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!

STORM WARNING, started out great. I was excited to see how this would play out since I grew up in Florida and went through many hurricanes. I did like the overall mystery and seeing how all of the characters would try to survive throughout the storm. I think David Bell is a great writer. In the end, I wasn't as shocked as I thought I would be, but I still liked this book. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with for his next novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to publication date.

Excellent book! The writing was so descriptive it felt like I could envision everything as it was happening. The book had me hooked from page 1 and I couldn’t wait to see what was going yo happen next. I

I received a gifted galley of STORM WARNING by David Bell for an honest review. Thank you to PRH Audio, Berkley Publishing Group, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

STORM WARNING is set on one of the islands off the coast of Florida. Hurricaine Kylie is on approach and Jake is in a rush to get off the island and back to his family before it hits. When he finds one of his best friends dead, it derails his plans. With his family arriving on the island just ahead of the storm, Jake is now trying to protect his family, the residents of the apartment building, and himself both from the storm and from a killer.

I generally had a good time with this book. We had an interesting mix of characters living in this apartment building which is not in the best of shape, even before the storm hits. There is a bit of a one-by-one setup here as well when the island is cut off from the mainland.

I would say that I wanted more tension from the book with the storm and the killer on the loose. I did find it a good twisty read, but it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat as I had hoped going in. I think with perhaps different expectations I might have enjoyed it a bit more!

STORM WARNING is out today!

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.”

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!

Rating: 4 stars!

The short chapters in this book were everything! The timeline takes place over the course of a day, and the amount of craziness the author was able to pack in was wild! The book is a great example of a fathers love and his dedication to his family in the midst of danger. The ending fell a smidge short for me, but overall a solid 4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

David Bell's Storm Warning is a gripping thriller that combines the ferocity of nature with the darkness of human intent. Set on a Florida barrier island on the brink of devastation from an approaching hurricane, the novel follows Jake Powell, who finds himself in a race against time not only to survive the storm but to uncover a murderer among the island’s few remaining inhabitants. When Jake discovers his best friend Dallas, the building manager, dead from a blow to the head, the fear of the hurricane is overshadowed by the terror of a killer on the loose. The tension mounts as Jake recalls Dallas’s warnings about the residents’ hidden secrets and their conflicts with the wealthy building owners over safety violations. With the island nearly abandoned and a killer potentially still inside, the stakes rise even higher after a second murder occurs. Bell masterfully weaves suspense and intrigue, keeping readers on edge as Jake navigates both the storm and the perilous threat of a murderer in their midst. Storm Warning is a fast-paced, heart-pounding novel that explores the lengths people will go to protect their secrets, making it a must-read for fans of intense, atmospheric thrillers.

Storm Warning by David Bell
5⭐️


I’ve read several books from David Bell, so when Berkley approached me to see if I’d like to review the book, I jumped at the chance. This book was a wild ride. I picked it up thinking I would peruse the first page. I was hooked. Couldn’t put it down.

Our main character, Jake Powell, estranged from his wife, lives on an island off the coast of Florida, in a ramshackle, falling down apartment, slated for demolition. Jake wants to get off the island as fast as her can to head back to his wife, and avoid the hurricane bearing down on the island.

After checking on an elderly resident to make sure she was safe, Jake headed to his friend and superintendent, Dallas’s apartment only to find him bludgeoned to death. Reeling from this, Jake knows there’s a killer among the remaining residents, and he needs to get away. But first, he needs to warn the others to get off the island while he can.

The pace is fast moving. Always gripping and heart pounding. I loved all of the characters. David Bell, slowly rounded out each of their stories as the book progressed. Just when you think the residents couldn’t possibly survive another tribulation, there’s another thrown at them. Can they make it off the island? You’ll need to read the book to find out. Thriller lovers need to pick this one up.

This was enjoyable and a fun, quick read but there wasn't enough character development to keep me fully invested the entire story.

This is the least favorite book that I’ve read by this author. Set in Florida during a hurricane, this story is very unrealistic. Having been through hurricanes, I would say that no one would stay on a small island with a category 3 hurricane bearing down. The story was drawn out to the point of being boring.

Storm Warning by David Bell is an exciting thriller, which kept my attention from start to finish. Jake Powell, our hero, is living on an island in Florida, and with an approaching powerful hurricane, he makes plans to leave. The few residents in their decrepit building don’t want to leave, and the manager, Dallas watches over them. When Jake hurries to leave, he finds Dallas dead from a blow to the head. Jake is concerned, as he knows that there is a murderer within the building. With the roads closed off, Jake decides he has to stay to protect those residents still there.

Jake left his wife and daughter in Ohio, to escape temporarily in Florida, but to his surprise, his wife and daughter decided to visit Jake, just about getting into the building as the Category 3 hurricane begins to escalate on the small island.

With the building slowly falling apart, Jake will convince other apartment dwellers to move into one of the bigger units, with them all staying close together; especially with a dangerous murderer still at large. When there is another murder, the residents are not sure who to trust, but Jake is determined to protect them all, as they are fighting for their lives. They are all completely cutoff from the mainland, while those in shelter together, keep their hopes in surviving the deadly hurricane, as well as a murderer. Some of the residents claim they saw a man inside the building, but is this their imagination, as they are on high alert.

Just when the eye of the hurricane gives the vibe of relative calm, Jake will let his wife, she is an expert on handling boats, and daughter take the boat to the mainland for help, praying they will survive. During the time they were all together, we got to meet other residents, and their stories; even though there was some suspicion among them. I did like Jake, as the was a terrific leader, always trying to keep them all safe.

Storm Warning was an exciting story that kept me glued to my kindle. This was an interesting cast of characters, which were very good. Storm Warning was very well written by David Bell. I did think that the murderer was different than anyone would have guessed. I enjoyed the book, and suggest if you like thrillers, you should read Storm Warning.

The setting during a strong hurricane on a barrier island in Florida is new, but the mystery thriller situation is familiar. There is a killer (among the residents who are sitting out the storm in their delapidated building), and the residents are isolated from the mainland and from help. They must fend for themselves and each other the best they can.

There is some supense when the first building resident is found murdered, and more suspense from the relentless storm that threatens to destroy the building in which they live. Who the murderer is and why, and how and if they survive is the crux of the story.

Not extremely original, but a good read nevertheless.

🌬️ T A K E C O V E R T U E S D A Y 🌬️ featuring “Storm Warning” by David Bell!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤/5

Jake Powell is living on a Florida barrier island as Hurricane Kylie is quickly approaching! Unable to get off the island, Jake must seek refuge in his already deteriorating apartment building alongside the other remaining tenants!

But the hurricane isn’t the only reason to be frightened after Jake’s finds the building manager dead in his apartment. With a brutal blow to the head, it is obvious that Dallas was a victim of murder!! All of the tenants take shelter together in one apartment to brave the hurricane … but everyone is on edge because a killer may be among them!

Thank you kindly to David Bell, Berkeley and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on June 25, 2024!

In this well written storm-centered tale, an eclectic group of tenants who don't know each other find themselves well sheltering together, reminiscent of those Agatha Christie mysteries where everyone is stuck in a single place and they are unsure whether the murderer might be among them. Their experiences as they try to ride out the dangerous storm while fearing that a murderer is on the island with them made for an interesting read. The book was well-paced with vivid descriptions of the setting, the decrepit building, and the storm. There was more than one surprise as the story unfolds, although this reader guessed early on the killer's motivation (but not their identity).

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.

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

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.

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.

Thank you, Berkley and NetGalley, for my free E-book for review.

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).