JOE LEDGER: SECRET MISSIONS, VOLUME 2 by Jonathan Maberry / Z-View

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JOE LEDGER: SECRET MISSIONS VOLUME TWO by Jonathan Maberry

First sentence…

The card was tucked into the cleft of a crack in the vinyl of my old Ford Escape’s dashboard.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Joe Ledger is an ex-Army Ranger and ex-Baltimore police detective.  Ledger was recruited and is now an agent for the United States’ several-levels-above-top-secret Department of Military Sciences.  This organization deals with threats not only to the US, but the world.  Most of their missions involve stopping terrorists using advanced technology to create bio-weapons.  Some of Ledger’s assignments have ventured into the realm of the supernatural… and while Ledger might not believe in that “stuff” — his team has to deal with it.

JOE LEDGER: SECRET MISSIONS VOLUME  TWO features six tales.  Five by Maberry and one (Mr. Church’s Day Off) by Ray Porter.

  • Three Guys Walk into a Bar – A serial killer (killers?) has come to Pine Deep.  Police Chief Malcolm Crow and Deputy Mike Sweeney might be a bit put out when a PI named Sam Hunter and Joe Ledger show up.  But before long, they’ll be glad the two have arrived.  A serial killer is a terrible thing.  What’s come to Pine Deep is much, much worse.
  • Alter Boy – Toys was damned.  Things he had done in the past assured it.  Even the name everyone called him, Toys, was a moniker he hated.  But he lived with it.  Just like he lived with memories of acts for which he could never atone.  No matter how much good he did Toys knew his soul would never be saved.  Then Toys met a woman.  And over time as their relationship deepened Toys began to have hope.
  • Dog Days – New recruits to the  Department of Military Sciences (and other US agencies) hear stories about Joe Ledger and his dog partner Ghost.  Their exploits are legendary.  How a warrior and his canine became partners (family?) was born from tragedy.  Dog Days is that tale.
  • Twilight Falls – Over the Sahara desert a jet leaves chemtrails.  Shortly after whatever life below falls over dead.  Men, women, children… even camels.  This has happened several times.  Whoever is behind the jet may be testing efficiency for a mass event.  Ledger, Top and Bunny perform a HALO drop.  Easy in.  Getting out not so much.
  • All the Devils are Here – In 1971 a natural gas field in the desert of Turkmenistan collapsed.  It created a huge crater which filled with methane gas.  Geologists thought it would quickly burn off.  The fire has been raging since.  The locals call it the Gates of Hell.  An insane man with access to The Unlearnable Truths believes the fiery crater is a true door to hell.  And the psycho plans to open it.
  • Mr. Church’s Day Off – When you’re a hands-on leader of an international organization responsible for keeping the world safe, do you ever get time off?

If you’ve never read any of the Joe Ledger novels, this is a good jumping on point.  Don’t let the Volume Two in the title scare you.  You’ll get a nice taste of the kind of tales that feature Ledger along with some crossovers from other characters/situations in the Maberry universe.

Jonathan Maberry has another winner!  Joe Ledger tales are the best!

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