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254 ratings | 64 reviews | avg rating:4.59

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J.D. Barker

Goodreads Author

Born

in Shadow Cove, MA, The United States

Website

http://www.jdbarker.com

Twitter

JDBarker

Genre

Thriller, Suspense, Horror

Member Since

May 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jdbarker

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J.D. Barker is the New York Times and international best-selling author of numerous novels, including DRACUL and the wildly popular 4MK series. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His books have been translated into two dozen languages, sold in more than 150 countries, and optioned for both film and television. Barker resides in coastal New Hampshire with his wife, Dayna, and their daughter, Ember.

A note from J.D.
As a child I was always told the dark could not hurt me, that the shadows creeping in the corners of my room were nothing more than just that, shadows. The sounds nothing more than the settling of our old home, creaking as it found comfort in the earth only to move again when it became restless, if ever so slightly. J.D. Barker is the New York Times and international best-selling author of numerous novels, including DRACUL and the wildly popular 4MK series. He is currently collaborating with James Patterson. His books have been translated into two dozen languages, sold in more than 150 countries, and optioned for both film and television. Barker resides in coastal New Hampshire with his wife, Dayna, and their daughter, Ember.

A note from J.D.
As a child I was always told the dark could not hurt me, that the shadows creeping in the corners of my room were nothing more than just that, shadows. The sounds nothing more than the settling of our old home, creaking as it found comfort in the earth only to move again when it became restless, if ever so slightly. I would never sleep without closing the closet door, oh no; the door had to be shut tight. The darkness lurking inside needed to be held at bay, the whispers silenced. Rest would only come after I checked under the bed at least twice and quickly wrapped myself in the safety of the sheets (which no monster could penetrate), pulling them tight over my head.

I would never go down to the basement.

Never.

I had seen enough movies to know better, I had read enough stories to know what happens to little boys who wandered off into dark, dismal places alone. And there were stories, so many stories.

Reading was my sanctuary, a place where I could disappear for hours at a time, lost in the pages of a good book. It didn’t take long before I felt the urge to create my own.

I first began to write as a child, spinning tales of ghosts and gremlins, mystical places and people. For most of us, that’s where it begins—as children we have such wonderful imaginations, some of us have simply found it hard to grow up. I’ve spent countless hours trying to explain to friends and family why I enjoy it, why I would rather lock myself in a quiet little room and put pen to paper for hours at a time than throw around a baseball or simply watch television. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes I want to do just that, sometimes I wish for it, but even then the need to write is always there in the back of my mind, the characters are impatiently tapping their feet, waiting their turn, wanting to be heard. I wake in the middle of the night and reach for the pad beside my bed, sometimes scrawling page after page of their words, their lives. Then they’re quiet, if only for a little while. To stop would mean madness, or even worse—the calm, numbing sanity I see in others as they slip through the day without purpose. They don’t know what it’s like, they don’t understand. Something as simple as a pencil can open the door to a new world, can create life or experience death. Writing can take you to places you’ve never been, introduce you to people you’ve never met, take you back to when you first saw those shadows in your room, when you first heard the sounds mumbling ever so softly from your closet, and it can show you what uttered them. It can scare the hell out of you, and that’s when you know it’s good.

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Combine Editions
J.D. Barker’s books

Average rating: 4.15 · 343,306 ratings · 42,046 reviews · 49 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Fourth Monkey (4MK Thriller, #1) 4.25 avg rating — 104,591 ratings — published 2017 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fifth to Die (4MK Thriller, #2) 4.31 avg rating — 53,072 ratings — published 2018 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sixth Wicked Child (4MK Thriller, #3) 4.47 avg rating — 44,770 ratings — published 2019 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Caller's Game 4.09 avg rating — 11,196 ratings — published 2020 — 28 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Behind a Closed Door 3.92 avg rating — 7,675 ratings — published 2024 — 32 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be 4.29 avg rating — 5,658 ratings — published 2020 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Forsaken (Shadow Cove Saga, #1) 3.55 avg rating — 4,522 ratings — published 2014 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Something I Keep Upstairs 3.84 avg rating — 3,416 ratings — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Quiet Neighbor by J.D. Barker (Goodreads Author), Adam Roach (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 1,503 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Heavy Are the Stones by J.D. Barker (Goodreads Author), Christine Daigle (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 940 ratings — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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J.D. Barker's Blog

Rolling Stone – It Isn’t a Book (Yet): The Art of Revision

The difference between an amateur manuscript and a professional one is rarely the idea. It usually comes down to the revision.… MORE

The post Rolling Stone – It Isn’t a Book (Yet): The Art of Revision appeared first on J.D. BARKER.

Series by J.D. Barker

4MK Thriller (4 books)
by

J.D. Barker (Goodreads Author)

4.31 avg rating — 203,061 ratings

Shadow Cove Saga (1 book)
by

J.D. Barker (Goodreads Author)

3.55 avg rating — 4,520 ratings

Book of Signs (1 book)
by

J.D. Barker (Goodreads Author)

4.18 avg rating — 17 ratings

J.D. is Currently Reading

J.D. Barker is currently reading

The Fatal Creation

by Julie Bergman (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Nov 01, 2022 04:45AM

J.D. Barker is currently reading

From the Corner of His Eye

by Dean Koontz (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 21, 2022 08:09AM

J.D. Barker is currently reading

The Book of Accidents

by Chuck Wendig (Goodreads Author)

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Jul 31, 2022 06:57PM

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J.D.’s Recent Updates

J.D. Barker and 1 other person liked Sherri Long's review of The First Scarlet Door (4MK Thriller, #4): "Advanced copy from Goodreads, The First Scarlet Door Wow! I loved this book, even though I need to read the rest of the books in this prequel. J.D. Barker is an excellent writer, such an interesting thriller. Can’t wait to finish the series. Thank you" Read more of this review »
3 hours, 37 min ago · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.D. Barker and 1 other person liked Juls Farrell's review of The First Scarlet Door (4MK Thriller, #4): "Listened to the audiobook on my trip so idk if that is why it made it worse but idk I feel like prequels are such a hit or miss. In this case I knew everything that happened at the end but they really victimized the killer which just doesn’t make it " Read more of this review »
3 hours, 37 min ago · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.D. Barker and 1 other person liked يوسف عبداللطيف's review of The First Scarlet Door (4MK Thriller, #4): "4MK Thriller #4 The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker Narrated by Michael Crouch, Piper Goodeve Having binged the first three books in the 4MK Thriller series back in 2021, I was more than ready to dive into the first book of the three part prequel that" Read more of this review »
3 hours, 37 min ago · see review
J.D. Barker and 1 other person liked Brandi Edwards's review of The First Scarlet Door (4MK Thriller, #4): "This was amazing I am so excited for the next one!! This explains so much why Anson was the way he was and towards certain people. GENIUS"
3 hours, 37 min ago · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.D. Barker answered নাহিয়্যান's question: When the next book of "The First Scarlet Door" will come out? Pre-order links are going up now! Search for THE SECOND YOU LIED.
Oct 17, 2026 05:31AM · 1 like · like
J.D. Barker rated a book really liked it My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Quotes by J.D. Barker (?)

“Books are like puppies, they wait for you with unconditional love and welcome you back whenever you return.”
― J.D. Barker

58 likes

“Sometimes the most frightening of thoughts can be found hiding among the shadows of our own minds.”
― J.D. Barker, Forsaken

36 likes

“At one point, all authors are unknown until the day they are not.”
― J.D. Barker, Forsaken

28 likes

See all J.D. Barker's quotes »

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Deadly Author of the Month Poll is open. no rushdan

Jess Lourey

5 votes, 20.8%

Tim Weaver

3 votes, 12.5%

Lisa Renee Jones

2 votes, 8.3%

Karen Robards

1 vote, 4.2%

Cherry Adair

1 vote, 4.2%

Iris Johansen

1 vote, 4.2%

John Hart

1 vote, 4.2%

Joy Fielding

1 vote, 4.2%

J.D. Barker

1 vote, 4.2%

Jefferson Bass

1 vote, 4.2%

Karen White

1 vote, 4.2%

Kay Hooper

1 vote, 4.2%

Paula Munier

1 vote, 4.2%

Katie Reus

1 vote, 4.2%

Kerry Greenwood

1 vote, 4.2%

Rita Herron

1 vote, 4.2%

Carolyn Arnold

1 vote, 4.2%

Rebecca York

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24 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Paranormal and Ho...: FORSAKEN - New from JD BARKER	1	13	Nov 06, 2014 05:26AM
Goodreads Reviewe...: What are you reading?	116	152	Nov 17, 2014 05:57AM
Horror Aficionados : Strong first novel. Perfect for King fans	1	23	Nov 20, 2014 06:10AM
Horror Aficionados : FORSAKEN by J.D. BARKER - If you're a Stephen King fan, you'll love this.	4	50	Nov 25, 2014 05:08AM
Paranormal and Ho...: FORSAKEN - New from J.D. BARKER - Review Copies Available	1	12	Nov 30, 2014 09:11AM
Horror Aficionados : December 2014 Group Read Suggestions	100	190	Dec 02, 2014 10:38AM
The Challenge Fac...: December 2014 Creature Feature ~All	41	135	Dec 30, 2014 01:56PM
Horror Aficionados : March 2015-Group Listen Suggestions	39	246	Apr 02, 2015 01:25PM
The Book Shelf: Reader Recommended	35	66	Jul 02, 2015 03:40PM

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J.D.’s Quotes

“Sometimes the most frightening of thoughts can be found hiding among the shadows of our own minds.”
― J.D. Barker, Forsaken

36 likes

“Just when I think I have nothing to say, the characters start to speak. Writing is funny like that.”
― J.D. Barker, Forsaken

tags: writing

10 likes

“Writing can take you to places you’ve never been, introduce you to people you’ve never met, take you back to when you first saw those shadows in your room, when you first heard the sounds mumbling ever so softly from your closet, and it can show you what uttered them. It can scare the hell out of you, and that’s when you know it’s good.”
― J.D. Barker

tags: writing

4 likes

“Books are like puppies, they wait for you with unconditional love and welcome you back whenever you return.”
― J.D. Barker

58 likes

“We're going to have such fun, you and I.”
― J.D. Barker, The Fourth Monkey

tags: horror, suspense-thriller

9 likes

More of J.D.’s quotes…