Infinite Books

Geneva, a woman with the unusual first name, is the owner and innkeeper of the famous, century-old inn on the coast of Alabama’s  St. Medards Bay. She inherited the inn from her parents and has been struggling with keeping the place afloat. The guests appreciate its charm, but the bay is frequently battered by powerful storms, one of which took the life of Landon, a powerful son of Alabama’s previous governor.  Or so Lo Bailey, a woman who was accused of murdering Landon, claimed. Now Lo is back, with a writer who has been writing a book about the events. The new, deadly storm is brewing and threatening the inn and its occupants once more. It might be too late for some to escape – both the upcoming storm and the past.

This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins, and I really enjoyed it. The moody, dark style kept me interested, and I finished the book quickly – I think it might be even a novel to read in one sitting.  It is written mainly from Geneva’s perspective, but it has frequent flashbacks to her mother’s story and to three women who, at a young age, proclaimed themselves “The Witches of St. Medard’s Bay” because, as Lo says, “…it was the seventies. Witches were very, very groovy.”

There is a feeling of something sinister about to happen, partially because of the way the chapters are constructed, and partially because of the author’s style.  We literally count the days to the day when the storm lands and when all secrets of the past are revealed. Will the storm bring another body?

THE STORM by Rachel Hawkins, St Martin’s Press 2026