See no evil; hear no evil; speak no evil, do no evil. If you violate the fourth tenet, woe unto you; the 4MK serial killer will rain his righteous, vigilante wrath down upon your head. Or, as it turns out in J.D. Barker’s “The Fourth Monkey,” upon the innocent head of your beloved next of kin. Even better than simply taking out the bad guy, according to murderous 4MK’s convoluted logic, is making him suffer by torturing and killing his most precious, always female, relative.

“The Fourth Monkey” is Mr. Barker’s second novel. He is a Pittsburgh- and Florida-based author with an international audience. His first novel, “Forsaken,” resulted in a nomination for the Bram Stoker Award for best debut novel, and the Stoker family has chosen him to co-author an upcoming prequel to “Dracula.”

Don’t read “The Fourth Monkey” while eating. “Unlike plastic [which is difficult for a rat to chew through], his sharp, pointy nails will have little trouble tearing through your tender torso, and if he gets his mouth into the game and starts chewing… ” 4MK’s father gleefully informs a victim in the process of being turned into a snack, “well, let’s just say teeth like these were made to devour much more difficult substances.” The descriptions of tearing, ripping, dismembered and bleeding flesh are unrelenting and vividly detailed throughout this horror/​crime drama mash-up.

As the novel opens, a fresh package from 4MK arrives — the ear of his next victim, an explicit statement of who. The Chicago police have been on 4MK’s trail through five years and seven dead bodies. What is not in question; they know that after the ear (hear no evil) comes the various other relevant body parts, and then, ultimately and inevitably, the mangled corpse. Lead detective Sam Porter and his crew of crime solvers spring to action, trying once again to prevent the ear from becoming another heap of stinking, rotting, decomposing flesh and bone. Whether they will succeed depends upon their ability to solve the puzzle 4MK lays before them through a series of concrete clues that speak to where and when. And this time, Porter has in his possession 4MK’s childhood diary; allowing the detectives to close in on why.

The cast spews cable-television-ready, often adult, dark and snappy humor. Female detective Claire accurately describes a Ponzi scheme; her male counterpart responds with “You’re hot when you know your stuff.” Except for Porter and his nemesis, the cops are fairly interchangeable, but their dialogue is crisp and provides a needed counterpoint to the gruesome descriptions of crimes past, present and future. Not surprisingly, it has been reported that the television and movie rights to “The Fourth Monkey” have been sold.

The first half of the novel introduces readers to the characters and issues they must resolve. But the last half of “The Fourth Monkey” is where a reader’s interest will overtake his nausea; the plotting becomes fast-paced and has enough unexpected twists and developments to keep the pages rapidly turning.

Perhaps a franchise is in the future. The novel’s ending sets up the likelihood of a sequel. Given a second opportunity to visit this world, Mr. Barker may have the chance and ability to provide more depth to the characters and to flesh out their interrelationships. Or, readers could simply be treated to another horror-based, gut-twisting page turner of a crime story by a very capable author. Either way, it will be welcomed.

Susan Pearlstein is a Pittsburgh attorney who volunteers at the Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale.

First Published: July 16, 2017, 4:00 a.m.