Review: "The Storm," Rachel Hawkins

Geneva Collins never intended to return to St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama. But her widowed mother is slipping into dementia, and someone has to run her family’s Rosalie Inn—a Gulf Coast landmark that has somehow survived  hurricane after hurricane.

Geneva herself, however, feels far less sturdy. Her boyfriend—once enthusiastic about innkeeping—has fled. Competing with Vrbo and Airbnb is a challenge. Her mother, Ellen, no longer recognizes her. The Rosalie offers a breathtaking Gulf view, but the weight of responsibility presses hard.

Then an interesting reservation request arrives. August Fletcher, a writer researching St. Medard’s most infamous murder, wants an extended stay—and is willing to pay handsomely for it. During Hurricane Marie in 1984, beautiful, wild nineteen-year-old Lo Bailey was accused of killing Landon Fitzhugh, a married man from a powerful political family. The case roiled the town.

Geneva is thrilled—she needs the business—until August arrives with Lo Bailey herself in tow.

Now sixty, Lo remains magnetic: charming, sharp, unapologetic. But she is not welcome in St. Medard’s. Geneva is drawn to her, yet senses deep tensions between Lo and Edie, Geneva’s assistant at the inn. Meanwhile, Geneva finds herself increasingly captivated by August. Hoping to help his research, she shares a box of old newspaper clippings her mother saved from the case—only to uncover secrets that complicate everything. Lo, it seems, is only part of the story.

As a new hurricane—Lizzie—approaches, the narrative ticks down to landfall. Geneva’s voice anchors the story, but August, Lo, Ellen, and even Landon speak as well, alongside archival articles that deepen the mystery. The layered structure mirrors the gathering storm, both meteorological and emotional.

Geneva is a grounded, relatable protagonist, and Lo is as flamboyant and compelling as a suspected murderer can be. The Rosalie Inn carries its own mystique, and hurricane-battered St. Medard’s is a vivid, atmospheric setting.

The Storm may be Rachel Hawkins’ strongest novel yet—blending suspense, layered perspectives, and twist after twist into a story where not just one, but multiple storms threaten to make landfall.