Jia is divorced and raising her 12-year old son, Ishaan, who was recently in trouble at school. So much trouble that her ex-husband is threatening to take him away from her. However, the urgent issue this evening is the hurricane coming toward Houston. Told to evacuate their area Jia and Ishaan are invited to Jia’s sister Seema’s place, not too far away. What they don’t realize until it’s too late is Seema’s area was also supposed to evacuate (though Jia does question that there are so few people nearby). Seema and her husband, Vipul, have also invited Vipul’s brother, Raj and his wife, Lisa. Also in the house is Vipul and Raj’s mother and Seema and Vipul’s young daughter.

When a neighbour urgently presses the doorbell to be let in, he is injured and needs help. Although Vipul does not like Rafael at all (they have had a number of disagreements), they let Rafael in, anyway. And things go terribly wrong.

I really liked this. There were, of course, also flashbacks to what led Jia to her divorce, Ishaan’s issues at school, and other things going on with Jia (including unwanted advances from Vipul). I did find the storm/”current day” scenes more interesting than the flashbacks, but of course the flashbacks were needed to figure out what was going on, in general. There were times I wasn’t a fan of Jia, as she did do some stupid things. I almost rated it a bit lower due to more focus on these flashbacks (when I’m really interested in the storm and the murder/thriller/suspense parts of the book), but the end brought the rating back up for me.

This book was super twisty and interesting, and I didn't quite figure out all the plot twists, which I loved. This family was so deeply messed up and unhappy and adding a storm element to it was terrifying in the best way.

A locked room family saga is how I would sell this. While there was thrillery aspects to this, I didn't find myself on the edge of my seat as with other thrillers. However, the family dynamics in this story did not disappoint. We are not perfect, none of us! While not a perfect thriller it still had enough to keep my turning the pages and figuring out the who done its! I will check out future books by Ms. Parekh, because I think they will only get better.

All the elements are in place for The Night of the Storm to be a bombshell.. A locked-room setting is one of my favs, and add in a major storm like Hurricane Harvey, an ex-husband with sketchy motives, and a mysterious neighbor, and you've got all the ingredients, but the pacing and repetitive dialogue took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I appreciate the opportunity to read early, and I will certainly be checking out the next novel from Nashita Parekh.

I loved the overall premise of the book. The scene is set perfectly as the hurricane rolls in. The tension felt by the characters is palpable and as a reader, it put me on edge from the start. I love that multiple concepts add to the overall to the feel of uneasiness. I did however struggle with this book. I felt like there were some plot holes, and I found myself not becoming attached to any of the characters. There was too much happening (excess to what was needed to create tension, mystery, etc). within each chapter that didn't translate to a smooth and enjoyable read for me.

Hurricane Harvey, an intergenerational Indian family, and a locked door mystery all rolled into one? Sign me up! This debut had a fresh and interesting take on this mystery format and I enjoyed it, though it was a little uneven in places. If you are looking for a thrilling mystery that explores the complexities of family dynamics, cultural identity, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity, you won't want to miss this one. A great read for a stormy night and I look forward to more from Parekh. Releases January 16th.

The concept of this book is what initially made me want to read it, and the setting definitely did not disappoint. I'm a huge fan of locked-room murder mysteries, and the context (being trapped in a rapidly flooding house during Hurricane Harvey with a murderer) of this one was a unique twist to the ones I usually read. I was also intrigued by the family dynamics between all the characters.
However, I think the book lacked the tension that is necessary to make a locked-room mystery really work. Despite everything happening in the book, I never felt the anxiety or tension that is typical of this genre, and I think it made the story as a whole fall a little flat. Perhaps there was too much going on with the family drama side of the story that it detracted from the mystery and diminished the atmospheric nature of the plot.
I, unfortunately, did not find any of the characters likable, which I usually don't mind in a mystery but because this was so character-driven, it made the reading experience slightly unenjoyable. There were also some pieces of dialogue (at one point "Nooooo" was written out) and drama (a kissy-face emoji typo) that made me roll my eyes.
I will say that I didn't see the twist coming, and despite having a slightly below-average reading experience, I did find myself wanting to continue reading and wanting to know what would happen next.

When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, even a luxury home was no refuge from the flooding. The family in this debut thriller are going to discover that, but it will take a night of unrelenting rain and tension. We view the fateful night through the POV of Jia, a single mom. She and her son Ishaan are invited to seek shelter in Jia's sister Seema's home. They are barely done with dinner before things really start to go down hill. The pacing was off. It took too long for that locked room feeling to really set in. There are fascinating cultural and familial dynamics explored throughout the narrative. Pretty good for a debut, just slow to pick up momentum.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Read this book if you enjoy thrillers with lots of twists and turns!

I love the dynamics of feeling claustrophobic while reading this along with the plot points of dysfunctional family dynamics, and feeling as though you are 100% trapped with a murderer.

The book talked through a lot of topics that come up with complex family dynamics and was definitely so enjoyable to see all that weaved together.

This one definitely is a lot of family drama, so if that’s your thing, you will definitely enjoy this one so much!

Thanks so much Dutton for my ARC in exchange for my review!

I thought this one was alright, but will confess that I didn’t truly understand it, and the choices that Jia made throughout the book.

Plot -
As a hurricane approaches Texas, Jia decides that she and her son will take refuge with her sister Seema and the rest of the family. As the storm rages on, Jia feels something is not right. As people end up dead, the group realizes there is a killer among them, and someone wants everyone to think it is Jia.

Thoughts -
First off, there is no reason to use the word “chortle” even once, never mind 5 separate times throughout the book. That is a pet peeve of mine because it is just not a word anyone uses in real life.
I think a lot of the concepts and thoughts of the main characters were deeply rooted in Indian culture. The author attempted to convey that, but it just made all the decisions hard to grasp, living in the U.S. in today’s times. Jia was separated from her husband and blackmailed him into giving her full custody of her son. Although his transgressions were bad, it certainly is not something that necessarily made him a bad father. All of the secrets and reasons for murder in the family really only made sense from the standpoint of another culture. They were all common reasons for divorce in the U.S. today and nothing worth killing over, so it made it hard to relate.
I hated the ending when everyone essentially decided to go easy on the killer in the name of “family.” It just felt so anti-climatic.
I found the book to be well written and very atmospheric. It was tense throughout, with everyone trapped in the house with a killer because of the killer storm raging outside. Jia’s fear was real and palpable, I just couldn’t get past all the dumb decisions that she made. For instance, she finds a bloody finger print that will clear her name, and as she is lining up the phone to snap a picture, she decides to wait and take a picture later because her son calls her to come see the water flooding into the next room. Like girl…. What? You had the camera right there, and you think it is still going to be there later while the house is flooding?
I want to note that these are my personal opinions. I enjoy reading about cultures different from my own, but a thriller like this just made it hard to relate to anyone’s motives.

I want to thank Penguin Group Dutton for allowing me an ARC of this novel. I decided 40% into it that I just could not finish it.

Pub Date: January 16th, 2024
Review date: January 11th, 2024

Reasons being, not that the plot was awful or boring, I found the many and constant need of throwing in Jia’s thoughts of every tiny detail she saw or felt overwhelming. This for me made me get side tracked from the plot itself. However, some may find the purpose of this essential for the plot setup, but for me, it caused me to not enjoy the book as much as I wanted to.

With this being said, what all I read was amazing, loved some of the characters and really enjoyed the author informing the readers on the perspectives of women within the Indian culture.

The Night of the Storm is a locked room murder mystery. Houston is on lock-down with a category 4 hurricane terrorizing the city. Friends and family hunker down in a affluent, gated community for safety, but it is not the hurricane killing guests it is someone in the house.

The complex dynamics of everyone in the house, and mysterious neighbor provide some gripping suspense. The storm has everyone jumping at shadows and pointing fingers at each other to be the killer. Overall, this book is a fast-paced read with an ending that is a bit unbelievable.

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton

This was a book I was super excited to read. Living in texas and having been through hurricane Harvey, I did want to really see how the author intertwined that with a potentially great murder mystery. Jia shah is unfortunately a single mom trying to start over in Houston, when all of a sudden a natural disaster forces her and her son to seek shelter with her sister and her husband, who she is trying to hide a few secrets from for fear of not only hurting her sister, but possibly losing her son to his father. As the Storm rages on outside, a potential neighbor shows up and along with him, murder. I felt that the beginning was a little drawn out and almost confusing. It took a little bit to get some of the backstory that had to do with the major plot, which did turn out to be great, definitely didn't see it coming! Once I got more of the background, it was easier to understand between the characters and the ending was perfect!

I requested The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh the moment I read its description on NetGalley. By the time I got around to reading it, the reviews on Goodreads had me concerned. After finishing it, all I can say is I am genuinely baffled about what I must be missing as to why the reviews are not higher on Goodreads. I thought this book was really good, ESPECIALLY for a debut. I was totally invested in Jia's story. The locked room nature of the murder mystery was well executed. The characters were totally believable to my mind. All in all, to me, I can't imagine any thriller-lover not REALLY liking it, if not loving it. I hope Ms. Parekh keeps writing as I am sure she will just get better with experience. I will definitely check out future novels by her.

Jia is a single mom who decides to wait out Hurricane Harvey in her sister's lavish suburban Texas estate. Trapped by the storm with a brother-in-law who has been a little too friendly, complicated intergenerational family dynamics, and a mysterious neighbor things go from bad to worse when one of them among them ends up dead. I LOVE locked room mysteries, especially in isolated settings. This was the perfect mix of family drama and stormy suspense. I appreciated that this brought in many aspects of Indian culture and family dynamics. It was refreshing to see one of my favorite sub-genres written from a diverse perspective.

Oof, this was a rough read for me.

It felt very slow, and the MC acted very unrealistically/irrationally for the circumstances. Because of this and the constant complaining, I just didn't feel much for her, which really bogged down my enthusiasm to keep reading.

I really don't like giving low star ratings because I know how much time and dedication goes into writing a book. I also know that, while many debut novels are award-winning, there are also authors who release ok debuts and then spectacular books somewhere down the line. I hope this is the case for Miss Parekh.

The novel takes place over one night when a family is trapped in a home together during a hurricane. There’s a lot going on for these characters to contend with (as if being trapped in a during hurricane Harvey isn’t enough) which makes it a very tense read. Readers can expect secrets, lies, mentions of cheating, and murder. Now, while I wasn’t completely surprised at the twist, the reasoning behind everything DID surprise me. I guessed the killer but had no idea WHY they did it until it was revealed. The fact that the author made it predictable AND shocking is fantastic! I didn’t expect that. Overall, I think this is a solid locked room thriller and I love how the author weaved the story because it kept my interest from beginning to end.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/Dutton for this e-arc.*

I was sold the moment I read ‘locked room thriller’ and was double sold when I saw this was set in Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Plus I’m always pumped to read an author’s debut.

I really loved Parekh’s writing. It immediately captured my attention and it was easy to get sucked in. The first half of this book was a tense slow build to a pretty explosive second half. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable, but it was fine since that wasn’t really the point. I do wish I could’ve rooted for Jia a bit more, since she made hair-pulling decisions at every turn. In terms of a thriller, I think the book could have been better. But it really was an excellent family drama featuring a multigenerational Indian cast of characters in a high stakes situation. I wasn’t particularly happy with the way things came together in the end but it definitely was a suspenseful journey to get there. The book blurb wasn’t lying, every single character here truly did have a secret and it unfolded in a very theatrical way.

Overall, if family dramas with diverse characters in an extremely thrilling situation is your type of read, I definitely recommend.

Jia Shah feels like the biggest failure in the world. After a messy divorce from her ex-husband Dev, she moves from Chicago to Houston with her twelve year-old son Ishaan in order to live closer to her older sister Seema. Jia’s dead-end office job barely pays the bills, but her bigger concern is the behavioral issues Ishaan has started to display at school. Overwhelmed and fearful of Dev trying to assert his custodial rights, she makes the mistake of relying on Vipul, Seema’s wealthy husband, for help.

It doesn’t feel wrong, at first: after all, Vipul is supposed to be family. And it’s not like she has any friends in the area, besides Seema’s circle of social-media-conscious and desperately bored housewives who gather at cocktail hours and ask her nosy questions like:

QUOTE
“You’re not dating?”

“No.”

“One-night stands with younger men at least?”

Another shake of the head from Jia. Sweat rolled down her back, and she longed to pull down the band of the shape wear digging into her stomach.

Shefali took a gulp of her drink, leaving red smudges on the rim, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Then what are you using all this freedom for? To sleep?”

<i>Freedom?</i> Jia grimaced as her dejection gave way to reproach. It wasn’t enough that Jia’s marriage was a failure; apparently, she was doing divorce incorrectly too.
END QUOTE

All of this would be annoying but bearable: in the time-honored tradition of harried women everywhere, Jia would likely muddle through somehow. But when Hurricane Harvey descends on Houston, her everyday dramas take a turn for the deadly serious, especially when she gets an emergency evacuation notice for her apartment building.

Seema insists that Jia and Ishaan come to ride out the storm at her gorgeous mansion, conveniently located on higher ground. Jia wavers until she gets a text: Dev is in town and needs to talk to her. Wanting to get her somewhat temperamental sister on her side just in case the custody dispute gets uglier, Jia agrees to stay with Seema’s family, even if the last thing she wants is to be in close proximity with Vipul.

Fortunately, she has more than just Seema to act as a buffer between herself and her brother-in-law. Seema and Vipul’s miracle baby Asha serves as a welcome distraction for both her and Ishaan. Vipul’s perpetually grumpy mother is less adorable but at least ensures that her son is on his best behavior whenever she’s around. Vipul’s brother Raj and his white American wife Lisa have also come to the house for refuge instead of going to a government-run shelter. But as the waters and tensions continue to rise, Jia will come to regret her decision to be here, even before a murderer strikes and the lives of both her beloved son and herself are put into imminent danger.

This isolated manor house mystery has plenty of twists and turns that Nishita Parekh skilfully unfolds through a narrative that goes back and forth in time. Jia isn’t the smartest or most likable protagonist but she’s certainly realistic, as her neuroses and assumptions too often get the best of her. Ms Parekh makes it very clear, however, that this is all part of Jia’s journey towards growth, even if she has to survive a natural disaster and at least one murder in order to get there.

Even more compelling than Jia’s relatable journey is the trenchant commentary on Indian Hindu immigrant mores. In only one example, Seema’s mother-in-law had not been happy about her younger son wanting to marry a white woman:

QUOTE
Grandma was initially vehemently opposed to Raj’s interracial marriage. “I’ll eat poison before I let you marry her,” she had threatened.

But everything changed when Raj brought Lisa along to a Diwali celebration and all the Desi aunties got a look at his girlfriend.

From the moment Lisa stepped in the room, a repressed reverence for white skin activated within the crowd like a long-buried gene, and they gushed over how perfect she was.

Suddenly, Grandma found herself the object of envy for having a foreign bahu.
END QUOTE

Wry, funny and suspenseful, The Night Of The Storm is a wickedly observed murder mystery set against a unique background featuring characters under-represented in Western crime fiction. At its core, however, this is a novel about family and making hard choices, not because the outcomes are what you want but because they are what’s genuinely best for everyone involved. The ending may not please those who prefer a strict interpretation of the law but the community justice approach to retribution certainly feels fitting – at least for the guilty who are actually caught and punished for their crimes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dutton for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love a good locked-in thriller so I think I had my expectations a bit too high for this one. I liked the idea of having a much different culture than most locked-in thrillers. It had a lot of elements that I liked but didn’t feel like really worked together the way I wanted them to. There were too many unrealistic twists, even though the MCs voice was unique and kept me going.