249 ratings | 63 reviews | avg rating:4.58

J.D.’s Year In Books

J.D.’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at J.D.’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to J.D.’s 2024 Year in Books

J.D. Barker’s Followers (6,718)

J.D.’s Bookshelves

to-read (22)
currently-reading (30)
read (409)
revival (0)

J.D.’s Friends (3,757)

Angela Smith

197 books | 1,178 friends

Lacuna

486 books | 34 friends

Miguel87

167 books | 193 friends

Barbara Duell

13,617 books | 324 friends

Pedro Vasquez

365 books | 546 friends

Beth

4,280 books | 103 friends

Claire Wilson

3,174 books | 536 friends

Kia Carrington-Russell

465 books | 1,243 friends

More friends…

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

edit data

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.

jd ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask J.D. Barker questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
J.D. Barker’s books

Average rating: 4.16 · 257,114 ratings · 33,305 reviews · 36 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Fourth Monkey (4MK Thriller, #1) 4.26 avg rating — 76,539 ratings — published 2017 — 71 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) 4.32 avg rating — 39,249 ratings — published 2018 — 54 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) 4.49 avg rating — 32,759 ratings — published 2019 — 44 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 4.10 avg rating — 9,178 ratings — published 2020 — 24 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 3.94 avg rating — 6,018 ratings — published 2024 — 26 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 4.30 avg rating — 5,031 ratings — published 2020	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) 3.70 avg rating — 3,025 ratings — published 2014 — 14 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 3.90 avg rating — 1,891 ratings — 8 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) 3.93 avg rating — 694 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
	We Don't Talk About Emma by J.D. Barker (Goodreads Author), E.J. Findorff (Goodreads Author) 3.62 avg rating — 453 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

More books by J.D. Barker…

150 posts
J.D. Barker's Blog

Rolling Stone – Flip to the End: Why Readers Want Spoilers and How Writers Can Use That

We can’t imagine why anyone would want to spoil the fun like that. But plot twist… those readers aren’t out… MORE

The post Rolling Stone – Flip to the End: Why Readers Want Spoilers and How Writers Can Use That appeared first on J.D. BARKER.

Series by J.D. Barker

4MK Thriller (3 books)
by

J.D. Barker (Goodreads Author)

4.32 avg rating — 148,521 ratings

Shadow Cove Saga (1 book)
by

J.D. Barker (Goodreads Author)

3.70 avg rating — 3,023 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

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

Nov 01, 2022 04:45AM

J.D. Barker is currently reading

From the Corner of His Eye

by Dean Koontz (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Oct 21, 2022 08:09AM

J.D. Barker is currently reading

The Book of Accidents

by Chuck Wendig (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Jul 31, 2022 06:57PM

rss
J.D.’s Recent Updates

J.D. Barker liked Joyce's review of The Quiet Neighbor: "352 pages 5 stars Wow. Just wow. This is a tightly woven story told in three alternating parts. I cannot compliment the writing team of J.D. Barker and Adam Roach highly enough. They have written a very suspenseful thriller. Cynthia and David Burrows a" Read more of this review »
Oct 14, 2025 05:05AM · see review
J.D. Barker and 1 other person liked Mommacat's review of The Quiet Neighbor: "Review Copy Such a good book! Seamless writing, I couldn't tell which author wrote what section. That's pretty darn hard to do. And a great idea! I never spoil books, so read on... This is a story told in 'now" and "then" making it easy to follow, You g" Read more of this review »
Oct 14, 2025 05:05AM · see review
J.D. Barker and 3 other people liked Dani's review of The Quiet Neighbor: "Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Quiet Neighbour. I have read JD Barker before so knew I was in for a treat. This was a brilliant, tense and emotional thriller that had me guessing from the first page. Cynthia’s life unravels when her daughter," Read more of this review »
Oct 14, 2025 05:05AM · see review
J.D. Barker and 2 other people liked Diane Merritt's review of The Quiet Neighbor: "Crazy spin of a ride reading this book. So much happening and such a fabulous twist on the going ons. Brilliant read. The characters were all just perfect. Thank to the authors the publisher and Netgalley for a early release of this book"
Oct 14, 2025 05:05AM · see review
J.D. Barker rated a book it was amazing Crash & Burn (Tessa Leoni, #3) by Lisa Gardner (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
Oct 02, 2025 07:32PM · 18 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.D. Barker made a comment on M.P. Conn’s review of Something I Keep Upstairs " Thanks for the kind words. Get well soon! jd "
Aug 16, 2025 05:01AM · see review
J.D. Barker rated a book it was amazing Safe Enough: Crime Stories by the Author of Jack Reacher by Lee Child (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
Jun 06, 2025 07:06PM · 23 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Safe Enough by Lee Child. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Safe Enough by Lee Child <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.D. Barker has read Dead South (Dead South #1) by Zach Bohannon (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
Apr 26, 2025 02:19PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dead South by Zach Bohannon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dead South by Zach Bohannon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.D. Barker rated a book really liked it The Venom Business by Michael Crichton	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
Apr 26, 2025 02:14PM · 12 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Venom Business by Michael Crichton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Venom Business by Michael Crichton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
J.D. Barker rated a book really liked it Run by Blake Crouch (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
Mar 14, 2025 05:48AM · 21 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Run by Blake Crouch. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Run by Blake Crouch <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of J.D.'s books…

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

56 likes

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

35 likes

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

26 likes

See all J.D. Barker's quotes »

Polls

Vote for our Deadly Author of the Month for July and August 2023.

Jana Deleon

6 votes, 18.8%

Tess Gerritsen

5 votes, 15.6%

Gillian Flynn

4 votes, 12.5%

Dervla McTiernan

3 votes, 9.4%

Tonya Burrows

3 votes, 9.4%

Joy Fielding

3 votes, 9.4%

JD Barker

2 votes, 6.3%

Dana Marton

1 vote, 3.1%

Karen White

1 vote, 3.1%

Lisa Regan

1 vote, 3.1%

Susan Stoker

1 vote, 3.1%

Iris Johansen

1 vote, 3.1%

Sue Grafton

1 vote, 3.1%

Karen Robards

0 votes, 0.0%

Elizabeth Goddard

0 votes, 0.0%

Rebecca York

0 votes, 0.0%

Cherry Adair

0 votes, 0.0%

Lisa Renee Jones

0 votes, 0.0%

Leah Swann

0 votes, 0.0%

Anna Snoekstra

0 votes, 0.0%

D.K. Hood

0 votes, 0.0%

Kay Hooper

0 votes, 0.0%

Nancy Bush

0 votes, 0.0%

Mike Omer

0 votes, 0.0%

Jefferson Bass

0 votes, 0.0%

Linda Fairstein

0 votes, 0.0%

T.R. Ragan

0 votes, 0.0%

Joanna Schaffhausen

0 votes, 0.0%

April Wilson

0 votes, 0.0%

Freya Barker

0 votes, 0.0%

Mary Jane Clark

0 votes, 0.0%

Nora Roberts

0 votes, 0.0%

Jamie Lee Scott

0 votes, 0.0%

Jon Wander

0 votes, 0.0%

Anne Frasier

0 votes, 0.0%

Diana Xarissa

0 votes, 0.0%

Walter Mosley

0 votes, 0.0%

32 total votes

comments and details

More...

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	22	Nov 20, 2014 06:10AM
Horror Aficionados : FORSAKEN by J.D. BARKER - If you're a Stephen King fan, you'll love this.	4	49	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

More…

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

35 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

9 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

56 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…