Category 5

By Paul Mark Tag

Book Overview

Dr. Victor Mark Silverstein is a Jewish African-American whose background is as unusual as his personality. He lives a privileged life as the Naval Research Laboratory's preeminent meteorologist and scientist. But beneath the facade of a self-centered, arrogant personality lies a seething, vulnerable man whose secrets have plagued his sleep since 1982. That's when he discovered the truth about what happened to his girlfriend, Sylvia.

In the year 2007, his nightmares become a reality when weather satellites detect an environmental aberration. Memories from college at Penn State--and their accompanying heartbreak--push their way back into Silverstein's life. Only he knows the root cause of the phenomenon and its scientific basis--and the mastermind behind it all.

This fast-paced thriller spans the globe: from the Suez Canal and Christmas Island to Istanbul, Turkey; to Monterey, California and Washington, DC; and finally to Bermuda. Silverstein and his feisty female assistant, Dr. Linda Kipling, begin a desperate and harrowing pursuit for the truth and for those responsible. With time running out and the environmental catastrophe unfolding, they must survive a terrifying ride through the eyewall of a hurricane. The final showdown pits good against evil and intellect against loyalty. Along the way, Silverstein finds peace and becomes reacquainted with a faith he abandoned long ago.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 059534075X
• ISBN13: 9780595340750
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A delicious read!!!

Rich characters, page turning plot line, and wonderful locations! Congratulations to the author -- what a great first novel!!! Looking forward to reading many more by Tag.

Category 5 is a real tour de force

Non-stop action with some of the best storm images I've ever read. Paul Tag's action adventure novel is a real tour de force. Mark Silverstein is a great character and Tag makes him come alive as a real person. Sure hope there will be more books about him in the future.

Loved Category 5

Paul Tag created characters that came alive in his outstanding book, "Category 5". Not only did I learn much more than I ever thought I could about hurricanes, I loved traveling the world with his lovely and complex characters.

Category 5

I loved this book! A sophisticated page turner and impossible to put down! P.S. Dold

A compelling, suspenseful thriller

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a compelling, suspenseful thriller, set mostly in the United States against a backdrop of international terrorism. Will the good guys succeed in saving Washington, D.C., from a terrorist-controlled killer hurricane? For me, the outcome was touch-and-go right up to the end of the book, and the pages practically turned themselves till I got there. I love authors who educate as well as entertain me, a la Clancy or Michener. In Category 5, Paul Mark Tag not only entertained me with an intriguing story, he also taught me more about hurricanes than I ever would have known. One result was that I was ready to believe that an evil genius could create and steer hurricanes using a powerful satellite-borne laser. I also appreciate well-drawn characters. Category 5's characters came alive for me because they act, think and speak as real people do. I predict that one day soon we will all have the pleasure of seeing "real people" tell this story in an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster as we cheer the good guys on from the edges of our seats.