Book Review:: The Storm | Rachel Hawkins

You can rely on Rachel Hawkins to deliver a compelling story replete with tension you can feel in your chest. This one is about murder in a tiny coastal town.

In 1984 there was a famous murder in St. Menard’s Bay. Well, probably. When a body turns up after a hurricane, probably someone murdered him and let the storm take care of the evidence. But no one can prove it. The accusation, though, follows around the girl everyone suspects. We get flashes of the timeline of events leading up to that supposed crime of the past, while the contemporary story takes place on top of it: a crime podcaster coming around to poke his nose into the case.

You can feel the tension in this book like you are there, waiting in the dense, still humidity, waiting on the hurricane to hit. The dual timeline structure isn’t new for Hawkins (The Villa felt fairly similar for structure), but boy, it’s effective. For me there was enough intrigue to pull me through both timelines without losing momentum, and the finale was surprising and also completely inevitable, the way the best ones always are.

I will read anything Rachel Hawkins publishes. She’s a wonder, and this story was no exception. Do with that what you will!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::The Storm
Author::Rachel Hawkins
Genre::Mystery Suspense Thriller
Publisher::St. Martin’s Press
Length:: 258 pages
Published::January 6th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars