The Fourth Monkey
4MK Thriller • Book 1
by J.D. Barker
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Graham Winton
Why Listen to This Audiobook?
Two narrators trade chapters like detectives passing a case file, and by hour three you'll be checking over your shoulder.
- Great if you want: procedural thriller with a genuinely unsettling serial killer mechanic
- Listening experience: methodical tension that builds slowly but pays off hard
- Narration: Ballerini and Winton's split POV keeps the dread switching perspectives naturally
- Skip if: graphic descriptions of victim mutilation are a hard limit for you
About This Audiobook
Chicago police detective Sam Porter confronts his most twisted adversary when the notorious Four Monkey Killer's reign of terror appears to end with the serial murderer's sudden death. Yet instead of closure, Porter discovers a final victim still trapped somewhere in the city, and time rapidly runs out to save her life. The killer's methodical pattern of psychological torture—sending body parts to loved ones in pristine white boxes—has haunted the department for years, but his posthumous game proves even more sinister as Porter unravels cryptic clues left behind.
Edoardo Ballerini and Graham Winton deliver masterful dual narration that amplifies the story's psychological intensity through distinct vocal characterizations. Ballerini captures Porter's determined urgency with gritty authenticity, while Winton's chilling portrayal of the killer's diary entries creates an unsettling intimacy with a disturbed mind. Their contrasting styles heighten the cat-and-mouse tension as perspectives shift between hunter and hunted. The audio format particularly enhances Barker's intricate plotting, allowing listeners to absorb subtle clues and red herrings naturally while maintaining breakneck pacing that makes this thriller nearly impossible to pause.
