Book 4, Assassin's Code: The Joe Ledger Novels

Assassin’s Code was much, much better than The King of Plagues, I’m happy to report. It’s full of pulse-pounding action, tons of mystery, and oodles of snark. I don’t want to give away what the main bad guys are this time, but I will say that Maberry lays it out in a way that you can’t just shake off. I mean, you’ll laugh and go “Riiiggghhht” but by the time he’s done explaining it, you won’t think it’s so ridiculous.

I love Echo Team. Bunny and Top are the second best supporting characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. In terms of sci-fi thrillers, they are the best. (The others, of course, are Peabody, McNab, and Somerset from the In Death series.) I’ve started to fall in love with Ghost at this point too. Yes, he’s super-dog, but he’s Joe Ledger’s super-dog, so I’m okay with it. Plus, Ledger loves that mutt. That much is obvious. And I love to see me some puppy love!

One of the best parts about Assassin’s Code is definitely the fight between the good guys and the bad guys at the end. It’s not an understatement to say that Joe Ledger thoroughly gets the crap kicked out of him. I love the character, but Maberry definitely does it right by making sure he doesn’t escape from these situations unscathed. At one particular point, I was holding my breath as I listened. I knew, of course, that Maberry wouldn’t kill off the main character, but even knowing that I was still on edge. That’s definitely the mark of a good writer.

Oh, and for fans of Mr. Church, there’s a scene at the very end of this between him and a Grade A toerag from the previous books that will have you grinning in delight. I actually whooped and fist-pumped the first time I listened to it and got to that scene. It was beautifully done and reminds you just how dangerous Mr. Church is.

On the subject of dangerous characters, I think Mr. Church has to be one of the best bloody characters out there. Joe Ledger is dangerous. Top and Bunny are dangerous. Mr. Church – although he rarely commits violence and spends most of his time talking to people and planning things – is absolutely terrifying. The man radiates cold, calculating violence and danger on a level that Joe, Top, and Bunny together couldn’t even begin to come close to. I would gladly go toe-to-toe with the whole of Echo Team before I’d even get in the same room as a pissed off Church.

Violin, the latest lady in Joe’s life, is interesting. She’s not necessarily likable, but she’s exquisitely deadly. Its fun to read the fight scenes that involve her in Assassin’s Code, but she seems a little ‘too much’ at times. I can buy her mother, and almost every other female that appears in the Joe Ledger books, but Violin is a square peg trying to get hammered into the wrong hole.

Overall, a great entry into the series. One that holds up well to a re-listen. I’m up to Predator One (Joe Ledger #7) now, and Assassin’s Code still has some of my favorite scenes in it. (Maybe I just like to see Joe get his butt kicked?)

Assassin’s Code is one of the full length novels in the Joe Ledger series by Jonathan Maberry.

Joe and his team are sent to Iran to rescue some hostages. Everyone makes it out except Joe. While waiting for his ride out of town, he is contacted by an enemy combatant and given a damaged USB drive. He is also attacked in his hotel room…by a person with super human strength. Fortunately, he appears to have acquired a guardian angel who takes out the intruder. Joe is then on the run, the supposed safe houses are no longer safe. He is also being pursued by another group of people, people who think they are vampire hunters and the Joe is a vampire. Silly people.

The USB is analyzed and it is found that there are nuclear bombs that have been hidden away in very specific spots that are intended to cause mass chaos across the world. A master mind from previous Ledger novels makes an appearance here. He is working with several different groups of people causing his own chaos by pitting them against each other.

This is a fast, non-stop action story. There is a lot going on in it but it is not difficult to follow. I enjoy the Joe Ledger stories very much and think you will too if you like military adventure, monsters, science fiction, and lots of action and explosions. If you haven’t read a Joe Ledger novel, you could go back to the first, Patient Zero. It explains the DMS. Or, you can jump right into this story and catch up with the others at a later time.

Zombies, werewolves, secret societies (ala Illuminate), super-virus's and even a dragon (all of course with a mostly super-science edge, not paranormal). So the one obvious missing item in our paranormal ecology is vampires, so this book deals it out in spades. As I have read the books in this series the one thing I kept thinking is that the only person who seems to be having a worse day would have been Jack Bauer from the TV series 24. Then I remember the first line above and I am going to have to have to declare that Joe is definitely having a worse time that Jack.

Assassin's Code kept me alive, as I listened to it on a long drive where I was quite tired, but there was no way that I was going to fall asleep and miss what happened next. As it often happens in this series it starts of strong and keeps up the action (with one exception, the interludes to the historical events that provide some of the back story on the organizations) to the explosive crescendo at the end.

Joe, Ghost and Echo Team are in Iran, rescuing some wayward hikers that have been kidnapped by the Iranian's. On their way out they Joe is isolated and forced, by a mysterious sniper team, to meet with the head of Iran's Intelligence organization who provides some specific information (and some generic background stuff) about 7 (big, multi-megaton) nuclear weapons that are being staged around the Middle East as well as possibly in the US.

So without rest Joe and the DMS are thrown into a desperate search to find and disarm those weapons. Along the way we run into the Red Order (a secret order of Vampire Assassin's), a secret anti-vampire organization and even the Holy Inquisition. It even incorporates one of the historical question marks that have confounded scholars for decades, the Voynich Manuscript. This really is some great fun and anytime you stop for that book reading interruption thing called life you feel the twitchy need to get back to it ASAP.

I first caught Jonathan Maberry when I bought Patient Zero on a whim a couple of years back. Basic story was that lunatic terrorists were creating a zombie plague (of sorts), and a hastily-assembled tactical team attempted to take them out. In the course of the book, we were introduced to key characters Joe Ledger (our protagonist), Ghost (his dog), Rudy (his friend and therapist), Echo Team (the hastily-assembled tactical team), DMS (the covert agency responsible for dealing with situations like this), and Mr Church (the boss of DMS).

I've never been a huge fan of the military operation books. Andy McNab does not grace my bookshelves (although I have the utmost respect for him). Zombie books do, although I'm not a hardcore obsessive. So, taking a chance, I tried a new author (something I do every now and then, usually when I've exhausted whichever author currently has me hooked. Most recently, Preston and Child. But that's another story). I was, very pleasantly, surprised. Ledger turned out to be an engaging character, with the sense of (often inappropriate) humour which tickled me. That same sense of humour helps drastically in cutting through what could be a fairly ridiculous situation. Thoroughly recommended.

Anyway, following the initial Patient Zero came Dragon Factory and The King of Plagues. Each with their own new challenges for the developing Echo Team. Relationships and friendships built. Challenges were faced, adversities overcome, and each would make a fine standalone adventure. But, building behind the scenes, a bigger story started to emerge. A shadowy organisation (of Kings) bent on twisting the world for their own purposes. And lurking in the shadows, given nothing more than a throwaway moment, someone else.

Which brings us to Assassin's Code. The theme of each of the books so far has been to take a genetically-modified twist on some classics - zombies, dragons, etc. This time we're treated to vampires, in the name of terrorism. Being only the fourth book in the series, this is still early enough to feel fresh, and gives a nice little take on the vampire mythos. Some familiar characters reappear, to greater and lesser degrees. And there's the usual mix of excitement, adventure, action and suffering. Maberry has a nice touch when writing action and fight scenes - enough technical info to feel interesting, without overloading. Echo Team, at this point, have their core membership and their new members (which seems to be a now standard format in the books), and as with the previous titles, no one is safe. Knowing that Maberry is not afraid to kill off established or new characters lends a nice sense of risk to every scene. (And yes, two of those deaths are brutal and upsetting. I will miss those characters.)

Joe continues to evolve, and from the initial Echo Team encounter spends a good half of the book working in isolation from his teammates, accompanied only by Ghost - although relations between the two end up a little strained. Joe's backstory is expanded on a little more - the history of what led to his psyche fracturing a little, and it's nice to see that he hasn't immediately moved on from loves lost. I find Joe to be a surprisingly engaging lead, rooting for him in action, and more than once laughing at his snarkiness. His interactions with his team, Ghost, adversaries, superiors, and a potential new... partner, continue to delight. The overall story contains vamps, genetics, a race to find nuclear bombs, and a few other things which would be implausible in lesser hands (can you tell that I'm trying to avoid spoilers here?). Which makes for an ideal story.

However, it's the behind-the-scenes action which raises the interest another notch. After the introduction of the Kings earlier, I suspect a pattern will be to see them returning again and again in different incarnations and/or roles. Assassin's Code uses two Kings to varying effect, and brings in another old character (marking their third, and presumably not last, appearance). Beyond them, another figure starts to move into prominence, and in doing so brings a noticeable and not fully-comfortable shift in the tone of the books. Where previously the zombies and the dragons and the vampires had been genetically modified creatures, with at least some basis in nature and/or science, this figure seems to be fully routed in the supernatural. Certainly his actions and abilities seem immediately unexplainable by conventional methods. How this pans out, we'll have to wait and see.

The only other niggle I have is that all four books appear to have taken place in the space of a year. That's a tough year. And I'm not really sure that Joe and his team actually have any time to recover - mentally, emotionally, physically. Other than that, it's a hell of a book. Thoroughly enjoyable - accessible to people new to the series, but you'll benefit far more from having read the first three.

Strugled through 50 pages and could not take any more. Maybe a novel Steven King should have written. Reference to the "red order" and "tariqa" like we are supose ti know whar they are. Maybe as a vampire type book but not at all what I expected from a book titled "Assassin's Code". I am a veractious reader and this is one of ony three books I could not finish.

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Assassin's Code
Joe Ledger Series Book Four
Jonathan Maberry
Trade Paperback (Advance Reader's Copy)
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication date: April 10, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0312552206
432 pages

Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.

I requested Assassins Code from a group of Advance Reader's Copies simply because the cover intrigued me. I know, I know, "looks can be deceiving" and "you can't judge a book by its cover" but in this case I wasn't disappointed. I have to confess that I've never read any of the other books in the Joe Ledger series and starting with the fourth book is probably not the best way to be introduced to a series but there was absolutely no disconnect in the story for me and I was able to follow it easily without having any of the back story of the first three books. The first compact chapter, only 48 words long, hooked me immediately and the story only got better from there. After reading Assassin's Code I will definitely pick up the other titles in the series. I admit to having an affinity towards techno-thrillers with strong characters (i.e. Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series) and Assassin's Code fits into that mold nicely.

In some ways Joe Ledger reminds me a bit of Cotton Malone, Mac Bolan, and Doc Savage all mixed into one character. All are, or were, government contract operatives, are tough, witty, and sarcastic and their exploits are packed full of action scenes. The only real difference between them is that Joe Ledger is an extremely funny character. No, I take that back. What Joe Ledger thinks and says is often times hilarious. The novels are similar in some respects, as well. The plots are always eventful and conclude effectively and the suspense leading up to the climax is always "edge of the seat" and full of entertaining twists and turns.

In Assassin's Code, Joe Ledger and his team are tasked with extricating three American's from an Iranian prison after they are taken into custody on accusations of spying. In the process, Joe meets a member of the Iranian government that tells him seven black-market Russian nuclear bombs are in the hands of terrorists and that their mere presence threatens both countries. Ledger and his team need to find them and quickly. Mixed into that story line is a clandestine society bent on keeping their secrets hidden and destroying their enemies, namely anyone associated with Ledger and his team. The premise, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" while cliché in some respects, stands up well under the hand of Jonathan Maberry who weaves as suspenseful and thrilling a tale as I've read in a very long time.

Recommended for thriller/suspense buffs, fans of military fiction, enthusiast of character driven suspense, and anyone that enjoys secret government operatives, spies, political intrigue, and secret societies peppered throughout a solid fictional drama.

4 out of 5 stars

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin

The Joe Ledger Series
1. Patient Zero (2009)
2. The Dragon Factory (2010)
3. The King of Plagues (2011)
4. Assassin's Code (2012)

If I had known where Assassins Code was going before I started it, I would not have chosen to review the book. And though, now that I do know more about the book and author and will not intentionally read another, I have to admit that I did enjoy the book.

Several elements caught my intention when I originally requested to review the book -

1. The book was a thriller - a genre I generally enjoy.
2. The location of most the book is the Middle East.
3. The religious undertones of the book were inviting to this reader

However, once I began seeing hints of vampires and zombies (from a previous book), I began having my own doubts about the book. However, Assassin's Code continued to draw me in and I found myself interested in the characters and relationships developed in the book.

As Maberry writes, he integrates the concerns of Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism - along with an army of vampires - into a believable (though clearly fictional) story.

Joe Ledger is an experienced member of the armed forces and trained investigator - yet he is caught by surprise at the enemy which he and his team now face. As he explores the legends (true and false) which define much of our knowledge of the Catholic Church and vampires as presented in literature from a variety of cultures, Ledger learns a great deal about the "real" vampires he is encountering.

The story held my attention, the characters were believable, at least within the confines of the story, and writer is a skilled artisan. I read the book through to the end - I wonder "How many brownie points do I have now?"
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

In Jonathan Maberrys 4th. installment,Joe Ledger and ECHO TEAM rescue some college kids held hostage by Iran. Then is called upon by the Iranian government to help locate six nuclear bombs stratigically placed in the middle east.With the help of a beautiful,but lethal assassin named Violin,Joe and his faithful companion Ghost(Joes german shepard)set out to try to find them. But in doing so Joe descovers a brotherhood,an ancient order of genetically altered and enhanced bloodthirsty killers,and I mean BLOODTHIRSTY! Now Ive always been a fan of Maberrys Joe Ledger series,but this one sets the bar even higher.There is, as always plenty of action,but this is ,in my opinion one of the most original,most thought out and I need to add TERRIFYING,stories ive read.The reader really gets to see just what Joe Ledger and ECHO TEAM are really capable of when up against the wall.It kept me up night after night until I was finished.What Joe is up against can bring about the demise of the whole human race.I also really got to get to know Joe Ledger more,as the cop,the warrior,and the man.Every time I finish a Joe Ledger novel I think that there is NO WAY Maberry can top this,and everytime I get suprised.But with ASSASSINS CODE Jonathan Maberry has not only topped it,but within the pages of this book lurks an assassin,a creature that not only actually scared the hell out of me,but left me dwelling on it,the possibility of it when the lights go out!! Plus you get to experience a nice suprise from Mr.Church11 You are gonna love it!! I not only recommend it,this is a story that demands to be read!! MABERRY AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME!! GET THIS BOOK!!

What I like best about Jonathan Maberry's writing is the fact he can marry topics that appear to be completely incompatible together into a compelling and believable story. Take Patient Zero, Maberry marries a big pharma plot (believable) with Fatal Familial Insomnia (again believable) with terrorists/bioterror plot (believable) and zombies (not quite so believable) into an action packed rollercoaster ride into hell.

Maberry has the ability to do it again and again with The Dragon Factory (Nazis and their genetic research = worldwide destruction)* and King of Plagues (7 powerful people hell bent on making as much money as possible)* in ways that keep me coming back and eagerly awaiting his next book.

He masterfully accomplishes this AGAIN in Assassin's Code. The Crusades, Catholicism, Islam, vampires, and nuclear weapons all blend together in a seamless story that grabs you. The seamless flow from the opening scenes where Joe Ledger and his Echo Team are going in to rescue American college kids wrongfully held (VERY believable) segues into a race to stop crazy vampires from destroying the world with nuclear weapons.

Maberry also keeps continuity with past characters making appearances and pulling strings. But a person could pick up Assassin's Code, read it before any of the other Joe Ledger Books and not be lost. Maberry puts the right amount of exposition about these past characters but does not bash you over the head with their past exploits.

Another nice twist is Maberry's use of vampires. NO SPARKLE HERE!!!! Maberry makes the vampires an offshoot of Homo sapiens tree.

And what is even better is that after rereading the entire series after reading the Assassin's Code, the rollercoaster ride is still there and the stories are just as believable and compelling as when I first read them. The slow build up to the first hill in the rollercoaster is still just as exhilarating the second read-thorough as it was the first time.

*Note, I have simplified those plots.

The only thing that keeps this book from being the usual 5 star novel is the Addition of the "Blade" story line. Making these hybrid powered folks like Blade just took something away from this book. It cheapened the Ledger goodness I am used to. Her saving his bacon EVERY time didn't help matters. Once…yes…twice…okay. But for her to show up conveniently a third time? Cmon. The book finishes real well. It actually closed some open ends. Most novels by Maberry leave ends untied. I appreciate the author finishing certain aspects of the story line. "Best assassins in the world" show up without guns to a gun fight? hrmmmph. Lucky this Maberry book entertains so much.

Jonathan Maberry's fourth Joe Ledger novel stays true to form. Genetically engineered killers, nuclear bombs in the hands of terrorists, an elite female assassin sisterhood. All cool. All fun. Lots of action, plenty of suspense. While probably not as emotionally riveting as Patient Zero or Dragon Factory it continues to push protagonist, Ledger, to the brink, exploring new facets of his damaged psyche while tossing him into a series of seemingly no-win situations. I particularly enjoyed learning more about the mysterious Mr. Church in this volume, with hints of his past, and perhaps deeper secrets. Also, the addition of a beautiful female assassin named Violin was a treat. I love Maberry's writing. Fast-paced, full of thrills, but still striking at a deeper human level, at the true tragedy and loss just below the surface of any catastrophic event. His best? No. But, still another winner and worth a read.

Probably my favorite book of the Joe Ledger series. Throwing in Vampires with modern-futuristic day science is a good way to put a twist in the vampire stories. Making them non-supernatural makes them feel less invincible and scarier because it is in the "Realm of Reality". Nicodemus is of course a great character who brings the fear into the series and always is a welcome villain. Porter of course brings all of the characters to life once again with his narration and never fails in bringing me into the story.

This is a thriller with a stewpot of incitements--nukes, Iranian oil fields, Muslim-Christian conflicts dating to the Crusades, and, alas, the Upierczi. That’s Russian for vampires. I met the author and know his books are way popular, and, reading the glowing reviews, wanted to give it a chance. It’s a good, fast-paced thriller that would have been better without the fangs. They didn’t make it scarier, just harder to believe in. Oh, and I forgot the Sabbatarians (vampire-hunting adepts born on a Saturday), who must have cornered the Iranian market in garlic. Vampires, zombies, werewolves? Reality is plenty scary enough.

Stealthily entering a top security Iranian prison, U.S. Department of Military Sciences Captain Joe Ledger and his Echo Team liberated three young Americans hikers taken by an Iranian patrol that crossed the border into Iraq last year. The mission is not finished as his team still must take the trio from Teheran through deadly terrain to Kuwait City. Joe waits in the Islamic Republic of Iran capital for further orders.

At the Starbox Coffee, Joe receives a call from a woman while two red dots appear on his chest. While she gives the hook as a stand-up comic, she gives him instructions to follow. Once done, he drinks coffee at Starbox waiting until Jalil Rasoli of the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of Islamic Republic of Iran arrives. Jalil explains he needs the help of Joe and his team to prevent mass destruction devastating the Middle East. The Iranian assigns assassin Violin is to accompany Joe and Echo Team as they hunt for six stolen nuclear bombs planted in various regional oil fields by traitorous genius Hugo Vox and his super team.

This is an exhilarating over the top of the Burj Khalifa building paranormal thriller with Joe quips while facing danger against genetically-engineered mass murderers and that adds a noir feel to the mix. The storyline is fast-paced and loaded with action from the fist coffee cup to the last and contains a stunning twist involving Joe and the Book of Shadows. Fans will enjoy the Ledger horror thriller (see The King of Plagues, The Dragon Factory and Patient Zero) as John Maberry keeps the caffeine-adrenalin tropospheric.

Harriet Klausner

In this fourth installment of Joe Ledger's story, Ledger kicks the @$$ of evil Iranians, a Romanian? weirdo cult, and a group of religious doomsday vampires...all while trying to figure out where the mysterious group of psychotic women fit in to this mess. This book is brainless military sci-fi/horror action at its best. I only gave the book three stars because I started to get bored of all the bad @$$ military action. And it waxed a little too political for me at times. This is also a book that you shouldn't think too deeply about--for instance, why the heck did he bring his DOG for a mission in Iran (when clearly the dog wasn't being used for the mission)? Certainly, the dog HAPPENED to come in handy at times, but it seems poor planning to bring a dog and then leave him pointlessly in the hotel during the mission, so that if things didn't go as smoothly as planned, Ledger would have to go back and get his dog before getting out of harm's way. I also felt some of the "intrigue" plot was rather overcooked. Really? Intrigue in the Catholic Church? Gasp! Never seen THAT in a book before! So, like I said, this book is great if you're interested in some mindless action...just don't think too much. :)

If you liked the rest of the Joe Ledger books, then this is more of the same. If you liked the first and felt "meh" about the rest, then this book is similar to the rest of the sequels. If you haven't read any of the others, pick up Patient Zero (it's good!) and then keep in mind that the rest of the books are less intelligent, but just as much pulpy action.

This novel is another great story in the evolution of the Ledger character combining scary science with political intrigue and a bit of the supernatural. A combination that satisfies a number of literary pleasures in one stroke.

After rescuing a group of American college kids in Iran, Joe Ledger and his team are asked to locate six nuclear bombs. It seems that a group of vampires have them and are set on destroying our world. I enjoyed reading the first Joe Edger novel Patient Zero, and although missed the next two in the series, this was as thrilling and exciting as the first. Joe is one cool protagonist and Maberry knows how to keep the evil coming and Joe busy trying to save mankind!

Zombies, and Terrorist and Vampires oh my! The fourth installment in the Joe Ledger series picks up follows the same template as the three before it but with a new twisted set of challenges. If you’re a fan of intense action, unique characters and a giant smart ass as your main character, then dive right into “Assassins Code” and enjoy the ride.

Why so many chapters? Two thirds of the way through the average length novel I found myself at 80+ chapters. Why do that? Why do the characters sit around talking, waiting and going nowhere? There are excessively bloody fire fights but mostly there are characters reporting excessively from a variety of locations where they stay. We keep going back and forth between locations but nobody goes anywhere. By the time one gets to the possible dire circumstances of the end of the world, it doesn't seem frightening at all. The characters find it horrible but not the reader. It makes the characters seem like wimps. The author does not invest his characters with any interesting traits other than their ability to kill and blow s*** up, how big they are, how butch they are (women, too!), how old they might be, and their "Hooah" marine corps attitudes. The descriptions of historical events lack finesse and seem shallow and trite. St. Germaine as a character? Vampires? Please! Lots of other authors do this kind of writing with soul. It appears the author started out the Ledger Series excited but became bored with it and is now writing to fulfill a contract. Sad...

The Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson stomps all over this.

I thought this book relatively boring. The constant throwback to ancient times and religious jabber was confusing and somewhat distracting. But I did finish it, which helped tie things together somewhat. An ok read.