The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

Title: The Storm 

Author: Rachel Hawkins<

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: January 6, 2026

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping…

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The Rosalie Inn is located in St. Medard’s Bay, a place famous for still standing after several hurricanes. The bay is also known for the death of the governor’s son, Landon Fitzroy, who had a promising political career and died during Hurricane Marie in 1984. After his death, his mistress, Lo Bailey, was accused of killing him, but the jury did not convict her.

Now, sixty years later, August Fletcher is interested in writing a book about what really happened during the hurricane and how Landon died. He has asked Lo to meet him at the Rosalie Inn for a series of interviews.

Geneva Corliss is the current owner of the inn. Her parents used to run it, but her father passed away, and her mother was later diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Geneva is feeling stressed about keeping the hotel afloat, but having two guests stay for several weeks is a welcome financial boost. Then, when she meets Lo, she realizes Lo once knew her mother—and there might be much more to the story of what happened in 1984.

The Storm had a strong premise, yet it wasn’t my favorite. Despite not being perfect for me, I loved the coastal atmosphere and the constant sense that danger was lurking nearby. I really liked Geneva as a character—I just knew she was going to get deeply involved in whatever was coming

The audiobook had a great cast of characters performed by Alex Knox, Cathi Colas, Dan Bittner, Jane Oppenheimer, Patti Murin, Petrea Burchard, and Stephanie Németh-Parker.

I'll be looking out for Rachel Hawkins' next book.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.