Patient Zero: The Joe Ledger Novels, Book 1

While others are thinking about what to do, Joe Ledger is getting it done. If you take a second to think, Joe will kick your ass, he pulls no punches, he is balls out all the way.

The book is funnier then a John Scalzi novel, Scarier then Stephen King and weirder then Dean Koontz.

The Department of Military Science, seems to be the action side of the X-Files. It is run by Mr Church, but who is Mr. Church? People used to say Who is John Gault, but now they will be saying Who is Mr. Church?

Don't get me wrong this is no comic book fluff, this is well-written stuff. Some say it is not literature, but I dare you to say that in front of John Maberry. He even knows how to use chapters, something that seems to confuse most modern Science Fiction writers.

This is the best book I have listened to since I started listening and that is hundreds of books.

Ray Porter does an excellent, excellent job. If I could give Seven Stars I would give it to him.

great zombie novel...really, it is. i was skeptical at first b/c of the terrorist angle. i thought it was kind of dumb, but i decided to give it a try based on the reviews. i don't always agree with the reviews, but this time, i do! i must say this is a realistic twist on zombie fiction. there is real science behind how a zombie could be made. very interesting.

don't be afraid of the line that he has to kill the same terrorist twice in one week. again, i was kind of turned off by that, but i still gave it a try, and boy am i sure glad i did! that was a great scene! i mean great!

the bad guys are great. they are over the top, but definitely in a good way. great character development all around!

imagine the show 24 mixed with james bond. joe ledger is jack bauer and james bond. the story is fast-paced and hard to put down.joe ledger is the man! he's funny and kicks some serious butt. i'm glad he's not a womanizer like bond.

the fight scenes are realistic, excellently described, and flow seamlessly with the action. the science and tech is really cool. they add to the story and aren't boring or over your head. cool like tom clancy.

after reading the first book, patient zero, i really wanted to know how the story continues. i initially picked up this book b/c of the zombie slant, but i am now a huge joe ledger fan!

ray porter is an excellent narrator. top flight. he can perform different ranges of voices and different accents very well. he intones emotions like no one else i've heard. best i've heard yet.

This is just an absolutely great action/adventure/zombie tale. Fun, fast paced, and even funny this novel marks the first in what is the Joe Ledger series - I really enjoyed this one and can't wait for the next. As icing on the cake Ray Porters narration is perfect, and I mean perfect. Every character has their very distict voice, there is never any question of who is speaking and he moves seemlessly between them. Of the thousands of audio books I've listened to this is one of the best performances I have heard. I will be looking for more books narrated by him simply because they ARE narrated by him.

Lots of people have reviewed this book already so I will just aim my comments to those (like me) who hesitate to get this because of the cartoonish cover art and well the whole zombies thing. I like zombie fiction but eventually it does get pretty predictable. This book is not your typical run and shoot zombies take over the world tale. It is not a gratuitous gore-fest. The story has multiple layers, science, mysteries within mysteries, strong characters, and intrigue that will keep you guessing and glued to your earphones to the last word. Yes, it is that good. And Ray Porter’s performance is flawless perfection.

It has a similar tone to the early Joe Pitt books by Charlie Huston (the later ones in that series became preachy, but the early ones were hard-azz and justice-giving).

I really like Joe Ledger. He knows how to "teach 'em a lesson" and that's really the only reason why I read books like this - not for "world-building" or "political commentary"... just to see someone kicking azz. And he does it all for the right reasons too. Imagine Jack Reacher (author: Lee Child) in a black ops organization.

And there is a lot of that butt-kicking going on here - terrorist plot within terrorist plot and violence and guns and guts and zombies trying to get their teeth into some fresh victims. It is set in the "real world" and the science behind it all doesn't go as far into the improbable as I wish it did. It's violent and gory and there was some foul language but it wasn't overwhelming or out-of-place.

I'm starting the next in the series now. (Though it's worth noting that this story is completely resolved within this book and there are no loose ends dangling around.)

The narration is very good.

This was my first "zombie" novel. I had expectations of something decent, something to please the zombie fanatic out there and not much else. Well, it did please me as a zombie fanatic. It not only pleased me as a fan of the zombie genre but it thrilled me as a reader. This was an over all very good book. If I were reading the physical book itself I would call it a "page turner". This is not only for the zombie fan but also for the action fan, the covert ops fan and even the conspiracy theory fan. No, it's not Dickens, but it is fun, fast paced and not dumbed down. Really it was a treat. Very well written and boy, the narrator was superb. I could re-listen immediately. I certainly hope there is a follow-up.

This book is (at the time of this review) the first of three books in "Joe Ledger" series. For fellow fans of Lee Child, Joe Ledger can be described as Jack Reacher, with less of a vigilante bend, and far more high tech toys.

This is not, in my opinion, a bad thing.

In my experience it's rare to find a "hero" of a thriller that still expresses disbelief and horror at the things he sees and does, and I found it refreshing. The pace was very good, and the short chapters and constant countdown kept it moving along swimmingly. I appreciated that the various villains had varying levels of "evilness", and the humor inserted regularly kept me chuckling to myself.

The real hero of these books (both this and the following two in the series, which I read in quick succession) was Ray Porter, the narrator. He's absolutely amazing in his delivery, and his performance alone makes this book more than worthwhile. It really amazed me. He lent a depth to the character that really put the book on a whole other level.

I recommend this book, and overall I recommend the following two books as well.

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.

It seems like Joe Ledger is the Doppelganger for the the character John Corey by Nelson DeMille. Both are ex-cops that got sucked into working for the government. Even Ray Porter's narration often times reminded me a lot of Scott Brick.

Despite this, I did really enjoy this book. The action and choreographed fight scenes were perfect. I personally like the books where the protagonist is a bit of a smart ass bad-ass (Such as John Corey). The idea behind the story is a rather scary one and although we don't necessarily have the technology now (at least in the public's eye), I wonder when and if it will come.

This book was recommended to me after I postulated on Facebook about the two events that occurred recently in the news. One was the Miami Face Eater and the second was a man in New Jersey who was cutting himself open and throwing his intestines at the cops. These two events are being blamed on the use of Bath Salts. However, after reading up on Bath Salts, I've learned there is no test that can be administered to determine if someone is on the designer drug. In fact, one ER doc said they only could know if the person who came into the ER told them that's what it was. Consequently, the question arises, how did they know. I began to wonder if it was something viral, after all it is the CDC and not FEMA who has the new advertising gimmick about preparing for a zombie apocalypse. That's when a cousin told me about this book. One that makes my postulation possible.

In summation, I enjoyed this book. I don't really think something like this is truly possible but it was a fun story and I really hope it gets made into a movie.

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.