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 story, extremely original.

I have had an Audible.com account for several years and I have listened to, at least 50 books and I have never reviewed a book. With that being said I am not reviewing this book either, really. Yes the book was good, very good actually however Ray Porter could quote the Webster's Dictionary and it would be good. He is by far the best at his craft. When it comes to book narrators this guy is by far the best I have ever heard. Like I said the book is good but if you are just thinking about listning to it, do it you will not be disappointed.

Loved it!!!

Very well written and read. Enjoyed all of the voices and the plot kept me excited and captivated.

So Good! So Impressed!

This is my first book of Jonathan Maberry (JM). Excellent story that holds your interest for its entirety. I was hesitant because it had zombies. Surprisingly I’m fine with the zombies. To me it felt real, as if it could really happen. Although JM ‘s zombies are fantasy the world it happens in is very much real. That’s why it will give you pause to think “Could this happen?”. Ray Porters narration of this book is masterful. So impressed by his performance. Recommend this book to everyone even non zombie fans.

First Maberry. Can't wait for the next!

Great listen from start to finish. Similar to Clive Cluster Dirk Pitt. I know what I'm listening too in 2015!

What a thrill ride!

Wow! This book REALLY kept me engaged! Between the excellent story and the phenomenal narration (the best I've heard so far), I couldn't stop listening. I'm super excited that this is an on going series, and I can revisit the world of Joe Ledger several more times. :D

halfway through and loving it!!!

i am only halfway through and i am loving it!!! jack reacher as a real guy!!! i like the idea of the jack reacher character but his books are too comical. this has elements of realism that reacher is missing. secret government agencies, billionaires who only care about making the next million no matter who dies in the process, religious terrorist groups hellbent on world destruction!!! all that and then throw in ZOMBIES!!!!! yes please can i have another!

Not Scary Like the Picture, Just Okay

What did you like best about Patient Zero? What did you like least?

I liked the depth of team building and missions.

Would you recommend Patient Zero to your friends? Why or why not?

Not really, I think that for a zombie book that someone would have been able to get further zombie story lines from author titles. This would be more for people who are interested in special operation books and the inner workings of special ops.

Did Ray Porter do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes the characters were well described in this book. Each character had depth to their character types. They didn't break their roles during the story.

Good book by not Day by Day...

Would you listen to Patient Zero again? Why?

Yes... a good bunch of characters and an interesting story.

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

Very cool ending and unexpected.

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

A+ narrator. He really get's you feeling like you're right behind him in some of those corridors.

Any additional comments?

Good Zombie book about trouble before the world ends. If you want a great book about after the world ends try Day by Day!

Enjoyable travel story

I listened to this as i have the other stories in this series. Driving long distances or working around the house. The story is fast paced and enjoyable. The characters are believable and at the end of the story, you come to know them and like them well enough.

This was my third in the series and learning how the series begin was good.

Die Hard meets Night of the living Dead!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have recommended this to several friends. They hate me for it. This series sets the bar pretty high and it may be hard to find a book to read afterwards that can keep your interest.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Joe Ledger, he says and does everything that we all wish we could do, while looking good and scoring hot babes along the way.

Which character – as performed by Ray Porter – was your favorite?

Church for the extremely tense calmness. One you start the book you will get it.

Who was the most memorable character of Patient Zero and why?

Toy's, He made me sick but at the same time I kinda like him its a very strange chemistry that guy has.

Any additional comments?

If you want to be literally glued to a series and worried what you are ever going to do after the series is over then read/listen to this book. BTW Ray Porter rocks. He is my new hero.