• Patient Zero

  • The Joe Ledger Novels, Book 1
  • By: Jonathan Maberry
  • Narrated by: Ray Porter
  • Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (17,049 ratings)

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Patient Zero  By  cover art

Patient Zero

By: Jonathan Maberry
Narrated by: Ray Porter
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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)

Featured Article: Mmmm, Brains...Satisfy Your Cravings with the 20 Best Zombie Audiobooks Ever


Zombies have been a potent cultural force for decades. Something about the concept of a ragtag crew of survivors facing off against endless masses of shuffling brain-munchers really seems to speak to people! There are hundreds, if not thousands, of zombie-themed stories out there. But which ones are the very best? And which zombie audiobooks will have you double-checking the locks and sleeping with a baseball bat next to your bed?

What listeners say about Patient Zero

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    10,488
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    4,499
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,424
  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

incredible

Would you listen to Patient Zero again? Why?

definately, I would catch myself at my destination but didn't want to get out of the car.

What did you like best about this story?

Great characters, excellent story teller and even better plot

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

Joe Ledger

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Joe Ledger is a BOSS!

Any additional comments?

I have been looking for another good series as I wait for Jim Butcher, Lee Child and the many others, write new books. I just stumbled upon the Joe Ledger Series and was really taken with Patient Zero. None of his books have let me down yet!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lots of fun

Where does Patient Zero rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd never heard of the series or author before I stumbled across this book, and I really enjoyed it. Fast paced, and interesting, it wasn't really what I was expecting. I thought this would be a much more supernatural read, which I enjoy, but was very pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed Joe, and immediately picked up the other books in the series as well!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Decent story - good storytelling

Is there anything you would change about this book?

No - I don't think I should be messing with an author's vive - for better or for worse

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

Yes - but only if they're into Zombie fiction.

What aspect of Ray Porter’s performance would you have changed?

none

Was Patient Zero worth the listening time?

yes

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Superior performance of a great story

I am not a big fan of the zombie apocalypse genre but was drawn to this series by reviews of the performance of Ray Porter. I am an avid listener to audio books, having over 200 in my personal library. In this great performance, Mr. Porter does a superb job bringing Joe Ledger and his cast of supporting characters to life. His excellent performance is on par with the likes of Scott Brick, Armond Schultz, and Simon Vance. The action is fast paced, the story is believable and while the zombies are certainly munching their way through the entire book, the real storyline is about the main character, Joe Ledger, and his small team of misfits and geeks who are up against an ingenious plan to end the world as we know it. I am in the middle of book two and Joe is once again up against a plan to kill millions. I highly recommend this series and look forward do Ray Porter's excellent reading of the remaining titles.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Joe Ledger is "the Man" and Ray Porter is the BEST

Would you consider the audio edition of Patient Zero to be better than the print version?

Never read the print. Glad I didnt because Ray Porter is the best narrator of any audio book that I have listened to and I have listened to dozens.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Couldnt stop listening to the book and cannot wait until I can listen to all of the series. I purchased them all and I am looking forward to the "Dragon Factory".

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

Joe Ledger, but I really like Mr. Church. Glad they didnt kill of Sebastian and "Toys" as they are really good "bad guys".

If you could take any character from Patient Zero out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The Major, she sounds smoking hot!

Any additional comments?

I have listened to a lot of the "Zombie Books" and the Joe Ledger series is by the far the BEST! I loved WW Z and all of Brook's books, but I expect someone to come out with a movie series on Joe Ledger in the venue of something like "James Bond" In fact, the current James Bond would make a perfect Joe Ledger!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book!

What did you like best about this story?

Joe ledger. Zombie infectionous virus. Terrorists. Secret coorporations. Mystery. Suspense. Comedy. Horror. --it has it all!

Any additional comments?

Within the first couple minutes I was hooked. I highly recommend!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

There is something contagious about these Zombies

I am not sure what it is . . . but lately I have been on this Zombie kick in my literary choices. I think it is mostly due to great reads like this. This is the first in the series and even though I like to mix up my reading between scifi, fantasy, real science, and so on . . . authors like Maberry make that a difficult pattern to keep as I just keep coming back for my Zombie reads.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good plot, great narrator

Ray Porter is amazing with voices. I just thought his first-person Joe Ledger was a little too emphatic. In fact, Ledger is bit of an annoying character--skilled above all others at most things; quicker to figure out problems; fluent somehow in languages. He has the depth of Flash Gordon. But that's Mayberry, not Porter so much. Still, PATIENT ZERO is pretty fun--great pacing, action, and some mystery.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Terrible

What would have made Patient Zero better?

Had to put this book down after the second hour. I love both Clancy and Zombie novels; this was a molestation of both. I can't possibly understand what the other reviewers saw in it. The main character is one big ex-army, cop cliche. More importantly, I don't think the motivations behind why the characters did certain things in the novel was very well developed. It left virtually every character unlikeable and the whole plot completely absurd, even for a Zombie novel. I will never read another novel from this author.

If you want a good Zombie novel, read World War Z, or even, Dying to Live.

Has Patient Zero turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, just the author.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Ray Porter?

Ray was fine, maybe a little too good at acting as a arrogant bastard.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No redeeming qualities. This book is terrible.

Any additional comments?

Don't waste your time.

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