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Storm Warning
A man living on a Florida barrier island must protect his family from both an approaching hurricane and a relentless killer.
Jake Powell is racing to get off the island as a powerful hurricane approaches. When he finds his best friend Dallas, the building manager, dead from a blow to the skull, Jake realizes there’s more than the storm to fear. There’s a murderer on the island, maybe even still inside the nearly abandoned building.
Dallas had repeatedly run afoul of the wealthy owners of the building by complaining about code violations and the precarious state of the condos. But he’d also once told Jake that every resident had a secret they’d come to Florida to escape. Had one of them killed to conceal their sins? As a dozen people shelter together in hopes of surviving the deadly hurricane, a second murder makes it all too clear: one of them is a dangerous killer.
Jake Powell is racing to get off the island as a powerful hurricane approaches. When he finds his best friend Dallas, the building manager, dead from a blow to the skull, Jake realizes there’s more than the storm to fear. There’s a murderer on the island, maybe even still inside the nearly abandoned building.
Dallas had repeatedly run afoul of the wealthy owners of the building by complaining about code violations and the precarious state of the condos. But he’d also once told Jake that every resident had a secret they’d come to Florida to escape. Had one of them killed to conceal their sins? As a dozen people shelter together in hopes of surviving the deadly hurricane, a second murder makes it all too clear: one of them is a dangerous killer.
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2024
37 people are currently reading
11071 people want to read
About the author
David Bell
31 books2,271 followersDavid Bell is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning suspense novelist. His most recent thriller from Berkley/Penguin is KILL ALL YOUR DARLINGS. His previous novels include THE REQUEST, LAYOVER, SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER, BRING HER HOME, SINCE SHE WENT AWAY, SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW, THE FORGOTTEN GIRL, NEVER COME BACK, THE HIDING PLACE, and CEMETERY GIRL. He is currently a Professor of English at Western Kentucky University and can be reached via his website at www.davidbellnovels.com, on Twitter at Twitter.com/davidbellnovels, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/davidbellnovels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
May 5, 2024
4.5🌟
What’s more dangerous….mother nature? Or man?!
Jake left his wife and daughter in Ohio for a small island off the Florida coast. It was supposed to be temporary. A stay in an old apartment building destined for destruction. (He's hoping his marriage will have a better future than the building).
Jake needed some time to find himself and reset the marriage. Now refreshed and renewed, he’s ready to drive back home, but his timing couldn’t be worse. A category 3 hurricane is bearing down on the tiny island!
To compound this bad timing, his wife and daughter decide to surprise him and show up just as the hurricane is making its way on land.
But the reunion is going to have to wait when the body of the apartment manager is found murdered.
Completely cutoff from the mainland Jake realizes he needs to step up to protect his family and the quirky characters living in his crumbling apartment complex.
Will they survive the storm? Or will the killer make sure no one leaves the island.
David Bell had always been an auto request/read author for me! I so looked forward to his books every spring. But the last few years his books seem to have a different feel. They just didn’t click with me like his previous. I started asking myself if I needed to take a break from his books for a while.
But I’m so happy to say…he’s baaack! 🎶
Once again, David Bell pens a magnificent thriller! With short chapters keep the storyline moving at breakneck speed, I finished the book in two sittings! You do need to suspend your believability (quite a bit), and if you can you are in for one heck of a ride!
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing
What’s more dangerous….mother nature? Or man?!
Jake left his wife and daughter in Ohio for a small island off the Florida coast. It was supposed to be temporary. A stay in an old apartment building destined for destruction. (He's hoping his marriage will have a better future than the building).
Jake needed some time to find himself and reset the marriage. Now refreshed and renewed, he’s ready to drive back home, but his timing couldn’t be worse. A category 3 hurricane is bearing down on the tiny island!
To compound this bad timing, his wife and daughter decide to surprise him and show up just as the hurricane is making its way on land.
But the reunion is going to have to wait when the body of the apartment manager is found murdered.
Completely cutoff from the mainland Jake realizes he needs to step up to protect his family and the quirky characters living in his crumbling apartment complex.
Will they survive the storm? Or will the killer make sure no one leaves the island.
David Bell had always been an auto request/read author for me! I so looked forward to his books every spring. But the last few years his books seem to have a different feel. They just didn’t click with me like his previous. I started asking myself if I needed to take a break from his books for a while.
But I’m so happy to say…he’s baaack! 🎶
Once again, David Bell pens a magnificent thriller! With short chapters keep the storyline moving at breakneck speed, I finished the book in two sittings! You do need to suspend your believability (quite a bit), and if you can you are in for one heck of a ride!
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing
March 26, 2024
Thank you to Berkley Books, @Berkley and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.
I love a good storm book, so was excited to dive into this one. I will have to caveat this review by saying I don’t live on the coast with Hurricanes, so certain things may strike me as odd, but they really aren’t for those who normally encounter them. I did my best effort to ask my friends who live in Florida about their experiences with hurricanes for context, but again, this is all secondhand knowledge.
I will say that if there was a hurricane headed straight for the small island I lived on, I’d be hightailing it out of there! But, things get delayed and Jake goes back and discovers a dead body. This leads to not making it out and having to deal with not only the hurricane, but knowing there is a killer on the loose.
The writing was immersive and descriptive, which did make me feel like I was experiencing the book with the characters. However, the actual plot seemed to be slow and lacking. I struggle when things happen, but they just happen to fill space, and that seemed to be the case here. I also thought there wasn’t a ton of substantive weight that was given to the particular killer threat, and when they did find the killer, it was just nicely wrapped up and everyone was happy and had a nice day. It was almost too much of a tidy ending to me, I prefer things to be a little messier or ambiguous.
I still grappled with most of the story because things seemed so outlandish to be. I could have used some more information into how storms have historically handled the island. I think information like that would have added to my reading journey and brought me more enjoyment.
I love a good storm book, so was excited to dive into this one. I will have to caveat this review by saying I don’t live on the coast with Hurricanes, so certain things may strike me as odd, but they really aren’t for those who normally encounter them. I did my best effort to ask my friends who live in Florida about their experiences with hurricanes for context, but again, this is all secondhand knowledge.
I will say that if there was a hurricane headed straight for the small island I lived on, I’d be hightailing it out of there! But, things get delayed and Jake goes back and discovers a dead body. This leads to not making it out and having to deal with not only the hurricane, but knowing there is a killer on the loose.
The writing was immersive and descriptive, which did make me feel like I was experiencing the book with the characters. However, the actual plot seemed to be slow and lacking. I struggle when things happen, but they just happen to fill space, and that seemed to be the case here. I also thought there wasn’t a ton of substantive weight that was given to the particular killer threat, and when they did find the killer, it was just nicely wrapped up and everyone was happy and had a nice day. It was almost too much of a tidy ending to me, I prefer things to be a little messier or ambiguous.
I still grappled with most of the story because things seemed so outlandish to be. I could have used some more information into how storms have historically handled the island. I think information like that would have added to my reading journey and brought me more enjoyment.
June 3, 2024
I picked a great weekend to read Storm Warning: a gloomy, rainy one that seemed perfect for curling up with a thriller about a group of people trapped in a hurricane. But while the weather definitely enhanced the atmosphere of the story, I can’t say that the book itself blew me away (pun totally intended).
The premise of Storm Warning is intriguing: A man on a Florida barrier island must protect his family, and the island’s other residents, from both a destructive hurricane and a murderer – like a mash-up of a locked room mystery and a natural disaster thriller. But unfortunately, it didn’t take me long to realize I wasn’t going to vibe with this one as much as I’d hoped.
Everything about the book, from the mystery to the characters to the plotting, seemed very surface level. I can appreciate a book that is action-forward, but I think this could have been a much better book had David Bell explored some of his subject matter – complex family dynamics, the effects of development on indigenous populations, age-related issues, neurodivergence, drug abuse, climate change – in a more meaningful way. Bell does make attempts at giving his characters meaningful backstories, but I wanted them to be more developed. And in a book that was heavy on dialogue, many of the characters’ conversations rang false. The teenage daughter’s dialogue in particular came off as, to borrow some teen slang myself, “cringe.”
Don’t get me wrong: Parts of Storm Warning are exciting and tense as the hurricane closes in. But that tension was overshadowed by characters behaving in unbelievable ways and some plot points that strained credulity a bit too much. This was my first book by Bell, although I have several of his previous titles on my list to read. I’ll definitely give him another try, but I wouldn’t recommend starting with Storm Warning if he’s a new author for you. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the early reading opportunity.
The premise of Storm Warning is intriguing: A man on a Florida barrier island must protect his family, and the island’s other residents, from both a destructive hurricane and a murderer – like a mash-up of a locked room mystery and a natural disaster thriller. But unfortunately, it didn’t take me long to realize I wasn’t going to vibe with this one as much as I’d hoped.
Everything about the book, from the mystery to the characters to the plotting, seemed very surface level. I can appreciate a book that is action-forward, but I think this could have been a much better book had David Bell explored some of his subject matter – complex family dynamics, the effects of development on indigenous populations, age-related issues, neurodivergence, drug abuse, climate change – in a more meaningful way. Bell does make attempts at giving his characters meaningful backstories, but I wanted them to be more developed. And in a book that was heavy on dialogue, many of the characters’ conversations rang false. The teenage daughter’s dialogue in particular came off as, to borrow some teen slang myself, “cringe.”
Don’t get me wrong: Parts of Storm Warning are exciting and tense as the hurricane closes in. But that tension was overshadowed by characters behaving in unbelievable ways and some plot points that strained credulity a bit too much. This was my first book by Bell, although I have several of his previous titles on my list to read. I’ll definitely give him another try, but I wouldn’t recommend starting with Storm Warning if he’s a new author for you. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the early reading opportunity.
June 4, 2024
This is book #11 from David Bell I’ve read and wow! I absolutely loved Kill All Your Darlings so I was excited to get approved from NetGalley and Berkley for his latest release which comes out June 25, 2024. A hurricane is coming to Florida with a killer on the loose too (I’ve survived 8 hurricanes myself being from FL but now live in NC). And let’s just say this book makes you feel like you’re going through an actual hurricane. All the feelings he captured are “spot on”! Another great book by David Bell and I can’t wait for his next one.
June 28, 2024
Jake was trying to get back to Ohio from Florida, but just as he decides to leave, a hurricane hits the island he lives on.
He lives in a building that may not withstand the storm, but on his way out his wife and daughter show up.
In the middle of a hurricane? What were they thinking?
So....Jake, his family, and six others that include a sick woman and a ninety-one-year old are stranded along with a murderer.
They all will be staying in an apartment on the second floor that is the safest place in the not-so-safe building to wait out the storm and to keep safe from a murderer unless the murderer is in the room with them.
They don't really know who this person is that turned up and said he was a security guard.
We ride out the storm with the motley group of residents just trying to stay alive before and during the storm along with the one person they do not trust or could there be more than one?
Who/what is more dangerous - the storm or the killer who is on the loose? What is the killer’s beef and reason?
How will everything turn out?
You will find out in this character-driven, descriptive read. 4/5
Thank you the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
He lives in a building that may not withstand the storm, but on his way out his wife and daughter show up.
In the middle of a hurricane? What were they thinking?
So....Jake, his family, and six others that include a sick woman and a ninety-one-year old are stranded along with a murderer.
They all will be staying in an apartment on the second floor that is the safest place in the not-so-safe building to wait out the storm and to keep safe from a murderer unless the murderer is in the room with them.
They don't really know who this person is that turned up and said he was a security guard.
We ride out the storm with the motley group of residents just trying to stay alive before and during the storm along with the one person they do not trust or could there be more than one?
Who/what is more dangerous - the storm or the killer who is on the loose? What is the killer’s beef and reason?
How will everything turn out?
You will find out in this character-driven, descriptive read. 4/5
Thank you the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
June 6, 2024
3.5 stars, actually.
After reading and enjoying three other books by this author, I was of course looking forward to this one. But while it's an interesting plot, overall it left me a bit disappointed. Set in the midst of a hurricane on a small island off the Florida coast, it's got an abundance of wind, rain and (gasp!) murder. But it's long on second-guessing and short on substance - and an ending that's not only abrupt but that absolutely screams for a more in-depth explanation.
Jake Powell, it seems, has been living on the island for about six months, trying to find himself after leaving his wife and teenage daughter back home on the mainland. There are very few residents on the island, most living in apartment buildings that are almost falling down around them - and a developer wants to finish them off and build anew. But now, Jake wants to go home; in a hurry to get across the short causeway before a big storm rolls in, he tells his plan to his landlord and friend, Dallas, and sets off to make sure the top-floor tenant - an elderly lady - is safe. When he returns to say his final goodbye to Dallas, he gets quite a shock; in the short time he was gone, someone has killed Dallas. But who?
Jake jumps in the car and barely makes it to the mainland with the intention of telling the police and then heading on to his wife and daughter. But when the police, who are well trained in disaster protocols, say they're helpless until the storm - now a certified hurricane - passes, Jake inexplicably decides to put friendship with those he's known for half a year ahead of concern for his famiily and heads back to the almost-wiped-out causeway. He makes it, of course, but now he's stuck on an island with people he doesn't know all that well - one of them most likely a murderer.
Gathering his little group of apartment dwellers together thinking there's safety in numbers, from that point on, it's mostly a matter of speculation of how bad the hurricane might get mixed with more speculation as to who that killer may be rather than finding any real evidence or clues. There's a surprise that complicates the situation a bit, but for the most part, that only leads to more second-guessing. At the end, readers get a peek at what the future holds, but only a peek. All told, though, it's a very readable book - I could have polished it off in a single day, I'm sure, had life not intervened (think chaise lounge on a sunny beach). And I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.
After reading and enjoying three other books by this author, I was of course looking forward to this one. But while it's an interesting plot, overall it left me a bit disappointed. Set in the midst of a hurricane on a small island off the Florida coast, it's got an abundance of wind, rain and (gasp!) murder. But it's long on second-guessing and short on substance - and an ending that's not only abrupt but that absolutely screams for a more in-depth explanation.
Jake Powell, it seems, has been living on the island for about six months, trying to find himself after leaving his wife and teenage daughter back home on the mainland. There are very few residents on the island, most living in apartment buildings that are almost falling down around them - and a developer wants to finish them off and build anew. But now, Jake wants to go home; in a hurry to get across the short causeway before a big storm rolls in, he tells his plan to his landlord and friend, Dallas, and sets off to make sure the top-floor tenant - an elderly lady - is safe. When he returns to say his final goodbye to Dallas, he gets quite a shock; in the short time he was gone, someone has killed Dallas. But who?
Jake jumps in the car and barely makes it to the mainland with the intention of telling the police and then heading on to his wife and daughter. But when the police, who are well trained in disaster protocols, say they're helpless until the storm - now a certified hurricane - passes, Jake inexplicably decides to put friendship with those he's known for half a year ahead of concern for his famiily and heads back to the almost-wiped-out causeway. He makes it, of course, but now he's stuck on an island with people he doesn't know all that well - one of them most likely a murderer.
Gathering his little group of apartment dwellers together thinking there's safety in numbers, from that point on, it's mostly a matter of speculation of how bad the hurricane might get mixed with more speculation as to who that killer may be rather than finding any real evidence or clues. There's a surprise that complicates the situation a bit, but for the most part, that only leads to more second-guessing. At the end, readers get a peek at what the future holds, but only a peek. All told, though, it's a very readable book - I could have polished it off in a single day, I'm sure, had life not intervened (think chaise lounge on a sunny beach). And I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.
August 13, 2024
While I usually enjoy a good storm thriller, this one fell a little flat for me and I just couldn't get fully invested in the story. I ended up DNF'ing about 75% through. It was okay on audio narrated by Sean Patrick Hopkins but nothing standout. David Bell is usually a win for me but this one just didn't do it.
Update: tried a second time and enjoyed it a lot more - was able to finish but it was still a fairly typical trapped on an island during a tropical storm with a killer type of plot. Wouldn't go out of my way to read this one unless you are a huge fan. I did like the narrator.
Update: tried a second time and enjoyed it a lot more - was able to finish but it was still a fairly typical trapped on an island during a tropical storm with a killer type of plot. Wouldn't go out of my way to read this one unless you are a huge fan. I did like the narrator.
June 28, 2024
3.5 Stars
Jake Powell is heading off Ketchum Island, Florida to move back home to Ohio. Hurricane Kylie is bearing down so he’s trying to beat the storm. As he bids farewell to his friends in the apartment building Jake finds his friend Dallas, the building manager, dead on the floor, clearly murdered. From there it’s a fight for survival as Jake and the residents battle dangers from the storm and from the unknown killer.
Storm Warning was a page-turning, action-packed read, but a little one dimensional in characterization. Some of Jake’s decisions defied logic, IMO, but faced with the same chaos, I wonder if I’d handle things any better. I would’ve liked more meat to the mystery, like more potential motives from the characters forced to try and survive together. Still, I do enjoy a good battling-the-elements kind of thriller and the story was a quick, entertaining read! I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy courtesy of the publisher. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Jake Powell is heading off Ketchum Island, Florida to move back home to Ohio. Hurricane Kylie is bearing down so he’s trying to beat the storm. As he bids farewell to his friends in the apartment building Jake finds his friend Dallas, the building manager, dead on the floor, clearly murdered. From there it’s a fight for survival as Jake and the residents battle dangers from the storm and from the unknown killer.
Storm Warning was a page-turning, action-packed read, but a little one dimensional in characterization. Some of Jake’s decisions defied logic, IMO, but faced with the same chaos, I wonder if I’d handle things any better. I would’ve liked more meat to the mystery, like more potential motives from the characters forced to try and survive together. Still, I do enjoy a good battling-the-elements kind of thriller and the story was a quick, entertaining read! I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy courtesy of the publisher. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 26, 2024
This is my first book by this author, and I’m impressed! I read this book in one sitting. I’ve lived through several hurricanes and can relate to much of his detailed descriptions. You could almost feel the wind and rain hitting your clothes. While there was an underlying mystery, the main theme was the simple man who became a hero by stepping up and taking care of a wide variety of people. I found it inspiring. My only issue is that the author seemed to forget about the cat. I wanted Isaac to survive the storm, but he just disappears from the plot. I’d like to think his owner never let go of him! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
June 27, 2024
Thank you @berkleypub @prhaudio for a copy of this book.
I DNF'd at 50%. This book had a lot of potential but it didn't work for me. There was a lot going on and yet not a whole lot happened. I understand there's a killer on the loose but if felt off to me that the neighbors were all so untrusting. Usually during natural disasters, people come together and help each other out.
The narrator did a good job with the story. I think if we had more back story of characters, I may enjoy it more.
I DNF'd at 50%. This book had a lot of potential but it didn't work for me. There was a lot going on and yet not a whole lot happened. I understand there's a killer on the loose but if felt off to me that the neighbors were all so untrusting. Usually during natural disasters, people come together and help each other out.
The narrator did a good job with the story. I think if we had more back story of characters, I may enjoy it more.
July 28, 2024
i was in the mood for a good thriller and had a lot of hope for this one but honey i was bored :/
June 8, 2024
As someone who lives in Florida and has sat through many hurricanes, I was intrigued by the concept and overall plot from the start. I was eager to see what was going on.
However, I found some points to be farfetched. When it’s hurricane season, FL residents know to be on the lookout for storms which may develop into hurricanes. While it’s true hurricanes can turn at the last moment and hit a spot which we didn’t previously think they’d hit, I think if you live on a tiny island on the coast, you’re going to vacate it regardless if you’re in the direct path of the storm or not. Secondly, people from the north are generally terrified of hurricanes. I do not see the wife and daughter of our main character driving TO the island, instead of calling the day before to say “hey dad there’s a storm. Why don’t you come home?” There wasn’t enough explanation for me on why that didn’t happen, when that’s the more reasonable thing. Thirdly, you’re also supposed to find a safe spot and stay there. Not venture out every hour to explore.
(Mild spoilers in this paragraph) The mystery side plot (cuz the storm was the main plot, IMO) was underdeveloped and rushed to me. Very anticlimactic. Whoopdeedo we need to protect some papers. …okay?
I am generally a fan of this authors work, but this would be my least favorite I’ve read.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC
However, I found some points to be farfetched. When it’s hurricane season, FL residents know to be on the lookout for storms which may develop into hurricanes. While it’s true hurricanes can turn at the last moment and hit a spot which we didn’t previously think they’d hit, I think if you live on a tiny island on the coast, you’re going to vacate it regardless if you’re in the direct path of the storm or not. Secondly, people from the north are generally terrified of hurricanes. I do not see the wife and daughter of our main character driving TO the island, instead of calling the day before to say “hey dad there’s a storm. Why don’t you come home?” There wasn’t enough explanation for me on why that didn’t happen, when that’s the more reasonable thing. Thirdly, you’re also supposed to find a safe spot and stay there. Not venture out every hour to explore.
(Mild spoilers in this paragraph) The mystery side plot (cuz the storm was the main plot, IMO) was underdeveloped and rushed to me. Very anticlimactic. Whoopdeedo we need to protect some papers. …okay?
I am generally a fan of this authors work, but this would be my least favorite I’ve read.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC
June 26, 2024
David Bell’s newest book is entertaining, realistically filled with details about the destructive path of a hurricane and thrilling to read the murder mystery. I enjoyed the fact that the protagonist was on a barrier island in Florida trying to ponder his life and get his act together before trying to reunite with his wife and daughter in Ohio. That seemed like something a guy might actually do. I also enjoyed that a murder occurred early in the book, there were mysterious events throughout and everyone seemed to have secrets and be a suspect. What I did not like about the book were the parts where it seemed to drag and slow down some, much as a hurricane does in the eye…all is calm but not to be trusted. I just wanted the pace to stay steady and pick up some instead of including so much detail about the copious rains and wind; the problems of getting the tenants all together in one place seemed to take a long time and was tedious to me. All in all, the book was a good read with a few twists and a lot of the author’s signature hidden gotcha moments.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
July 21, 2024
The book offers captivating characters and a compelling premise, skillfully blending the tension of a devastating hurricane with the suspense of a mysterious killer.
The depiction of the hurricane is strikingly intense and immersive, and the characters are well-developed and engaging. The subplot involving the killer introduces an extra layer of intrigue, though it sometimes feels like the story is balancing a lot of elements. Despite this, the novel manages to deliver a gripping and dynamic reading experience with plenty of suspense and depth.
The depiction of the hurricane is strikingly intense and immersive, and the characters are well-developed and engaging. The subplot involving the killer introduces an extra layer of intrigue, though it sometimes feels like the story is balancing a lot of elements. Despite this, the novel manages to deliver a gripping and dynamic reading experience with plenty of suspense and depth.
August 16, 2024
A generous 4 stars.
It was a quick read with really short chapters and was really suspenseful in the beginning.
It was a quick read with really short chapters and was really suspenseful in the beginning.
July 3, 2024
Thank you to Berkley and PRHAudio for the ALC!
Jake Powell is ready to leave his apartment in Florida to return to his family - and he’s hoping to do it before the hurricane hits. But when he finds his friend and the building property manager dead, he knows he can’t leave with a potential murderer in the building. After all, he knows everyone came to this particular island to escape a secret - would one of them go so far as to murder to keep their secret hidden?
I love the way David Bell writes characters - they are so relatable, with flaws and just real. Initially, the story started off with the excitement of the murderer but after that it kind of lagged for me. I love a good locked room thriller, and the setting of the apartment with the storm raging outside had the making for a great one. But overall, the plot was a little slow to me and I found myself just wanting to get to the end. I also wasn’t as surprised as I was expecting to be at the reveal at the end.
”Storm Warning” is out now! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)
Jake Powell is ready to leave his apartment in Florida to return to his family - and he’s hoping to do it before the hurricane hits. But when he finds his friend and the building property manager dead, he knows he can’t leave with a potential murderer in the building. After all, he knows everyone came to this particular island to escape a secret - would one of them go so far as to murder to keep their secret hidden?
I love the way David Bell writes characters - they are so relatable, with flaws and just real. Initially, the story started off with the excitement of the murderer but after that it kind of lagged for me. I love a good locked room thriller, and the setting of the apartment with the storm raging outside had the making for a great one. But overall, the plot was a little slow to me and I found myself just wanting to get to the end. I also wasn’t as surprised as I was expecting to be at the reveal at the end.
”Storm Warning” is out now! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)
July 13, 2024
4 1/2 Stars
David Bell has made a fine career for himself with top-notch psychological thrillers that seem to be conceived from the collective nightmares of his readers. His latest title, STORM WARNING, is no exception.
For those who have never lived through a hurricane or other natural disaster, this novel will be a rollercoaster ride of fear and thrills. For those who, specifically, live in an area that is subject to massive hurricanes --- like, say Florida --- then this story will play on your worst imaginations of ‘what if’ as you turn each page watching the exploits of our protagonist, Jake Powell, who was unable to leave his barrier island as a Category 5 Hurricane heads directly towards him and his unstable, unsafe apartment complex.
Jake has been living in Florida for six months on his own, taking a planned break from his estranged wife and daughter left back in Ohio. He has finally made plans to return to Ohio and try again with his wife and leaves work early on his last day there so that he can hit the road in enough time to outrace the oncoming storm. Unfortunately, like the best laid plans of mice and men, things do not always work out the way one plans.
Before he leaves, he meets with his new best friend and current building manager Dallas to say goodbye. There are only a handful of tenants left in the building as it has been purchased by a new owner who plans to rebuild the entire unsafe complex. Dallas has decided to stay and ride the storm out and then plans to relocate to Chicago where a new job awaits him. He then surprises Jake by handing him the keys to his RV, quite the upgrade from Jake’s old Elantra. Jake steps out to get his bags for the trip to Ohio and when he returns to see Dallas he finds his friend lying on the floor, dead --- a large gaping wound in the back of his head. Jake is unable to revive him and soon finds that whoever killed Dallas has also stolen the master keys to the entire building.
With the storm fast approaching, Jake seeks out a few of the remaining tenants to make them aware of the situation and ensure their safety. The first is the eldest tenant, a ninety plus year-old named Hazel who plans to wait out the storm and proceeds to give Jake a farewell package. He advises her to keep her door shut and not let anyone in. She also shares with him that some strange man had been trying to get into her apartment and she also blames him for the hurricane that is approaching.
Before making a visit to the local police precinct to report the murder of Dallas, Jake runs into the youngest tenant in the building, a lost young woman named Alaina who battles drug addiction and has not paid rent in over six months. She indicates that she wants to leave to move in with friends, so Jake gives the keys to his Elantra to her for that purpose. Once he makes it to the police he is disappointed to find that all of their efforts are focused on the hurricane and any murder investigation will have to wait until it has passed and recovery efforts complete.
Jake now realizes he must put off his ride to Ohio and wait things out at the apartment complex. He teams up with another tenant named Stanley, who he informs about the Dallas situation, and they attempt to work out a plan to keep the remaining group of tenants safe. They decide to convince a gruff and unpleasant tenant named Lloyd to allow the group to gather in his apartment as it was on a lower floor and centrally located for safety reasons. They eventually get him to agree and find he has a sick wife with him named Catalina. All of the remaining tenants come to Lloyd’s, including Hazel, and plan to wait out the storm together.
Meanwhile, tragedy has not stopped with just Dallas. Jake and Stanley witness Alaina driving over the causeway in the Elantra and watch in horror as it is wiped off of it and into the raging ocean below. Then, a mysterious man who claims to be security sent by the new owners arrives and other tenants point fingers at him that he had broken into their apartments and attacked them. They decide to subdue the stranger and tie him to a chair which is left in the now abandoned apartment of Alaina. Regrettably, the danger of violence does not stop and much like an Agatha Christie murder mystery, the guilty party has to be one of the handful of tenants left during the storm.
To further complicate things, Jake’s wife and daughter show up out of the blue from Ohio, not knowing that Florida was in the path of this great storm. Jake reunites with them, but now has their lives to add to the list of people he needs to keep safe not just from a monster storm but also a human monster as well. STORM WARNING is easily one of the best, if not the very best thing I have read to date from David Bell as he continues to pump out superiour thrillers that always surprise.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
David Bell has made a fine career for himself with top-notch psychological thrillers that seem to be conceived from the collective nightmares of his readers. His latest title, STORM WARNING, is no exception.
For those who have never lived through a hurricane or other natural disaster, this novel will be a rollercoaster ride of fear and thrills. For those who, specifically, live in an area that is subject to massive hurricanes --- like, say Florida --- then this story will play on your worst imaginations of ‘what if’ as you turn each page watching the exploits of our protagonist, Jake Powell, who was unable to leave his barrier island as a Category 5 Hurricane heads directly towards him and his unstable, unsafe apartment complex.
Jake has been living in Florida for six months on his own, taking a planned break from his estranged wife and daughter left back in Ohio. He has finally made plans to return to Ohio and try again with his wife and leaves work early on his last day there so that he can hit the road in enough time to outrace the oncoming storm. Unfortunately, like the best laid plans of mice and men, things do not always work out the way one plans.
Before he leaves, he meets with his new best friend and current building manager Dallas to say goodbye. There are only a handful of tenants left in the building as it has been purchased by a new owner who plans to rebuild the entire unsafe complex. Dallas has decided to stay and ride the storm out and then plans to relocate to Chicago where a new job awaits him. He then surprises Jake by handing him the keys to his RV, quite the upgrade from Jake’s old Elantra. Jake steps out to get his bags for the trip to Ohio and when he returns to see Dallas he finds his friend lying on the floor, dead --- a large gaping wound in the back of his head. Jake is unable to revive him and soon finds that whoever killed Dallas has also stolen the master keys to the entire building.
With the storm fast approaching, Jake seeks out a few of the remaining tenants to make them aware of the situation and ensure their safety. The first is the eldest tenant, a ninety plus year-old named Hazel who plans to wait out the storm and proceeds to give Jake a farewell package. He advises her to keep her door shut and not let anyone in. She also shares with him that some strange man had been trying to get into her apartment and she also blames him for the hurricane that is approaching.
Before making a visit to the local police precinct to report the murder of Dallas, Jake runs into the youngest tenant in the building, a lost young woman named Alaina who battles drug addiction and has not paid rent in over six months. She indicates that she wants to leave to move in with friends, so Jake gives the keys to his Elantra to her for that purpose. Once he makes it to the police he is disappointed to find that all of their efforts are focused on the hurricane and any murder investigation will have to wait until it has passed and recovery efforts complete.
Jake now realizes he must put off his ride to Ohio and wait things out at the apartment complex. He teams up with another tenant named Stanley, who he informs about the Dallas situation, and they attempt to work out a plan to keep the remaining group of tenants safe. They decide to convince a gruff and unpleasant tenant named Lloyd to allow the group to gather in his apartment as it was on a lower floor and centrally located for safety reasons. They eventually get him to agree and find he has a sick wife with him named Catalina. All of the remaining tenants come to Lloyd’s, including Hazel, and plan to wait out the storm together.
Meanwhile, tragedy has not stopped with just Dallas. Jake and Stanley witness Alaina driving over the causeway in the Elantra and watch in horror as it is wiped off of it and into the raging ocean below. Then, a mysterious man who claims to be security sent by the new owners arrives and other tenants point fingers at him that he had broken into their apartments and attacked them. They decide to subdue the stranger and tie him to a chair which is left in the now abandoned apartment of Alaina. Regrettably, the danger of violence does not stop and much like an Agatha Christie murder mystery, the guilty party has to be one of the handful of tenants left during the storm.
To further complicate things, Jake’s wife and daughter show up out of the blue from Ohio, not knowing that Florida was in the path of this great storm. Jake reunites with them, but now has their lives to add to the list of people he needs to keep safe not just from a monster storm but also a human monster as well. STORM WARNING is easily one of the best, if not the very best thing I have read to date from David Bell as he continues to pump out superiour thrillers that always surprise.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
June 4, 2024
Wow, this book really pulled me in! Where do I even start?
First off, Bell did an amazing job building suspense and withholding information - I found myself glued to the page, sometimes even yelling (oops!) for the characters to spill the details.
The main character, Jake, is a regular guy just trying to get back home to Ohio, but he gets stuck on an island in Florida as a hurricane is bearing down. When one of the other residents, Dallas, questions why he hasn't evacuated yet, Jake says he needs to grab his stuff first. I have to admit, I find his decision a bit questionable, and it only gets more complex as the story progresses. This guy clearly has a strong moral compass.
The stakes are sky-high in this read - an isolated island, a hurricane bearing down, and the possibility of the remaining buildings crumbling. But then the author throws a curveball when Jake discovers his friend, the building manager, dead.
As Jake tries to figure out what's going on, we get introduced to the other residents, and their backstories start to unfold. Even though they're neighbors, they don't really know each other, which adds an intriguing layer of suspicion. Honestly, I never saw the villain coming - this book is full of surprises!
Underlying themes of reconciliation, immigration, displacement, and land ownership elevate the story too. Overall, it's a total nightmare for the characters, but it makes for an absolutely gripping thriller with all my favorite tropes (isolated locale, group of suspects, high-stakes situation).
First off, Bell did an amazing job building suspense and withholding information - I found myself glued to the page, sometimes even yelling (oops!) for the characters to spill the details.
The main character, Jake, is a regular guy just trying to get back home to Ohio, but he gets stuck on an island in Florida as a hurricane is bearing down. When one of the other residents, Dallas, questions why he hasn't evacuated yet, Jake says he needs to grab his stuff first. I have to admit, I find his decision a bit questionable, and it only gets more complex as the story progresses. This guy clearly has a strong moral compass.
The stakes are sky-high in this read - an isolated island, a hurricane bearing down, and the possibility of the remaining buildings crumbling. But then the author throws a curveball when Jake discovers his friend, the building manager, dead.
As Jake tries to figure out what's going on, we get introduced to the other residents, and their backstories start to unfold. Even though they're neighbors, they don't really know each other, which adds an intriguing layer of suspicion. Honestly, I never saw the villain coming - this book is full of surprises!
Underlying themes of reconciliation, immigration, displacement, and land ownership elevate the story too. Overall, it's a total nightmare for the characters, but it makes for an absolutely gripping thriller with all my favorite tropes (isolated locale, group of suspects, high-stakes situation).
June 25, 2024
I’ve read 2 novels by David Bell and every time I started out super excited, but somehow their endings always fell flat to me. But with Storm Warning? I can finally say that it did not disappoint! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 This book was so atmospheric I literally felt the relentless rain pounding over my head as I read this propulsive suspense thriller!!!! From the first chapter to the last, I was teetering on the edge of my seat. Yes, I actually binge read this and finished in one sitting! It was that unputdownable! I felt the fear from each of those people that were stranded on that island! As someone who experienced flooding inside my own house for 3 days without electricity, I can definitely relate! I love the locked room mystery plus the fact that the main character is NOT a know-it-all savior though he still tried to be a morally-bound person in the story. I say if you want a quick bingeable atmospheric thriller, pick this one up! Absolutely entertaining but will also make you respect the power of Mother Nature.🌀💨
Thanks to @berkleypub @netgalley for my eARC!
Thanks to @berkleypub @netgalley for my eARC!
July 8, 2024
And my second hurricane themed book for the week! This one deals with a family and neighbors stuck on an isolated island with a killer. I like the action of the book and some of the difficulties the characters had to deal with. I wish that maybe there would have been fewer characters so there was more time to develop them, or at least a few of the main ones. But, this book is very plot heavy with a lot of action and for that it was excellent!
December 9, 2024
I was not invested in this at all. I did not care who the murderer was. I did not care what was in Hazel's gift. I did not care about Jake's problems and his family.
The majority of the book was repetitive and we kept going over the same narrative (or lack thereof, this was 95% dialogue) over and over.
Yes, the way it was written was fast paced, but I did not enjoy the writing or the story. For me, it needed more depth.
The majority of the book was repetitive and we kept going over the same narrative (or lack thereof, this was 95% dialogue) over and over.
Yes, the way it was written was fast paced, but I did not enjoy the writing or the story. For me, it needed more depth.
January 13, 2025
Should have been a short story.
July 15, 2024
I could not get through this book. I started skimming at the 40% mark and made it to 50% before giving up. It was a really interesting premise- there should be more weather disaster thrillers- but a really boring execution.
August 7, 2024
This book takes off like a Category 5 hurricane, but halfway through, it fizzles out.
At least 50 pages too long
The ending sucks!
Very disappointing!
May 9, 2024
This is a thrilling mystery! Is a murderer cloaked in the shadows of a decrepit building while a hurricane rages and threatens to destroy the building and the lives of those who still live within. Jake is just an ordinary man, hoping to reconcile with his wife and daughter in Ohio, when he is thrust into doing whatever he can to ensure that his fellow tenants survive both the onslaught of a hurricane, as well as a possible murderer in their midst. Jake, the other tenants and his visiting family soon find themselves in a fight for their lives. David Bell has created a cast of characters that show the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unsurmountable odds. His descriptions of the hurricane are vividly realistic. Yes, it is a good mystery, but also a story of hope and new beginnings. I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of my review are my own.
June 29, 2024
David Bell returns following Try Not To Breathe with his latest heart-pounding adrenaline-fueled suspense thriller, STORM WARNING.
A man living on a Florida barrier island is caught up in a web of secrets, lies, and murder while protecting his family and friends from a dangerous hurricane and a relentless killer where everyone is keeping secrets in a race against time.
About...
Set on the east coast of Florida on a barrier island, Ketchum Island, there are apartment buildings that have run their course. All three remaining buildings are scheduled to be demolished within six months. The Sunset Manor is one of them, with many problems, code violations, and greedy developers who want to land and build pricy luxury condos called Atlantic Estates.
Fifty years ago, this place was a paradise. Now, not so much.
Now, Hurricane Kylie is approaching the Atlantic Coast. Soon, there will be evacuations, and if you stay, the authorities, of course, will not be able to help, and then the causeway bridge will be closed.
Jake Powell is trying to get off the island to connect with his family in Ohio. His best friend, Dallas, is the building manager with whom he just spoke. He gave him his car to drive to Ohio to meet Jordan and Makenzie. Dallas will be headed to Chicago for another property job after the storm.
When Jake comes back to help his friends, he finds Dallas dead from a blow to the head. Who would murder Dallas? Is there a thief among them amid a storm? No cell phone reception and no way to call the cops.
He must try to protect the elderly people in the building, including Hazel, the historian (in her nineties). He tries to gather all the remaining tenants to a lower floor to protect them from the impending hurricane. But can they trust everyone in the building?
Jake had only been living there for six months after separating from his wife and daughter; however, he had made dear friends with these folks. He will be reuniting with this family.
Now, is there a killer on the loose, or is it someone among them? Everyone has secrets, but someone knows too much and puts them all in danger. Then, a security guard shows up and says he was sent by the owners. Is he for real?
As about a dozen people gather together (intriguing characters), including Jake's wife and daughter who decided to surprise him, he must try and protect them from not only a deadly storm but a dangerous killer after there is a second murder.
But as the storm outside grows more threatening, so does the tension in the apartment building, and the surging waters.
Will they make it out alive, who will survive, and will they find what the killer is after? Who can they trust? Hold on for your life...
My thoughts...
Atmospheric and gripping Bell (master storyteller) and long-time favorite author combines old mysteries, past and present, with new dangers to create an evocative page-turner that will have you racing to the end. Readers will be immersed!
STORM WARNING is a heart-pounding, intense, suspenseful, action-packed, high adrenaline, descriptive, atmospheric, twisty thrill ride full of dark secrets and lies. A complex murder mystery and a web of deceit combining obsession, determination, and danger amidst a life-threatening storm, and no way to escape with the bridges closed. Think locked room thriller
Through the Florida winds and storms, Jake takes control to help these residents, his family, and a diverse cast of characters. With great characterization, I adored Jake and Hazel, the older, clever historian with a spunk. I love books set in Florida—hurricanes and murder add to the suspense and intrigue.
I also enjoyed the history behind the building and the land, which is topical today.
As a Floridian for over 20 years, having lived on the east coast from Ponte Vedra Beach, Ormond Beach, W. Palm Beach, to the Florida Keys and always on the water and worked in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, I have lived through many hurricanes, evacuations, and two other hurricanes in NC and Atlanta, GA. Also, being in the commercial and residential real estate overseeing regional properties throughout Florida and working for developers, I know all too well about corruption and greed (a former whistleblower) and have lived in Florida high rises on the water with all the same problems, code violations, elevator issues, electrical fires, cover-ups, and spent years dealing with the legalities. Plus, I had a 90-year-old female neighbor on my fifteenth floor with an intriguing past (Paris and was from royalty), and she reminded me of Hazel.
A chilling tale, Bell has written a very realistic fictional version of the real Florida and its problems, which is very timely and topical. It is full of menace and all the elements of a locked-room thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in one sitting!
Recs...
STORM WARNING is for fans of the author and those who enjoyed Margot Hunt's The Guests, John Grisham's Camino Winds, Eliza Nellums' The Bone Cay and Ana Menéndez's The Apartment. Plus, readers who enjoy books about Florida hurricanes, apartment buildings with a colorful cast, corruption, family dramas, historical mysteries, with intriguing pasts, murder, and locked-room thrillers.
Thank you...
Thanks to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy for an honest review. #CoverLove
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5
Pub Date: June 24, 2024
June 2024 Must-Read Books
June Newsletter
A personal note:
Speaking of Florida hurricanes, I said I would never evacuate again during a hurricane (living on the water on the top penthouse floor) after my last disaster. Unless you live in Florida, you do not understand if they evacuate the East and West Coast, then you have a disaster. There is no way this many people can evacuate, which they now understand after the last big hurricane. Florida's major highways (I-95 and FL Turnpike), roads, and gas stations cannot accommodate millions of people evacuating, which they have learned the hard way. Florida is long and narrow, with only two major highways to escape. I spent 26 hours driving only 3 hrs away from West Palm Beach and only made it to Ocala (on my way to NC— which never happened). Long lines to the gas stations or no gas. Then, I had to stop at a hotel after all the driving before it hit (including the entire state). A hotel tripled the normal rates, then the hurricane hit there and flooded with no power, no gas stations, no cell, or food, or restaurants open. Then, the State of Florida would not open the roads back up to allow you to return home for days until they attain gas. Then, it was another 20 hours to drive back home with more water damage there that I could have cleaned up if I had stayed. I would have been better off staying. This is why people stay. I have also been to a shelter with evacuation and never again. You just have to take your chances!
I have since moved a few miles from the water and out of the high rise. Currently on a 5-year waiting list for a property in Asheville, NC, to escape this madness of hurricanes, iguanas, alligators, sugar cane burning, and hot and humid weather. Mountains and seasons, please.
A man living on a Florida barrier island is caught up in a web of secrets, lies, and murder while protecting his family and friends from a dangerous hurricane and a relentless killer where everyone is keeping secrets in a race against time.
About...
Set on the east coast of Florida on a barrier island, Ketchum Island, there are apartment buildings that have run their course. All three remaining buildings are scheduled to be demolished within six months. The Sunset Manor is one of them, with many problems, code violations, and greedy developers who want to land and build pricy luxury condos called Atlantic Estates.
Fifty years ago, this place was a paradise. Now, not so much.
Now, Hurricane Kylie is approaching the Atlantic Coast. Soon, there will be evacuations, and if you stay, the authorities, of course, will not be able to help, and then the causeway bridge will be closed.
Jake Powell is trying to get off the island to connect with his family in Ohio. His best friend, Dallas, is the building manager with whom he just spoke. He gave him his car to drive to Ohio to meet Jordan and Makenzie. Dallas will be headed to Chicago for another property job after the storm.
When Jake comes back to help his friends, he finds Dallas dead from a blow to the head. Who would murder Dallas? Is there a thief among them amid a storm? No cell phone reception and no way to call the cops.
He must try to protect the elderly people in the building, including Hazel, the historian (in her nineties). He tries to gather all the remaining tenants to a lower floor to protect them from the impending hurricane. But can they trust everyone in the building?
Jake had only been living there for six months after separating from his wife and daughter; however, he had made dear friends with these folks. He will be reuniting with this family.
Now, is there a killer on the loose, or is it someone among them? Everyone has secrets, but someone knows too much and puts them all in danger. Then, a security guard shows up and says he was sent by the owners. Is he for real?
As about a dozen people gather together (intriguing characters), including Jake's wife and daughter who decided to surprise him, he must try and protect them from not only a deadly storm but a dangerous killer after there is a second murder.
But as the storm outside grows more threatening, so does the tension in the apartment building, and the surging waters.
Will they make it out alive, who will survive, and will they find what the killer is after? Who can they trust? Hold on for your life...
My thoughts...
Atmospheric and gripping Bell (master storyteller) and long-time favorite author combines old mysteries, past and present, with new dangers to create an evocative page-turner that will have you racing to the end. Readers will be immersed!
STORM WARNING is a heart-pounding, intense, suspenseful, action-packed, high adrenaline, descriptive, atmospheric, twisty thrill ride full of dark secrets and lies. A complex murder mystery and a web of deceit combining obsession, determination, and danger amidst a life-threatening storm, and no way to escape with the bridges closed. Think locked room thriller
Through the Florida winds and storms, Jake takes control to help these residents, his family, and a diverse cast of characters. With great characterization, I adored Jake and Hazel, the older, clever historian with a spunk. I love books set in Florida—hurricanes and murder add to the suspense and intrigue.
I also enjoyed the history behind the building and the land, which is topical today.
As a Floridian for over 20 years, having lived on the east coast from Ponte Vedra Beach, Ormond Beach, W. Palm Beach, to the Florida Keys and always on the water and worked in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, I have lived through many hurricanes, evacuations, and two other hurricanes in NC and Atlanta, GA. Also, being in the commercial and residential real estate overseeing regional properties throughout Florida and working for developers, I know all too well about corruption and greed (a former whistleblower) and have lived in Florida high rises on the water with all the same problems, code violations, elevator issues, electrical fires, cover-ups, and spent years dealing with the legalities. Plus, I had a 90-year-old female neighbor on my fifteenth floor with an intriguing past (Paris and was from royalty), and she reminded me of Hazel.
A chilling tale, Bell has written a very realistic fictional version of the real Florida and its problems, which is very timely and topical. It is full of menace and all the elements of a locked-room thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in one sitting!
Recs...
STORM WARNING is for fans of the author and those who enjoyed Margot Hunt's The Guests, John Grisham's Camino Winds, Eliza Nellums' The Bone Cay and Ana Menéndez's The Apartment. Plus, readers who enjoy books about Florida hurricanes, apartment buildings with a colorful cast, corruption, family dramas, historical mysteries, with intriguing pasts, murder, and locked-room thrillers.
Thank you...
Thanks to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy for an honest review. #CoverLove
Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5
Pub Date: June 24, 2024
June 2024 Must-Read Books
June Newsletter
A personal note:
Speaking of Florida hurricanes, I said I would never evacuate again during a hurricane (living on the water on the top penthouse floor) after my last disaster. Unless you live in Florida, you do not understand if they evacuate the East and West Coast, then you have a disaster. There is no way this many people can evacuate, which they now understand after the last big hurricane. Florida's major highways (I-95 and FL Turnpike), roads, and gas stations cannot accommodate millions of people evacuating, which they have learned the hard way. Florida is long and narrow, with only two major highways to escape. I spent 26 hours driving only 3 hrs away from West Palm Beach and only made it to Ocala (on my way to NC— which never happened). Long lines to the gas stations or no gas. Then, I had to stop at a hotel after all the driving before it hit (including the entire state). A hotel tripled the normal rates, then the hurricane hit there and flooded with no power, no gas stations, no cell, or food, or restaurants open. Then, the State of Florida would not open the roads back up to allow you to return home for days until they attain gas. Then, it was another 20 hours to drive back home with more water damage there that I could have cleaned up if I had stayed. I would have been better off staying. This is why people stay. I have also been to a shelter with evacuation and never again. You just have to take your chances!
I have since moved a few miles from the water and out of the high rise. Currently on a 5-year waiting list for a property in Asheville, NC, to escape this madness of hurricanes, iguanas, alligators, sugar cane burning, and hot and humid weather. Mountains and seasons, please.
April 28, 2024
I loved the hurricane setting! I thought the characters were well-developed and likable. The plot kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed this whole book, except for the ending. It wrapped up a little too neat and quick. And the box of papers did not make a lot of sense to me.
March 31, 2024
Jake is a husband and father who took a “break” from his family to live on a Florida island. He decides to go back home to his family in Ohio but he has to get past this little thing called a hurricane that has just trapped him on the island. And then there is a little thing about the tenants left in this crumbling building- (the whole island has been bought and very few tenants remain to ride the storm out.) being killed. So as they struggle to survive the hurricane and stay safe they also have murderer on the loose. Is it one of those left in the building or someone related to the new owners/ sellers? I found myself not wanting to out this one down. It really is someone’s worst nightmares to be stuck with a hurricane barreling down. I was terrified and felt like I was there. Which means it was good. I liked the whole dunnit aspect of the book but without giving anything away I would have liked for it to be someone else. But I did enjoy every second of the book. And I am a huge David Bell fan.
March 28, 2024
Trapped with a killer in a building during a disastrous hurricane, this was a quick, entertaining read. While I had to suspend disbelief for the plot (three people willingly traveling to an island in the middle of a storm), this was a good read. The writing was descriptive, enabling me to feel myself in the storm itself. The plot was good and fast-paced, but the ending fell short. The reasoning didn't seem enough to me and felt like a "and they lived happily ever after" vibe. All in all, this is good for a beach read or quick trip. Three stars.
Thank you, Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for this ARC.
Thank you, Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for this ARC.
March 23, 2025
In the 2005 film titled "The Descent" in which eight adventurers are trapped underground while spelunking, more than one reviewer noted that the film would have been nerve-wracking enough just by focusing on the cave collapsing and the women struggling to escape. But the film introduces "characters" that add a significant level of tension to the proceedings. In "Storm Warning," David Bell pulls off a similar trick. A dozen (or so) people have not yet evacuated from a Florida high-rise apartment building scheduled for a rapidly approaching demolition on fictional Ketchum Island. One would think that the inevitability of their homes being knocked down would have provided sufficient impetus for a swift getaway. However, one whopper of a complication arises: Hurricane Kylie is bearing down on Florida, and Ketchum Island lies directly in its path.
The main character, Jake Powell, is anxious to vacate. Originally from Ohio, Jake and his wife Jordan have been separated for six months for obscure reasons. As the hurricane picks up steam, Jake pauses his departure long enough to down one last beer with Dallas, the building manager, who has become a good friend. Dallas bequeaths his SUV to Jake, who reluctantly accepts because his Hyundai Elantra is too rickety to handle a hurricane. Complication #1: right before his departure, Jake discovers Dallas bludgeoned to death in his own apartment. Jake drives the SUV to the mainland to report the murder to the police. En route, an approaching vehicle passes him on the steadily eroding causeway. The rain is so powerful that Jake cannot even tell the make of the car, but he believes that it carries two passengers.
At the police station, at which only one officer remains stationed, he reports the crime, but the officer informs him that all hands are spread across the shorefront to assist residents in fleeing the storm. However, the officer lets it slip that two women, a mother and a daughter, had just visited the station and made clear their intention to drive across the causeway to Ketchum Island. Jake recoils at the thought: the two women are his wife Jordan and his daughter McKenzie. He frantically reverses course.
As mentioned earlier, only a handful of residents remain on the island. There's Hazel, a nonagenarian former history teacher, who lives on the top floor of the building and has shown early signs of dementia. When Jake originally parted ways with Hazel, she repeated her complaint that a stalker was loose on the island and has targeted her. Also on the tenth floor resides the reserved Ethan, a computer geek who does little more than nod in return to Jake's greetings. Another elderly resident is Sawyer, who needs a cane to get around. Stanley, a Vietnam veteran, may be in his seventies but knows a thing or two about defense, such as how to handle a firearm. Nina and Kiara, a lesbian couple, occupy an apartment on the middle floors. Also on the middle floors, a young woman named Alaina is secretly drying out from previous difficulties with substance abuse. Finally, on the second floor, the reclusive, unfriendly Walter seldom leaves his apartment and harshly turns away visitors. Jake determines that everyone has their best shot at survival if they occupy an apartment on the second floor. Jake has not told anyone about Dallas yet, but he makes it clear that they cannot use his apartment. So Jake and Stanley somehow persuade Walter to admit his fellow tenants to his home. When everyone files in, to their surprise, they discover Walter's wife, Catalina, who is bedridden due to an incurable neuromotor disease.
As noted earlier, the approaching hurricane, combined with the general deterioration of the building, provide sufficient grounds for suspense. But there's an added wrinkle: SOMEone killed Dallas. It could be any one of the neighbors huddled in Lloyd's apartment. Or it could be Hazel's stalker, whose existence is confirmed when Jake climbs the stairs to see to Hazel's evacuation from the top floor. The stalker, named Tyler, pleads that he's with the building's security team, which was previously unknown to anyone on Ketchum Island. Neither Jake nor Stanley trusts Tyler, so they truss him up with extension cords in Alaina's old home. Author Bell adds a wrinkle to the wrinkle: when returns to Alaina's digs to check on Tyler, he finds that Tyler has been killed as well, by a savage blow to the back of his head. An entity besides the hurricane appears interested in picking off the occupants of Ketchum Island one at a time.
Like "The Descent," this story would be harrowing and claustrophobic enough if the anatagonist were merely the hurricane. But the defenseless occupants of Ketchum Island must also deal with an unknown assailant, who indeed stalks the lot of them. The book is divided into numerous bite-sized chapters that make the read fly past. The story will make readers squirm as the stranded souls flee from one untenable situation to another, always impeded by the relentless march of the storm. Author David Bell has crafted another exemplar of suspense, vivid enough that I sometimes forgot that I was not at the mercy of a hurricane myself.
The main character, Jake Powell, is anxious to vacate. Originally from Ohio, Jake and his wife Jordan have been separated for six months for obscure reasons. As the hurricane picks up steam, Jake pauses his departure long enough to down one last beer with Dallas, the building manager, who has become a good friend. Dallas bequeaths his SUV to Jake, who reluctantly accepts because his Hyundai Elantra is too rickety to handle a hurricane. Complication #1: right before his departure, Jake discovers Dallas bludgeoned to death in his own apartment. Jake drives the SUV to the mainland to report the murder to the police. En route, an approaching vehicle passes him on the steadily eroding causeway. The rain is so powerful that Jake cannot even tell the make of the car, but he believes that it carries two passengers.
At the police station, at which only one officer remains stationed, he reports the crime, but the officer informs him that all hands are spread across the shorefront to assist residents in fleeing the storm. However, the officer lets it slip that two women, a mother and a daughter, had just visited the station and made clear their intention to drive across the causeway to Ketchum Island. Jake recoils at the thought: the two women are his wife Jordan and his daughter McKenzie. He frantically reverses course.
As mentioned earlier, only a handful of residents remain on the island. There's Hazel, a nonagenarian former history teacher, who lives on the top floor of the building and has shown early signs of dementia. When Jake originally parted ways with Hazel, she repeated her complaint that a stalker was loose on the island and has targeted her. Also on the tenth floor resides the reserved Ethan, a computer geek who does little more than nod in return to Jake's greetings. Another elderly resident is Sawyer, who needs a cane to get around. Stanley, a Vietnam veteran, may be in his seventies but knows a thing or two about defense, such as how to handle a firearm. Nina and Kiara, a lesbian couple, occupy an apartment on the middle floors. Also on the middle floors, a young woman named Alaina is secretly drying out from previous difficulties with substance abuse. Finally, on the second floor, the reclusive, unfriendly Walter seldom leaves his apartment and harshly turns away visitors. Jake determines that everyone has their best shot at survival if they occupy an apartment on the second floor. Jake has not told anyone about Dallas yet, but he makes it clear that they cannot use his apartment. So Jake and Stanley somehow persuade Walter to admit his fellow tenants to his home. When everyone files in, to their surprise, they discover Walter's wife, Catalina, who is bedridden due to an incurable neuromotor disease.
As noted earlier, the approaching hurricane, combined with the general deterioration of the building, provide sufficient grounds for suspense. But there's an added wrinkle: SOMEone killed Dallas. It could be any one of the neighbors huddled in Lloyd's apartment. Or it could be Hazel's stalker, whose existence is confirmed when Jake climbs the stairs to see to Hazel's evacuation from the top floor. The stalker, named Tyler, pleads that he's with the building's security team, which was previously unknown to anyone on Ketchum Island. Neither Jake nor Stanley trusts Tyler, so they truss him up with extension cords in Alaina's old home. Author Bell adds a wrinkle to the wrinkle: when returns to Alaina's digs to check on Tyler, he finds that Tyler has been killed as well, by a savage blow to the back of his head. An entity besides the hurricane appears interested in picking off the occupants of Ketchum Island one at a time.
Like "The Descent," this story would be harrowing and claustrophobic enough if the anatagonist were merely the hurricane. But the defenseless occupants of Ketchum Island must also deal with an unknown assailant, who indeed stalks the lot of them. The book is divided into numerous bite-sized chapters that make the read fly past. The story will make readers squirm as the stranded souls flee from one untenable situation to another, always impeded by the relentless march of the storm. Author David Bell has crafted another exemplar of suspense, vivid enough that I sometimes forgot that I was not at the mercy of a hurricane myself.
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