The final Joe Ledger novel in Jonathan Maberry’s New York Times bestselling series. Terrorists-for-hire have created a weapon that can induce earthquakes and cause dormant volcanoes to erupt. One terrifying side-effect of the weapon is that prior to the devastation, the vibrations drive ordinary people to suicide and violence. A wave of madness begins sweeping the country beginning with a mass … country beginning with a mass shooting in Congress. Joe Ledger and his team go on a wild hunt to stop the terrorists and uncover the global super-power secretly funding them. At every step the stakes increase as it becomes clear that the end-game of this campaign of terror is igniting the Yellowstone caldera, the super-volcano that could destroy America.
Deep Silence pits Joe Ledger against terrorists with bleeding-edge science weapons, an international conspiracy, ancient technologies from Atlantis and Lemuria, and an escalating threat that could crack open the entire Earth.
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Joe Ledger and the DMS are back for a tenth go-round in Deep Silence, their most dangerous case yet. Terrorists are attacking the US with a radical new technology that not only triggers massive localized earthquakes, but drives the people caught in the fray insane. As if that weren’t bad enough, the DMS find themselves on the outs thanks to political in-fighting and the newly elected President of the United States who is seeking to bench them.
So, let’s get this out of the way straight off — yes, the POTUS depicted here is a very clear riff on on the real-world Twitterer-In-Chief, Donald Trump, America’s own orange, thin-skinned, fascist, racist lump of crap who pretty clearly suffers from dementia and is currently waging war against (and how I wish I were joking) flushing toilets and light-bulbs. Jonathan Maberry does a great job capturing Trump’s likeness here, right down to the utter ineptitude, ignorance, flat-out stupidity, and flagrant disregard for, well, literally everything except his own narcissistic self. Trump is very clearly the living embodiment of everything wrong with America, all rolled up into one insufferable living creature, writ large, and given the nuclear codes. The president of Deep Silence doesn’t come across any different. He’s ignorant, self-absorbed, reckless, and gives not a single crap about America or the potential devastation a terror attack could unleash.
In other words, it’s exactly the perfect time for terrorists to launch devastating attacks to destroy America. Maberry spends some time waxing philosophical about the current national nightmare that lives in Washington, D.C. and the extreme polarization of the right wring from the rest of the country, but I’d be hard pressed to deny the accuracy of the viewpoints exhibited by characters like Mr. Church. Joe Ledger and his crew operate in our world, and it’d be pretty silly if Maberry were to ignore our current state of disarray. It’s an uncomfortable and unfortunate time in America right now, and our art is a reflecting pool of the real world and real-world trends. If anything, such a reflection here certainly helps ratchet up the tension even further, as the DMS has their backs up against the wall more than ever before, and in more than one way. They’re forced to operate without the support of the government, and at times even have to contend with open interference from the nation’s leadership (a word that, of course, must be used exceedingly lightly, and preferably with a sneer, in reference to Trump). Mind you, there’s certainly no shortage of tension in this one, particularly as past threats resurface, new ones make themselves known, and Echo Team finds themselves way in over their heads in very short order.
Maberry does a fantastic job staging large scale mayhem and small, localized horrors. From the devastating earthquake attacks to more personal concerns, like failing health and the threat of certain death, we’re right in the thick of it. The climax is a study in hopelessness and despair, and the action sequences as Ledger and his crew attempt to save the world are a riveting, edge-of-your seat ride. It’s brutal and heart-aching, and at times a bit trippy and coolly otherworldly, and always oh so good.
But don’t let the book copy fool you! Although Deep Silence is billed as “the final Joe Ledger novel,” have no fear, dear readers. Maberry isn’t finished with Ma Ledger’s favorite boy just yet. And neither am I.
Deep Silence is a action packed thriller that starts out on page one and keeps on until the last page. Capt. Joe Ledger, Church and the rest of the DMS are challenged to stop a terroristic attack on America that would ultimately affect the whole world. A doomsday machine has been invented that can cause earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and mass hysteria. This book appeals to mature readers of any gender. If you like romance, this book is not for you. If you like action packed thrillers with tough characters and scary situations, Deep Silence is a great book to read. If you are new to Jonathan Maberry, you are lucky in that you have at least 20 books to look forward to!
Jonathan Maberry is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of his books and love them all to the point that I go through a slight depression when I finish one of his books because I know it’s going to be another 4-6 months before his new book is available.
Love Maberry’s work. Joe Ledger never disappoints. Can’t wait for the next one! Now on to his newest series broken lands…