Play Audiobook Sample
Patient Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 8,267 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Plot Summary
Jonathan Maberry, known for his supernatural thrillers, launched his latest series with the release of Patient Zero. The new series focuses on Joe Ledger, who has recently become the head of the Department of Military Sciences.
Ledger begins the series as a highly-skilled Baltimore detective. He's smart, and is known as one of the most skilled men in his department. Perhaps this is what drew the attention of the government, who has been secretly recruiting him.
He's soon called on to lead a top-secret military group that is being created. This group, known as the Department of Military Sciences, handles the tasks that the Department of Homeland Security cannot. They can't kill the same terrorist twice in one week, but that's just one of the impossible tasks that Ledger and his crew find themselves performing in Patient Zero.
Ledger's first mission brings him face-to-face with the zombies that Maberry's novels are known for. Unlike many other zombie stories, however, Patient Zero offers a unique twist in that the protagonist of Patient Zero isn't fighting zombies. Instead, Ledger is charged with stopping a terrorist group that is threatening to use a bio-weapon which turns people into zombies.
Maberry is an author and writing instructor. He has published more than a dozen nonfiction books, as well as six novels and two plays. His best known works are the Ghost Road Blues books. This trilogy landed on the New York Times bestseller list and won several awards.
""Patient Zero" has it all: love, drama, action, and of course, zombies. Jonathan Maberry expertly composes a unique spin on the zombie story that makes the novel so plausible its readers will set the book down, check over each shoulder and wonder how long they still have. Maberry's structure for this book breaks from traditional standards in that he is not afraid to use short chapters. Chapter One is two sentences in length. In just over four hundred pages, the novel contains 125 chapters of government conspiracy, international espionage, and gut-wrenching zombie slaying action. Maberry teaches me, as a writer, to forget any fear and break from the norm if it serves a purpose. In this book, the shorter chapters serve to maintain the reader's interest and set a thrill ride pace."
— John (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
From multiple Bram Stoker Award–winning author Jonathan Maberry comes a major new thriller that combines the best of the New York Times bestselling books World War Z by Max Brooks and James Rollins’s 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.
Download and start listening now!
Quotes
-
“Patient Zero is high-octane excitement from beginning to end, and the start of a fabulous new series. Joe Ledger and the DMS have my vote as the team to beat when combating terrorist threats on a grand scale.”
— David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author -
“Jonathan Maberry’s Patient Zero strips today’s headlines and offers a frightening tale of how far extremists will go to succeed. Brilliant, shocking, horrifying, it puts the terror back in terrorist.”
— James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author -
“I had a fine old time reading Patient Zero. 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. This is a lovely feat, and Maberry has written a memorable book.”
— Peter Straub -
“This time Maberry has outdone himself with a deliciously diabolical plot and bone-chilling scenarios that keep you riveted to every page. Brutal action, insanely intelligent, and so real that the hair on the back of your neck stands up!”
— L. A. Banks, New York Times bestselling author -
“Wow! From the first page of Patient Zero you know you’re in the hands of a master. Maberry has created a brave, bruised, wisecracking hero destined to rub shoulders with the likes of Jack Reacher and Harry Bosch. This is high-concept with brains, action with soul and fast-paced tension with psychological insight. The brilliant beginning to a series destined for success.”
— M. J. Rose, international bestselling author of The Reincarnationist -
“Scary, creepy, and gripping—Patient Zero is Night of the Living Dead meets Michael Crichton.”
— Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Power Play -
“A fast-paced, creepy thriller that’s as prickly as a hospital needle and sounds a little too convincing. This guy is good.”
— Joe R. Lansdale -
“[An] exciting thriller…Plenty of man-to-zombie combat, a team traitor and a doomsday scenario add up to a fast and furious read.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“A dark, chilling and funny thriller about zombies…The book is as fun and funny as it is chilling and thrill-packed. Joe is a fantastic character, full of compassion, real vulnerabilities and a deliciously dark sense of humor. An immensely entertaining package.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
-
A 2009 Bram Stoker Award Nominee
-
Selected for the March 2009 Indie Next List
-
A BookRiot Pick of the Best Zombie Books
Patient Zero Listener Reviews
-
" I enjoyed this. Not your typical zombie apocalypse novel... more along the lines of a bioterrorist thriller where a virus is created and used as a weapon turn the infected into zombies. This tale follows both the US Government group trying to prevent this from happening and those responsible for it. "
— Regina, 1/30/2014 -
" I bought this book somewhat hesitantly, I've never been a huge zombie person and the current social fascination with them annoys me. Having said that, this book was surprisingly good and I plan to continue reading the series. Overall, I thought the author did a good job with pacing and plot twists. The only obvious and disappointing one was how all the main characters overlooked one of the most obvious clues given to them, which I won't say here but if you read the book I'm sure you'll notice it. Quite an enjoyable read though. "
— Brad, 1/26/2014 -
" Book one of the series. I have book two as well. Will buy book three. Good prose, tense situations, interesting science, and shoot-'em-up badass military folk gettin' it done against zombie terrorists. Loved it. "
— C., 1/16/2014 -
" If your into Zombies,this read like one of those Zombie movies. "
— Tamela, 12/28/2013 -
" A workable zombie novel with an entertaining protagonist. "
— Michael, 12/28/2013 -
" Pretty Good Book. Now on to the next. "
— Francisco, 12/20/2013 -
" This is a rip-snorting, gruesomely-fun novel. The writing is strong, the characters manage to rise above their slightly-cliche origins, and it's all deliciously brutal and exciting. "
— JJ, 12/19/2013 -
" Started off good but got bogged down in dull explanations and back story... kinda predictable. I liked the protagonist quite a lot... but he needed to be in a more interesting book. "
— Mia, 12/11/2013 -
" I love this book! I really enjoy the Joe Ledger character. "
— Paul, 11/26/2013 -
" I enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. There where a few moments that got a bit winded and almost felt filler. But in all I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to get into the zombie genre. "
— Tom, 11/9/2013 -
" This is a great SciFi/Horror/Thriller mashup. If you are willing to accept the central premise of the book - bio-engineered zombies as biological weapons - then you are in for a fun ride as the action is relentless. I am looking forward to reading the two follow up books. "
— Wesley, 9/28/2013 -
" I think the best offering by Mayberry yet. Good premise. Middle eastern terrorists weaponize a plague of zombiizm. How could you go wrong with that? Weapons, zombies, action, hot chicks...all the things to make a story great! "
— William, 9/12/2013 -
" Great mix of zombies and terrorists. "
— Philip, 5/25/2013 -
" If you want an easy to read action yarn (with zombies) this is your book! "
— Jay, 4/2/2013 -
" Putting this one down and grabbing the next one in the series. Very well done. "
— Jocelynn, 3/14/2013 -
" Fun take on the zombie genre. If they ever make a movie, Nathan Fillion would make a great Joe Ledger. "
— Saruvian, 11/1/2012 -
" A fun series. The author is a great writer of action. "
— Johnnm, 5/8/2012 -
" Interesting combination of zombie, sci fi, James Bond, and modern terror threats. "
— Eric, 11/1/2011 -
" A great fan of Zombie literature, I thought this book had an interesting premise. Can you create a virus that turns people into zombies? Using prion disease as a starting point, the science is fairly plausible. It made me consider the possibilities... "
— Nadyne, 10/11/2011 -
" Not great literature and the back and forth during the final scenes was like a frustrating Hollywood movie. However, I was enthralled and entertained. The action parts were well done leaving the reader wanting more. "
— Chris, 9/23/2011 -
" An intriguing thriller with a surprising amount of humor. Enjoyable read. "
— Randee, 6/8/2011 -
" James Bond meets terroist with Zombie pathogen. I found myself unable to put it down.Now I have to read the other 3 books, that are supposed to move on to different subjects same characters. "
— Jennifer, 5/25/2011 -
" A. as long as you go into this one knowing it's a goofy, action-packed thrilled with a main character who basically can do no wrong, you'll enjoy it. fun, fast, a military look at a zombie invasio "
— Heather, 5/17/2011 -
" Good, over-the-top fun. <br/>I read this on the nook. The Joe Ledger character reminds me a little of Remo Williams (from Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir's 'Destroyer' series). I'll definitely be reading the next one. "
— Jon, 5/9/2011 -
" Excellent book, I found it compelling right from the beginning. Loved the sci-fi horror twist. "
— Jorge, 4/23/2011 -
" PZ is a thriller about zombie terrorists with a political setting. It's a fast paced entertaining read, it's worth a good 3 stars. "
— Joe, 3/24/2011 -
" Pulpy goodness for the modern day. "
— Steve, 3/21/2011
About Jonathan Maberry
Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestselling author, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, four-time Scribe Award winner, Inkpot Award winner, and comic book writer. His vampire apocalypse book series, V-Wars, became a Netflix original series. He writes horror, science fiction, epic fantasy, thriller, and more. He is the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers and the editor of Weird Tales magazine.
About Ray Porter
Ray Porter has garnered two Audie nominations as well as several Earphones Awards and enthusiastic reviews for his sparkling narration of audiobooks. A fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has also appeared in numerous films and television shows.