I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Storm by Rachel Hawkins Published by St. Martin's Press on January 6 2026
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Storms—both literal and metaphorical—are center stage in Rachel Hawkins’ latest, a multi-layered thriller with well drawn characters and deeply buried secrets.
“What I found was something deeper, stranger, and far more twisted than I ever could have guessed. St. Medard’s Bay wasn’t a town with one mystery—they were many, coiled around one another like the inside of a nautilus shell.”
I love starting the new year off with a really good book, and The Storm did not disappoint! Rachel Hawkins’ latest takes many of the literary elements and themes that I loved from 2024’s The Heiress—epistolary sections, complex family relationships and a strong sense of place—but this time builds her story around a series of hurricanes in the Gulf Coast of Alabama. This was the perfect framing device for this twisty murder mystery revolving around a high profile political family and their married son’s affair with a nineteen-year-old barmaid. And while this didn’t quite reach the highs I experienced with The Heiress, which had one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, it was still an excellent read.
Hawkins’ tale unfolds over multiple timelines, each one taking place during a deadly hurricane. In the present, we meet Geneva Corliss, owner of the Rosalie Inn on the shores of St. Medard’s Bay, famous because over the past one hundred years, it’s stood the test of time, surviving one hurricane after another despite the ferocity of the storms. Business at the inn hasn’t been great lately, though, and Geneva is struggling to pay the bills. Until one day, she receives an email from a writer named August Fletcher, who wants to stay at the Rosalie long term while he works on a book about the 1984 suspected murder of Landon Fitzroy, which happened right near the inn. Geneva is surprised when August shows up with none other than Gloria “Lo” Bailey, the woman accused of Landon’s murder. Lo, who is now in her sixties, was acquitted of the crime, and she’s ready to tell her side of the story. Landon will ghost write the book, and Lo will provide details on what really happened that fateful day back in 1984.
In alternating chapters, Hawkins takes us back to various key years in St. Medard’s history, most notably to 1984, when nineteen-year-old Lo and twenty-seven-year-old Landon met and began a secret affair. Hurricane Marie hits the small coastal town that summer and Landon dies during the storm. Was it an accident? Or did something more sinister happen?
One of Rachel Hawkins’ strengths is the way she creates complex families with sometimes shocking connections, and I loved that this story goes back as far as the 1960s when Lo was a child. We meet Lo’s two closest friends, Ellen (Geneva’s mom) and Frieda, who are all tangled up with Landon in various ways. And there are secrets within secrets in this story. Geneva is not only dealing with keeping the inn afloat, but her mother has Alzheimer’s and can no longer communicate with her. Ellen might have firsthand knowledge of what happened in 1984, but she’ll never be able to tell her daughter.
Most of Lo’s story is told in epistolary format, through excerpts of the book she’s writing with August, and I loved these sections, especially because they’re written in first person. Lo’s boisterous personality shines through, although the story of what really happened to Landon isn’t revealed until the very end. August was an interesting character too, and he’s harboring secrets as well. There are no “filler” side characters in this story—each one contributes to the mystery in some way.
At each stop in the past, hurricanes play an important role, sometimes with tragic results. Each character has been affected deeply by the storms, which makes the title of this book so perfect. Geneva’s chapters in the present are cleverly done as well. Each chapter header is a countdown (“43 Days Left,” “33 Days Left,” etc) leading to Hurricane Lizzie, which promises to be the storm that might actually destroy the Rosalie. I loved this growing tension, which builds to a thrilling climax, where all the characters’ secrets are finally revealed. The Storm isn’t a fast-paced thriller by any means, so readers looking for that kind of book might be disappointed. But the author is brilliant at setting up a story with several juicy mysteries whose puzzle pieces neatly come together at the end.
The Storm ends on an emotionally satisfying, feel-good note, and it made me sad to think we might have to wait another two years for Rachel Hawkins’ next book.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
This sounds terrific! I still haven’t read anything by this author, although I have several of her books on my TBR. Maybe this is the year where I”ll finally try one (or more!)
I recommend starting with The Heiress!
I ended up really loving this one.
I’m so glad, she is such a good writer.
I’m seeing positive reviews. Great review! I might have to consider this author.
Her books are a lot of fun:-)
This sounds like a fantastic book to have started the year off with. The multiple storylines that take part during hurricanes sounds intriguing and I can never resist a book with epistolary sections . Its good to hear that this one has a strong sense of voice too as that was what truly wowed me with The Heiress when I picked it up last year. Here’s hoping the wait for the authors next book is shorter than you expect.
I loved the setting and the way the storms were incorporated into the story. It was so well done:-)
Glad you found such a great read to start off the new year! I love when that happens. 😀
Me too, it’s like a good omen:-)
This sounds great! I don’t know if it will work so well for me, but I am intrigued. And the epistolary part sounds pretty good too! I am glad you had fun with this one!!
The epistolary sections really made it for me, they added a lot:-)
I was very curious about this one and glad to see how much you enjoyed it. I like the idea of the hurricanes being such key elements to the story. Sounds like a good one.
It was very good. It makes me want to read more thrillers this year:-)
I’m glad you enjoyed this one. I do plan on reading it because I need to try to determine if this author is for me. I’ve had both hits and misses. Great review and you’ve at least encouraged me to give it a try.
I know she isn’t your favorite author, so I’ll be curious to see what you think…
Great review!! I enjoyed this one a lot too. I flew through it!
It wasn’t super fast paced, but I flew through it too, it was so gripping;-)
It’s an excellent review Tammy! And when you are sad to wait two years for the next book it’s always a great sign!
I love her books!
This sounds so good. I will definitely be picking it up – hopefully sooner rather than later.
Lynn 😀
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
This was such a great read! But I also enjoyed The Heiress just a tad more because I felt the plot/story idea was a little more complex. The southern coast setting here was brilliant though, and I loved the theme of hurricanes.
I’ve been meaning to read this book and other ones by this author. Are they really that good?
I’m aware she is a wonderful author, but with all the storms and bad weather hitting places around the world, I can’t face this one right now. But that’s me being super squeamish!! Glad if was such a great read, Tammy:).