{Exclusive} “Forsaken” Author J.D. Barker’s “The Fourth Monkey” Thrills The Film Rights Market

〉 The thriller is the latest from Barker, who is also penning the official prequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Two years after the release of J.D. Barker’s Forsaken, the award-winning author is back with a new thriller, THE FOURTH MONKEY. The suspense thriller is being compared to Se7en and Silence Of The Lambs, and even without an official release date, the positive buzz is already starting to turn heads on what has becoming an increasingly hot rights market.

The story is set in Chicago, where, for over seven years now, the Four Monkey Killer has terrorized residents – until he is found dead in a bus-pedestrian accident. As the lead investigator on the 4MK task force, Detective Sam Porter knows that even in death, the killer is far from done. When he discovers a personal diary in the jacket pocket of the dead man, he finds himself caught up in the mind of psychopath, unraveling a twisted history in the hopes of finding one last girl who has only days to live. With only a handful of clues, the identity of the elusive 4MK remains a mystery. Time is running out and, through his own written words, the Four Monkey Killer taunts from beyond the grave.

Barker’s previous novel, Forsaken, was praised by bestselling author Tosca Lee, who raved, “Incredibly written, supremely creepy.” The book was a Bram Stoker Award Nominees for Superior Achievement in a First Novel, with his writing compared to greats like Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Saul. Forsaken reached the top 100 bestseller list on Amazon and the number two spot on Audible.

Barker’s star is steadily rising, especially after he signed on to write the official Dracula prequel, Dacre Stoker. Barker landed the job after Forsaken was nominated for the Stoker Award. Barker passed Stoker’s great-grandnephew a copy of Forsaken, and a few days later, received a call from him, whereby Barker was commissioned to pen the prequel to the iconic gothic horror novel.

In addition, Barker’s short story, Of the Lake, is now available in the anthology Ancient Enemies. 

Barker is repped by Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency.

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Emily J | Staff Writer