Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. I read and enjoyed The Escape Room and couldn’t wait to read her latest thriller.

Rachel Krall travels to the small seaside town of Neapolis in order to cover a rape trial for the third season of her successful true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. An Olympic hopeful swimmer is accused of rape by a 16 year old girl and the town is in an uproar. While researching this trial, Rachel receives letters from Hannah, a woman who grew up in Neapolis and wants her to investigate her sister’s death, as she believes she was murdered twenty five years ago. As the trial moves along, Rachel investigates the suspicious death and makes connections between the two cases.

I really enjoy Goldin’s writing style. I was immediately intrigued by this premise and liked the jumping from Rachel voice in the present to Hannah’s letters, and then to the actual podcast. It kept my interest throughout and I couldn’t put it down! I did make the connections between the characters early on and was able to figure out the most of the reveal, but it was a fun ride! It sensitively delves into how society treats rape victims.

4/5 stars

Wow! What a story. I'm so speechless I barely know what to say in regards to this book. I will say this was a very hard book for me to read and I rarely ever struggle emotionally with a book so if you are sensitive to rape and sexual assault, I would NOT read this. Stay far away from it as possible and don't look back. If you have the stomach to handle such topics then proceed ahead with caution.

I am a huge murder podcast listener so when I heard Megan's new book revolved around a reporter who had a career in recording for murder podcasts, I was all in! For her third podcast season, Rachel goes to North Carolina to follow a very popular rape trial about a 16 year girl and a swimmer destined for Olympic status who allegedly raped her (very much Brock Turner vibes).. As she collects her data and sits in the courtroom, she also is receiving letters from a woman named Hannah who states her sister Jenny was murdered 25 years ago in this town and wants Rachel's podcast to cover the investigation. Juicy right?! Especially since Hannah states Jenny's murderer will be in that courtroom.

So not only is Rachel covering a high profile rape trial but she's also struggling with finding out anything about Jenny from that time. We're talking hardly any witnesses, no evidence, no home to search, no neighbors or family to talk to, Rachel can't even get Hannah to speak to her face to face so she can only rely on Hannah's letters for clues. Only thing Rachel can seem to find out is that Jenny was the town 'slut' and that she drowned the night two boys died in a car crash. (I will say the hardest part about reading this book is hearing Jenny's story. It is so raw and emotional and horrific - I wanted to throw my kindle at the wall and find a way to get her justice).

This story is electrifying and intense. A great read if you can stomach it.

This is a brilliantly written haunting story that highlights the horrible consequences of sexual abuse and its effects on all parties. Rachel is a popular true crime podcaster and her newest season is covering a rape trial in a small town. The trial victimizes both parties involved and really depends of the best presentation of occurrences to the jury. The victim is victimized again and again from the time the rape kit is taken to the time the person has to testify. Their life is ruined. While covering the trial. A fan involves Rachel in a past murder case involving the same small town. Rachel is drawn to investigate to help uncover a past injustice. This story is horrible and yet is very accurate in the real life experiences of victims and their accusers. This is so well written I will definitely read whatever this writer writes. What a great book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Amazing! Hands down one of the best legal thrillers I've read in years. I hope this is just the first in a series of novels about Rachel, podcaster and sleuth extraordinaire! I found myself wanting to read more about her two previous podcasts. Rachel is so incredibly likable and clever. Great southern story of two seemingly unrelated crimes and how Rachel gets to the bottom of both and fines the connections.

I spent all afternoon reading this because once I started there was no putting it down. Megan Goldin has such a pleasing style and I can't wait to read more from her.

The Night Swim was a great book! I loved the two story lines that intertwined, and it was a cannot put down book for me. My wife read it as well and loved it so much! Well written, and was a really fun read.

A very enjoyable read by a good writer! Rachel Krall does true crime podcasts and is, currently, in the small city of Neapolis doing her latest. I felt that this was kind of a unique approach to writing a book and one that held my interest. As Rachel takes her listeners through the tragic story of a teen-age rape, not only does she become involved with both families but with a rape-murder that happened years ago at, basically, the same location. So, folks, you get two stories for the price of one!

Solid 4.5 stars. Thought-provoking and timely story of a rape trial told through the voice of a true crime podcaster. Rachel is an award-winning podcaster coveting the trial of “K”’s rape at the hands of a town golden boy- bound for the Olympics. All comparisons to Brock Turner are appropriate. In fact, I couldn’t stop picturing the accused as Brock Turner.

As the trial begins, Rachel begins to receive disturbing letters and notes for a young woman claiming that her sister was raped in the same town 25 years earlier. Told through dueling viewpoints and timelines, both trial and mystery reach their stunning conclusions.

Don’t miss this one.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Rachel Krall has traveled to a small North Carolina town to report on a rape trial for her popular Podcast. As she sends update podcasts each day, she wants her audience to feel that they are part of the jury and have to decide guilt or innocence. While she covers the trial, an unknown person named Hannah is leaving messages for her about a 25-year-old rape and murder case. Are there parallels? Are they related? Is there a cover up in this small town where everybody knows everybody and their history?

While the focus of the story is primarily from Rachel's point of view, we also read her daily podcasts and occasionally see the action from Hannah's eyes. This is a unique approach to presenting the clues and drawing the reader into both cases.

I highly recommend this novel and will look for more books by Megan Goldin.

This is an excellent, thought-provoking, heartbreaking book, and an outstanding book of suspense.

I have been a fan of Meagan Goldin's ever since her last book, Escape Room, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read her latest work -- in fact, I requested it without knowing the plot. When I learned that the plot concerns not one but two rape cases, I had a little bit of initial trepidation. Like most women, I find this a sometimes upsetting topic to read about. Not to worry though - the subject is handled very sensitively and thoughtfully by Goldin. It IS upsetting, but in a way that many people need to read.

This book is very involving and will stay with you after you read the last page. It's about a lot of things: small towns, our perceptions of "fast" women, why people tend to blame victims, why a rape trial is so difficult for everyone involved but especially the victim, and the way rape cases were handled years ago as opposed to now. But the heart of the book is just a really, really good mystery about two intertwined rapes (and a possible murder) that happened years apart. The main character, Rachel, runs a Serial-type podcast. While she is in a small town to cover a rape trial taking place in the present day, she receives a tip about a long-ago rape and murder that was never prosecuted. Many of the same people still live in the town which provides her with the opportunity to potentially solve a long ago, covered-up mystery and find justice for the victim as she also covers the present day case for her podcast. While she investigates, many people in the town tell her the crime never happened. The book does a great job of solving both mysteries side by side, and is extremely scary and suspenseful. The book also raises some pretty important questions about believing women.. Do we believe the woman reporting the long-ago crime to Rachel? Why would she lie? Do we believe the woman currently testifying in the present-day trial? Have our attitudes about rape really changed that much?

I love the way this author writes and she has something important to say in this book, but it never feels like a lesson. I did not want to go to bed until the mystery was solved.. No sophomore slump here - this book was even better than Escape Room and its characters will definitely be staying with me for a long time. I was looking for a garden variety suspense book to read but I got that and a lot more from this read. I'll be really looking forward to her next book!

This combined my two favorite things: mystery books and true crime podcasts! Much like Goldin's debut The Escape Room, I loved The Night Swim. Goldin's books don't fall into the typical traps of the mystery/thriller drama. Her writing is engaging and exciting and she does such an excellent job or writing her characters in a way that you feel like you've known them your whole life. I found myself wishing that the podcast in the book was actually real! I loved the parallels between the old case and the new case and didn't guess the twist towards the end. I had a slight inkling of what I thought it could be, but I wasn't totally correct, which I love! This will honestly be the perfect summer read: quick, exciting, tackles important issues, and a total page-turner. Goldin is an awesome author and I can't wait to read what she comes out with next!

The characters in this book just pull you in. That being said....it took me a little while to be able to say that! And once I was in....I was hooked. So while I am giving it a 4 star I really want it to be 4.5. There are a couple of different stories going on in this book to follow.....but the feeling is there that they are entwined in some way. Rachel Krall has a podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty, where she follows trials closely, presents what she learns and sees at the trial, and lets her listeners form their conclusions. Her main story here is a rape trial of a 16 year old girl who has accused a local sports and college jock as the man who assaulted her. However, she gets pulled into another story of a young woman, Jenny Stills, who twenty-five years ago was found dead. Both stories happened in the same town.. The question is....accident or murder? Rachel begins getting letters left for her from Jenny’s sister, Hannah. Hannah slowly gives the story of Jenny’s death to Rachel, but refuses to meet with Rachel. She wants Rachel to help her solve the mystery surrounding Jenny’s death. Following both stories keeps the reader on the edge while sinking deeper into what happened to these two girls. There are some secrets that get uncovered along the way, as well as some surprises. This is a very good book that will keep the reader’s interest and desire to keep reading to see where the story and the characters lead us! I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley #StMartinsPress

I was not a huge fan of The Escape Room, but I did fly through it and really enjoyed many parts of it, but I did have some things I didn't love about it overall. The Night Swim is very different and is a very emotional read. The two timelines are both captivating and heartbreaking and suspenseful.
Thank you for my advanced copy.

WOW! What a gripping, emotionally impacted story. When a high profile podcast host takes her show to the site of a very high profile rape trial, she finds herself drawn into the public debate on the defendant's guilt or innocence even though her goal was to be an impartial voice in a severely divided small town community. At the same time, our podcast host has found herself pulled into reviewing the investigation of a suspicious death in the same town. As she presents the current case to her listeners, she's drawn into the previous investigation and must sort through the rumors and facts before another murder strikes at the heart of story.

I will warn you that this has a very sensitive subject: rape. Megan Goldin does a good job with writing this very sensitive topic but it can still be hard to take at times.

Rachel is heading to Neapolis to cover a rape trial for her podcast. Along the way, she receives letters from a woman who wants answers for the death of her sister from 25 years ago. Rachel becomes interested in what happened to Jenny and starts investigating. This book covers two timelines: the current rape trial and what happened to Jenny. Both are devastating to read about. I liked the way the author handled the subject and both stories will give book clubs a lot to discuss.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel is covering the trial of a young man accused of raping a teenage girl for her true crime podcast. At the same time, Hannah contacts her and asks her to research the death of Hannah's sister Jenny years earlier. This was really good but a very heavy subject matter (definite trigger warnings for various incidents of rape and sexual assault), looking at the current case from the standpoints of both victim blaming and potentially ruining an innocent man's life over a false claim. Not really a "fun" read, although it was a good book. Four stars.

I really liked The Night Swim, which is kind of horrible to say because the premise was terribly sad. But the book was compulsively readable, twists and turns unfolded at the perfect pace. What can I say. It was good. And of course, the added allure of the podcast. Which was kind of fun.
And would you believe, I didn’t make the connection until I was done with the book, that the author, Megan Goldin, also wrote The Escape Room, which I also loved. I think I maybe didn’t make the connection because the books are different, which just speaks to the strength of Goldin’s writing range.
In the night swim, we meet Rachel, an up and coming podcaster, who serves as one narrator. The other is a woman who lost her sister years ago and due to the injustices and corruption of a small town, her death was never investigated.
Throughout the book, we switch between the present day rape of K and the 25-year-old cold case possible murder of Jenny Stills. It was a really interesting way to learn both stories, and because of the small town, a lot of the players were the same, even 25 years later.
I would recommend The Night Swim to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. It’s somewhat similar in plot (but more literary) to Mystic River.
Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one releases August 4. My review will be posted on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on July 7, 2020.

First of all I want to say this is a very well written book on the very touchy subject of rape. Megan Goldin wrote a powerful story on this topic. As for my review the story itself just dragged and I really wasn’t invested in it. I didn’t hate it or like it. Just a slow burn. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

4.5/5 A fast paced thriller that I could not turn the pages fast enough. I loved the story of Rachel a pod-caster who is following a crape trial when she receives information about another case in the same town. The cat and mouse point of view combined with the excellent writing made for a great story. Megan Goldin is an auto-buy writer for me now. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy. Highly recommend for a legal thriller readers.

I am a true crime podcast lover and this book was right up that alley. Rachel is a podcaster (aka Serial) and is in town to follow a rape trial. She is contacted by a stranger who wants her to investigate another crime that happened decades ago. What resonated with me while reading was the class disparages between the assaulter and the victims. If you had resources: you are believed. If you are poor: you aren't. This book was a refreshing change from the other psychological thrillers out there. Really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

Many of the thrillers I’ve been reading lately include rape or sexual assault. I haven’t been seeking these out, but since #metoo and people talking more about rape, many more authors have been writing about it. Write what you know or write with the times.
Some of these books have been very good, while I’ve felt others wrote about this topic because it’s currently in the media, but they really should have looked for a different angle.

I don’t care why Megan Goldin decided to write The Night Swim, because it’s been the best recently written book I’ve read about rape. And I also want to mention that I read this book in one sitting, which I haven’t done in a long time. It was so good I needed to find out what was going to happen.

Goldin combines two stories into one, with a girl, Jenny, who drowned over 20 years ago and a rape trial that is happening now. The way they are weaved together is masterful. There is also a stalker involved who does some really creepy things to get Rachel’s attention.

Goldin leaves plenty of clues in the story so the reader feels as if they are part of the jury trying to discern what information is pertinent, and as a sleuth following Rachel around as she tries to find out what happened to Jenny all those years ago. Some things I saw coming, and you will too, if you pay attention. But there were still a few surprises, which made this book even better.

I highly recommend The Night Swim, as well as Goldin’s other book, The Escape Room.