Just when it looked as if things couldn’t get any worse…….

This is the 8th in the Donovan Nash series. I have already read a couple of the previous stories and although it’s always useful to know a little about the backstory this, the latest in the series can be read as a stand-alone and does not suffer as a result.

The world has gone mad. A significant meteorite shower has knocked out many satellites orbiting the earth leading to both debris and meteorites crashing to the ground, in the main, around the Monterey Bay area in California. Fires start, gas mains explode, communications systems fail and a tsunami created by a huge meteorite falling into the ocean wipes out several communities and kills thousands.

Several of the key characters in the plot find themselves, on a private jet, in the middle of the storm. The plane Is fatally struck and it barely makes an emergency airport. Will anyone survive? Those they had planned to meet, including Nash, all have different, albeit just as serious, issues to contend with. And so the plot unfolds until they eventually all meet up.

It’s a great action-packed page-turner so why 4 instead of 5 stars? There is no doubt that it’s an exciting read and one which any aficionado of this genre will devour with relish. I am quite prepared to suspend belief when reading fiction but sometimes the author pushes it too far and this novel includes elements of that. Donovan’s team are all world-class in their own field with connections which lead even to the White House. He himself is a do-gooder billionaire. To be honest it all got a bit too much at times as the potential suspense was ruined by the knowledge that an escape from any predicament was all too certain.

In conclusion, therefore, it’s a well-written thriller and perfect to read on a flight or by the pool. The main characters are a bit two-dimensional and could have been fewer in number and better fleshed-out. I am not going to actively seek out more of the same but it is an excellent example of its type.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Dr. Lauren McKenna is on her way to meet her husband, Donovan Nash, in Monterey, California when a meteor shower riddles holes in the cockpit of their Gulfstream jet. One of their engines is also taken out by either a rogue meteor or possibly space debris. They drop altitude and limp into the Monterey airport on a wing and a prayer.

Donovan is at the Monterey Bay Aquarium awaiting the celebration of Eco-Watch's newest research ship, the Buckley. Eco-Watch is a private environmental research organization founded by Donovan. As he is on an observation deck of the aquarium, he witnesses a large meteor fall into the Pacific Ocean. Donovan knows right away what is about to happen. He sees the Buckley head out to sea, and, before he can adequately prepare, a tsunami is approaching Monterey.

Lauren is an earth science consultant to the Defense Intelligence Agency. She goes into research mode when their plane lands, because she fears the tragedy of what has happened could be devastating for the Monterey peninsula, as well as a good portion of California. Fires are already breaking out all around them from the meteors and space debris. Can she find a way to stop the fires and find Donovan?

SPEED THE DAWN is Philip Donlay's eighth Donovan Nash novel in this series. The book opens with riveting excitement and never stops. It is a fast-paced, frantic and wild roller coaster ride to the end. The chapters toggle back and forth with Lauren's quest to quench the fires and Donovan's quest to find his beloved mentor, William VanGelder, and get them both to safety. Lauren is the strong, intelligent and driven female heroin in this story. Donavan is always resilient and resourceful. They are surrounded by a collection of supporting characters who always add a fascinating twist to the storyline. Travel by boat, plane, helicopter and truck with them in Mr. Donlay's latest adventure thriller.

Action and Adventure

Having loved Pegasus Down by this author, I was excited to pick up this book. Sadly it was not for me. Lots of drama and action, but I never got involved with the characters and found the dialogue rather stilted.

Though I failed to be drawn into the story, the plot is easy to follow. There is a very dramatic opening to the book, and throughout it is action packed and fast moving. I wonder whether if I had read more of the Donovan Nash books, I would have know the characters better, and therefore have enjoyed it more.

Speed the Dawn
Philip Donlay

WOW, what a wild ride. I'll have to get the first seven of these Donovan Nash books.

Speed the Dawn has everything that makes a top notch thriller.
Takes place in California. Starts with a meteor shower, that is full of small deadly particles, that disable Laurnes plane in flight. It also ignites several forest fires that threaten numerous small cities. If that is not enough, the meteor impact cuses a tidal wave.
This is one of those books you can't put down once you start. I had the kindle version and I carried my kindle with me all day. I just had to know what was happening. Would Donovan escape the firestorm? Would the biker looters find and kill him? could Lauren come up with a solution to put out the fires? You will have to read the book and find out. This is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time.
I highly recommend it.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So glad I did.

Speed the Dawn is the eighth excellent thriller in the Donovan Nash series written by author Philip Donlay. I believe that I now have a new favorite. Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the advance copy.

This book has action from chapter one. The book is fiction, but the story is not so far out there that it couldn't happen. I think what I liked most was how Lauren and Donovan were separated through the event, so it was almost as if we were told to different stories. I guess the only thing I didn't care for was the amount of characters. There were to many for my liking.