Category Five

Donovan Nash #1

by Philip Donlay

In the Atlantic Ocean, hurricane Helena is gathering strength, becoming the most powerful storm in recorded history. As Helena bears down on Bermuda, Donovan Nash and other members of the scientific research organization Eco-Watch are called to fly in and extract key government people who have been studying Helena. For Nash, the routine mission turns deadly when an attempt is made on the life of the lead scientist—and a woman from his past—Dr. Lauren McKenna. In a bold attempt to diffuse the power of the hurricane, Eco-Watch is called upon to conduct a final flight above the massive fury of Helena.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Adventure, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2004

About the author

As a young man, Philip Donlay's life was shaped by two distinct events. At the age of seventeen, he earned his pilot's license, and at eighteen was published in a national aviation magazine. The combination of these two passions: flying and writing, has led to successful careers as both a professional pilot and novelist.

He's been a flight instructor, flown a private jet for a Saudi prince, and for twenty-eight years flew a corporate jet for a Fortune 500 company. Licensed to fly six different jets and having logged nearly 14,000 hours, his travels have taken him to over forty countries on five continents. No longer flying, Donlay now divides his time between Minneapolis and the San Juan Islands. He's the author of four novels, Category Five, Code Black, Zero Separation, and his latest: Deadly Echoes.

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Category Five is the first book in the Donovan Nash thriller series. This heart-pounding and suspenseful thriller starts in Bermuda with Dr. Lauren McKenna and a colleague being driven through a storm to get the last plane out before Hurricane Helena hits. Donovan and other members of the scientific research organization Eco-Watch are called to fly in and extract key government people who have been studying the hurricane. It turns out Lauren is a woman from Donovan’s past and her exit from Bermuda isn’t smooth. Later, as the hurricane grows in significant strength, a final flight is made to gather more scientific information when the jet suffers engine failure. Who will survive and why did the failure occur?

Donovan’s personality slowly takes shape during the novel. He’s generous, an excellent pilot, and terrified of being in water after a childhood incident. Lauren is graceful, intelligent, and poised. She’s the manager for the Bermuda project and oversees the monitoring and tracking of weather patterns on a global basis. The other characters have varying degrees of depth as one would expect in the initial book in a series.

Non-stop action and intense scenes make up much of this thriller. Mixing politics, a monster hurricane, a mystery, and a romance, Donlay keeps the suspense high with crisp writing that is atmospheric. While a some of the events are unrealistic or over-the-top, I went with the flow and enjoyed the ride.

Overall, this is a pulse-pounding and suspenseful thriller with good characterization and excellent atmosphere. It immediately captured my interest with a compelling plot and intense action.

I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was September 15, 2004.
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My 4.52 rounded to 5 stars review is coming soon.

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 1 out of 5]

My friend loved it and so I bought it and sadly didn't like it all. I'm tired of reading about heroines who've had a child with the hero and kept quiet about it. The reason for her doing so was so contrived as to be nonsensical. In fact most of the plot seemed that way to me. The huge chunk of backstory about the Russian sub, dragged the reader out of the story for around 30 pages - 29 too long. It was a clear indication that this was to be followed up later - so the end was no surprise. What was a surprise was the way characters spoke in such tidy coherent sentences when they were on the point of drowning. In seas like that, the amount of moisture in the air would have finished them off before the sea did. The action bits were well paced, the rest was far too slow so the whole thing was like a rollercoaster. This sort of far fetched action story would work for me with characters I loved. But I didn't love them. They were far too shallow. The author seemed too intent on tying up every loose end he'd created than making us love the MCs.

[Jan Mcclung-short · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren McKenna, a weather analyst for NIAA/DIA in conjuction with EcoWeather, a program that works to save the earth and study the weather systems. Lauren specializes in hurricanes. She has been following Helena, a category 4-5 weather system that is traveling and gathering speed about to become the Storm of the Century. This storm is gathering wind speed and increasing in velosity to wipe out the entire East Coast of the United States, from Baltimore past New York. Lauren who once had a love affair with Donavon Nash, the pilot for EcoWeather. It ended with Lauren hiding secrets from Donovan and Donovan hiding secrets from her about himself. They are thrown together to save the East Coast from Baltimore to New York. This story was real in the sense that when the winds and storm was raging I was scared. It was like you were in the winds trying to get the readings with Lauren. The two of them working together to defy the winds.

[Vicki Elia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook Review
3 (-) Stars

Donovan Nash and Lauren McKenna are back with a non-stop action/thriller. A Super-hurricane is threatening the East Coast. It will surely destroy billions of dollars of property and thousands of people. McKenna and Nash, at the prompting of the President, will comply with a cockamamie scheme to destroy the Hurricane. Preposterous events and mayhem ensue. Will McKenna and Nash survive it all, or even any of it?

The book concept is strong, the ludicrous events that unfold in the narrative are -- ludicrous. A fun summer read, but probably not for consumption during a hurricane.

[Scott A. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. How fun was that? I found it accidentally browsing through Apple Books. What a lucky find. A perfectly, unbelievable THRILLER!. Just know it’s great. Part Clancy when he was Clancy. A little King when it comes to likable characters and even some Rowling imagination. Can you tell it’s just plain fun?

Every now and then we need an escape. I’ve never heard of Donlay, but I’m glad I found him. This is a series starter and I’m pretty sure I’m going to get to all of them soon. Just let your imagination run with it and don’t be too serious.

[Debbie Oxier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was full of action, most of it in the middle of a hurricane, and I mean that literally. A rescue mission in the eye of a category five hurricane before an atomic bomb is detonated killing them all.

In the middle of it
is Donovan Nash. A pilot and part owner of Eco-Watch, he meets up again with an old flame who is keeping a secret from Donovan in the form of the daughter he knows nothing about. What she doesn't know, however, is that Donovan has a secret of his own. He's really Robert Huntington, a millionaire who faked his own death and started over again with a brand new identity. Now he has a reporter who's threatening to expose him to the rest of the world but first Donovan has to save the woman he loves and stop a huge storm from killing millions of people along the eastern seaboard.

This is the second Philip Donlay book I've read and I enjoyed them both. I really like Donovan. He's a man who has known tragedy in his life which I won't go into here, but suffice it to say he felt he had no choice but to start over again. Given his wealth and the help of a very close friend, he's able to do so. He has a business partner, Michael. The two of them are like brothers. Then there is Lauren, the woman he'd been involved with but when she surprises him with questions he doesn't know how to answer without giving himself away, he loses her. Now he's been given a second chance and he's determined not to blow it - which means telling her the truth.

If you like an edge of your seat nail biter, this one is for you. I love disaster movies so this book was right up my alley.

[Tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

The entire story was just too out there.
*Someone living with a false identity manages access to top-secret tech that needs to be destroyed before landing on foreign soil. How did they get access to the top secret stuff with a false identity?
*A billionaire cannot locate an ex lover for 18 months-2 years, but can call in favors from the president.
*The entire I won't tell my ex I'm pregnant or give him a chance to explain why he is hugging some other woman that I assume is his wife.
*Super hurricane that happens just when the storm chaser balloon is ready. It felt like Twister goes to Bermuda.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Spellbinding Thriller"
Author Philip Donlay has placed me in a seat of a 3D theater to watch his exciting, suspenseful, high action novel unfold. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat watching unbelievable scenes. But, first, I'll start at the beginning. Doctor Lauren McKenna, a graduate of MIT, has tracked hurricanes for years. She currently works for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) monitoring global weather patterns. She is on Bermuda, hoping to make her scheduled Air Force flight back to Washington after her team has placed weather equipment on a U.S. Navy destroyer. The vessel is headed toward the eye of hurricane "Helena" which is rapidly developing. Her computer analysis of storm "Helena" is that it will be a super storm, highly dangerous to primarily New Jersey and New York City. As the storm rapidly moves toward Bermuda, she and her team race to the airport but her car slides off the road into a ditch, upside down. Unknown to her, Donovan Nash, her ex-lover of two years past, is aboard the Eco-Watch jet tasked to replace the cancelled Air Force plane. Lauren is shocked to see Donovan who rescues her from the wreck; she nearly drowns, but physically is unharmed. Upon arrival at DIA, she meets with her boss regarding her secret research project called "Jonah" which will be activated aboard the Navy vessel. There is something to be very concerned about as he reveals another project scientist has been lost off the destroyer. It is also believed that Lauren's accident, was no accident. What is going on? Again, I could not put this excellent book down. It is well edited, written simply to make it a fast read, and the excitement never ends. After the 2012 devastating hurricane "Sandy" it is believable that there are yet bigger, more destructive storms in our world's future. This book is well documented and researched. I highly recommend.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not typically much into pilot stories, but this one was far from just a simple airplane drama. All the characters proved to be much more than simple constructions with typical problems. The dynamic between Donovan Nash and those around him made the book interesting in its own right. But, the blue ribbon of the book goes to the intense experiences happening in the air within the hurricane itself. I won't give away the absolutely crazy way they planned to rescue the damaged G4 circling around the eye of the storm, but it was inventive to say the least.

[Colin D. Ciley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tighten Seat Belts and Hang On

Can you imagine a love story which mixes submarines, commercial jets, U S Air Force super transports, the Coast Guard, meteorologists, and even the Russian Navy in a fascinating tale of terrific aviation action and commercial espionage. One of those books that you hate to put down."

[Bruce Humbert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really?

Too many coincidences and unbelievable plot twists. More like a video game than a serious book. I only got to two stars because the Audible read was pretty good and the main characters were somewhat likable - if not believable.

Then I had to deduct one star for the Global Warming silliness.

[Charles Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

THREE STARS

This was an OK read for book #1. More of a character building thing in the beginning and the action starts after halfway through. I did read book #3 a couple years ago first which made me want to continue the series.

[Lisa Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining but not believable at all.

[Book Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

UGH

Apparently an unofficial organ of the Sierra Club. Wildly
improbable story lines in addition to eco preaching. Poor
Cussler imitation.

[Jefrois · Rating 3 out of 5]

MY OPINION:
.
.
“Climate change” appears to be in the air of this book:

“ I have a bad feeling that we’re seeing a marked shift in the global weather patterns…and super-hurricanes are one of the byproducts….”

“… I truly believe that we’re moving toward a major climatic shift due to a dozen factors, not the least of which is global warming. Have they learned nothing from witnessing our past errors…?”

As usual — as almost ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS

— the heroine is a tall “auburn” haired beauty with “startling green eyes.”

ALMOST ALWAYS!!!!

A ridiculous story, a silly plot, mediocre writing, cut-and-paste characters, and the author seems to maybe perhaps possibly be “awakened.”

“…they roamed the planet [BY AIR, SEA, AND LAND] gathering data in the name of environmental science….”

“…Lauren closed her eyes and squeezed the bridge of her nose….”

“…Donovan used his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose….” THIS DOES NOTHING!! IT’S JUST ANOTHER, CHEAP, HOLLYWOOD-TYPE TRICK, LIKE THESE:

“…Lauren quickly padded up the carpeted stairs… Lauren sipped….”

“…Donovan had sat quietly, sipping….”

These are all considered to be “high class literary devices” to keep the story “moving.”

Oh…aaaannndddd of course we have a “good to go,” (several, actually), whatever the fok that means.

Also, the entire back-story regarding the Mystic Past of Dufuss Nash — or whatever his name is — falls totally and utterly FLAT.

THIS IS YET ANOTHER REDHEAD WITH “STARTLING GREEN EYES;” A DIFFERENT WOMAN:

“…He could still remember her unruly mane of curly red hair, freckled face, and startling green eyes….”

They both [wimmins] had “startling green eyes.”

I could NOT WAIT for this WAY-too-long book to be over!!

PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP AWREADY!!!!!!

“…Donovan casually wondered how many American citizens had made love aboard a Russian submarine….” OH FER GAWDSAKE I THINK I MAY THROW UP !!!!

OH CHRISE! IT GETS WORSE:

“…Donovan ceremoniously cleared his throat. ‘So... I was wondering…would you __ ___ ____ ___ at __ _______?’ ”

OMG! I AM VOMITING FROM THIS!!

OM….HROOOFFFFFFFFfffffffLLLLKK…kk…kkk….

Ack!

Ack!
.
.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a suspense-filled novel! Although a little slow to get started, the plot lines quickly gained ground, picking up in intensity and suspense. One of the main characters, an airplane pilot and eco-business operator named Donovan Nash, has a secret to protect, and the other main character, scientist Dr. Lauren McKenna, has a secret of her own. We learn early on that they were lovers once, then went their separate ways. There are a few backstories to give further insight to their psyches, and some additional interesting characters, including a reporter for the Washington Post, thrown into the mix. The story centers mostly on scientific research gone wrong while in the eye of a Category Five hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, and out there in the fury of Mother Nature, the action is over-the-top. I listened to an audio recording of the book, read by Chris Kennedy. Although Kennedy made little attempt to soften the women’s voices, he was very effective at building suspense as the action picked up. I recommend this book if you enjoy a fast-paced, suspenseful, action-packed story.

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it! I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil anything. But it was gripping with major stakes. Toward the beginning I wasn't sure if I was going to like it because the way each new character was introduced was ham-handed. For example, we get told the character's name, then we get a two paragraph police report on the character's height, weight, appearance, etc. It became monotonous. Then a little later we get a bunch of backstory about what made the character who they are today. And each of the good guys was super-awesome somehow. Just a bit clumsy. Anyway, once I got past that and into the action, it really came together.

The premise of the story may sound a bit incredible, but the way that it was handled/executed actually surprisingly convincing. Or at least I didn't mind that the premise was scientifically shaky. Individual scenes were authentic enough to carry us through to the end.

[Boomer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on sale and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Donovan Nash's character is surprisingly deep and the more of his past that was revealed, the more I was interested. The author has found something with this guy, and I'll be curious to know where it leads in the future.

The story itself starts off pretty believable, but soon devolves into jumping from one ludicrous situation to the next, to the point of becoming comical. It's hard for me as a reader to buy into anything in this book actually happening, but in this case it works. The characters are good and the writing is sharp. I'm OK suspending belief if I'm being entertained, and that's the case here. Add in that there's no real profanity, and the author gives me a proper ending to book 1 of a series - instead of ending in a cliffhanger - and I'm happy. I'll be moving on to book 2

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably more of a 4 1/2 stars for me than 5. I really enjoyed this book. Actually I listened to the audio book and the narration was a little choppy in parts. Almost as though the narrator was reading the book out loud for the first time and occasionally hesitating on some words or losing the flow. It wasn’t enough to be very bothersome to me but it was definitely noticeable. I’m not taking any points off for this as I rate my books as though I’ve read them myself and not listened to the audio. Anyway, the story was fast paced and exciting. Realistic? Nope but fun. A bit predictable but that’s okay in this type of book. The characters were well developed, IMO, and likable. I look forward to reading something else from this author.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is true escapism for anyone who needs it. A category five hurricane is poised to ravage the northeast U.S. coast. A scientist and a billionaire are working to stop in. Suddenly one of them is flung inside the hurricane eye with little hope of escaping, and wait for it, an atom bomb set to detonate inside to blast it to smithereens. Yes, it is somewhat far-fetched, as I said, escapism. Otherwise the characters are well written and you do care what happens to them. This book's tone and writing reminds me of a Clive Cussler novel, if you are familiar with them.

[Otho Eskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in Philip Donlay's impressive Donovan Nash series, I can't believe it took me so long to read Category Five.

Donovan Nash and others in the Eco-Watch are summoned to rescue key government employees studying Hurricane Helena in the Atlantic Ocean - because Hurricane Helena is becoming the most powerful storm in history.

The seemingly straightforward mission takes a thrilling turn when someone tries to assistante the lead scientist.

This is a wonderful read, and I certainly look forward to exploring the rest of the Donovan Nash series.

[Erica Holwager · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is action packed BUT it's very silly, like Hallmark paired up with Michael Bay to make a Transformers movie silly. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I just wish it was marketed more like that so I was in the proper mood to read it. I did have to take a star away for the first 1/4 of the book. The writing was really clunky in that part and hard to get through, the rest was fun though. I do think I'll read the next book in the series, I'll just wait for when I'm in the mood to read something fun but super unrealistic.

[Jennifer Talwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much better than expected! Some parts are kinda expected from other stories, but far from boring. It is evident in his writing he took a ton of effort and time with it, descriptions were so spot on with the help of military and subject matter experts. The ending kept me guessing and turning just like the hurricane. This story makes me think this can be a competitor with the Die Hard stories. I will most definitely be reading more from this writer, one of my new favorites!

[Indira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best action adventure books I have read in an age, I just couldn't put it down. For me it is usually the characters first. In this case the character that grabbed me first was Helena. The people characters were amazing. I got caught up in them immediately......I don't want to give away anything in the story, it is so worth reading.

I will be following this author and his other books immediately. Wish I could write this this.

Kudos.

[Shanna Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Entertaining! I loved that this book kept a earth science nerd like me engaged. I like a complex and imperfect character, it make the story more realistic. The action goes until the very end and kept me interested and entertained. I learned more about hurricanes and it was fun learning some airplane lingo too!

[Jessie hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite so far this year!

LOVED THIS! The one that has kept me as well as glued to my chair from the beginning. Excellent and very dramatic plot. I enjoyed the glimpse of the meteorological world an the political thread was a necessary part of everything this story is. A nice change from the mundane. Mr. Donlay is an exceptionally talented author.

[Saundra Callender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book!

I don't think I've read a book this fast in years. I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I loved the characters - intelligent and believable, and the action was tense and fast. I could definitely see this as a movie. I hope the rest of the series is as good as Category Five was!

[Carol Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Best Books I’ve Read This Year

I usually read myself to sleep. But this well-written Donovan Nash thriller had me up until the wee morning hours. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Donovan Nash is an outstanding character. The action was non-stop with a satisfying ending.

[Sue Mastalerz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page-turner

I enjoyed this book. While the main storyline was rather predictable, the twists & turns added enough tension and suspense to pique my interest. I also learned more about hurricanes than I thought I ever would. I'll be checking out more of Mr. Finlay's work in the future.

[Readsall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything you could ask for in an action adventure novel. There excitement, suspense and edge of your seat action. I loved Donovan Nash and his back story. Without a doubt I would recommend this book to fans of James Rollins, Lincoln Child, Douglas Preston and Matthew Reilly.