Ken M. reviewed on 10/5/2014 + 35 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 3

My exposure to Jonathan Maberry was reading his wonderful Pine Deep trilogy. So I was looking forward to what I thought was a zombie book and the start of a new series with the novel Patient Zero. The zombie craze has hit full force in the world of horror since the early 2000's (thank you Brian Keen for getting that jump started with The Rising) and I am becoming a big fan. For me, I'm loving the direction that it is going in with The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, Land of the Dead, etc. There's some really good stuff out there compared to how the vampire genre has turned from something I used to love to where I can barely stomach it anymore. But, I'll save why I think vampires shouldn't sparkle for another rant. Back to Patient Zero.

Once I started reading Patient Zero, I begin to like the introduction of the main character, Joe Ledger, immediately. Joe, a former military man, is now a detective with the Baltimore PD. The man has skills. He can kick some ass with his martial arts or with a vast array of weapons. He's quick on his feet, a leader that doesn't hesitate in the face of danger. Because of this, a newly formed secret agency under Homeland Secuity called the DMS recruits him to lead their newest anti-terrorist group. The head of the DMS is a steely, unflappable man with ice in his veins named Mr. Church. Mr. Church reminds me of Tommy Lee Jones character in Men In Black (without the silliness, of course). The guy has connections all the way to the White House. Whatever he wants - the latest gadgets, unlimited resources, skipping through the red tape to get things done immediately, he gets.

The plot centers around a Muslim extremist group that partners up with a pharmaceutical baron, named Sebastian Gault, to create a biological weapon that causes people to "die" and then "come back to life" as zombie-like creatures to infect others with their bites with no known cure. I won't give too much away. But, the bad guys have lots of tricks up their sleeves and the back and forth between the Ledger led group fighting the terrorists is one enjoyable ride. Maberry does a fantastic job in creating characters that stand up through the whole book, great dialogue, and such a vivid picture of post 9/11 terrorism without being old James Bond cheesy. I originally thought that this was going to be a zombie book. As you've probably read from other reviews, the zombies are simply the biological weapon in a terrorist thriller story. While this is different than what I thought it was going to be about, it's still a great story. Think of Joe Ledger as a cross between Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon and Arnold Schwartzenegger in Predator. If I had anything negative to say about the story, I would say that it had a little too much talk about psychiatry and how their various encounters affected the characters psyche. It really is a minor complaint. I still recommend it to anyone who likes action with side order of zombies.

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