"Patient Zero" by Jonathan Maberry

Title: Patient Zero

Author: Jonathan Maberry

 

Series: Joe Ledger, #1

 

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read from April 5th to April 8th, 2013)

Summary:

Monday, 1300 hours: Joe Ledger kills terrorist Javad Mustapha, aka Patient Zero, with two point-blank shots from his Glock .45. 

 

Wednesday, 0800 hours: Patient Zero rises from the dead... 

 

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. 

 

Ledger, a Baltimore detective assigned to a counterterrorism task force, is recruited by the government to lead a new ultrasecret rapid-response group called the Department of Military Sciences (DMS) 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...

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

The first time I found out about Jonathan Maberry was some time in 2010 when I came across Rot & Ruin - his first YA book. At the time I was just getting hooked on zombie books, so I was looking into some new zombie books to read, and Rot & Ruin just came out, so I read it and absolutely loved it, so I knew I have to read Jonathan Maberry's other books. But, unfortunately, although I read Dust & Decay since then, I never seemed to get around to his other books, but finally that changed.

And what did I thought about Patient Zero? I was definitely surprised, but in a good way & I loved it of course! I guess it's my fault ;) I knew that the author connected the Joe Ledger series & the Benny Imura series in Flesh & Bone, so I knew they're set in the same world, so I was expecting a similar novel, only pre-apocalyptic, but I was so wrong.  

What I got was a non-stop action-adventure thriller full of suspense & awesomeness. It reminded me a little of James Rollins's Sigma Force series, only with a different type of threat, and I love those books! So, of course, I absolutely loved Patient Zero. From the moment I started it, I didn't want to put it down. I'm usually a multiple-books-reader, but this was one of those rare times when I didn't pick up anything else until I finished Patient Zero (and don't you just love it when that happens). 

In Patient Zero we follow Joe Ledger (the main character), as he gets recruited into a secret government organization called the Department of Military Sciences a.k.a DMS. Joe Ledger is one awesome kick-ass character. He's sarcastic, smart & quick on his feet, and one hell of a fighter. I couldn't help but love him as a character, and he's definitely now one of my fav heroes! I can't wait to read more of his adventures in the future. 

Other thing I loved about this book is that we follow multiple other characters, including the bad guys, so we get the complete story. And the story itself was freaking terrifying, because it felt so realistic. And it was full of suspense, action & horror because of the things the DMS teams had to do, as well as what the bad guys did, I'm thinking of Generation 12 of the virus of course. There's also some mystery & betrayals, some I guessed, some surprised me, but overall it was done perfectly. Jonathan Maberry is definitely a master at what he does, he will wrap you up in the story with his words, and before you know it, the book has ended, and you will be eager for more. 

So, if you enjoy thrillers full of suspense & action, great characters & great story, then Patient Zero is a book you wouldn't want to miss, and I highly recommend it!  

 

Challenges:

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge