Author: J.D. Barker
ISBN: 9780008250393
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date: 23rd July 2018
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
The Fifth To Die is the sequel to The Fourth Monkey, these are the first two books in the 4MK Thriller series. I have heard that though this is the second in a series it does stand alone convincingly.
Dark, disturbing and a chilling insight into the mind of a serial killer; this one is not going to be for the faint of heart.
A young girl is found beneath the frozen waters of a lagoon and there is a list of inconsistencies that make the whole scene fail to add up. The police department start working on the case while Detective Porter continues investigating the 4MK case in secret, until he finds himself suspended.
The Fifth To Die is a race against a serial killer as the detectives do their best to stop the body count rising while Detective Porter follows leads that will hopefully assist them with another serial killer.
Gritty, dark and disturbing this one has had some great reviews. Some of our members are reading and I can’t wait to find out what they think.
J.D. Barker can be followed on Facebook, Twitter and his Website.
The Fifth To Die is out now. Thanks to HQ Fiction 20 of our Beauty and Lace Club members will also be reading The Fifth to Die so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
JD Barker is a gifted author and has written an absolute page turner. We are introduced to Detective Sam Porter and a large assembly of characters who are either victims, family members, colleagues or the suspected serial killer Anson Bishop. Detective Porter is investigating the suspected murder of a young girl, found frozen beneath an ice-covered lake, however her body has only been there for three weeks and the lake has been frozen for three months. We then learn of even more murder victims and it is now a race against time to find this serial killer and stop him before there are any more victims.
Although this is offered as a stand-alone book, I found there were numerous references to the first book, The Fourth Monkey. This made some of the storyline a little confusing as I haven’t read The Fourth Monkey and I had to accept that I wasn’t able to understand some of the references to 4MK and the events of the previous book.
To read of the thoughts, fears and psychological processes that these characters experience has been very interesting and JD Barker certainly has a vivid imagination. I would happily recommend this book to anyone who likes to be on the edge of their seat, who is willing to imagine the horrific events that the author describes and to be engrossed in the suspense of the chase. Thank you to HQ (Harper Collins Publishers) and Beauty and Lace Book Club for the opportunity to read this fantastic psychological thriller.
This is a fantastic book which I could not put down! I will also say I was not a fan of serial crime books but I am now! Whilst I havent read the previous book by JD Barker, The fourth monkey, I could follow the story easily. There were many references to the previous book so I have put a hold on a book at my local library! Cant wait to read it.
I loved all the characters in Fifth to die, they all fit, were totally believable and they felt solid. JD Barkers talent to twist and turn is one of a kind with one line throwing a spin on where you think the story is heading. For such a thick book, it took me an amazingly quick time to finish it.
I really felt for detective Sam Porter who investigated from the start. Anson Bishop has become entangled in his whole life and just when you think he got his life back on track, WHAM! But on the other side, did he bring all this on himself?
I enjoyed the fact that we not only saw inside the detectives minds who were working the cases, but the girls minds from the time they were taken but also the mind of the killer. Amazing insight!
Thank you for allowing me to read FIfth to Die. I will be rereading again!
Warning to all!!!
Before you read this book you will need to read the first book in the series The Fourth Monkey otherwise the book will not make sense at times and you will find yourself lost.
I love all things dark and twisted so this was right up my alley. I found this book multilayered so it took longer for me to get right into it especially with the opening moving slowly but the speed and suspense increases as the plot unfolds.
Anson Bishop, the Four Monkey Killer is still on the loose and Detective Porter and the team have been pulled from the hunt by the feds. Porter is assigned to another case where a girl went missing and was found murdered in very strange circumstances. Porter who is fixated on Bishop secretly continues his pursuit of 4MK but when the captain finds out about his activities, he is suspended from all investigations but obsessively continues his pursuit of Anson Bishop. All i can say is strap in and enjoy the ride without falling off your seat as there will be moments you will come close!
It is extremely well written and haunting which we all want out of a psychological crime thriller so fingers crossed for a third book!
Thank you Harper Collins Publishers and Beauty and Lace Book Club for one hell of a book!
The fifth to die is a captivating and enjoyable psychological thriller that was very well written. I haven’t read anything by J.D. Barker before but I really enjoyed the writing style. I hadn’t read the first book “The Fourth Monkey” as I didn’t realise this existed, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it easy to follow. I would recommend reading the first book prior to this one if given the opportunity as it would add to your understanding of this novel as there were a few little bits that I felt like I didn’t fully understand.
The book was fast paced, with chapters flicking between many characters. The closer to the end you get, the pace gets even quicker as the chapters get shorter and flick more rapidly between characters which just makes you want to keep reading and reading. There isn’t really a main character as such as we get to know so many characters through the book and follow their journeys, some of which come to a tragic end.
The story is filled with crime and details some quite horrific events, so it is probably best to be aware of that before you start. As the book progressed and the story developed it always had me thinking and once I thought I had figured something out another twist would be thrown in. It isn’t until the very last page that everything is tied together, and then there is still enough left open to leave us longing for a third book. It was bittersweet when I finally got to the final page which reads ‘To be concluded’ because while I wanted to find out more answers, I also am happy to get to read another whole novel like this one. I would recommend reading this book!
I recently read the book The Fifth to Die by JD Barker. There is a previous book – called the Fourth Monkey which I didn’t know about – so while reading it there were reference to 4MK and I was missing bits and pieces in reference to the previous story. This was quite confusing, and I felt it was disjointed as I didn’t know the full story before. I would go back and read the first, but now there doesn’t seem to be a point because it would be out of sequence to what I just read. But once I figured out there was a previous story I was hooked on reading it!
I liked the twists in the relationships of the characters – how their paths had crossed before, they were good little links. The book was easy to read as well, and the scenes and actions were well described.
But there were a few things I came across I didnt quite like. How it would’ve been better and made much more sense to read the first book. I found every few pages he dedicated a couple of them to “evidence” – but I just read all of that in the actual chapters so didn’t need to be repeated I thought.
The most frustrating, was reading through to find the ending …. to have it say “to be concluded”. No ending to a story I’ve just spent days reading?! I was disappointed. I now have to wait til the next book, but that was really disappointing to not have a satisfying conclusion to wrap everything together. It could have been wrapped up, and then a new morsel of information added to keep it going if that was the purpose.
Overall I liked the book, but realising probably reading the first book would be beneficial, and no ending to a story was bothersome to me. Thanks to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read the Fifth to Die by JD Roberts.
Thanks Beauty & Lace & Harper Collins for the opportunity to read The Fifth to Die
Although this book was a great thriller & read well with plenty of intrigue for a stand alone book I can understand why it would have been easier to understand if I had read the first book The Fourth Monkey.A very descriptive & characterful read that I did enjoy & would recommend but as others have commented “to be concluded” was really annoying.Now I have to wait for the next thriller in the series
I absolutely loved this book,
I wish I had read the previous book The Fourth Monkey might have got the gist of the story a bit better,
Anyway was a superb book to read full of twists and turns was a hard book to put down
There must be a third book cause at the end said “To Be Concluded” which sort of leaves the reader hanging
Thanks for selecting me to read this book
This story is one of a series. As a standalone book it is a little confusing at times, while the book is well written & the storyline is definitely intriguing – the book ends with a ‘to be concluded’. After spending days reading a book that is supposedly a standalone book, the ending was frustrating.
“The Fifth to Die” is the second instalment in the Detective Porter series; this is not well telegraphed in the blurb, and nor is the fact that this doesn’t really stand alone well. There’s enough recapping in the plot that you can grasp what’s happened in book one, although I had a vague sense that I probably hadn’t really got all the important details. More importantly, this novel doesn’t resolve the plot – it ends on a cliff hanger which carries through to another novel. I don’t necessarily have a problem with this, but I do find it annoying when I realise I’m effectively reading an instalment of a serial, not a complete novel. I like to be forewarned.
In this novel, Detective Sam Porter is unhappy that he and his team were unable to capture the serial killer Anson Bishop; he continues to brood and to continue an unapproved personal investigation. Meanwhile, he and his team are brought in to investigate the murder of teenager Ella Reynolds – an investigation which becomes more urgent as another teenage girl goes missing. The press is quick to blame Bishop, but Porter and his team have good reason to believe a new serial killer is at work.
There’s a really interesting plot here, and although Barker doesn’t shy away from the routine parts of an investigation, it moves fast and never fails to keep the reader’s interest. Barker writes well, and has a good ear for dialog. It’s easy to believe in the characters and their actions, and most readers will quickly empathise with the members of the investigating team.
Although I was irritated by the lack of resolution, simply because I wasn’t expecting it, overall I enjoyed this book. It’s a well written thriller that hews to the traditions of the genre while still injecting originality. Although it’s a longish book, and the plot spreads across at least three novels, it didn’t feel unnecessarily drawn out – it’s well paced.
Recommended for thriller readers, with the caveat that reading the previous book first would probably improve this one; and you shouldn’t expect major plot resolution in this novel.
Wow, what a great book. From the moment you start its hard to put down.
At times I was a little confused, thinking I had missed something as the author referred to events etc that hadnt been discussed and it was only when I realised that there was another book that I understood my confusion. It seems like this is advertised as a stand alone book however I feel that this is a little misleading as there were quite a few references to the other book that I felt like I was missing out on something.
That issue aside, this is a gripping crime novel (not normally my preference) but WOW it is well written with detailed character development and plot. It is easy to get to know the characters and to feel what they are experiencing. The story line is well developed and moves well through the story – not feeling like it is too slow or rushed. There is quite a lot of detail around the how and the why of investigations however this is delivered in a clear and interesting manner.
I would certainly recommend this series (start with the first book though)!