A masterfully crafted thriller that plunges readers into a gripping exploration of justice, the intricacies of a small town, and the relentless pursuit of truth. At the heart of the novel is Rachel Krall, a true-crime podcaster known for her ability to uncover the truth and set innocent individuals free. However, when her focus shifts to a small town engulfed in a harrowing rape trial, Rachel becomes the target of a mysterious plea for help. As she delves into the investigation, grappling with the pressure to make Season 3 of her podcast a success, she is confronted by a series of letters that lead her on a quest to uncover the truth about her own sister's past.

This is a compelling thriller that delivers on both the emotional and suspenseful fronts that keeps the reader guessing until the final revelation.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and author Megan Goldin for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book.

I love it when you pick up a book and from the start you have no idea where it’s going. This was one of those books.

And it was such a tough read (HUGE trigger-warning for rape), but it was done in a way that after I caught my breath for a few minutes, I went right back to reading.

I loved having Rachel and Hannah be the narrators of the story and the blog posts.

Highly recommend this one!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The infusion of the podcast into the novel was perfection. I was constantly worried for the MC and that’s just how a thriller should be.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is the first book in the new Rachel Krall series and was an excellent book from the start to the finish. Once I opened my kindle and started to read it I was gripped and ended up reading it all day. However, it was hard to read in parts as this book covers rape and murder but well done to the author Megan Goldin for covering these sensitive subjects the way she did.

Big Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a riveting read that had me engrossed from page one.

I really liked Goldin's writing. Also, her characters were great.

My favorite part, though? The setting. I love books about small, seaside towns and this book was that and more. It was haunting and atmospheric...and I know I will be thinking about Jenny for a long time to come.

I will definitely read more from this author.

This was such a powerful, emotional, rage inducing, frustrating story but it was so beautifully crafted and written that I could overpass all my triggers. This was a highly triggering read for me, I won't go into details, I never thought I'd be triggered and I was. I had to take breaks while reading. It reflects so much on the reality of victims, the injustice of the system and how powerful people get away with anything.

The podcast aspect was very well done, very intricately included and felt so realistic. Everything about this book just touched my heart, it felt so real, nothing was exaggerated, no reaction was too much. The way the 2 girls stories intertwine and show the unfairness of justice is crazy. 

This was my first @megangoldin book and it will not be my last. Her writing is immerseful, engaging, flowy and her plot was intricately researched exposing the realness of this issue and I LOVED that.

All I can say is check the trigger warnings as this one focuses on the victimization of women (everything included) and how it's deemed as normal in society.

If you're looking for a thought provoking, intricately researched thriller/mystery this one is fantastic!

Wow! Wow! Wow! This was a really good book. The twists in this story had me staring into the void mouth opened. I thoroughly enjoyed this

Rachel Krall’s podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, was becoming more popular each season, and this case was sure to be one of the best. It was a rape trial, the young woman who had been assaulted was the granddaughter of a beloved former police chief, while the young man who had been accused was a star athlete, who had won countless awards for competitive swimming and was an Olympic hopeful. The town was divided in its support for K, the plaintiff, and Scott Blair, the defendant. When Rachel stopped for gas, she was unnerved to find a note tucked under the windshield wipers, asking her to look into her sister Jenny’s murder, twenty-five years ago this summer, in Neapolis, where the trial was being held.

Rachel attends the trial, and it seemed to be going along as she had expected. Witnesses testified about Scott being a hero, a great credit to the town, while K was talked about in a less than polite manner. While Rachel was chasing down interviews or additional information on the trial, other strange letters turn up, all asking for help with solving Jenny’s murder. Intrigued, Rachel starts looking into the circumstances surrounding Jenny’s death – from drowning, according to the death certificate. Recruiting her producer, Pete, to do some research into Jenny’s death, Rachel soon finds some discrepancies in the varying stories. Although Rachel is in Neapolis to cover Scott Blair’s trial for her podcast, the pull towards the mystery surrounding Jenny’s death is too strong to resist.

Why did I wait so long to read this? I know better, really, I do. Anyway, the book. I liked the alternating mysteries and really enjoyed Rachel’s involvement with both. Interesting storyline with an ending I did not expect.

As a podcast listener and true crime lover, I loved this book a lot. The format between Hannah, Rachel and the podcast, was easy to follow and compelling to read. I also liked following the current court case and having the cold case getting reopened at the same time.

Rachel Krall has become a very popular podcaster who provides information on murder cases. For this third podcast, Rachel changes things up a bit and follows a rape trial in NC. While spending time in the area to prepare her podcast, she is contacted by a mysterious woman who requests help for a 25-year-old cold case of murder that happened in the same town. No one is supposed to know what Rachel looks like, so when she receives these messages, she becomes concerned for her safety. The book chapters rotate between the blog of the rape case, Rachel's investigation of the rape case, and messages about the cold case. This writing style slows down the story somewhat. However, the writing is strong, and the plot twists are clever and unpredictable. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. Megan Goldin is a fantastic writer who expertly weaves two stories, 25 years apart, into one great book. Told in current day, with references to a crime 25 years ago via letters, and a crime today via podcast transcripts, 5his complex story was addictive and unputdownable.

Another book that I liked following along, but this one was a court case. I enjoyed the podcast within the storyline. Parts of this book reminded me of the true story of Know My Name (Miller). (3.5/5)

I joyed the way this was written but figured out part of the ending pretty early on in the book. But, I think it is a great read and will definitely be recommending to coworkers as well as customers

Fast paced, pulsating thriller with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed this one. If you're looking for an easy thriller to read on the beach or poolside, I highly suggest this one!

The theme of a true crime podcast lured me into this book and I loved the way the story was told.

There are some very serious themes and trigger warnings in this book - rape and murder.

I loved the way this story was told, through past and present, as well as through the audio of a podcast. The writing kept me turning the pages.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

This is a very well crafted novel full of unforeseen twists that will leave you breathless. The characters and their situations are harrowing and heartbreaking. The structure of the podcasts, letters, and present could have been muddled and confusing but the author handles it all expertly.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
DNF@60%
This book was not for me! I really did give it a good try to make it through this book. I kept getting so bored and frustrated with the slow pace. It just dragged for me.!

Megan has quickly become my favorite writer in this genre. Everything about her writing will pull you in page one. Her writing is beautifully linguistic and she's very imaginative. Her story constantly will have you guessing and wondering if everything is as it seems. Then at the very end you will be hit with something extra or hidden you never saw coming.

I missed the book club meeting, but I’m glad it gave me the needed push to pick up The Night Swim! This is a great read for fans of true crime podcasts, as the character of Rachel Krall is a reporter and podcast host and her podcast series is incorporated within the novel. I definitely enjoyed it enough to look forward to reading Dark Corners (Rachel Krall, #2), although I can’t help but wish that the books were set in Megan Goldin’s home country of Australia.

3.25

A popular true crime podcaster, a small town, a current rape trial, and a past drowning mystery. The Night Swim takes the reader on a journey with Rachel, a podcaster, as she travels to Neapolis to report on a rape trial about to start. When she gets there she begins receiving letters from the sister of a drowning victim, Jenny, who insists that her sister was murdered, not drowned, 25 years ago. Being a small town, the characters in the trial and the past intertwine and Rachel works to provide her listeners with the facts of the trial while trying to find the truth about Jenny.

I liked Rachel and her quest for the truth in a town full of secrets. It was interesting to see the main character not be law enforcement or directly involved in either case, but rather an outsider who’s stepped in to help find the truth. I think this worked well and led to a satisfying ending.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.