuing as a series. If it did, I would definitely read more. Highly recommended! 
 This novel is released on 27th June but your can pre-order it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourth-Monke... 
 Thanks to the publisher for the ARC - #4MK