Speed of Dawn is a fast paced thriller by Philip Donlay. With the current California fires that are raging, the race to escape the fires in the novel definitely hits home. Would read more by this author. ( )

This disaster thriller was my first read of this author but I will certainly go back to read his previous works. The plot grabs you from the beginning and fast pace and intense action follow. Big action, big suspense, big thrillers. Highly recommend. ( )

I enjoyed this book. I wasn't able to put in down. It was a little a far fetched but it was intriguing. ( )

Donovan Nash and his wife, Dr. Lauren McKenna are about to be separated by a wall of fire laid across California by fractured meteors and shattered satellites. The action is fast-paced and creates a vision of destruction that will keep you glued to the page as you hold your own breath, waiting to see what will happen next. Tsunamis, fire tornadoes and the institution of military law are not enough to stop Donovan and Lauren, along with the rest of their EcoWatch crew, from finding each other and coming to the rescue of hundreds of stranded survivors. Toss in a criminal, drug-raiding motorcycle gang and the shocking reveal of Donovan's true identity and this one keeps you going to the very last page. ( )

A massive wildfire is started by the collision of a comet with man-made satellites in orbit around the earth. The large comet fragments into several smaller meteors and in a domino effect the comet fragments and sections of damaged satellites pinball into the other man-made objects in orbit. Without warning, a shower of deadly missiles begins to strike from the Mississippi west out into the Pacific Ocean. The greatest concentration falls on Monterey Bay, California, igniting massive wildfires that could destroy everything north as far as San Francisco and possibly even inland to Oakland.

Donovan Nash is in Monterey for the official launch of the “Howard ‘Buck’ Buckley,” an Eco-Watch ship named after a good friend and Eco-Watch colleague who died in Guatemala. He is in the path of a deadly tsunami created by the meteors striking the Pacific Ocean off Monterey Bay. His wife, Dr. Lauren McKenna is in a Gulfstream in route from the east coast to the ceremony when comet and satellite fragments begin to pelt the Gulfstream. McKenna makes it to safety and assumes the leading role in fighting the massive wildfires. Nash is encircled by fires, and the only feasible option for stopping them before they destroy San Francisco will cut off all possibility of escape for Nash.

“Speed The Dawn” is the eighth novel in the Donovan Nash series and Donlay’s uninspiring effort to inform readers of the earlier history brings the action to a screeching halt. His flat, stilted approach is the antithesis of the “show, don’t tell” axiom for effective writing. His description of the principle characters is straight out of Lake Woebegon, where everyone is above average: all are exceptional. We know because he says so, not because of anything they do. Readers who have not read earlier Donovan Nash novels will be able to understand and enjoy “Speed The Dawn,” although perhaps not without a bit of cynicism after being “told” about the special qualities of the supporting cast.

Following the resolution of the primary focus, Donlay prolongs the novel another 60 pages to resolve tangential, somewhat uninteresting subplots. Everyone congratulates everyone else, and everyone assures everyone else that they are “family” and that they love them. Enough already!

Perhaps the most troubling aspect introduced towards the end of the book concerns Nash’s identify. Nash is so concerned about the possible revelation of his identify that he contemplates leaving the country, hiding in Austria, and changing his name. I did not find this to be convincing. A stronger justification for the concealed identify or elimination the plot line would improve “Speed The Dawn”.

Nevertheless, “Speed The Dawn” sandwiches a solid action thriller between the troublesome beginning and anticlimactic end. I am not familiar with the dynamics of wildfires but the scenarios Donlay postulates seemed to be quite plausible and the conundrums they pose make for an interesting story. I found myself wondering time and again how Nash could possibly escape from the fires that encircled him and when he finally did I felt Donlay provided an honest (i.e., plausible as opposed to “magical”) solution. ( )