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 Read

This book was awesome, gory but funny too, that is hard to do. The narrator was fabulous!

Great mix of adrenaline and testosterone

Moves at a great pace. Laugh out loud humor.The narrator did a great job, especially with voice characterizations. And it's refreshing to have a man's man as the protagonist and hero of the story as the trend has been towards wimpy men and manly women. And of course the author left the door wide open for a sequel or a series, both of which would be welcome although this one would be hard to top.

Graphic "Zombie" style thriller

Kept us entertained. Bought it for long car travel. Found ourselves listening to it at home, in bed after arriving at home. Struggling to fight off sleep so we could find out what was going to happen next. Binge worthy and suspenseful.

Just Ok

I really enjoyed the narrators performance but the book was actually really slow for me. The author spends SO much time explaining things that do not really need explained and not enough time on the interesting parts.

Narrator rocked

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

If you looking for a good start for some zombie action this is a good one.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

This book is kind of stressful. And the ending gave stress a good time.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Intensity.. like a mix of Scott Brink and James Marsters. The narration of this book made the book. If you want to relax this is not your book. Ray Porter is great.

Could you see Patient Zero being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No it would have to be a TV series. No clue on the stars.

Excellent listen

Great mix of action, war, suspense, wit and humor. Excellent narrator. Going to look into other books by this author as well as audiobooks read by the narrator.

best new zombie novel ever

this is easily the best new take on a zombie novel I've ever heard the narration is spot on everything about it just comes together to make a great story.

Loved it!

Narrator Ray Porter is amazing!!! The story was smart and captivating. I feel a must listen.

Unexpected thriller! Interesing Hypothesis!

At first, I wasn't sure I would like this novel, but as the book progressed, I found myself becoming more and more involved in the story. I would read more from this author. This story is graphic and brutal. But an interesting hypothesis.

Joe Ledger is awesome

Maberry's description of the of the battles is flawless, this needs to be made a movie!