“Inside the Fire” by Disturbed
“Irresponsible Hate Anthem” by Marilyn Manson
“It’s Been Awhile” by Staind
“Joan Crawford” by Blue Öyster Cult
“Jumper” by Third Eye Blind
“Killing an Arab” by the Cure
“Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine
“Last Kiss” by Wayne Cochran (cover by Pearl Jam)
“Last Resort” by Papa Roach
“Lawyers, Guns, and Money” by Warren Zevon
“Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” by Drowning Pool
“Lightning Crashes” by Live
“Lights Out” by Breaking Benjamin
“Like a Stone” by Audioslave
“Lost” by Death Angel
“Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem ft. Rihanna
“Lovin’ Arms” by Etta James
“Mad World” by Gary Jules
“Memories” by Maroon 5
“Merry Go Round” by the Struts
“Monster” by Jacob Banks
Murder Ballads album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“My Heart” by Varna
“My Immortal” by Evanescence
“Natural” by Imagine Dragons
“No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish
“Nobody Knows” by the Tony Rich Project
“Not Ready to Die” by Avenged Sevenfold
“Oh Darlin’ What Have I Done” by the White Buffalo
“Once in a Lifetime” by Wolfsheim
“Only Road” by Sur
“Perdida” by Deby Medrez Pier
“Pilgrim” by Fink
“Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp
“Please Don’t Leave Me” by P!nk
“Poor Poor Pitiful Me” by Warren Zevon
“Prayer” by Disturbed
“Push It” by Garbage
“Pushing Me Away” by Linkin Park
“Radiation” by Gavin DeGraw
“Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
“Raining Blood” by Slayer
“Reaper” by Wild the Coyote and Badd Wolf
“Reckless” by Lacuna Coil
“Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and the Wailers (cover by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros)
“Refuse/Resist” by Sepultura (cover by Hatebreed)
Repentless album by Slayer
Requiem by W. A. Mozart
“Resentment” by A Day to Remember
“Revenge” by Archers of Loaf
“Rise Up” by Andra Day
“Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” by Warren Zevon
“Roots” by In This Moment
“Running Up That Hill” by Meg Myers
“Sad but True” by Metallica
“Sail” by AWOLNATION
“See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth
“Señor Sol” by Deby Medrez Pier
“Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
“Shatter Me” by Lindsey Stirling ft. Lzzy Hale
“Sinner Man” by Nina Simone
“Snuff” by Slipknot
“Sober” by P!nk
“Soldier’s Eyes” by Jack Savoretti
“Soldiers” by Otherwise
“Song of a Sinner” by Top Drawer
“Splendid Isolation” by Warren Zevon
“St. Anger” by Metallica
“Still There’ll Be More” by Procol Harum
“Surrender” by Billy Talent
“Take Me to Church” by Hozier
“Tell It to My Grave” by J. B. Beverley
“The Big Payback” by James Brown
“The Blacklist” by Exodus
“The Bleeding” by Five Finger Death Punch
“The Father, My Son, and the Holy Ghost” by Craig Morgan (Live at the Opry)
“The Grace” by Neverending White Lights ft. Dallas Green
“The Grand Massacre” by Ennio Morricone
“The Keeper” by Chris Cornell
“The Kill (Bury Me)” by Thirty Seconds to Mars
“The Killing of Georgie” by Rod Stewart
“The Last” by Agust D
“The Naked Ride Home” by Jackson Browne (cover by James Taylor)
“The Red” by Chevelle
“The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel (cover by Disturbed)
“The Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks
“The Trick Is to Keep Breathing” by Garbage
“The Ultra-Violence” by Death Angel
“The Vengeful One” by Disturbed
“The Way I Am” by Eminem
“The Writ” by Black Sabbath
“These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” by Nancy Sinatra
“Things Have Changed” by Bob Dylan
“Think Twice” by Eve 6
“This Is War” by Thirty Seconds to Mars
“This Means War” by Avenged Sevenfold
“Time to Kill” by Overkill
“Tom Sawyer” by Rush
“Train of Consequences” by Megadeth
“Turquoise Jewelry” by Camper Van Beethoven
“Twilight and Shadows” from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King soundtrack
“Ultra Violet (Light My Way)” by U2 (for Junie Flynn)
“Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers
“Unholy War” by Jacob Banks
“Until the Day I Die” by Story of the Year
“Uprising” by Muse
“Useless” by Depeche Mode
“Violence” by A Day to Remember
“Vow” by Garbage
“Walk Me Home” by P!nk
“War of the Worlds” by Jeff Wayne
“When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You” by Marvin Gaye
“When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish
“Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley ft. Alison Krauss
“Who Did That to You” by John Legend
“Who Knew” by P!nk
“With You” by Linkin Park
“Without You” by Harry Nilsson
“Wonderwall” by Oasis
World Painted Blood album by Slayer
“Wrong Side of Heaven” by Five Finger Death Punch
“You Ain’t Coming Back” by Zeal & Ardor
“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” by Bachman Turner Overdrive
“You Better Run” by Motörhead
“You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi
“You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette
“Your Time Is Gonna Come” by Led Zeppelin
“Zero” by OTEP
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Joe Ledger novels could not be undertaken without the help of a lot of talented and generous people. In no particular order, then …
Many thanks to John Cmar, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, and Dr. Ronald Coleman, CEO of Regentech Incorporated.
Thanks to my friends in the International Thriller Writers, International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and the Horror Writers Association. Thanks to my literary agent, Sara Crowe of Pippin Properties; my stalwart editor at St. Martin’s Griffin, Michael Homler; Robert Allen and the crew at Macmillan Audio; and my film agent, Dana Spector of Creative Artists Agency. Thanks to Big FUN Shirt Company in Eureka, California (where Joe Ledger and I both shop!).
Thanks to contest winners Michael Stafford, Mia Kleeve, Peggy Ann Gondek, and Jill Hamilton-Krawczyk.
Special thanks to my friend and colleague Joe R. Lansdale, for his gracious permission to allow Hap Collins and Leonard Pine to have some fun with Joe Ledger.
And special thanks to my brilliant audiobook reader, Ray Porter.
ALSO BY JONATHAN MABERRY
Ink
Rage
Deep
Silence
Dogs of War
Kill Switch
Predator One
Code Zero
Extinction Machine
Assassin’s Code
The King of Plagues
The Dragon Factory
Patient Zero
Joe Ledger: Special Ops
Still of Night
Dark of Night
Fall of Night
Dead of Night
The Wolfman
The Nightsiders: The Orphan Army
The Nightsiders: Vault of Shadows
Ghostwalkers: A Deadlands Novel
Lost Roads
Broken Lands
Bits & Pieces
Fire & Ash
Flesh & Bone
Dust & Decay
Rot & Ruin
Bad Moon Rising
Dead Man’s Song
Ghost Road Blues
Bewilderness
Glimpse
Mars One
ANTHOLOGIES (AS EDITOR)
Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alan Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Joe Ledger: Unstoppable (with Bryan Thomas Schmidt)
Nights of the Living Dead (with George A. Romero)
V-Wars
V-Wars: Blood and Fire
V-Wars: Night Terrors
V-Wars: Shockwaves
Out of Tune Vol. I
Out of Tune Vol. II
The X-Files: Trust No One
The X-Files: The Truth Is Out There
The X-Files: Secret Agendas
Hardboiled Horror
Aliens: Big Hunt
Baker Street Irregulars (with Michael Ventrella)
The Game’s Afoot: Baker Street Irregulars II (with Michael A. Ventrella)
Scary Out There
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JONATHAN MABERRY is a New York Times bestselling and five-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Deep Silence, Kill Switch, Predator One, Code Zero, Fall of Night, Patient Zero, the Pine Deep Trilogy, Ink, Glimpse, Mars One, The Wolfman, Zombie CSU, and They Bite, among others. His V Wars series has been adapted by Netflix, and his work for Marvel Comics includes The Punisher, Wolverine, DoomWar, Marvel Zombies Return, and Black Panther. He is a board member of the Horror Writers Association, the president of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, and the editor of Weird Tales magazine. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Part 1: When Darkness Calls
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Interlude 1
Chapter 4
Interlude 2
Chapter 5
Interlude 3
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Interlude 4
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Interlude 5
Chapter 14
Interlude 6
Part 2: Days of Darkness
Chapter 15
Interlude 7
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Interlude 8
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Interlude 9
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Part 3: Where Night Birds Fly
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Interlude 10
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Interlude 11
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Interlude 12
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Part 4: Moving Pieces
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Interlude 13
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Interlude 14
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Part 5: Because I Could not Stop for Death
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Part 6: A Shadow in the East
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Part 7: Patriots
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
Chapter 163
Chapter 164
Chapter 165
Chapter 166
Chapter 167
Chapter 168
Chapter 169
Chapter 170
Chapter 171
Chapter 172
Chapter 173
Chapter 174
Chapter 175
Chapter 176
Chapter 177
Chapter 178
Chapter 179
Epilogue
The Relentless Playlist
Acknowledgments
Also by Jonathan Maberry
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group
RELENTLESS. Copyright © 2021 by Jonathan Maberry. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Rob Grom
Cover artwork: black brush marks © Drasha/Shutterstock.com; silhouette figures © Getmilitaryphotos/Shutterstock.com; flame © Justin Tyler Tate/Shutterstock.com; body © lassedesignen/Shutterstock.com; face © Lebedev Rman Olegovich/Shutterstock.com; building © Santoelia/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Maberry, Jonathan, author.
Title: Relentless: a Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International novel / Jonathan Maberry.
Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2021. | Series: Rogue Team International series; 2 |
Identifiers: LCCN 2021004761 | ISBN 9781250619303 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250619310 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Adventure fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3613.A19 R45 2021 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021004761
eISBN 9781250619310
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: 2021