The Storm by Rachel Hawkins #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the advanced copy of The Storm in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio

Published: January 6, 2026

Summary:

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…

My thoughts:

I have been a fan of Rachel Hawkins since discovering her 1st thriller, The Wife Upstairs. She does Southern Gothic so well and this latest one is no exception. ⁣
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I loved how atmospheric this one was. The threat of the looming storm was palpable, especially for someone who has been through a few in her life–the threat is sometimes worse than the storm itself. The way the author used the impending hurricanes and the threat of them added to the overall tension of the story and this was probably my favorite part of the book.⁣
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I loved how this starts off slow, mirroring an impending storm and then gathers speed, taking off at a breakneck pace. It sets the stage for our characters to be introduced and then once we know all the players, the secrets start unraveling and nothing will be the same again. ⁣
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This was such a fun, entertaining read and just solidifies my love of this author!⁣
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Audio thoughts:

The full-cast narration really enhanced the audio experience for this one. Each narrator–Alex Knox, Catherine Colas, Dan Bittner, Jane Oppenheimer, Patti Murin, Patrick Burchard and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker–all do a fantastic job infusing just the right amount of tension and emotion into their voice as needed. And the sound effects were an added bonus!! ⁣

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