THE STORM
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins is back with a thrilling new gothic suspense set in a Gulf Coast beach motel where hurricane season can be murder.
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.
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins is back with a thrilling new gothic suspense set in a Gulf Coast beach motel where hurricane season can be murder.
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…
- St. Martin's Press
- Hardcover
- January 2026
- 288 Pages
- 9781250341884
Buy the Book
$29.00
About Rachel Hawkins
Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, The Villa, and The Heiress, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.Praise
“A beachy gothic…[and] a dare-we-say suspensefully breezy read.” —BookPage
“Sexy and full of surprises, The Storm is an ideal curl-up-by-the-fire read.” —Real Simple
“A sleek suspense novel…Hawkins shrewdly orchestrates the plot twists in each story line….When the pieces finally click into place, readers will be more than satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly
“The story is gripping from beginning to end. A sharp read for literary sleuths.” —Kirkus
“Hawkins uses her mastery of multiple timelines and characters to great effect in this quick and enjoyable read, and the pulpy nature of the story will appeal to fans of Sally Hepworth and Laura Dave.” —Booklist
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions for THE STORM
- How do the various media and book excerpts woven throughout shape your opinion of the characters, and how did your opinions evolve over the course of the novel? Did the author’s use of these interstitials build suspense and augment the atmosphere for the reader?
- How is gossip a central force driving the narrative, and how much does the small, Southern beach town setting amplify its prevalence and impact? Do you think any character’s side of the story can ever reflect the full truth?
- Do you think the media used a similar tone when speculating about Lo versus Landon? In what ways does the Fitzroy family’s status affect the way people viewed and spoke about Landon––and how did Lo’s gender and age play a role in how she was portrayed?
- Early in the novel, a local describes what it’s like when a hurricane comes through town and utilizes its most beloved qualities—the ocean and wind—for devastation. “‘Killing you with the things you love? The things that made you feel so blessed to live here in the first place? Tell me that don’t feel evil.”’ How is this sentiment of destruction reflected in the web of secrets constantly circulating through the St. Medard’s Bay community?
- What do you make of the Rosalie Inn, pink as ever, standing through every storm that has come through St. Medard’s Bay during the last hundred years? What kinds of events tend to take place inside of it?
- Compare and contrast the family legacies that Landon and Geneva have inherited, and the way they respectively approach upholding them.
- “[S]ometimes even places we love can become weights around our necks.” (page 63) Why do you think people who live in places that are often hit by natural disasters stay? How does the constant rebuilding of a town affect the relationships within the community?
- Why do you think Lo and Frieda/Edie were able to reconcile after four decades, despite everything that had happened between them? Considering the strong bond between the Witches of St. Medard’s Bay, and now Geneva, do you think there’s an intrinsic difference between the friends you make in childhood and adolescence versus friends you make as an adult?
- What did you make of the hurricanes in this story being named after women? What correlation do you notice between the storms’ surges, and Beth-Anne’s, Lo’s, and Geneva’s explosive reactions toward Linus, Landon, and August, if any?
- “‘[I]s the truth worth telling if all it can do is hurt someone you love?”’ (page 228) After reading The Storm, how would you answer this question?
- How did the end of the novel make you feel? What moments in the story surprised you most?