REVIEW: King of Plagues (Joe Ledger #3) by Jonathan Maberry Kindle Edition

King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry
Publishers Information: Kindle
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffen
ISBN 10: 0312382502
ISBN 13: 978-0312382506
ASIN: B004H1TM1Q
Series: Book 3 In the Joe Ledger Series
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "Reeling from the tragedy at the end of Ledger The Dragon Factory, Joe is pulled back into the DMS after the Royal London Hospital is destroyed in a terrorist attack. The group The Seven Kings is responsible, and they hit with more attacks, paralleling the seven plagues of Egypt, and go after Ledger and the DMS."

It has been a while since I last checked in with Maberry's Joe Ledger, but I am glad I did. Ledger has faced off against lab created zombies and human/animal hybrids already but after the death of his beloved he is drawn back in to face the latest threat, the biblical plagues from Egypt. Even with Ledger reeling from the loss of his girlfriend, he does his best to get back to work and stop the bad guys from taking over the world.

One thing that I really enjoyed about this particular novel was one chapter was sent in the present day while the next was set at the very beginning as the plans for global domination by the evil group known as the Kings begins to take shape. It allowed us a glimpse behind the curtain as recent events caught up with the past. While not exactly a mystery it did have a fairly mysterious feel to it. It was a nice effect and if the action won't keep you reading late at night (and it will) then the mystery should. However, when things are finally revealed, I did feel as though the big "secret" could have been kept a little longer as it lessened the impact of the ending, but only slightly.

The Kings are an eclectic bunch of individuals and their individual motivations for being apart of the group is interesting none are more interesting than the Queen, who heads the group and her lover, Sebastian Gault. Between the mystery that is the queen and Gault (and Toys) we have several worthy opponents for Ledger to tackle. Those of you Ledger faithful may recall that Gault and Toys have a history with our hero Joe.

Joe also has a new partner, Shadow, his well trained canine companion. It was a nice addition to the story line and something you rarely see in our adventure books these days. Shadow's introduction into the series is great. As a huge dog lover I thought it was a perfect fit and partner for Joe. There are also a few more new characters that have been added to the series and I look forward to learning more about them as the series continues. The story should continue as there is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end. Fans of the series should enjoy these newest edition to the legend that is Ledger. Recommended.

Plot 8/10
Characters 8.5/10
Style 7/10

Overall 7.5/10