The Storm - Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Storm by Rachel Hawkins

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  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…

Genre: Mystery 

Why I Picked This Book:  I've enjoyed other books by this author and this one looked intriguing

My Impression: This book takes place in an area I'm super familiar with which is always an added bit of fun to the book.  While St. Medard's Bay is a fictional town there are several small beach towns in Baldwin County, Alabama and I happen to have quite a bit of family in one of them.  Hawkins does a good job of capturing the feel of small town beach living - the weird stories and legends, the way heat affects residents and visitors, the attitudes towards hurricanes, and the constant issues of property damage both due to environment and the weather.  Geneva is a likable main character.  She's so overwhelmed at times she's not sure she's going to make it but she can't make herself give up.  When August Fletcher shows up with Lo Bailey in tow to spend the summer writing a book about a scandalous case that changed the little Bay town and Lo's life forever, it feels a bit like a gift.  

Lo is a complicated character and until the very end I wasn't quite sure how the story would end - and what the story actually was.  I guessed one or two of the twists but there were several surprises and I couldn't have guessed how everything would unravel.  

This was a fast paced complex read with a satisfying ending that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I'm looking forward to reading more from this author and I'll think of St. Medard's Bay next time I'm at the beach!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I really enjoyed this one and have several books by Rachel Hawkins on my TBR.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Yes! If you enjoy atmospheric mysteries with a bit of a twist this is a good read.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *