Mumbai-born Nishita Parekh sets her gripping, if uneven, debut thriller, The Night of the Storm, in her adopted home state of Texas, just as Hurricane Harvey hits its peak intensity on August 25, 2017. Jia is not coping well--not just with the looming emergency, but also the six months postdivorce have been indescribably challenging, most recently exacerbated by ex-husband Dev's request for a custody evaluation for their 12-year-old son, Ishaan. Jia fled Chicago for Houston to prevent any further influence Dev might have on impressionable Ishaan; little did she realize that seeking refuge with her older sister, Seema, that fateful stormy night would include murder--times two.
When mandatory evacuation is issued, Jia begrudgingly accepts Seema's invitation to shelter in their higher-elevation, exclusively-addressed manse. Jia's not thrilled to see Seema's husband, Vipul, who's been inappropriately contacting her for months. More is hardly merrier when Vipul's younger brother, Raj, and his (white) wife, Lisa, also appear. Things quickly go awry, as if the thundering storms aren't enough: tires are slashed, an injured neighbor shows up claiming to be running from a home invasion. Then the bodies start dropping. And that storm? Definitely worse inside than out. Who's gonna survive the night?
Admittedly, Parekh's debut is a hole-y hot mess (fraying plot twists, clunky writing, too much tell-not-show), but it manages to sustain an irresistibly compulsive energy throughout. If nothing else, tenacious readers will certainly enjoy a knowing smirk, even guffaw, over Grandma's devious last words. Parekh hasn't quite nailed the perfect crime, but she undoubtedly shows potential for deftly killing her next victims. --Terry Hong