Do not go near this book unless…… you have been warned #thefifthtodie @JDBarker @houghlinmiflinharcourt #chesapeakepublic library #thriller #serialkiller #series @absltmom

ALERT>>>>>> do not go near this book unless you have read The Fourth Monkey. Oh, and do prepare to be blown away once again by this author’s creation of one of the most “perfect diabolical” serial killers ever! Move over The Following, you have been upstaged…

“A telling analogy for life and death: Compare the two of them to water and ice. Water draws together to become ice, And ice disperses again to become water. Whatever has died is sure to be born again; Whatever is born comes around again to dying. As ice and water do one another no harm,”

So let the mayhem begin! In this, the second book of the 4MKThriller, we are again on the trail with Detective Potter in search for serial killer, Anson Bishop. However, Potter is pulled off the Bishop case to search for the killer of a missing girl who has been found encased in ice in a lake. Is Bishop at it once again? However, the modus operandi has changed, and Potter is not convinced that Bishop is the murderer. The police conclude that a serial killer can evolve and Bishop is the man.

At any rate, just like before, girls are turning up dead and of course Anson Bishop is suspected. However, there is something different, something “wrong” with the killings. They just don’t seem to fit the pattern dear Anson has established. As the story continues we are slowly fed a diet of murder, mayhem and clues that lead to things that make one afraid, very afraid.

It seems however, that Anson may have picked up a buddy, one very twisted dude. He is totally perverse, a depraved miscreant, in other words a perfect friend for Anson, that is if he is indeed a friend. This new “maybe” ally of Anson’s is diabolical, creepy, and downright frightening and is just as gruesome as Anson, maybe even a tad bit more…. Are they connected or is it possible that the police and Potter are once again foiled by Anson? It’s all terrifyingly wicked.

It’s all mad, simply mad, as we find that Anson is once again a brilliant adversary, seeming to anticipate every move those in law enforcement try. He has them literally chasing their tails and he plays this like a game of chess treating the police like pawns. He is diabolically clever, and of course diabolically dangerous. …and this is to be continued. Yes, dear lovers of serial killer stories, a third book in the series is coming ……more carnage is on approach as we once again find Potter trying to find Anson and put a stop to him. Will Potter succeed or will Anson once again rule the day? …and the second killer…….???

This book is recommended for those who have 1)read the first book, 2) don’t mind having nightmares, and 3) are totally into serial killers. Although a bit on the long side, Mr Barker has succeeded in writing a tale that is chilling creepy, and downright eerie! Bring it on….. I am prepared…..

and here’s the author:

J.D. BARKER is the internationally best-selling author of Forsaken, a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel, and winner of the New Apple Medalist Award. His work has been compared to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Thomas Harris. His 4MK Thrillers, The Fourth Monkey and The Fifth to Die, were released in June 2017 and June 2018 respectively. He has been asked by the Stoker family to coauthor the forthcoming prequel to Dracula due out in fall 2018. His novels have been translated into numerous languages and optioned for both film and television. Barker currently resides in Pennsylvania with his wife, Dayna, daughter, Ember, and their two dogs, both of whom sit outside his office door daily, eagerly awaiting his next novel.