Joe Ledger Books by Jonathan Maberry

I am totally, completely, 100% addicted to books written by Jonathan Maberry...and I haven't even read them all. I thoroughly enjoy the Joe Ledger books. Ledger is the main character of the books. The books are action/adventure horror fiction. It is a wickedly cool combination. 

Joe 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." His job as team leader is to battle monsters, mutants, genetically-altered humans and whatever nastiness is thrown his way. {I don't want to give too much away.} Ledger is the uber-fighting machine. A warrior's Warrior. He's Rambo, Jack Bauer, Jason Bourne all rolled into one, and then better than that.

The first book is Patient Zero. If you're a fan of zombie books, then you already know what "Patient Zero" means. If you don't, read the book. "Chapter One: When you have to kill the same terrorist in one week, then there's either something wrong with your skills or something wrong with your world. And there's nothing wrong with my skill." Deliciously terrifying.

The second book is The Dragon Factory.  This might be the wildest and most difficult to describe novel as there is so much going on. The Dragon Factory steams along at a rapid pace (a global Extinction Clock heads each chapter) as two rival groups of evil genetic experimenters have defied the laws of nature . At the heart of the principle group of geneticists is a team of evil geniuses being led by the Nazi Master Race teachings of the infamous Josef Mengele.

The third book is The King of Plagues. A London hospital explodes, killing thousands. This act of terrorism is only the beginning as the group behind the explosion turns to bioweapons in an effort to unleash a modern version of the biblical Ten Plagues of Egypt. I enjoyed the idea of "the Seven Kings" as a secret society that manipulates events from the shadows. And, with what is happening in the world today, totally believable.

The fourth book is Assassin's Code. Each book gets better and better. This is my favorite so far. Vampires! Vampires with nuclear weapons! This is a freaking awesome book. Seriously. As much as I love Patient Zero, Assassin's Code is one step above. I don't know how to describe the wit, humor, complexity, human moments and surprises that go with each book in this series. It is all so well done and I look forward to each new installment that comes out each year... I hope this series never ends.

If you have a Kindle, don't miss Material Witness, also a Joe Ledger book. If you have never tried one of Maberry's books, this short story is a fantastic place to start. It gives you great look at the star of his Joe Ledger series and the type of excitement and mayhem you can expect from his books. I had forgotten how much I loved the series until I came across this ebook on Amazon.

The only complaint I have for this series is that Maberry releases only one per year. I have to wait until March 26, 2013, for Extinction Machine. I read Assassin's Code when it was released on April 10th. Only four months have passed, but it feels longer than a year. I'm on pins and needles waiting for more Joe Ledger action! And, yes, I have read each book more than once. Now, that I've written this review, I'll read Patient Zero and Assassin's Code yet again.