The King of Plagues

July 25, 2011
In Maberry's third novel about rugged, wisecracking Joe Ledger, an on-again, off-again agent for the U.S. Department of Military Science, seven loathsome "kings" and one possibly supernatural "goddess" decide to rule the world through the use of plague viruses. The only thing they fear is a super-secret society within Yale University's Skull and Bones club. Much to the benefit of this adventure thrillerâa book that begins with a sinister maniac threatening to cut off his captive's eyelidsâRay Porter immediately creates a sense of dramatic intensity, which he maintains throughout the book. And while this vigorous narration is appropriate for powerful events such as the burning of the Royal London Hospital or the deaths of thousands of innocent people, it proves a bit excessive when coupled with the author's somewhat purple proseâparticularly so in the seduction scenes. And for all his good work in producing an assortment of British accents, Porter's ultra-evil, whispery villains do nothing to mitigate the book's quickly numbing and over-the-top melodrama. A St. Martin's Griffin paperback.

January 31, 2011
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 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.