Patient Zero

The Joe Ledger Novels, Book 1

By: Jonathan Maberry

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

From multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author Jonathan Maberry comes a major new thriller that combines the best of the New York Times best-selling books World War Z by Max Brooks and James Rollins’ Sigma Force Series to kick off the start of a new series featuring Joe Ledger and the Department of Military Sciences.

When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week there’s either something wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills - and there’s nothing wrong with Joe Ledger’s skills. And that’s both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because he’s a Baltimore detective who has just been secretly recruited by the government to lead a new task force created to deal with the problems that Homeland Security can’t handle. This rapid-response group is called the Department of Military Sciences, or the DMS for short. It’s bad because his first mission is to help stop a group of terrorists from releasing a dreadful bioweapon that can turn ordinary people into zombies. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Jonathan Maberry is the New York Times best-selling and multiple Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Ghost Road Blues, the first of a trilogy of thrillers with a supernatural bite. A professional writer and writing teacher, he has sold more than 1.000 articles, 17 nonfiction books, six novels, and two plays.

©2009 Jonathan Maberry (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Brilliant, shocking, horrifying, it puts the terror back in terrorist.” (James Rollins, New York Times best-selling author)

“Plenty of man-to-zombie combat, a team traitor and a doomsday scenario add up to a fast and furious read.” ( Publishers Weekly)

"Jonathan Maberry has found a delightful voice for this adventure of Joe Ledger and his crew: while the action is heated, violent, and furious, the writing remains cool, steady, and low-key, framing all the wildness and exuberance in a calm rationality (given an almost comic edge) that renders it as palatable as your favorite flavor of ice cream." (Peter Straub)

Great book looking forward to the rest of the series

Great book looking forward to the rest of the series no doubt the rest will be just as exciting

Don't let this pass you by

I'm a huge fan of Maberry and Porter. I see reviews that are speaking negative towards this book and a few others that are uncalled for. If the person leaving the negative review feels the need to write over 35 sentences about the book being something they didn't like then I feel they are trolling.

I've Always Had a Thing For the Bad Boys...

I guess I'm outted...I'm a closetted zombiephile. Yeah, I said it! "By the prickling of my thumbs," every now and then I like it when "something wicked this way comes" besides Hamlet's father. And Jonathan Maberry may be my new go-to man when I need a shiver fix--because I had a blast with this one. Joe Ledger was just as fun as Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, Jason Bourne, etc.

Before anyone starts "humph-ing" and scraping their nose along the ceiling, Maberry has some serious credentials in the world of writing and PZ is not just another zombie story (not that there's anything wrong with that). Patient Zero is about espionage, secret ops, counter-intelligence, and the most terrifying, shock and awe inspiring, secret weapon imaginable, in the hands of the mujahideen. It could happen....I just read something the other day about Abraham Lincoln being a vampire hunter; guess O'Reilly missed that little fact.

And Ray Porter! He has a fan page...'nuff said.

Excellent narration of a tight story

One of the few times that Audible got everything right.
They had an excellent story, and a more brilliant narration.
Each character is etched into my mind, Toyce, Amira, Joe. Wow !
It was like watching a movie.

So imaginative!

This book is not for everyone. You have to love ghoul and gore stories. If you do, this is an incredibly entertaining listen. The performer is FIRST RATE. What an actor! I have a feeling this is one of those books that is much better in its audio form. The story is also great -- totally "normal" people caught in a web of totally unbelievable events, taking things like vampires and worldwide plagues in stride because, well, what else can you do? The main character is full of machismo but, somehow, still likeable -- full of witty remarks that make you laugh out loud as heads get chopped and monsters romp about. I am so glad this is a series and can't wait to listen to the next one.

A recommendation from one of the listeners I follow. I am so glad audible made that possible.

I had an insanely good time listening to this book

Over the past couple of years I've expanded my reading genre to include crime thrillers and urban fantasy. This book was a perfect combination of the those two genre, but better. The crime thrillers have leaned more toward cop show type stories. Long on detective work and short or action. Patient Zero bumps up the action level, keeps the detective work and adds zombies. I thought I'd like it, but I didn't expect to have as much fun as I did. A lot of the credit goes, for me, to Ray Porter's performance.

I liked the pacing of the story, the characters, and even the science. Joe is a great hero. He's smart, tough, and I loved the fact that none of the warriors were presented as completely untouched, emotionally, by the situations they found themselves in.

That said, I can't call it a perfect book. I had a few issues.

The psychiatrist character (Rudy) had a couple of dissertations that slowed things to a grinding halt. I might have been happier if they'd just been a little shorter.

As 'macho' as most of this book is I was surprised by the number of soap opera elements it contained. Only one of these elements annoyed me enough to fast forward. One story thread relied so heavily on some pretty tried and true cliches that I was kicked out of the story for a bit. We actually got an Evil Overlord speech.

For any other female action lovers, like me, who are driven crazy when female characters have no backbone. That is NOT an issue here. There are only two significant female characters and neither is weak or a wilting flower.

Even as I was ranting to my friends about the cliches I was having a gloriously good time. I can't think of anything better from my various forms of entertainment. I recommend the book and am headed for book two in the Joe Ledger series.

I like the story and the narrator

I listen to this on the way and back from work. So far I really liket it. The narrator is great. He keeps my interest. I'm not done but so far I can't wait to get in the car.

Awesome!!!

This was an awesome zombie book! Some of the reviews almost turned me off and I'm glad I gave it a try. Yeah, it is not your typical zombie book where the whole world is infected but was really good. I can't wait for the second book "Dragon Factory" to be in audio book format.

Instantly LIkeable

Book starts out running and keeps on going. The main character, Joe Ledger is instantly likeable and the narration is top notch, putting Ray Porter as one of those few narrators that I'd follow to other genres.
Main character Joe Ledger is interchangeable with most action thriller lead men, John Corey, Sean Drummond, Cliff Janeway. Genre mixes up Thriller with Horror as Zombies are the main threat, though everything is explained away medically, no supernatural elements. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Amazing book, first Joel Ledger book and certainly not last

This book will grab your attention and take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. From start to finish I was hooked. Highly recommended.