The Night Swim by Megan Goldin, 2.5*.
I had high hopes for The Night Swim by Megan Goldin after enjoying her first novel, The Escape Room. This was despite the fact that title lacked in any “pick-me-up” appeal. Unfortunately, despite making every attempt to like this book, I struggled with the way in which the violent subject matter was handled. I hoped for a twist or something unexpectedly spectacular to happen at the 50% point to make the gruesome reading worthwhile. However, all I got was more of the unremittingly brutal, sad and harrowing depictions of assault and rape on young teenage women, at least one of whom was underage. I was disappointed.

The protagonist, Rachel Krall, runs a popular podcast, ‘Guilty or Not Guilty’. Reading her posts, I couldn’t see how her podcasts or website would exceed the value or interest of any news websites. She is out to follow the trial of Kelly Moore’s allegation of rape case in the North Carolina city of Neapolis.

Hannah Stills, whose account starts the book, lived in the same city as a child. In the parallel storyline, she recounts the murder of her elder sister, Jenny, 25 years prior. What we never discover is how Hannah uncovered Rachel’s identity to stalk her and post letters on her windscreen and elsewhere.

The Night Swim trawls through all the gruesome details of the cold case murder of 16-year-old Jenny Stills, which the police of the time unfortunately failed to investigate then buried. The main story also details the rape trial of Kelly Moore, against Scott Blair, for the protagonist’s podcast.

In the last few pages, there was what was posed as a twist. It was really an unsuspected culprit. Not a twist at all. It didn’t pique my flagging attention, as no clues had been given as to the perpetrators, and no red herrings were set up.

This, around 80% of the way through, sums up my feelings of the reading experience of The Night Swim: “I don’t understand people’s fascination with other people’s tragedies. It’s modern-day rubbernecking. Ghoulish. Podcasts like yours feed that obsession.” Other people’s tragedies are not an obsession of mine, especially when it comes to distressing accounts of rape.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Megan Goldin for the chance to review The Night Swim.

This review also appears in NetGalley, https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-night-swim-by-megan-goldin.html, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3228919957. It will appear in Amazon.com when the book is published.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC provided.

The true crime podcast host is trying to boost her listeners by covering a trial while it is ongoing. While she is trying to keep up with the ongoing trial, there is another mystery involving Jenny from 25 years ago that requires her attention.

There are many twists and turns and it kept me completely involved. Another hit for Megan Goldin.

Rape cases are always difficult to hear/read about regardless of whether they happen in real life, or in books. I think this book had such a strong impact on me because it reminded me a lot of the Brock Turner case. Whether that was the intention or not, the similarities were unmistakable.

Aside from the difficultly of the topic, I really enjoyed this book! I’ve been really into true crime podcasts lately, (check out @crazyeyespodcast 🤓) so I had been looking forward to reading this. I loved the setting of this book & that it took place in a small town where everyone knew everyone. Although Rachel was working on two different cases while in Neapolis, it didn’t make the story confusing, & the author did a great job of connecting both cases. The story kept me guessing throughout the whole book and the ending left me shocked, surprised & wanting more.

Rachel Krall is the host of the popular podcast Guilty or Not Guilty: the podcast that puts you in the jury box. The upcoming season of the podcast brings her to the town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial. While there she begins to receive messages from Hannah Stills urging her to help shed light on the death of her sister Jenny, which took place decades before.

The Night Swim is a gripping novel that masterfully ties these two cases together and will have readers guessing how they are connected. With twists that I didn't see coming, it kept me intrigued until the last page. A must read for thriller lovers!

This is my first book from Megan Goldin. I love a good book that you can jump right in and get to know all the characters and the details of what going on are just enough to feel like you are actually there. I like how this book is set up and tells you the transition between who's talking and what is taking place. Also this isn't a light read for the topics involved. There are triggers of rape and abuse. The trial part might be hard for some to read. Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading others from her.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin Finished March 19, 2020 4+WOW Stars ~ rounded up!
This is a psychological thriller about a rape trial in a small community but another story immerges. … current and past… current is a rape trial and the Past is the death of a high school student 25 years ago.

I have had this novel for a couple weeks and kept putting it off as I feared the rape might be too graphic. Also knew that there was a negative message in the way society treats rape victims. Beliefs that women put themselves in bad situations…..Didn’t sound like an enjoyable read ….However….
I was curious and I like courtroom drama so thought I would give it a try. SO glad I did!

CURRENT ~ Story starts with true crime podcast investigator Rachael Krall sitting in the courtroom taking notes for her podcast of the trial of Scott Blair.
Sixteen year old Kelly Moore is accusing 19 year old “golden boy, Olympic hopeful swimmer, college student Scott Blair of raping her.
In this trail, Scott’s roommate Dwaine is called to testify and stated he and Scott rated their conquests.
I was so pleased that the sleazy rating was not verbalized nor the nasty “colorful” text messages.
…...I have a good imagination and certain didn’t need to read what I was imagining.

PAST ~ Hannah Stills contacts Rachael Krall and asks for help. She believes her sister Jenny was murdered 25 years ago and her death was not an accident.
Rachael is a good investigator and is torn between keeping focused on her current podcast and delving into Hannah’s concern.
Curiosity gets the best of Rachel and she agrees to meet Hannah at Morrison’s Point jetty... the spot when her sister Jenny drowned. All the while, Rachel is telling herself that she was breaking a cardinal rule for true-crime podcasters: Never rendezvous with fans who leave notes on your car’s windshield Never!

Hannah is still experience trauma and doesn’t show up. But while Rachel is waiting on the jetty,
she is approached by a homeless and man. She mentions the drowning and he states ….no way was her drowning an accident as she was an excellent swimmer plus there are no rocks in this deep part of the ocean.
Soooo Rachel is hooked and the investigation begins.

There is no doubt each story had a hold on me: disturbing and emotional, totally a page turner. I did have to take a break after reading some parts. I hung in there as I was hopeful for justice.
I was pleased that storyteller author, Megan Goldin did a great job dealing with this difficult topic with sensitivity.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review.

NOTE: I read an early “Uncorrected Digital copy” which did not have an “Author’s Acknowledgments” yet. I am hopeful that Ms. Goldin will include resources in this section for those suffering from sexual abuse as well as bulling. This disturbing and emotional novel is perfect for a teen group discussion and the resources would add to the discussions.

Loved The Escape Room by Megan Goldin and was super excited to read this book by her. It is an intense page turner that sucks you in from the beginning. I loved the modern aspect with the podcast and how it switched between present and past. It kept me guessing the whole time and I was very happy with the way it all came together.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is a nail-biting thriller. This book completely hooked me and I didn't want to put it down.

While Rachel is working on the third season of her true crime podcast, she receives a letter from a woman who wants her help in finding out who murdered her sister 25 years ago. Rachel receives thousands of letters from families in the same situation, but this one catches her off-guard. The sender recognizes her, maybe is even following her.

Rachel's podcast will cover a rape trial live in a small town. It's a classic he-said, she-said case. This time Rachel isn't there to discover the truth, only cover the trial and decides to dig into this old case just a little bit. Maybe she will find some answers, find out who the woman is who is writing her and maybe solve a murder.

There are obstacles in this small town - the teenager drowned, wasn't murdered, years ago. The girl was loose, gave her favors away to too many boys. Other teenagers were killed in a car accident that same night from prominent families, they are remembered while the slutty girl was forgotten.

Rachel tries to find out if there is any crime to solve at all. Why is everyone so forgetful about that night and no one wants to talk to her?

The Night Swim is a classic thriller that will keep a reader glued to the book. It will definitely keep you up late at night to read "just one more chapter." Highly recommended.

Rachel Krall visits the small town of Neapolis to cover a trial that is the next season of her popular podcast; the case of a star athlete accused of raping a local girl, known only to the listeners as “K.”

Upon entering town, Rachel begins getting disturbing letters from Hannah who claims to have previously tried and failed to get her attention. She wants Rachel’s help solving a mystery. Decades earlier, Jenny Stills (Hannah’s sister) is said to have drowned. Hannah is convinced her sister was murdered.

Rachel reluctantly gets drawn into a past/present investigation that, ironically, involves several similar key players.

As a reader, there’s a fine line when an author writes concurrent stories. There’s an off chance that two different storylines can be executed flawlessly, but there’s a likelihood that one might just fall flat. Unfortunately, this is the case for me with The Night Swim. Hannah and Jenny’s story so completely overshadowed the cliché trial of the town’s swimming star that I had to fight the urge to skim read the parts of the book pertaining to Kelly Moore.

That’s not to say it was poorly written, but that there were no real twists to Kelly’s story, which the author attempted to use, I believe, as a device to garner sympathy and draw parallels to what happened to Jenny Stills. Maybe vise versa. Either way, the coincidences of key players having played a role in not one, but two alleged rapes makes Neapolis either the rapiest town out there, or makes these two cases the world’s biggest coincidence. By the revealed ending, I’m like, uh, no.

It probably sounds like I enjoyed the book less than I did, but I’m on the fence. It’s a fast read. Perhaps even a beach read for folks who like crime stories. Well written and constructed neatly, the pacing of the “K” trial is what really put me off. That, and it’s predictability. Jenny’s story, on the other hand, is a reason for me to give The Night Swim four stars. Half of this one is a really great book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an Advance Reader Copy of this novel.

When it comes to books that utilize the existence of podcasts-- I seem to be a huge fan! I feel when authors bring in this aspect to a novel it creates a more intense atmosphere and plot that isn't just driven by one thing. 

Not only that but I love when a suspense novel can take me by complete and total surprise. And Megan Goldin's writing and story-telling sealed the deal for me in this one.

It was intense and vivid and I loved every minute of it. Through all of the letters, the investigations, the podcast episodes, alternating POVs, past and present tenses, two women-- the story unravels into such a beautiful story all the way around. The author doesn't stray, she doesn't ramble, and she makes a point with everything that she comes across in this novel. 

Seeing as I didn't love The Escape Room, the fact that I devoured this one gave me great joy! I love when author can mix things up, write the opposite of what they've wrote before, and be dynamic and captivating at the same time. The Night Swim is definitely an intense read-- but I promise the message that it delivers will stay with you.

This book ticked off a lot of boxes for me. Thriller, check. Suspense, check. Crime, check.
The blurb had hooked me and I excitedly went in.

Rachel is a podcaster and she’s covering a rape trial in a small town called Napolis. While there, she starts to receive letters asking for her help. Something bad happened in the past and only Rachel can help. What a ride! I was intrigued right from the beginning. The story switches back in forth between current and past events. Usually that can take away from a story but in this case, it only helped build that suspense. YES! There were some emotional scenes that had me tearing up, along with some twists I didn’t see coming. I really love when that happens. The author did a great job on both the characters and the story. I did like Rachel and my heart went out to a couple of other characters. Everything was well written and I was engaged the whole way.

This was a highly enjoyable and wonderful read! I will look for more books by this author. I give this 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars.

The Night Swim was a captivating suspense with a unique presentation. Each chapter was a different view point. At times written as a podcast narrator, at times written as a letter, and other as first person narration. The difference in the chapters kept me so interested that I read it completely through in one day, with barely a break for lunch. This was a difficult subject chapter, with some intense and traumatic scenes. Readers should be aware of a strong trigger warning: rape. I loved the alternating between following a current case, both through the podcast investigation/reporting and the trial, but also an older accidental death being opened as a rape/murder amateur investigation. The book did such a great job of showing the intricacies and trauma involved with a rape trial. Looking forward to more books from this author

Rachel Krall is preparing for her next season of her podcast. Unlike other seasons when Rachel did her podcast about previous cases, she has decided to follow an ongoing rape trial. She starts receiving letters about a previous case in the same town and the sender is begging her to investigate her sister's death from years earlier. Rachel soon finds herself following both cases. Perhaps she can be of assistance to this desperate girl who insists there is more to her sister's drowning. She is convinced that only Rachel can help her find the truth.

This was a quick moving, engaging read. I didn't find it quite as exciting as The Escape Room, but it was still a great read. Highly recommended. 3.5 Stars.

I received this ARC through Netgalley.com. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to St. Martin's Press, and to Megan Goldin for this opportunity.

I went into reading this book thinking it would be a typical thriller, same type of story I've read a million times. Boy, was I wrong! I really enjoyed how the story was partially told through the main character, Rachel's podcast. As a crime podcast fan, I had never read a book that told some of its story through a podcast. It was a unique perspective. I also loved that there were 2 parallel cases, one from the past, and one from the present, with some connections that become uncovered as the story moves along. It took me longer than usual to read this book because I've been busy. Often when this happens, I find I struggle to get back into the story after a few days of not reading. That wasn't the case for this book. The story moved along pretty quickly, but I felt as though I was on Rachel's (and the secondary character, Hannah's) journey with them. I got sucked into the story, was invested in the characters and had to find out how it all ended. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and would highly recommend it!

Great author. Read The Escape Room, which was her first book. Great suspense and hooked from first page

A bit of a tough read due to a very sensitive topic of rape, this book by Goldin showcases her ability to switch between two timelines connected by crime and tragedy. Her protagonist, a well-known public figure, is surrounded by tragedy, both in her long ago past, as well as her present job and present situation. Rachel Krall is a famous crime podcaster who finds herself looking for he truth when a local teen is accused of a brutal crime. With similarities between this crime and the crime that took her sister 25 years ago, she is determined to right past wrongs by getting to the bottom of this current crime.

This is the second book I have read by Goldin and the second time I have been sucked into her well-crafted stories. She has a poet's touch and her writing checks all the boxes of a future best-seller. She is someone to watch for sure.

Review Copy

Wow! I loved this super fast read that was ripped straight from today's headlines. Not only was it well written and timely, but it was clear that the author spent a lot of time on research, which is something far too many writers just can't seem to be bothered to do. I can't tell you how appreciated that is.

The story is a simple one. An investigative reporter turned true crime podcaster covers a rape trial. There's plenty of plot twists so mystery should have a lot to keep themselves occupied. Aned in the end, all threads are tied off. I really appreciated that as well.

St. Martin's Press is publishing this novel that thriller lover will definitely want to check into.

I went into this book a little blind. I didn’t even read the synopsis on NetGalley I based my opinion solely on the cover and title. Overall I thought this book was alright. It altered chapters between Rachel Krall, her podcast (Guilty or Not Guilty), and Hannah Stills. As someone who loves listening to podcasts, I found those to be very interesting. Granite it is just a repeat of information since the reader finds out the news before she uploads an episode. I still loved it. As for Hannah’s chapters I wasn’t much of a fan. In the beginning the random notes were interesting and had you invested in what Hannah had to say. But after a while like Rachel I was over it, and got tired of them. The synopsis makes it seem like this 25 year old case was going to be a big role in this story but it really only took place in Hannah’s chapters which felt quick. Each chapter was filled with a lot of information/backstory that you needed in order to figure out why Rachel was brought into the equation in the first place. The connections between Jenny and Kelly’s cases were quite obvious in my opinion. For example: Reading it I thought I was reading about Kelly’s night before she was raped, but it was actually Jenny’s night before she died. So those connections were really easy for me to point out. Same with the plot twist, while I will admit I didn’t guess it to a “T” I was pretty close, and the story itself felt a little slow at times. On a positive note during Kelly’s trial I loved how the author took you through the trial by incorporating the doctor's evidence, her psych evaluation, as well as everyone's testimony. It reminded me of watching an episode of Law & Order. This was really hard to read at times, but the set up really painted a picture of what she went through that night. Even after that night, it showcased how socitey actually treats rape victim. While I wasn’t a huge fan, this book involves a difficult subject matter that is quite relevant right now, and I think the execution was done very well.

This was an intriguing mystery, and I did like the podcast setup. However, after absolutely devouring the author's first novel, The Escape Room, The Night Swim didn't seem to pack the same punch. I found the character of Hannah to be really whiny - she was writing letter about her past, but as an adult, but that part just didn't work for me. I will say I was shocked by the end, which is a good thing with a thriller. Small sidebar, "Neapolis" the fictional name of the town where the story was set didn't work for me - I kept picturing Batman and Robin or another superhero lurking down by the dock where a lot of the action took place.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. In town to podcast a rape trial, she gets drawn into an older mystery from the same town. You just know the two might be connected some how. Is she herself in danger? Can she figure out who is leaving her notes and who, or if, the sister was murdered? Difficult to read at times, not due to the writing but due to the topic, the pages kept turning and the two cases kept developing with twists and turns. Worth the read.