Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
St. Martin's Griffin (2011), 448 pages
Description
Fiction. Horror. Thriller. HTML: Saturday, 0911 hours �?? A blast rocks a London hospital and thousands are dead or injured. 1009 hours �?? Joe Ledger arrives on scene to investigate. The horror is unlike anything he has ever seen. Compelled by grief and rage, Joe rejoins the Department of Military Sciences and within hours is attacked by a hit team of assassins and sent on a suicide mission into a viral hot zone during an Ebola outbreak. Soon Joe Ledger and the DMS begin tearing down the veils of deception to uncover a vast and powerful secret society using weaponized versions of the Ten Plagues of Egypt to destabilize world economies and profit from the resulting chaos. Millions will die unless Joe Ledger meets this powerful new enemy on their own terms as he fights terror with terror. … (more)
Media reviews
Booklist
Following The Dragon Factory (2010), Maberry cranks up the intensity level once again with his new Joe Ledger thriller. 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
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version of the biblical Ten Plagues of Egypt. Ledger, beaten and distraught over a heartbreaking loss, has quit the antiterrorism business but reluctantly must jump back into the game, charged with nothing less than saving the world. As events unfold, allies prove to be traitors, and traitors become allies. To throw off the authorities, the terrorist group begins utilizing civilians to handle the dirty work. The publisher bills the novel as horror, but the story, horrifying as it is, definitely belongs in the thriller camp. It�s also Maberry�s best book to date. The ending guarantees a sequel that will be anxiously awaited by series fans. Show Less
Publishers Weekly
In Maberry's audacious third novel featuring Department of Military Science agent Joe Ledger (after The Dragon Factory), Joe must stop a cult bent on overthrowing the world order. Though Ledger is unofficially retired, a terrorist attack that levels the Royal London Hospital killing thousands
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compels him to return to action. The London tragedy proves to be just the opening move in a meticulously planned plot. When a viral research facility in Scotland is compromised, the Bombay Stock Exchange is bombed, and Ledger himself is almost killed by assassins, he and his DMS cohorts quickly realize that they're up against a terrorist group with virtually unlimited resources—about which they know little except its name, the Seven Kings. Powered by a cast of over-the-top characters, breakneck pacing, nonstop action, and a subtle sense of humor, this is an utterly readable blend of adventure fiction, suspense thriller, and horror. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member SandyLee
Joe Ledger fights more than just your common, everyday criminal. He fought zombies in Patient Zero. A former cop, he is now a member of the elite DMS (Department of Military Science). Villains you thought died in Patient Zero are back to reek havoc. There is a shadow organization called the Seven
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Kings that has infiltrated just about every part of society all the way to the top. And they are duplicating biblical events, metaphorically, to fulfill their goals. By threatening family and loved ones, they can get innocent people to do their bidding. Santoro is the knife-wielding assassin who truly loves his work and loves the “Goddess” who is at the head of the Seven Kings. From London to Canada to a cruise liner off the coast of South America, Joe and his team, with the mysterious Church at the helm, are at a loss to figure the Seven Kings’ next move. Toss in the Inner Circle of the Skull and Bones and you aren’t sure if the world can survive. The author has given Joe his version of Dexter’s “dark passenger” which he calls the “warrior.” Joe can switch from cop to warrior in the blink of an eye. This is a fast-paced thriller with a twist at the end which might give us another villain for the next Joe Ledger novel. If you haven’t discovered Joe Ledger yet, it isn’t too late to start. Joe is Jack Reacher and Repairman Jack rolled into one. Doesn’t get any better than that! Show Less
LibraryThing member cdhtenn2k10
I think this one is kinda wordy. Maberry isn't afraid to write a long book with lots of details about people doing this and that (see the Pinedeep trilogy - the whole thing is about 300 pages too long), and this is no exception. 448 pages that could have been about 375. Also, I think Ledger's
The third Ledger story gives us some new characters and reminds us about some old ones. Maberry does a nice job of bringing those old characters back, and even sets up some future action for some of them. As I understand, there will be a fourth book, and it will be interesting to see how Maberry incorporates the world changing events that take place in this book, and to see how characters evolve.
As usual for Maberry, the dialog is crisp and natural. The action is well described and makes sense. Major characters are well defined and nicely realized. The fault with this book is the length, not the prose.
If you have been reading the Ledger series, then you will surely be pleased with this addition. If not, you will need to read the first two books to truly appreciate what is happening in this one.
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introspection is laid on a bit thick. I get it. The world is mean and Ledger is screwed up. That being said, this is still a pretty good book.The third Ledger story gives us some new characters and reminds us about some old ones. Maberry does a nice job of bringing those old characters back, and even sets up some future action for some of them. As I understand, there will be a fourth book, and it will be interesting to see how Maberry incorporates the world changing events that take place in this book, and to see how characters evolve.
As usual for Maberry, the dialog is crisp and natural. The action is well described and makes sense. Major characters are well defined and nicely realized. The fault with this book is the length, not the prose.
If you have been reading the Ledger series, then you will surely be pleased with this addition. If not, you will need to read the first two books to truly appreciate what is happening in this one.
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LibraryThing member SonicQuack
Joe Ledger returns to fight another band of oddball villains bent on world domination/destruction, one of which is the titular King of Plagues. The significant part of the book follows multiple threads, building history of the Seven Kings organisation through flashbacks, whilst Ledger and DMS deal
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with the current threat posed by sinister organisation. Where previous novels have been more team based, Ledger carries the action more or less on his own until the final quarter. The banter and team dynamic have been critical to the nature of the previous novels and therefore Plagues is far less rewarding as a result. There is time spent adding value to new characters which will bear fruit in the future, however the result here is a tepid action thriller in comparison to the previous entries. It's still got lots to offer though; the villains are despicable enough, the heroes macho enough, the scenario warped enough - you know what to expect so jump right in. Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
My question at the end of the last book was, "He's done it for two; can he sustain the excitement for a third book?" For me, the answer is, "Not quite."
Whereas the first two were non-stop-action blends of the thriller and horror genres (well, horror thinly disguised as technology) that sucked me
A part of it is that Joe has become way too moodily brooding. I mean, no one wants a stupid-ass Schwartzenegger character here, running around like a robot. However, stopping every chapter to ponder how much of a monster he's had to become to combat the even greater monsters out there...well, it was a bit much. And, quite frankly, it became a bit formulaic by the end: okay, Joe, you're part Man, part Cop and part Warrior...and the Man is starting to give up while the Warrior becomes ever darker...yeah, we got it; thanks for telling us 20 times.
Another small part of it is that the villains are just plain James Bond-movie-silly in this one. You can only throw so much ritualistic pomp and mystic mumbo-jumbo (that even those spouting it don't believe) before you no longer sound like the smartest criminal minds on the planet and, instead, sound like frat boys.
But, really, what made it less than its predecessors was that the entire book gave the impression of being a coda to the old stories and a setup for a new set of stories, rather than a work all of its own. Sure, there's the world-threatening plot and a lot of folks get dead, but there was this unmistakeable sense that they were pro forma while Maberry worked out a final end to old villains and introduced a new set. Even the good guys were largely absent, leaving Joe to save the world on his own with the help of one new character on the side of Mom and apple pie.
This may all sound a bit harsh; perhaps it is. Certainly this book is readable and enjoyable to an extent. However, it's not a patch on its predecessors.
Whereas the first two were non-stop-action blends of the thriller and horror genres (well, horror thinly disguised as technology) that sucked me
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right in, this third offering falters a bit. It's still fun and it's still a quick read, but I didn't finish it with a sense of, "Wow, when will the next one be out!"A part of it is that Joe has become way too moodily brooding. I mean, no one wants a stupid-ass Schwartzenegger character here, running around like a robot. However, stopping every chapter to ponder how much of a monster he's had to become to combat the even greater monsters out there...well, it was a bit much. And, quite frankly, it became a bit formulaic by the end: okay, Joe, you're part Man, part Cop and part Warrior...and the Man is starting to give up while the Warrior becomes ever darker...yeah, we got it; thanks for telling us 20 times.
Another small part of it is that the villains are just plain James Bond-movie-silly in this one. You can only throw so much ritualistic pomp and mystic mumbo-jumbo (that even those spouting it don't believe) before you no longer sound like the smartest criminal minds on the planet and, instead, sound like frat boys.
But, really, what made it less than its predecessors was that the entire book gave the impression of being a coda to the old stories and a setup for a new set of stories, rather than a work all of its own. Sure, there's the world-threatening plot and a lot of folks get dead, but there was this unmistakeable sense that they were pro forma while Maberry worked out a final end to old villains and introduced a new set. Even the good guys were largely absent, leaving Joe to save the world on his own with the help of one new character on the side of Mom and apple pie.
This may all sound a bit harsh; perhaps it is. Certainly this book is readable and enjoyable to an extent. However, it's not a patch on its predecessors.
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LibraryThing member crazybatcow
There is not nearly as much action in the first half of this novel as there was in either of the other two. The action does pick up a bit around the half way point when Joe actually gets involved in the story, but until that point, the entire story is flashbacks to the development of the 7 Kings,
Since I expected this to be an action book, this lack of Joe doing anything was a bit disappointing. There is quite a bit of lecturing here, but not as bad as in book two where entire chapters were dedicated to lectures. And Joe is a lot more - we'll call it 'thoughtful' in this book - he does less shooting and more introspecting.
The story itself is okay. There was a lot of time spent talking about the 7 Kings, but I can only assume this was to set up other books in the series, because in this book, we only see 2 Kings (and one of them was a red herring anyway), plus a female bad-guy. The other 7 kept being mentioned, but they served no point in the story.
There are a couple plot points that ended up being 'twists' which were, for the most part, pretty well done. It isn't like you won't be able to figure any of it out, or follow a line of bread crumbs to the resolution, but the resolution does ultimately make sense.
Overall it was an okay story but I don't think I enjoyed it enough to read more in the series. Just a bit too much lecturing/introspecting and a bit too little kicking butt.
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and Joe going from site to site after all the action is over to investigate. He doesn't even pick up a gun until half way through.Since I expected this to be an action book, this lack of Joe doing anything was a bit disappointing. There is quite a bit of lecturing here, but not as bad as in book two where entire chapters were dedicated to lectures. And Joe is a lot more - we'll call it 'thoughtful' in this book - he does less shooting and more introspecting.
The story itself is okay. There was a lot of time spent talking about the 7 Kings, but I can only assume this was to set up other books in the series, because in this book, we only see 2 Kings (and one of them was a red herring anyway), plus a female bad-guy. The other 7 kept being mentioned, but they served no point in the story.
There are a couple plot points that ended up being 'twists' which were, for the most part, pretty well done. It isn't like you won't be able to figure any of it out, or follow a line of bread crumbs to the resolution, but the resolution does ultimately make sense.
Overall it was an okay story but I don't think I enjoyed it enough to read more in the series. Just a bit too much lecturing/introspecting and a bit too little kicking butt.
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LibraryThing member Toast.x2
Due to risk of wanting to shout out plot details, I am going to step away from the keyboard pretty quickly.
Buy all three of these books and let me know what you think of them.
They are worth the time, and are an excellent mixture of thriller/horror/military fiction.
Often times, the sequel in a
In a nutshell, The Department of Military Sciences (DMS) tracks is a black book organization in the United States that acts as the last line of defense on key/critical counter-terrorism issues. There are things that the public just doesn’t need to know. There are situations and people in the world that the mere existence of could cause a lifetime of insomnia. The DMS exists to ensure that the people who dream up and carry out these plots are put in the ground and pissed on, twice.
Captain Joe Ledger joined the DMS approximately half a year back (book time). He has been key in stopping multiple high level terrorist acts which would impact not only the US, but the welfare of humanity in general. These are Nasty, Nasty things like biological warfare with 100% airborne communicability, genetic modification/manipulation on a global scale..
Taking a break from what has to be one of the highest stress jobs on the planet, Joe is wandering Europe with his dog Ghost. He receives a call from Church, the mysterious figurehead of the DMS, and is brought into a situation in London where 4000+ people have died in a hospital explosion. Working with Barrier (the UK equiv of the DMS), Joe is immediately consumed with the task of fighting nightmares.
Interestingly enough, fighting intangible nightmares might be easier. You can just wake up and put a nightmare behind you. The shit that is hitting the fan in waking life is amorphous and impossible to track down.
Fans of the series may find this book a bit hard to follow compared to the previous novels. The chapters are laid out in a way that carries the current plot line in conjunction with perspective from the baddies over four months prior to current.After getting used to it, this format works really well. So if it deters you at first, power through it and I am sure you will be loving it.
Not to give any kind of spoiler, but the Ledger series was supposed to be a trilogy. The end of this novel leaves a lot of room for Maberry to expand if he decides to. Honestly, I hope he does. it is not common for me to sit raptly waiting for a book installment, but I would be willing to do so.
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xpost RawBlurb.com
Buy all three of these books and let me know what you think of them.
They are worth the time, and are an excellent mixture of thriller/horror/military fiction.
Often times, the sequel in a
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series of novels is difficult to get through. You are left thinking, “This was not as good as the first” or “this is not how I thought the characters would grow”. You get to the third in a series and hit the same road block, often times worse, and are left with an “Okay, but not great” feeling. King of Plagues is the third in Maberry’s Joe Ledger series, and it (as well as Dragon Factory) does not fall into this trap. They are friggin’ awesome.In a nutshell, The Department of Military Sciences (DMS) tracks is a black book organization in the United States that acts as the last line of defense on key/critical counter-terrorism issues. There are things that the public just doesn’t need to know. There are situations and people in the world that the mere existence of could cause a lifetime of insomnia. The DMS exists to ensure that the people who dream up and carry out these plots are put in the ground and pissed on, twice.
Captain Joe Ledger joined the DMS approximately half a year back (book time). He has been key in stopping multiple high level terrorist acts which would impact not only the US, but the welfare of humanity in general. These are Nasty, Nasty things like biological warfare with 100% airborne communicability, genetic modification/manipulation on a global scale..
Taking a break from what has to be one of the highest stress jobs on the planet, Joe is wandering Europe with his dog Ghost. He receives a call from Church, the mysterious figurehead of the DMS, and is brought into a situation in London where 4000+ people have died in a hospital explosion. Working with Barrier (the UK equiv of the DMS), Joe is immediately consumed with the task of fighting nightmares.
Interestingly enough, fighting intangible nightmares might be easier. You can just wake up and put a nightmare behind you. The shit that is hitting the fan in waking life is amorphous and impossible to track down.
Fans of the series may find this book a bit hard to follow compared to the previous novels. The chapters are laid out in a way that carries the current plot line in conjunction with perspective from the baddies over four months prior to current.After getting used to it, this format works really well. So if it deters you at first, power through it and I am sure you will be loving it.
Not to give any kind of spoiler, but the Ledger series was supposed to be a trilogy. The end of this novel leaves a lot of room for Maberry to expand if he decides to. Honestly, I hope he does. it is not common for me to sit raptly waiting for a book installment, but I would be willing to do so.
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xpost RawBlurb.com
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LibraryThing member JacobDecker
I am a fan of the Joe Ledger series. This one is a little slower building up the premise of the 7 Kings and their back story, but I do enjoy this book as much as the rest.
Starts off slow, but picks up quickly and the ramifications of the 7 Kings continues throghout the remainder of the series. It
Again Maberry takes ideas from various forms of cutting edge science and weaves them into the story in such a way that it is almost another character.
Starts off slow, but picks up quickly and the ramifications of the 7 Kings continues throghout the remainder of the series. It
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is a must read.Again Maberry takes ideas from various forms of cutting edge science and weaves them into the story in such a way that it is almost another character.
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LibraryThing member thehistorychic
Read in April, 2014
Listened for Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating: 4.50
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished: Holy Joe Ledger! The King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry was packed with action and intrigue.
Overall Thoughts:
I want to add a quick note about the kick-ass women that Jonathan writes in this series. He never pigeon-holes them or makes them "eye candy". They are generally smart (book and street), diabolical (if that is their role), and just as important to the team as the guys. Thank you for the Mr. Maberry!
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated By Ray Porter / Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
This is one of those series that initially I didn't like on Audio. I admit that Ray didn't blow me away in book 1. However, now I can't see anyone else being Joe. His deliverance and pacing is perfect for Jonathan's writing.
Final Thought: On to the next one (this is another series that I am pacing so I don't get caught up) :)
Listened for Fun (Audible)
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating: 4.50
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished: Holy Joe Ledger! The King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry was packed with action and intrigue.
Overall Thoughts:
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(Quick Review) The King of Plagues was a little bit detective work and whole lot of kick ass Joe Ledger. OMG Jonathan can write a thriller. Even though I know this always has levels of Fringe, to me these are hands down some of the best thrillers on the market. Joe is a detective with some very special skills. His best one though is following a lead and deducting where the clues will take him. Sure he can kick ass, has an awesome dog, and has a highly trained team helping him but Joe is just brilliant. This story combines the very real (and timely in this case) threat of madmen trying to take over the world.I want to add a quick note about the kick-ass women that Jonathan writes in this series. He never pigeon-holes them or makes them "eye candy". They are generally smart (book and street), diabolical (if that is their role), and just as important to the team as the guys. Thank you for the Mr. Maberry!
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated By Ray Porter / Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
This is one of those series that initially I didn't like on Audio. I admit that Ray didn't blow me away in book 1. However, now I can't see anyone else being Joe. His deliverance and pacing is perfect for Jonathan's writing.
Final Thought: On to the next one (this is another series that I am pacing so I don't get caught up) :)
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LibraryThing member JoshuaAtkins
The Joe Ledger series is just fun to read. Essentially a "real-world" interpretation of GI Joe, where a secret, specially equipped American military force battles the forces of super-evil in the world.
LibraryThing member Squeex
Jonathan Maberry had me at GHOST ROAD BLUES (my review), the Pine Deep Trilogy, and I am now a fan of the Joe Ledger series. I was exhausted after each reading time, so this made for a good bedtime read for that, though it did make for some whack-a-doodle dreams.
The reader's eyes are flying across
I highly enjoy the way Maberry writes a fight scene. I could almost see the end result of bullets and the fists and definitely dreaded what would happen with the infectious diseases. The descriptions were raw and graphic.
The only time I felt like skipping ahead was while reading the scenes with the Seven Kings, the Goddess and the soldiers blindly following along. Not that the scenes were badly written, far from it. I just have a hard time dealing with zealots in any way, shape or form. And these are zealots who are the worst, the ones following the money.
THE KING OF PLAGUES is available on 29 Mar 2011. I received this ARC from the publisher.
Five stay up all night from the vivid whack-a-doodle dreams beans....
The reader's eyes are flying across
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the page to keep up with quick scene changes and multiple characters, but the quick interludes within the chapters and the thriller storyline makes the pages turn faster and keeps you up way after your bedtime so you can read one more page.I highly enjoy the way Maberry writes a fight scene. I could almost see the end result of bullets and the fists and definitely dreaded what would happen with the infectious diseases. The descriptions were raw and graphic.
The only time I felt like skipping ahead was while reading the scenes with the Seven Kings, the Goddess and the soldiers blindly following along. Not that the scenes were badly written, far from it. I just have a hard time dealing with zealots in any way, shape or form. And these are zealots who are the worst, the ones following the money.
THE KING OF PLAGUES is available on 29 Mar 2011. I received this ARC from the publisher.
Five stay up all night from the vivid whack-a-doodle dreams beans....
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LibraryThing member Jarratt
Not as good as previous Joe Ledger novels, but still an exciting ride. I think what dampened my enthusiasm for this book was the whole Seven Kings idea—seven people who take on various "personas" like "fear," "lies," war," etc. They wreak havoc on the world by instigating various disasters and
Still, the Joe Ledger character is great and the actions sequences are spectacular.
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terrorist events then profit from said events. It was a little too over-the-top for me (and I'm a HUGE Matthew Reilly fan!).Still, the Joe Ledger character is great and the actions sequences are spectacular.
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LibraryThing member Charrlygirl
4.5/5 stars!
This is my favorite of the series so far. There were lots of surprises here, a few gains and some substantial losses. All the things that keep this reader interested in continuing.
I've been listening on audio and I love Ray Porter's voicing of Joe Ledger. In fact, he is the reason I've
Highly recommended as long as you've read the previous books in the series.
*Thanks to my local library for the free audio download. Libraries RULE!*
This is my favorite of the series so far. There were lots of surprises here, a few gains and some substantial losses. All the things that keep this reader interested in continuing.
I've been listening on audio and I love Ray Porter's voicing of Joe Ledger. In fact, he is the reason I've
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continued on with this series. I'm looking forward to the next book!Highly recommended as long as you've read the previous books in the series.
*Thanks to my local library for the free audio download. Libraries RULE!*
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LibraryThing member Narilka
The King of Plagues is the third book in the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry. A secret organization calling themselves the Seven Kings is weaponizing modern versions of the ten plagues of Egypt to sow unrest and destabilize the world's economies in an attempt to profit from the chaos. It is
Overall, The King of Plagues is a slower yet fairly action packed entry into the Joe Ledger series. It was interesting to see bad guys from Patient Zero brought back to be this book's super villains. We get a lot of their point of view this time around, which is part of what slows the pacing down some. Also different is the story focuses entirely on germ warfare and bio terrorism, leaving out the fantastical elements of the first two novels. By keeping the story more real world and based on technology we have today, combined with the fact that we're in the midst of a highly virulent pandemic, events felt incredibly plausible and in this manner heightened the terror factor more than the previous books.
Luckily we know Joe will save the day. Joe is as bad ass as ever and I loved the additions to his team. While still sad about Grace, it was nice to get to know Cersi, a new scientist on the team. Meeting Aunt Sallie was everything I never expected it to be - she's pure awesome of a different sort. Ghost is easily the best DMS agent has, so loyal and fierce. Joe would not have done so well without Ghost watching his back. Church is as mysterious as ever even as we learn something knew about his background. What I really appreciated is that Joe is able to make peace with his decision to stay with the DMS and keep walking in the darkness to protect the light.
In the end, while Echo Team saves the day, plenty of dangling threads are left open leaving Maberry with a lot of options for where he wants to take his story next. I doubt this the last we've seen of the Kings or Nicodemus.
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up to Joe Ledger and the DMS to unravel the evil plan before millions die.Overall, The King of Plagues is a slower yet fairly action packed entry into the Joe Ledger series. It was interesting to see bad guys from Patient Zero brought back to be this book's super villains. We get a lot of their point of view this time around, which is part of what slows the pacing down some. Also different is the story focuses entirely on germ warfare and bio terrorism, leaving out the fantastical elements of the first two novels. By keeping the story more real world and based on technology we have today, combined with the fact that we're in the midst of a highly virulent pandemic, events felt incredibly plausible and in this manner heightened the terror factor more than the previous books.
Luckily we know Joe will save the day. Joe is as bad ass as ever and I loved the additions to his team. While still sad about Grace, it was nice to get to know Cersi, a new scientist on the team. Meeting Aunt Sallie was everything I never expected it to be - she's pure awesome of a different sort. Ghost is easily the best DMS agent has, so loyal and fierce. Joe would not have done so well without Ghost watching his back. Church is as mysterious as ever even as we learn something knew about his background. What I really appreciated is that Joe is able to make peace with his decision to stay with the DMS and keep walking in the darkness to protect the light.
In the end, while Echo Team saves the day, plenty of dangling threads are left open leaving Maberry with a lot of options for where he wants to take his story next. I doubt this the last we've seen of the Kings or Nicodemus.
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LibraryThing member TobinElliott
So far at least, I can say that I've never been disappointed by a Maberry novel. I loved his Pine Deep series and the Joe Ledger books are equally as good.
I think the only thing that I'm never wild about is the celebrity name-dropping he's always done. I guess it's part of his schtick, but it's the
So, while a bit of an annoyance, it's not a deal breaker. Nor was the occasional over-the-top we-protect-those-who-can't-protect-themselves hooah rah-rah chest-thumping his fighters sometimes lapse into. I've known real people (a cop who also did a volunteer stint in a violent Middle East country) who engaged in the same thing. It's never my favourite parts of his novels, but again, I know why they're in there.
But these are minor quibbles. For pacing, for fun characters, for some of the best damn action scenes ever written? Hell yes, Maberry's my man. I love the plots, I love the DMS, I love all of it.
Great books.
I think the only thing that I'm never wild about is the celebrity name-dropping he's always done. I guess it's part of his schtick, but it's the
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only thing that tends to annoy me. He did it in the last Pine Deep novel and he did it again at with this one, going so far as to give U2's Bono a small walk-on toward the end. I know why the scene was written, and, to be honest, I think it would have been far more effective with a fictional star, because I wouldn't have been reading that whole scene thinking, Why Bono? Does he sound like Bono? Would Bono say that exactly that way?> That sort of thing.So, while a bit of an annoyance, it's not a deal breaker. Nor was the occasional over-the-top we-protect-those-who-can't-protect-themselves hooah rah-rah chest-thumping his fighters sometimes lapse into. I've known real people (a cop who also did a volunteer stint in a violent Middle East country) who engaged in the same thing. It's never my favourite parts of his novels, but again, I know why they're in there.
But these are minor quibbles. For pacing, for fun characters, for some of the best damn action scenes ever written? Hell yes, Maberry's my man. I love the plots, I love the DMS, I love all of it.
Great books.
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LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
This book has Joe dealing with his grief after the end of the previous book. He is Europe when a London hospital is blown up. The bombing is part of a plot from a new enemy, the Seven Kings. The Kings are a group that use terror and crime to fill their pockets. And the Kings have just promoted a
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new King of Plagues, someone the DMS has fought before. They are planning on releasing ten Plagues to sow terror in the world and now the DMS needs to stop it before lots of people die. Lots of action as always and the good guys come out ahead in the end. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011-03
Physical description
8.18 inches
ISBN
0312382502 / 9780312382506