The Fifth to Die

Murder. Its a family affair.

In the midst of one of the worst winters Chicago has seen in years, the body of missing teenager Ella Reynolds is discovered under the surface of a frozen lake.

Shes been missing for three weeks the lake froze over three months ago.

Detective Sam Porter and his team are brought in to investigate but its not long before another girl goes missing. The press believes the serial killer, Anson Bishop, has struck again but Porter knows differently. The deaths are too different, theres a new killer on the loose.

Porter however is distracted. Hes still haunted by Bishop and his victims, even after the FBI have removed him from the case. His only leads: a picture of a female prisoner and a note from Bishop: Help me find my mother. I think its time she and I talked.

As more girls go missing and Porters team race to stop the body count rising, Porter disappears to track down Bishops mother and discover that the only place scarier than the mind of a serial killer is the mind of the mother from which he came.

Perfect for fans of Helen Fields, Val McDermid and Jo Nesbo this gripping and twisted thriller will have you wondering, how do you stop a killer when hes been trained from birth?

Praise for The Fifth to Die:

J.D. Barker is a one-of-a-kind writer and thats a rare and special thing. Stephen King comes to mind and Lee Child, John Sanford. All one-of-a-kinds. Dont miss anything J.D. writes. James Patterson

Superbly paced, beautifully constructed evocation of evil Daily Mail

A gritty thriller that gets right under your skin HEAT

Chillingly written Woman

Barker spins a serpentine and sometimes gruesome
tale Sparse and cinematic, the pages fly by. Press Association