Speed the Dawn: A Donovan Nash Novel

Powerful, unrelenting action drives Donlay’s eighth adventure novel featuring wealthy environmentalist Donovan Nash (after 2017’s Seconds to Midnight). When a meteor breaks up over Monterey, Calif., large fragments fall into the sea, creating a tsunami, and onto land, setting off massive fires. Donovan is trapped at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where looters soon try to kill him. Donovan’s wife, Pentagon consultant Dr. Lauren McKenna, is flying toward the coast in a small plane, which is struck by debris from the meteor. After making a forced landing, Lauren works hard to persuade the authorities to follow her suggestions for saving the day. Meanwhile, a strengthening hurricane threatens to destroy everything from Monterey to San Francisco. In his efforts to heighten and maintain tension with one over-the-top development after another, Donlay plays havoc with the suspension of disbelief. He also lards the narrative with distracting exposition. Still, few thriller fans will be able to resist the breakneck pace. [em]Agent: Kimberley Cameron, Kimberley Cameron Associates. (Mar.) [/em]