Storm Track (A Deborah Knott Mystery) by Maron, Margaret - 2000

Seventh in the Judge Deborah Knott mystery series.
"Hurricanes rarely make it inland as far as Colleton County, North Carolina. When they do, people remember them as events that mark an entire generation. Domestic storms, on the other hand, hit with regularity. But when the scantily clad body of a promiscuous wife is found in a motel, the killing resounds like a thunderclap through the community.
"With her handsome cousin a suspect in the murder, Judge Deborah Knott gets personally involved in the case. She soon uncovers a web of secret and illicit affairs that stretches from the African-American church community to Deborah's own family. Then the murderer strikes again, even as a real-life killer storm rages up the Carolina coast. Hurrican Fran, bearing powers that can alter the landscape forever, will deliver a revelation to Deborah Knott about those closest to her - and a justice greater than man's own. "; 7¾" - 9¾" Tall .