Category Five

Tango Key Mysteries #4

by T.J. MacGregor

Billy Joe Franklin and his girlfriend Crystal DeVries robbed a bank and he absconded with the money, leaving Crystal to take the fall. While waiting to go to trial, she, along with her friend Tia, transferred from the Dade County jail to the one on Tango Key. Billy successfully frees her and Tia in a daring jailbreak. It looks like his planning will allow them to make a clean getaway until Hurricane Danielle turns into a Category Five storm, worse than even Hurricane Andrew.

Bookstore owner and psychic Mira Morales, her daughter Annie and her grandmother are preparing to survive one of the worst hurricanes on record when the escaped convicts and Billy take over the house. Mira's live-n-lover, Shep, an FBI agent, knows about the danger the women face but he is trapped in a cellar and is unable to get out. Mira has to take charge and see that her family is safe until someone can rescue them but when their situation looks hopeless, help comes from a most unexpected source.

It is a toss up to Mira which is worse the Category Five hurricane or dealing with the unstable Billy Joe. Both could get her killed and even her psychic powers are not strong enough for her foresee what kind of trauma and tragedy will result from the criminals and the storm. T.J. MacGregor has written a fantastic crime thriller, filled with action and suspense but the true antagonist in CATEGORY FIVE is Hurricane Danielle.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Patricia Janeshutz MacGregor. Also writes under the pseudonyms of Trish MacGregor, Trish Janeshutz, and Alison Drake.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was good, and the hurricane really ramped up the tension. And I liked the character of Tia (she was, by far, my favourite character in the entire book). She had an amazingly sad and bitter back story, and though it never explained it fully, there was something supernatural about her (or, so was hinted- I really wish they had explained that more) that was a great twist in her character.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Category Five by T.J. MacGregor is the 4th book of the Tango Key mystery series set in Florida, a few years after Hurricane Andrew (1992), but before Katrina (2005). Chapters start with fascinating hurricane facts and statistics. The entire story is set against the suspenseful backdrop of a Category 5 storm (Danielle) during the approach and landfall. Hard to put the book down for this setting alone.

The plot adds suspense: violent criminals try to escape justice but are trapped by the storm, invade Mira's house, take her and her family hostage. Sheppard (in vain pursuit of the criminals) is trapped by the storm across the island, with a trusted ally and crooked cops. He must surmount his greatest fear.

Recommend read this series in order. Many nuances in the story require understanding events/crises in prior books. The final outcome packs a wallop: ethics destroy a relationship. Which side are you on?

[Plum-crazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read but some of the psychic events are a bit hard to believe (I'm sure I found them very plausible in "Tango Key"!) & some of the descriptive passages I found difficult to visualise - although the tunnel scene for Shep seemed a might too realistic in parts - not one for claustrophobics!

I've ended up reading this series out of order, so "Black Water" which is frequently referenced is still waiting to be read & skipping at least this one book means Annie is no longer the youngster I last read about. She has obviously inherited some of mum Mina's "powers" & I'll be interested to see how that develops.  

Overall a good enough read but I think I would have benefitted from reading them in order.

[Amy Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story line was good. i usually don’t like books with more than one story but these two were very well interconnected. By the end you realize it was only 1 story just different issues that converge. The ending truly was crappy. I didn’t want an engagement wedding because those are just too gushy but a complete breakup was extreme. Yes she did something that probably shouldn’t have been done but it was fireball the right reasons & he just couldn’t see it. very narrow minded in
my opinion. I felt scared for shep- hrs panic attacks were very well written
out & described.. over all not a horrriblw book not my favorite if the year ever.

[Deborah Whipp · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is just as heavy on romantic relationship between the two main characters as it is on the action and frankly, I could have skipped that part. While some of the hurricane info is interesting, most of the main plot points are entirely predictable. It's pretty obvious from the start that our hero will end up in the water facing his demons, Dr. McKenna will save the day, and our hero and heroine will end up together, etc., etc.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the writing in this book. Also a new author for me, I will be finding more of theirs to read for sure

[Kelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, interesting premise, but perhaps I missed some stuff....like how did Tia burn people? And what the hell is going on with Nadine?

[Billie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the storyline. Three escapees. What damage will they do during this storm.

[Sharon Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of drama as a hurricane hits the area. Intense!

[Beth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! I love this series. The character of Mira is so unique and interesting. The drama and suspense of this book really kept me reading. Great balance of action, characterizations, plot and emotions.

[Zora · Rating 2 out of 5]

She could be a good crime writer, but I have no patience with psychic hoo-ha and misunderstandings of physics. Won't try any of her other books.

[Kim]

This was a good book I enjoyed reading this book.