Relentless
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- Create Date：2021-07-13 21:32:20
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Jonathan Maberry
- ISBN：B08KYNTP18
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Summary
ROGUE TEAM INTERNATIONAL JOINS JOE LEDGER IN A NEW HUNT THAT SPANS THE GLOBE AND JOURNEYS DEEP INTO THE TERRIFYING LANDSCAPE OF THE HUMAN HEART。
Joe Ledger's world has been torn apart。 the people closest to him have been savagely murdered and Ledger is on the hunt for the killers。 His already fragile psyche has cracked apart， allowing a dangerous darkness to overwhelm him。
His hunt takes him deep into the world of the deadly black market weapons sales， and standing in his way are a new generation of private military contractors。 these mercenaries have been enhanced with cutting-edge cybernetics and chemical enhancements， transforming them into real-world super soldiers。 Stronger， faster， harder to hurt， and fitted with built-in weapons。 They are beyond anything Joe has ever faced。
But he is not the Joe Ledger they expected to fight。 He is defined by the Darkness now。 The attempt to destroy him—to break him—has backfired。 Instead his enemies have turned him into a far more fearsome weapon。
EVERYONE IS OUT FOR BLOOD。
A Macmillan Audio production from St。 Martin's Griffin
RUNNING TIME => 13hrs。 and 30mins。
©2021 Jonathan Maberry （P）2021 Macmillan Audio
Joe Ledger's world has been torn apart。 the people closest to him have been savagely murdered and Ledger is on the hunt for the killers。 His already fragile psyche has cracked apart， allowing a dangerous darkness to overwhelm him。
His hunt takes him deep into the world of the deadly black market weapons sales， and standing in his way are a new generation of private military contractors。 these mercenaries have been enhanced with cutting-edge cybernetics and chemical enhancements， transforming them into real-world super soldiers。 Stronger， faster， harder to hurt， and fitted with built-in weapons。 They are beyond anything Joe has ever faced。
But he is not the Joe Ledger they expected to fight。 He is defined by the Darkness now。 The attempt to destroy him—to break him—has backfired。 Instead his enemies have turned him into a far more fearsome weapon。
EVERYONE IS OUT FOR BLOOD。
A Macmillan Audio production from St。 Martin's Griffin
RUNNING TIME => 13hrs。 and 30mins。
©2021 Jonathan Maberry （P）2021 Macmillan Audio
Reviews
Matt Bliss
，
A new shade for a familiar Joe Ledger。Maberry knows how to keep his readers on the edge of their seats。 This Joe Ledger book definitely does that。 It covers new （emotion） territory for Joe and his team and creates a vibe unlike any other in the genre。 Joe walks a very different path than Havoc Team in this one， and it is a much darker path too。 One that makes you want to read through the small space between your fingers， because you don’t want to see， but can’t look away。As with the other Ledger A new shade for a familiar Joe Ledger。Maberry knows how to keep his readers on the edge of their seats。 This Joe Ledger book definitely does that。 It covers new （emotion） territory for Joe and his team and creates a vibe unlike any other in the genre。 Joe walks a very different path than Havoc Team in this one， and it is a much darker path too。 One that makes you want to read through the small space between your fingers， because you don’t want to see， but can’t look away。As with the other Ledger books， this is a non-stop action thriller that has all the tech and weapons that we crave in these types of novels。 Bullets fly， people die， bad guys do bad things。 The true magic comes from the dark and disturbing emotions plaguing Joe Ledger。 If you are a fan of Maberry， or any of his Ledger books， I would definitely recommend it。 。。。more
Sarah-Grace （Azrael865）
，
This review does not contain spoilers。。。。unless you haven't read Rogue Team International 1: Rage。 Relentless picks up only a few months after the events that ended RTI 1:Rage。 If you haven't read it yet。。。。READ IT！ With that said， on to Relentless。And this story is Relentless。 It is very well written non stop action， as all of Jonathan Maberry's stories are。 He never disappoints。 After the Rage case came to a close Santoro strikes a massive blow to Joe Ledger。 He kills Joe's entire family with This review does not contain spoilers。。。。unless you haven't read Rogue Team International 1: Rage。 Relentless picks up only a few months after the events that ended RTI 1:Rage。 If you haven't read it yet。。。。READ IT！ With that said， on to Relentless。And this story is Relentless。 It is very well written non stop action， as all of Jonathan Maberry's stories are。 He never disappoints。 After the Rage case came to a close Santoro strikes a massive blow to Joe Ledger。 He kills Joe's entire family with a Christmas package bomb， which Joe and Junie witness sustaining their own injuries in the blast。 Now Joe is physically mended and Church has decided to send him with his team， back into field work。 No one is very sure about that decision。 During an infiltration mission， Joe truly goes rogue and sets out to hunt Santoro and Harcourt Boltan aka Kuga， solo。 With Joe's already fractured personality has Santroro's murderous actions pushed Joe into a mental state from which he will be unable to return？ Thank you so very much to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC of Relentless。P。S。 I will absolutely purchase an audio version of Relentless before book 3 of RTI comes out。 Jonathan Maberry's writing is outstanding on its own， but Ray Porter's performances don't hurt anything。 Please don't make me wait too long。 。。。more
drey
，
Joe Ledger is a man haunted by his past and his enemies， and now his three personalities – the Cop， the Killer， and the Modern Man – have a fourth who’s threatening to completely overshadow the others。 In his grief and his rage， Joe and his best doggo Ghost walk away after an op and disappear， leaving all his friends worried and his enemies wary。And what enemies he has。 They’re evil to the core， plotting world domination by selling enhanced mercenaries to the highest bidder， not caring who gets Joe Ledger is a man haunted by his past and his enemies， and now his three personalities – the Cop， the Killer， and the Modern Man – have a fourth who’s threatening to completely overshadow the others。 In his grief and his rage， Joe and his best doggo Ghost walk away after an op and disappear， leaving all his friends worried and his enemies wary。And what enemies he has。 They’re evil to the core， plotting world domination by selling enhanced mercenaries to the highest bidder， not caring who gets hurt in the process。 Except for Joe – him， they want dead。 D。E。A。D。 dead。 Cue evil plotting and posturing， complete with absolutely bonkers cray-cray personalities。Relentless is dark and more than a bit disturbing， as we witness Joe’s descent into bloodier chaos; bloodier for both him and those he’s hunting。 You can’t help rooting for the guy， though。 After all he’s been through， you want him to find and eradicate all the bad guys。 This could be a stand-alone if you don’t have the time or inclination to read all the other Joe Ledger novels， but I’d recommend at least checking out book #1， Rage。If you like bloody kills， caricaturishly evil villains， and lots of action， then add Relentless to your to-read pile。 Let your vivid imagination transfer Maberry’s words into an action-packed flick filled with all kinds of things-that-go-boom in your mind’s eye。drey’s rating: Pick it up！ 。。。more
Olivia
，
RELENTLESS is an action-packed， high-octane read that hits the ground running and never lets up。 Joe Ledger is leading an elite team， the Havoc Team， around the world as they try to track down black market weapons sales。 Alongside his dog， Ghost， and the members of his team， they will face untold gadgets and weapons that threaten the safety of everyone。 Still reeling from the loss of those he cared about， Joe must focus on his missions and the dangerous foes he faces。This was a really fast-paced RELENTLESS is an action-packed， high-octane read that hits the ground running and never lets up。 Joe Ledger is leading an elite team， the Havoc Team， around the world as they try to track down black market weapons sales。 Alongside his dog， Ghost， and the members of his team， they will face untold gadgets and weapons that threaten the safety of everyone。 Still reeling from the loss of those he cared about， Joe must focus on his missions and the dangerous foes he faces。This was a really fast-paced and thrilling read that brought every bit of action， mystery， and suspense you would expect from reading the summary。 The book starts off fast， already on the hunt， and it keeps up the pace throughout。 With brief， targeted sentences and concise but imaginative descriptions， this is a book that pulls the reader in and primes them for the suspense and action to follow。 This was a really entertaining， dark， and high-octane read that got my heart pumping。RELENTLESS is quite a thrill-ride， and I would highly recommend for fans of Jack Reacher， ORPHAN X， and Jack Ryan。 Mercenaries， gadgets， and suspense make this a thrilling pick for action fans。Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Lou Jacobs
，
Be prepared to immerse yourself into an all consuming high-octane adventure that spans the globe。 Our knight in shining armor is none other than Colonel Joe Ledger 。。。。 warrior， knight and killer 。。。。 whose sole purpose is to defend the helpless and innocent。 Even if you're not familiar with Ledger's previous exploits 。。。 this gem will。 be enjoyed as a standalone。 Multiple award winning writer， Maberry seamlessly adds the necessary backstory。Ledger was previously featured on the Echo Team of DMS Be prepared to immerse yourself into an all consuming high-octane adventure that spans the globe。 Our knight in shining armor is none other than Colonel Joe Ledger 。。。。 warrior， knight and killer 。。。。 whose sole purpose is to defend the helpless and innocent。 Even if you're not familiar with Ledger's previous exploits 。。。 this gem will。 be enjoyed as a standalone。 Multiple award winning writer， Maberry seamlessly adds the necessary backstory。Ledger was previously featured on the Echo Team of DMS （Department of Miltary Sciences）， which was linked tothe US government。 Unfortunately he was frequently hampered by red tape and political party "politics"。 His boss， the infamous and enigmatic， Mr。 Church has rendered DMS defunct and formed the international ultra-rapid response organization of Rogue Team International （RTI） 。。。 freeing his missions from their previous encumbrances。 Joe is the leader of the strike team， known as the Havoc team。 RTI picks it's own cases and has no oversight。 On their previous mission they grappled with an organization that released a "designer" pathogen into the atmosphere of a small island off the coast of North Korea。 This induced an extreme state of violent madness to all the inhabitants。 This bioweapon called "Rage" resulted in the complete annihilation of the island's populace。 The organization behind such bioweapons continues to flourish。 "Kuga" is the chief executive of this international criminal empire， that specializes in the black market sale of bioweapons ， neurotoxins， and other chemical and technological enhancements to the highest bidder。 He has no "politics" 。。。 war， assassination and terrorism is "good for business"。 Kuga is most likely a former CIA superstar gone rogue 。 Harcourt Bolton is smart， rich and ruthless。， and has taken the pseudonym from the Bosnian word for "plague"。 His right-hand man is the equally vile， Raphael Santoro。 Respected as the world's most feared blackmailer， extortionist， manipulator， and murderer。 On Christmas eve ， last year， Santoro murdered Joe's entire family and closest friends。 Needless to say， Joe wants revenge and retribution on both Kuga and Santoro。 His initial assault with the Havoc team in his quest for revenge is on Mitrovic an important arm of the vast organization。 His compound is a heavily guarded fortress on a small island off the coast of Croatia。 He team floats in undetected and under the radar with Trade Winds Motor-Kites made of aluminum-magnesium alloy that are lighter than a lawn chair， but exceedingly stronger。 Accompanying Ledger is his vaunted combat dog， Ghost。 The encounter and ultimate battle is gruesome and victorious， with Ledger seemingly "loosing it" Ledger ultimately "goes rogue" with the aim of killing Kuga and Santoro on his own。 Ledger's and RTI's subsequent assault takes them across the globe。。。 from North America to Europe， Indonesia， South Africa and even Antartica。 Maberry proves to be an amazing storyteller。。。 and weaves a complex and twisted explosive narrative that features a mutlt=dimensional fleshed out supporting cast of soldiers and warriors 。。。 all entering the world of darkness and evil。。 Maberry delivers an entertaining roller-coster ride of adventure that successfully juggles violence with a blend of motivations fostered by friendship， love and respect。 This adventure is not only replete with high tech gadgets， gizmos and gear， but also a plethora of dastardly villains 。。。 some old and some new， that undoubtedly will populate later adventures。 Thanks to NetGalley and St。 Martin's Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review。 （ at readersremains。com） 。。。more
Brandon
，
When I started reading this， I didn't realize it existed in a world of other books。It was not completely necessary to enjoy the book， but it sure would have provided some insight for many incidents that were frequently cited throughout。It was an interesting premise， modern setting with current if slightly futuristic technology and a hint of dark fantasy。 There were moments that were a bit of a slog， but otherwise I found myself humming along through chapter after chapter。Certainly worth a read， When I started reading this， I didn't realize it existed in a world of other books。It was not completely necessary to enjoy the book， but it sure would have provided some insight for many incidents that were frequently cited throughout。It was an interesting premise， modern setting with current if slightly futuristic technology and a hint of dark fantasy。 There were moments that were a bit of a slog， but otherwise I found myself humming along through chapter after chapter。Certainly worth a read， but I would definitely want to visit earlier books before reading a sequel 。。。more
Susan
，
When I got an email from Jonathan Maberry asking if I'd like to review the latest Joe Ledger novel I scared my dog （squeeeee）。 Of course I would （silly question！）。So it arrived on a Thursday and stared at me。 Till Saturday when I could start it。 Then I got poisoned at work （I told the stupid restaurant I was allergic to mushrooms！）， so barely got the book started。 But I did get it started！！！So， I chipped away at this wonderful novel for the week and finished it after work on Friday。 Couldn't go When I got an email from Jonathan Maberry asking if I'd like to review the latest Joe Ledger novel I scared my dog （squeeeee）。 Of course I would （silly question！）。So it arrived on a Thursday and stared at me。 Till Saturday when I could start it。 Then I got poisoned at work （I told the stupid restaurant I was allergic to mushrooms！）， so barely got the book started。 But I did get it started！！！So， I chipped away at this wonderful novel for the week and finished it after work on Friday。 Couldn't go to bed until I finished it。 And had a great surprise to see cameo appearances from Joe Lansdale's Hap and Leonard！ This novel will serve as a GREAT lead-up to Church and Joe facing off against Sunday and it's great to see that for now Joe's love life doesn't make me want to curl up into a fetal ball and cry。 So， if you liked any of the previous Joe novels or anything else written by Jonathan go pre-order this novel for when it's officially release。 ARC or not， I've got mine ordered！ 。。。more
Stacy Kingsley
，
Relentless by Jonathan Maberry was a pretty good book。 From the synopsis:JOE LEDGER's world has been torn apart。 The people closest to him have been savagely murdered and Ledger is on the hunt for the killers。 His already fragile psyche has cracked apart， allowing a dangerous darkness to overwhelm him。His hunt takes him deep into the world of the deadly black market weapons sales， and standing in his way are a new generation of private military contractors。 These mercenaries have been enhanced w Relentless by Jonathan Maberry was a pretty good book。 From the synopsis:JOE LEDGER's world has been torn apart。 The people closest to him have been savagely murdered and Ledger is on the hunt for the killers。 His already fragile psyche has cracked apart， allowing a dangerous darkness to overwhelm him。His hunt takes him deep into the world of the deadly black market weapons sales， and standing in his way are a new generation of private military contractors。 These mercenaries have been enhanced with cutting-edge cybernetics and chemical enhancements， transforming them into real-world super soldiers。 Stronger， faster， harder to hurt， and fitted with built-in weapons。 They are beyond anything Joe has ever faced。But he is not the Joe Ledger they expected to fight。 He is defined by the Darkness now。 The attempt to destroy him--to break him--has backfired。 Instead his enemies have turned him into a far more fearsome weapon。I have read almost every Joe Ledger book and short story that is out there。 This book follows a little bit of a different Ledger than you may have read before， except possibly in Maberry's novel， Rage。 Joe is dealing with depression and a possible psychotic break。 The novel takes a few heartbreaking turns as the reader wonders about his psyche and the delightful pup， Ghost。 Joe starts the novel on a mission that he may not be prepared for。 Later， on this mission， the reader sees him kill someone that seems to cross the line of who does and does not deserve death。 The point of this singular killing was an act of mercy， but in reality it may not seem that way。 After this killing Joe leaves the team and disappears。 Throughout the novel I was concerned for Ghost， as Joe's psychotic break was so dramatic。 I wondered if his demons would be too much for both of them。 Throughout the novel the entire team is concerned and tries to help or find Joe。 I was a tad bothered by the treatment of Junie， only because I thought at this point she would be a tad bit stronger。 To me the most interesting character in the novel was Mr。 Sunday， another character who is not who he seems。 He is a man able to sell anything to anyone。 I enjoyed reading his scenes， and finding out the secrets behind who he is。 I did not think the end was suited perfectly to the story。 I felt that at least two of the characters were killed off and died too fast， especially since so much was built up throughout the novel about them。 I don't want to say too much， as I don't want to give anything away。 I will say that one character， I would have liked to see go down a little harder。 Overall， I enjoyed this novel。 At almost 500 pages it is not a light read。 It probably could have been edited in a few places， and still held it's meat， but I enjoyed it and I enjoyed seeing Joe Ledger continue to develop。 I also really enjoyed the character of Toys （had to end with that）。 。。。more
Bourbonite
，
Great， well paced book。 I really liked how and where the characters grew。
Roswita
，
Excellent， fast-paced， and engaging。 As always， Mr。 Maberry has delivered a smoothly crafted and detailed narrative that pulls you into Joe Ledger’s world and doesn’t let you go until the epilogue。 Joe is really put through the ringer in this one。 There were a few scenes where I had to wonder if he would pull through， but then， this is Joe we’re talking about。 It did get the heart thumping， though， and you spend most of the book on the edge of your seat， eagerly reading to see what happens next。 Excellent， fast-paced， and engaging。 As always， Mr。 Maberry has delivered a smoothly crafted and detailed narrative that pulls you into Joe Ledger’s world and doesn’t let you go until the epilogue。 Joe is really put through the ringer in this one。 There were a few scenes where I had to wonder if he would pull through， but then， this is Joe we’re talking about。 It did get the heart thumping， though， and you spend most of the book on the edge of your seat， eagerly reading to see what happens next。 Fans of Joe Ledger will be very satisfied with this story。 Run， don’t walk， to buy it！ 。。。more
Lisa HEFLIN
，
I LOVE JOE LEDGER！！ This was just as good as I have come to expect from Jonathan Maberry - and he didn't write most of the anthologies in this book。 Different stories by different authors showing different sides of Joe Ledger's world。 One even focuses on Grace Cortland （yep， I want to be her when I grow up。 Still mad that she was killed off。）Once again Ray Porter dilivers a spot on voice of all the great Ledger series characters。 There was only one story that I was not that fond of - the story o I LOVE JOE LEDGER！！ This was just as good as I have come to expect from Jonathan Maberry - and he didn't write most of the anthologies in this book。 Different stories by different authors showing different sides of Joe Ledger's world。 One even focuses on Grace Cortland （yep， I want to be her when I grow up。 Still mad that she was killed off。）Once again Ray Porter dilivers a spot on voice of all the great Ledger series characters。 There was only one story that I was not that fond of - the story of Ghost。 It kind of wasn't the way I see Ghost， so maybe that had something to do with it。 Over all I really enjoyed the book and await even more from the great Jonathan Maberry and the Joe Ledger series。 。。。more
PamG
，
Relentless by Jonathan Maberry is the second book in Rogue Team International （RTI） series featuring Joe Ledger。 He is no longer with the Department of Military Sciences， but leading a team of independent troubleshooters， Havoc Team that is part of RTI。 This is one of the darkest military thrillers that I have read in a long time。 Suppose multiple people important to you were murdered。 What would that do to your psyche which was already damaged？ Read this novel and you will find out how Joe Relentless by Jonathan Maberry is the second book in Rogue Team International （RTI） series featuring Joe Ledger。 He is no longer with the Department of Military Sciences， but leading a team of independent troubleshooters， Havoc Team that is part of RTI。 This is one of the darkest military thrillers that I have read in a long time。 Suppose multiple people important to you were murdered。 What would that do to your psyche which was already damaged？ Read this novel and you will find out how Joe handles the situation。 While this novel focuses on Joe and his dog Ghost， Havoc Team and other colleagues play important roles that give the reader character continuity。 The killers are known。 The key is how to find them and that journey takes the reader to Europe， Indonesia， South Africa， Antarctica， and North America。 Joe is well-developed， compelling， and damaged。 His motivation is believable and well-drawn， but I had a hard time with many of his actions in this book。 The secondary characters enhance the story and the relationships are believable。Chapter one hooked me。 Chapter two and beyond was so vivid and compelling I felt like I was with the characters， but grateful that I was safe in my home。 The story immediately pulls the reader in and never lets him or her off the rollercoaster of action and emotion。For an action / military thriller， I loved the style that Maberry used。 While there are comprehensive descriptions of clothing， people， places and gear involving black market weapons sales， private military contractors， cybernetics， body armor， chemical enhancements， and bioweapons， it doesn’t go into minute detail。 I believe this approach will make this novel appeal to a wider audience。Overall， this novel is a shockingly dark， disturbing， and emotional ride。 Be aware that there is plenty of violence and emotional turmoil in this story。 An old arch-enemy reappears as well setting up possible threads in future novels。 Themes include revenge， anger， grief， murder， PTSD， greed， good versus evil， cyber terrorism， and cyber espionage as well as friendship， love， compassion， honesty， loyalty， and brotherhood/sisterhood relationships。 This is the only the third book that I have read by this author but I am looking forward to the next book in the series as well as going back and reading the original Joe Ledger series。 This author’s books are well-written with characters that have depth and there is an interesting plot where the story line pulls the reader in immediately。 I believe those readers that enjoy action thrillers and military thrillers that are dark will want to read this book。St。 Martin’s Press – St。 Martin’s Griffin and Jonathan Maberry provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley。 This is my honest review。 Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way。 Publication date is currently set for July 13， 2021。 This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine。 。。。more
Tina Young
，
I received an ARC of this book and I am happy that I did。 I enjoyed it very much and cannot wait to read others in this series。 I have to be honest and say my boyfriend and I fought over this book， meaning who would read it first。。。。I WON！
Henry Herz
，
Maberry does it again with the second of his Rogue Team International series starring kickbutt commando Joe Ledger。 I enjoyed RELENTLESS even more than the previous book， RAGE。 Jonathan remains a master story teller who weaves technology and military action into his thrillers like nobody's business。 I couldn't put the book down。 When the world needs saving from evil masterminds， who ya gonna call？ JOE LEDGER！ I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 Maberry does it again with the second of his Rogue Team International series starring kickbutt commando Joe Ledger。 I enjoyed RELENTLESS even more than the previous book， RAGE。 Jonathan remains a master story teller who weaves technology and military action into his thrillers like nobody's business。 I couldn't put the book down。 When the world needs saving from evil masterminds， who ya gonna call？ JOE LEDGER！ I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Bibliofiendlm
，
Relentless is an edge of your seat， page turner。 As the follow-up to Rage， readers find Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International still reeling from the past years' events。 The bad guys are back with an even more diabolical plan。 Can Ledger overcome his demons to bring justice to his family or will darkness swallow him？ Excellent writing， pacing， characterization and all around awesomeness！ Relentless is an edge of your seat， page turner。 As the follow-up to Rage， readers find Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International still reeling from the past years' events。 The bad guys are back with an even more diabolical plan。 Can Ledger overcome his demons to bring justice to his family or will darkness swallow him？ Excellent writing， pacing， characterization and all around awesomeness！ 。。。more
Jess
，
Whew。 I love Joe Ledger。 I love this series。 But Maberry really puts Joe through the ringer in this book。 So much so that it is hard to read at some points: both because of what Joe does and because of the grief and numbness that Joe experiences。 At the end of Rage， Joe experiences a devastating loss that threatens his sanity and wellbeing。 Although his body heals， his mind is more fractured than ever。 After having a bit of a mental breakdown during a mission， Joe goes Rogue and his three person Whew。 I love Joe Ledger。 I love this series。 But Maberry really puts Joe through the ringer in this book。 So much so that it is hard to read at some points: both because of what Joe does and because of the grief and numbness that Joe experiences。 At the end of Rage， Joe experiences a devastating loss that threatens his sanity and wellbeing。 Although his body heals， his mind is more fractured than ever。 After having a bit of a mental breakdown during a mission， Joe goes Rogue and his three personalities （The Modern Man， The Cop and The Killer） are pushed to the background with a new personality， The Darkness， taking hold。 As Joe goes down a rabbit hole， committing terrible murders and torture， the rest of RTI tries to find him while also trying to figure out what Kuga， the big bad villain， has planned next。 Kuga is boring。 We know it's Harcourt Bolton and honestly I am over him （which makes his fate at the end of this even better）。 Mr。 Sunday though is perfection - a perfectly creepy villain， and although he's not new he is as horrible as ever。 It is interesting to see people scared who are usually so strong: Joe， Church， Lillith。 Even Top and Bunny。 There are a few things that really can throw them and Joe going rogue is one of them。 The team is a mess and watching Top and Bunny continue to proceed without their leader is sad。 Joe is also an absolute mess and although I enjoyed it， it was at times hard to read。 Especially the scenes with Ghost。 Overall， I enjoyed this one - a few storylines wrapped up which was satisfying and there is a positive conclusion。 I just again don't know where Maberry is going to go from here。 Which is super exciting。 Thank you to St。 Martin's Press for my copy to review。 。。。more
Lukasz
，
4。5/5I loved it。 It's over-the-top in every possible way。 It features a gazillion of points of view， mixes omniscient， third-person， and first-person narration。 Usually， all of this makes my eyes twitch。 And yet， in case of this series not only I don't mind at all， but I also dig it。 Perhaps I'm just sentimental - I've been following Joe Ledger series for years （12 books， some novellas， and short stories） and always have fun reading it。Relentless is probably the darkest one in the series， with J 4。5/5I loved it。 It's over-the-top in every possible way。 It features a gazillion of points of view， mixes omniscient， third-person， and first-person narration。 Usually， all of this makes my eyes twitch。 And yet， in case of this series not only I don't mind at all， but I also dig it。 Perhaps I'm just sentimental - I've been following Joe Ledger series for years （12 books， some novellas， and short stories） and always have fun reading it。Relentless is probably the darkest one in the series， with Joe finally losing his shit， old enemies returning， and guns blazing left and right。 Fans of the series will be delighted by more Church， more Toys， more Joe， more Top， and Bunny。 Fans of Joe R。 Lansdale's Hap and Leonard books will be pleasantly surprised as well :）Joe Ledger series rocks， guys， and I'm happy to say Maberry is in prime form。ARC through Fantasy Book Critic NetGalley。 。。。more
Monique
，
This was probably the darkest novel in the series。 Initially I thought The Dragon Factory would be， then Rage came out and now this。。 Wow。 It was so dark in some places that I had to put the novel down and take a breather。 The novel followed RTI and Joe Ledger as they hunted down various villains。 Ledger was working alone as he wasn’t interesting in following rules， he only wanted revenge。 The two cases eventually merged together as they both tackled a giant evil organization （and no it wasn’t a This was probably the darkest novel in the series。 Initially I thought The Dragon Factory would be， then Rage came out and now this。。 Wow。 It was so dark in some places that I had to put the novel down and take a breather。 The novel followed RTI and Joe Ledger as they hunted down various villains。 Ledger was working alone as he wasn’t interesting in following rules， he only wanted revenge。 The two cases eventually merged together as they both tackled a giant evil organization （and no it wasn’t a corporation but close）。 I really loved the dark path that Ledger took and how it almost consumed him。 I could empthasize and understand why， after witnessing what he did。 It also made the ending more meaningful as he dragged himself out to find light again。 I wanted to say peace but Ledger will always be a little damaged and dark。 I wish the secondary characters would have made a stronger appearance， especially Junie。 The novel definitely felt very male heavy but given the plot that was understandable。 I loved Top and Bunny as their loyalty and love for Ledger really shone through in this novel， but never enough to interfere with their training as soldiers。 Ghost made a bigger appearance in this novel than Rage which was great as I LOVE Ghost。 He’s probably my favourite secondary character。 Toys was a great addition too as I got to learn a little more about him。 I loved the plot as there was plenty of action。 The new technology and scientific discoveries introduced were believable and very scary。 Blackwater and Blue Diamond mercenary company make an appearance on the antagonist side which I loved。 It’s nice to see real world bad companies play a role in disrupting peace。 An old nemesis made a reappearance that should please all fans。 I was always on the fence about him as I found him too mythical and not really believable。 This novel gave more hints about his nature and past which I thought was great。 Just enough was introduced to wet my appetite without ruining any future surprises。 Overall this was an amazing thriller/action novel with great characters， great villains， and a conspiracy that has occurred before （and quite recently） so the reader could truly believe it happening again。 The secondary character were a little weak but the dog sidekick makes up for it。 One of the darkest novels in the series so readers be warned。 As long as Maberry keeps writing Joe Ledger novels I’ll be there waiting to devour them。 Thank you to St。 Martin’s Griffin publishing， NetGalley and Jonathan Maberry for this ARC。 。。。more
Amanda McHugh
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I've been a fan of Maberry's writing for years。 Ink was an exciting adventure with equal parts action and character development， so when I saw the next installment of the Joe Ledger series was available， I quickly hit request。 I was in the mood for some hard-hitting action and quickly dove in。Following the previous book's events and a horrific secret ops mission gone astray， Joe Ledger goes rogue。 As his team searches for him， they also navigate the remnants of the destruction and the impending I've been a fan of Maberry's writing for years。 Ink was an exciting adventure with equal parts action and character development， so when I saw the next installment of the Joe Ledger series was available， I quickly hit request。 I was in the mood for some hard-hitting action and quickly dove in。Following the previous book's events and a horrific secret ops mission gone astray， Joe Ledger goes rogue。 As his team searches for him， they also navigate the remnants of the destruction and the impending attack of another powerful player。 Now， as Joe takes matters into his own hands， wrestling his personal demons and The Darkness within， lives will collide in a battle of epic proportions。 I liked this book。Joe Ledger is a wonderful character。 I don't read military thrillers often， but I enjoy a blend of endearing and cutthroat， and Joe is a solid showing。 This reminded me a lot of Strike Back， and I think readers who are looking for an eclectic group of meticulously trained specialists will love this。 Sarcastic elements， comedic relief， heartbreaking insight into loss--Maberry did a good job finding the balance to make them jump off the page。 I also enjoyed the overall mission。 The switch between characters every chapter kept the action moving， and if you're looking for an action-packed adventure， this will be the book for you。 It's cinematic， one scene jumping to the next， and because of that， I can definitely see this translating well to the screen。 Overall， Relentless was a thrill ride of excitement， explosions， and bloody entertainment。 I'd recommend to fans of Sylvester Stallone type war hero stories， military or espionage thrillers， or anyone looking for a grizzled character to fall in love with。Thank you to St。 Martin's and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration。 。。。more
Soph the Oaf
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Disclaimer: This subgenre isn't what I usually read。 Well， I do read fantasy， but never the military-ish/lots-of-guns stuff。 But I do （sorta） like watching that kind of movies and shows， so I thought， why not。 Also， as you can probably guess， I wasn't aware that this book was part of a series when I requested it from NetGalley， so don't expect me to have had any prior experience with the plot or characters。 Honestly， I really wanted to love this book。 There was an interesting premise and extreme Disclaimer: This subgenre isn't what I usually read。 Well， I do read fantasy， but never the military-ish/lots-of-guns stuff。 But I do （sorta） like watching that kind of movies and shows， so I thought， why not。 Also， as you can probably guess， I wasn't aware that this book was part of a series when I requested it from NetGalley， so don't expect me to have had any prior experience with the plot or characters。 Honestly， I really wanted to love this book。 There was an interesting premise and extremely complex world-building。 Sadly， it was not to be。 If you can look further than the slow-paced layers of dullness， each of the characters do have their own uniqueness and complexity。 Interestingly， I found myself rooting for the villains， but only because the purported good guys were so bland。 I liked Kuga， with his laid-back， humorous attitude to running a criminal empire and Santoro's stony seriousness。 But most of all， I enjoyed the scenes from Eve's perspective。 I was furious at the way everyone treated her when she deserved so much better than to be seen as childish and retarded。 As someone who's studied psychology， my opinion of her is that she was a tragically misunderstood character with both Autism Spectrum Disorder （which impaired her worldview and her understanding of social interaction， as well as making her more susceptible to manipulation） and Antisocial Personality Disorder （which impaired her conscience and empathy）。 I was so angry at how eeryone either used her or vilified her。 I just wanted her to kill everyone and then retire to a beach somewhere。There were other issues in this book as well。 It barely passed the Bechdel test， with only a brief exchange of words between Eve and HK that kept it from failing。 The only other conversation between two women （at least in the first third of the book） was between Junie and a female scientist who was so unmemorable I can't even remember her name。 But that didn't qualify for the Bechdel test， because their brief call was about a man （Joe Ledger， whose horrible crimes， including the murders of dozens if not hundreds of innocents， all the good guys seemed to be turning a blind eye to）。In addition， the tech lingo was just cringey and terrible。 The apparently complex hacking strategies that genius hacker Bug was explaining to a clueless higher-up （who was also so unmemorable that I couldn't remember his name， even though I remember the names of most of the people I meet） were so run-of-the-mill that even I've heard of them。 And I'm not， by anyone's standards， even remotely knowledgeable about any technology that's not part of my daily life。But the most problematic thing about this book， which was what ultimately led to me DNF'ing it after forcing myself through a third of it， was that it was just so boring。 I'm not someone who DNF's easily from boredom， but this tested and shattered my limits。 I don't have ADHD， or any sort of minuscule attention span。 I spent three days reading this book， persevering through and hoping it would get better。 Spoiler alert: it didn't。 I wasn't invested in any of the characters， except maybe Eve （and only her because I was outraged at her portrayal）。 This book didn't compensate with exciting fight scenes， thrilling action， ingenious plots， or gorgeous writing; those would've made the boredom easier to live with。 Instead， it was page after page of dull， predictable storylines， until I finally decided that enough was enough。 。。。more
Brittany Larson
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I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 So excited to get to read it months before its release date！ While I absolutely love this series， this one wasn't my favorite。 Let me tell you why。 There have been moments in the past where it's been difficult to root for Joe Ledger as the good guy given the things he does， but it's always turned around very quickly。 He is， after all， a good guy at heart who faces impossible situations。 But I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 So excited to get to read it months before its release date！ While I absolutely love this series， this one wasn't my favorite。 Let me tell you why。 There have been moments in the past where it's been difficult to root for Joe Ledger as the good guy given the things he does， but it's always turned around very quickly。 He is， after all， a good guy at heart who faces impossible situations。 But it was challenging for me in this one， even though he is very human and Maberry gets into his head so well。 That aside， I loved the parts that take place in a bad guy training camp - totally fascinating！ Maberry is great at describing the crazy new technology and training regimens that I hope will come up in future books。 There were a few mentions of COVID throughout the book， as a past-tense thing and how different groups of people came out of the pandemic。 （Was it a terrorist plot， in the universe of Joe Ledger？ Who made money off of it？） This will happen more and more in books that come out over the next several years， no doubt， but it was interesting to see as just a few mentions。 As always， so excited to see where this goes next。 I love this series， and the previous incarnation of it。 。。。more
Ralph
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Thanks to the author and publisher for a free ARC of this book through Netgalley。com in exchange for an honest review。This is book two of the Rogue Team International series， and kind of like book 10 of the Joe Ledger series - one of those 'cross-over' books。 The reasoning behind this 'cross-over' I think is somewhat apparent in this story， and may or may not get revealed in any part of this review。Many years ago， I had picked up the first Joe Ledger book as I was in post-apocalytic mood， and th Thanks to the author and publisher for a free ARC of this book through Netgalley。com in exchange for an honest review。This is book two of the Rogue Team International series， and kind of like book 10 of the Joe Ledger series - one of those 'cross-over' books。 The reasoning behind this 'cross-over' I think is somewhat apparent in this story， and may or may not get revealed in any part of this review。Many years ago， I had picked up the first Joe Ledger book as I was in post-apocalytic mood， and the title "Patient Zero" looked like it fit that view。 Boy， was I wrong！ In picking up this book through Netgalley。com， I knew what I as getting and there was no remorse。 There is a bit of backflashes as the story starts， lining up the events of the big ending。 Joe has gone rogue， and is untrackable to RTI， creating bloodshed and havoc where ever he winds up。 But is it truly himself causing all this？ And if it isn't， who， or what， is controlling him？As usual， I enjoy a good action novel， and 'Relentless' did not fail me。 I like how Mayberry included some information from past :edger novels to help cover some of the character background， and world background， in regards to not only Joe， but the team， and sort of how it came about。 The events happening to Joe， the mental changes， were a bit of a twist for me。 I suppose I may need to go back and actually read the series （in my near future for sure） to get the slow build-up of it all， but just based on the past information provided， the effects of PTSD （of war or personal trauma） is openly discussed - and I like that。 It shouldn't be something no one should NOT discuss， especially in this type of story。 I think the only part of the writing I did not like， was I felt the descriptions of guns and ammo were over-detailed。 Half the detail just went straight over my head and turned me glassy-eyed。So， will Joe be back for another story？ I think Mayberry may have gotten to Joe's end story， without having to kill him。 Though he might still show up in the future in minor ways。 Again， enjoyed the book immensely！#Relentless #NetGalley 。。。more
Lisa
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My thanks， as always to St。 Martin's Press， the one and only Jonathan Maberry， and Netgalley。Big breath！！ In and out！Every time I hit the end of one of these Ledger books， I wonder where in the heck can we go from here？ Maberry somehow shows up on a yearly basis and shows us。 This is where we go！ I don't know how he "Maberry" does what he does。 He makes me happy！ Don't get me wrong， because after the last book， I spent ALL of this book being afraid。 I didn't like this forth aspect of Joe。 The Da My thanks， as always to St。 Martin's Press， the one and only Jonathan Maberry， and Netgalley。Big breath！！ In and out！Every time I hit the end of one of these Ledger books， I wonder where in the heck can we go from here？ Maberry somehow shows up on a yearly basis and shows us。 This is where we go！ I don't know how he "Maberry" does what he does。 He makes me happy！ Don't get me wrong， because after the last book， I spent ALL of this book being afraid。 I didn't like this forth aspect of Joe。 The Darkness！ You kidding me？ Dude！ Joe and Ghost deserve better。 I can only say that I worried way too much！ It's funny how some people who should have died are now "family！" Yes！ This is me giving a shout out to Toys！ Such a pest when he was an enemy。 So beloved， "by me" as an ally！Again， this was very much a good versus evil story。 It's really all I wanted， and too much to come。 I know that Maberry was gentle this time around。 I'm very much afraid of who is going to die in the next battle！ I again just whimpered。 Please， be gentle。 。。。more
Kristine
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I was thrilled to be able to read this ARC as I am a big fan of this series。 The problem with reading so many books is that sometimes you tend to forget exactly what the situation was in a particular series until you dive back into it。 It felt like I was diving into a freezing lake when I remembered exactly what happened at the end of the last book。 And when I remembered， it felt like a punch in the stomach。 A lot of times people ask if a book can be read as a stand alone。 Many times， even if a I was thrilled to be able to read this ARC as I am a big fan of this series。 The problem with reading so many books is that sometimes you tend to forget exactly what the situation was in a particular series until you dive back into it。 It felt like I was diving into a freezing lake when I remembered exactly what happened at the end of the last book。 And when I remembered， it felt like a punch in the stomach。 A lot of times people ask if a book can be read as a stand alone。 Many times， even if a book is part of a series， the answer is yes。 In this case， I do not think it would be possible。 There were many times in this book that I was confused and I've read ALL of the books in this series。 Not just the prior book - or Book 1 in the new spin off - but ALL of the Joe Ledger books。 There is a TREMENDOUS amount of pain that got us to where we are now and I do not think that you can get there， to any level of understanding， without having gone on the journey along side Joe （and Ghost）。 I am completely amazed with Jonathan Maberry's ability to create such a character in Joe， and such a world actually that can invoke such diverse emotions from the reader。 There is anger。 Anger at what has happened to Joe， what he has had to experience。 And SORROW。 Such immense sorrow at a loss so great that it can complete break a person and leave so little left。 There is disgust。 Disgust at the depravity of the human psyche and the lengths to which these AWFUL men and women go to for nothing other than greed or pride or。。。。who knows？ Honestly， who the heck knows what drives these people？ And yet when all is lost， there is HOPE。 Hope is what keeps me reading when I just want to stop because I know that SOMEHOW， somehow Joe is going to figure it out and he is going to fix it。 Or， if fixing it is not an option， then he will do something to make it as okay as it can be。 That hope is what amazes me the most。 Mr。 Maberry has created a character that can descend into the very bottom of hell， can completely crack into a million pieces。。。。。。but a character that I never lose faith in because of who he is。 Is he perfect？ Absolutely not。。。。not even close。 He is as far from perfect as you can be。 But， he is human。。。。and he is Joe。。。 and my faith has been deposited in him slowly， through each of the last 12 books。 And let me tell you， I needed that faith because this book is DARK。 when I say dark， I mean DARK。 So， this book was a difficult journey。 One of the toughest。 But， I had hope。。。。。。and that is what got me through。 If a book can make me feel that level of emotion， it is one hell of a book。Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this advance copy。 All the opinions are completely my own。 。。。more
Michael Hicks
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Relentless， the second Rogue Team International novel and twelfth Joe Ledger book， just might be the darkest entry in this hero's long-running escapades。 Given the shocking conclusion of the prior book， Rage， this probably should come as no surprise but I was still shook at just how bleak much of this book was。Ledger has been hit hard in a bad， bad way and we find here a haunted， broken warrior desperately clinging to his last shreds of sanity as he hunts down a shadowy arms dealer， Kuga， and th Relentless， the second Rogue Team International novel and twelfth Joe Ledger book， just might be the darkest entry in this hero's long-running escapades。 Given the shocking conclusion of the prior book， Rage， this probably should come as no surprise but I was still shook at just how bleak much of this book was。Ledger has been hit hard in a bad， bad way and we find here a haunted， broken warrior desperately clinging to his last shreds of sanity as he hunts down a shadowy arms dealer， Kuga， and the highly skilled assassin Rafael Santoro。 With his mind fractured， Ledger goes rogue to pursue these ruthless killers and terrorists and exact revenge。 Meanwhile， RTI races to uncover the depth and scope of Kuga's plans to launch what they only know as The American Operation， a sinister plan to involves cybernetically enhanced super-soldiers。These solders are something else， man。 Imagine an entire platoon of terrorists sporting Captain America-like powers - proficient， deadly， and virtually unstoppable - and wrap them up in the suicide bomber ethos of Al-Qaeda， then put inside Ripley's power lifter from Aliens。 Jeez-o-Pete！ It's a potent， scary threat built on cutting edge science and ripped from the political headlines circa USA 2020。 Coupled with Ledger's fragile mental state， well， did I mention yet that Relentless is dark， dark， dark？Maberry clearly revels in making Ledger's life difficult and miserable， but his brutal sadism is a delight for readers and Relentless puts him at the absolute top of his game。 I'm a bit taken aback at Maberry's ability to consistently deliver one solid blockbuster actioneer after another with the Joe Ledger series。 Twelve of these suckers and not a bad one in the bunch？ That's gotta be a superhuman feat all its own。 An even larger feat is taking all of this book's darkness and somehow managing to give us a ray of light once all is said and done。 I'll admit I was doubtful such a moment would be possible given the mental and emotional wringer Maberry puts not only Ledger but his readers through！ Relentless is the kind of title that has multiple meanings and can be applied to various elements of the book， from the story's pacing and and determination of the RTI squad， right down to the author himself。 。。。more
Unseen Library
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In this week's Waiting on Wednesday I take a look at next upcoming book from the incredible Jonathan Maberry， Relentless， which will continue the exciting adventures of his long-running protagonist Joe Ledger。Long-term readers of my blog will know that I have a lot of love for Jonathan Maberry’s books; indeed I am currently in the middle of listening to his latest novel， the standalone horror book Ink。 However， the Maberry novels that I have most enjoyed over the years has been the extraordinary In this week's Waiting on Wednesday I take a look at next upcoming book from the incredible Jonathan Maberry， Relentless， which will continue the exciting adventures of his long-running protagonist Joe Ledger。Long-term readers of my blog will know that I have a lot of love for Jonathan Maberry’s books; indeed I am currently in the middle of listening to his latest novel， the standalone horror book Ink。 However， the Maberry novels that I have most enjoyed over the years has been the extraordinary Joe Ledger series， which follows a covert military operator， the titular Joe Ledger， as he attempts to counter several elaborate plots and terrorist attacks by sophisticated and high-tech adversaries。 I absolutely fell in love with these books the moment I read one of the later novels in the series and I have spent the last couple of years going back and reading every single Joe Ledger book， finishing it off earlier this year。 Each of these books was extremely well written， deeply compelling and full of intense action， and I ended up rating every single one of them extremely highly。The original Joe Ledger series came to an end in 2018， but the storylines and characters from this original series continued with the Rogue Team International series， which started in 2019 with Rage。 The Rogue Team International books are written in a similar vein to the original Joe Ledger novels and they continue to follow Ledger as he takes on international terrorists and criminal masterminds。 I had an outstanding time reading Rage last year and it ended up being one of my favourite books （and audiobooks） of 2019。 Needless to say， I have been eagerly awaiting news of any upcoming Joe Ledger novels for a while and I was extremely excited when I heard that the second Rogue Team International novel， Relentless， is coming out next year。Relentless is currently sent for release on 13 July 2021 and it looks set to continue some of the excellent storylines set up in the first novel。 Both the cover art and the synopsis for Relentless are already out， and if I wasn’t hyped up for this book before I found out what was going to happen in it， I sure as hell was once I read the above。This is an extremely cool synopsis， and there is a lot of detail in there about what amazing features the reader can expect when Relentless comes out。 Not only is the protagonist going to come up against a group of cool new villains， enhanced super-solider assassins no less， but there is going to be a huge focus on the protagonist’s psyche after the traumatic ending to Rage， in which his entire family was killed before his eyes。 This should make for some really intense moments， especially as Joe Ledger has always been a particularly damaged individual who turns his severe childhood trauma （and no author writes trauma as well as Maberry） into supreme murderous rage and an impressive fighting spirit。 Having him even more unhinged than before is going to be extremely fascinating and terrifying， and I cannot wait to see how deep and far Maberry dives into his character and what carnage will result from his actions （a fight between a super pissed Joe Ledger and super-soldiers will definitely be worth seeing）。 It will also be interesting to see if Ledger catches up with the antagonists behind the attack on his family in this novel， or whether they will be an alternate antagonist in the story。 Either way， the reader is in for a lot of fun and a lot of hyper-violence when Relentless comes out。Like many novels I feature in my Waiting on Wednesday articles， I know well in advance that I am going to love Relentless when it comes out。 Based on how much I have enjoyed the author’s prior books， I very confident that I am in for a real treat with Relentless and I am deeply excited to find out what sort of impressive narrative he comes up with this time。 Maberry is such an incredible author and I have grown to really enjoy his fantastic writing style and ability to come up with captivating storylines and fascinating characters。 I cannot wait to see what happens in this awesome upcoming novel and this next chapter in the life of Joe Ledger is sure to be a good one。 I am planning to grab the audiobook version of it （especially if it is narrated by the always impressive Ray Porter） and I have no doubts that Relentless will end up being one of my top novels and audiobooks of 2021。 For other exciting reviews and content， check out my blog at:https://unseenlibrary。com/ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Relentless
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Relentless&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Relentless&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0