Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster and for her latest season she will be covering a rape trial that has polarized a small town. This book is part courtroom drama, part podcast, and part flashbacks to 1992 in the form of letters. I was hooked from the start and could not put it down until I finished. Sometimes books that involve violent crimes are too descriptive for me. This book was very well done. I never felt like anything was too graphic but I still knew what happened and was invested in the characters. I have really enjoyed both of the authors books and look forward to more in the future. The Night Swim is available August 4, 2020.

I was given an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Having recently watched Limetown on Facebook, I couldn’t help but picture Jessica Biel investigating and voicing the podcast. Different subject matter but same concept. I think Goldin could have fleshed out the podcast part more to sound more like a legitimate podcast but it wasn’t distracting.

This was a hard book to read, if rape is a trigger for you, better pass on this one. It’s so hard to read descriptions of sexual assault (it wasn’t overly graphic) and the evil men can have in treating women this way. It will probably get you riled up.

Rape is a sensitive topic. Unfortunately, those who have accused falsely have tainted how others’ stories are viewed and brought to justice. It’s interesting how persuasive writing can be. I would say I am not of the camp where we *always* believe all rape claims are true, though I think the vast majority of them are real. However this story definitely forces you to consider the cost to the rape victim to take allegations to trial. The fact that she is essentially experiencing the trauma and humiliation all over again but publicly, is hard to stomach, especially in the cross-examination. To think about it in those terms, puts rape trials into a new perspective. What an important topic to explore and challenge readers on! Ugh I just can’t even understand how a person can be driven to do this to another person and I want to go on rampage and bring justice to all victims of such evil!

Goldin brought the story to life. It focuses more on the court case and investigation than getting to know the characters on a deep level. I was okay with that. I did not feel unattached to the story and I feel like entering into the mind of the rape victims would have almost taken away from the effectiveness of the revealing.

I liked the connection between the two rape events to add another dimension. I wasn’t super keen about how Hannah handled requesting help- how would she really expect someone to respond to such a cloak and dagger approach? Maybe at first to get her attention makes sense but the continual refusing to meet and being creepy in how she delivered information was a bit much. But again, didn’t really take away my engagement in the story.

‘Enjoyed’ seems like a wrong word to describe how you feel about reading this book because the content is violent and heart-breaking, but I am glad to have read it. I feel like it is a meaningful story and was handled well. I will probably look into reading more of this author’s books.

Little pet peeves: overuse of the word ‘surreptitiously’; always using ‘getting hold of’ instead of ‘getting ahold of’ like a normal person; 96,000 people is not a ‘small town’ and people don’t know everyone and everyone’s business- live in a town of 2000 and try describing that again; and Hannah’s portions didn’t seem like a natural retelling verbally or in writing and was a bit frustrating and unrealistic how she split it up the way she did

**Received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Megan Goldin is a new auto-buy for me. Two books in a row where I was engrossed by the world and the characters, with lots of clues and details that came together nicely in the end. Really, I see Goldin as a "deep dive into a world" thriller writer. She nails immersion in a specific world that deftly flavors the thriller elements and is sticky for the reader. Over a year later and The Escape Room is so vivid for me. I imagine The Night Swim will be similar.

Where The Escape Room took you deep into the cutthroat world of high stakes New York finance, The Night Swim is all about rape culture. It does get intense, and thus I do not recommend this for anyone for whom depictions of rape and sexual assault are a trigger. While not graphic in the book, they are emotionally vivid. I ached for the girls in the book and all they went through. And the honestly realistic depiction of naysayers and victim blamers got my blood boiling in the best way. Neapolis felt like a real small town, and Goldin uses the "small town secrets" trope to take something big and overwhelming--rape culture--and narrow in on it via the lens of a small town and its history/characters.

The structure/frame device is is we get three POVs: Rachel the Serial-like podcast host, excerpts from the podcast itself, and letters from Hannah, whose sister was murdered 30 years ago and she's appealing to Rachel to help. Hannah was by far the most vivid character despite not even technically "meeting" her until later. Rachel was a deft narrator to follow, though I will admit I feel like I don't really know her ultimately... but in that sense she is the ultimate journalist character. She's warm and engaging but not intrusive. That said, I liked the book and the format SO much that I wouldn't mind reading more cases Rachel takes on, and getting to know her better.

I had a few tiny quibbles that obviously don't matter since I loved it, but I want to mention. I did find it borderline laughable that each podcast chapter was meant to be an entire episode but probably wouldn't be more than 5 minutes of airtime. Not how podcasts work! So there were moments where the podcast didn't quite feel authentic real, not like the transcript chapters in Sadie, for example.

There was also, I felt, a few missed opportunities for "mini-twists"/complexity in the third act. They can be found under spoiler tags in my Goodreads review.

Anyway. If you love small town secrets books, journalist investigators, and examinations of toxic masculinity/rape culture, The Night Swim is a homerun. I need Goldin's next book, like, stat.

The Night Swim is a phenomenal novel that approaches difficult subject matter in a unique, thought-provoking, and sensitive manner. Rachel, a famous podcaster, travels to the small, coastal town of Neapolis, North Carolina to cover the trial of a college-age star athlete accused of raping a high school girl. When Rachel arrives in the town, she begins receiving letters from a woman named Hannah whose sister died under mysterious circumstances 25 years ago. These letters lead Rachel to begin researching Hannah’s death while also covering the trial and recording her podcast. She soon uncovers eerie connections between the two cases.

Like many mystery/thriller novels, this story utilizes multiple POVs; however, the author does so creatively by alternating narration between Rachel’s POV, the letters written by Hannah, and the transcript of Rachel’s podcast. I found this storytelling style highly engaging and effective. What really sets this novel apart from other novels belonging to its genre, is the author’s careful exploration of highly sensitive themes, including rape, victim blaming, classism, and justice. It is both an enthralling legal thriller and a powerful critique of the justice system and society at large.

Terrific book. Absolutely loved it. Compelling characters and story line. Kept me interested the entire time.

Rachel Krall is a household name thanks to her true crime podcast that became an overnight sensation when she helped set an innocent man free. On the coattails of her recent success, Rachel sets out to the small town of Neapolis to cover the trial of a golden boy accused of rape for the newest installment of her podcast. She throws herself into interviewing witnesses and investigating the case, but someone begins following Rachel and leaving notes for her about the tragic death of Jenny Stills that occurred in Neapolis years ago. When Rachel begins investigating Jenny Stills, she makes startling connections between the two cases. What really happened to Jenny? What is Neapolis hiding?


I am an avid reader of murder mystery/true crime thrillers, but The Night Swim had such a unique premise. Megan Goldin did a fantastic job developing her characters, especially Rachel, who put herself in harms way to discover the truth about Jenny. There were some excellent plot twists -- things that were plausible but unexpected -- that kept me hooked until the very last page. A must read for 2020!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an interesting murder mystery with a creative twist of using a pod cast host to uncover the crime of Hannah's murderer. At first i felt the story moved too slow with Hannah going off tangents about her sister but eventually we get to the parts of the actual events and what occurred. Worth the read.

Even though I liked this book, it didn't live up to the expectations I had from the extreme positive reviews I've seen. I was expecting to love this book so much but it didn't steal my heart like I thought it would.
I really liked the plot, it was well written in my opinion. Especially since it focuses on such a serious crime, I personally felt like it was handled well by the author. Obviously, if you're triggered by the subject of rape, this isn't the book for you. It is a difficult subject to read about, I had to take some time away from it at times, but it was sensitively handled by the author.
I liked the characters, I just wasn't extremely invested in them. I didn't feel super connected. I also wasn't super connected to the story. I couldn't get invested and I felt like because the chapters jumped from different perspectives, I never had time to settle into the story.
Overall, The Night Swim was a good read but not my favorite. I would've liked it more if there was only one perspective but I know that's just a personal preference. If you like thrillers and mysteries, you might really enjoy this book.

I loved this book. I was obsessed with all the characters and did not want to put it down. There were a couple parts where I was wondering where and how the two murders would intersect but never felt that I was not bought in. I am also obsessed with true crime podcasts so this layout and idea of the book being a podcasters journey of investigating and also putting together the show was so cool. Highly recommend. Does have some rape and sexual content as a caution. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

i found this book very moving and very relatable. while it wasn't perfect and had a clear bias, the interplay of the stories of four women, both past and current worked. I liked the podcast element and the courtroom scenes and how justice can so easily be bought, be given to the better actor or the least damaged person. I liked how the past and the present intersected. i liked the wounded bird and the bird finally freed. while not a perfect 5, it was a 4.75 for me

Unbelievable book! Could be a trigger for anyone that has ever been a victim of sexual assault. Poignant thoughts, hard to digest. Why is a rape victim always tried as harshally as the rapist? I cried for Jenny! I cried for Hannah and I definitely cried for Kelly! Strap yourself in, this can be a hard read, but it feels real and I think it's a story worth reading. Thanks for book that makes us think, a real issue!

Overall a decent mystery/court story as long as you don't scrutinize too closely. Was there bias? Yes. Was it maybe pushing an agenda? Sure. Did it suffer from lack of research both on the true crime podcast front and a law front? Yeah. But I'm also not reading these types of stories for in real life accurate depictions of how a court of law works.

Loved how she tied in two separate stories.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin was a different kind of book for me. While I always read mystery type books, this one had a pod cast element that kind of threw me off at first. I found a little hard to get into at first bc of the switching between the characters and then they threw in podcast “transcript”. Once I got to around the 4th or 5th chapter I fell into pace and really enjoyed the book. It’s a very detailed book ( maybe a little too much detail in some parts). I found myself wanting to know how the trial would end and what would come of what happened to Jenny 25 years earlier. I was surprised by the “bad guy” in this one. I expected it to be a different character... that says a lot about the author bc I nearly always know who-dun-it about midway through a book. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t a can’t put down book to me, but I kept coming back to it bc I was genuinely curious about how it would end. Also, I found myself reading the last chapter and hoping there may be a series featuring Rachel and her podcast.

I don't quite know how to begin this review other than to say that The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is an amazing read! If you like murder-mysteries and are a fan of true crime podcasts, then this book will be right up your alley!

The story follows Rachel Krall, a podcaster who has made quite a name for herself in the true crime genre, much like the real-life Serial. The latest season of her hit podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" centers around a violent rape case very reminiscent of the Brock Turner scandal that was in the news a few years ago. A rich, talented college kid is accused of brutally raping a high school girl. He claims that the sex was consensual and she's made up the rape story because she was angry when she found out he rated her sexual performance poorly to his friends. His family has money and pays everyone and anyone they can to portray their son as this angelic, kind-hearted young man on his way to earning a spot on the Olympic swim team.

Rachel attends the trial and records her podcast episodes in real time as a way of putting her listeners "in the jury box." The chapters in the book alternate between Rachel in real time, her podcast episodes, and letters from Hannah (more on her later). The rape trial itself is very interesting. Goldin does a great job making the trial experience seem authentic and suspenseful. She shows how rape accusations divide people. Defendants of the accused claim that women can be vengeful and falsely cry rape whenever they get their feelings hurt and want to destroy a man's life. Defendants of the accuser cry out against the unfair treatment victims often undergo after they've summoned the courage to come forward. Some would say that victims are violated all over again by the justice system when they go through the painstaking process of testifying in court only to see their rapists set free because of reasonable doubt.

I was very invested in the court case and loved how Goldin was able to tie it into a second mystery within the same novel. While she is attending the trial and recording her podcast episodes, Rachel is sent several messages asking for her help in finding out the truth behind a murder decades earlier. This subplot revolves around Jenny, a young girl who supposedly drowned while swimming in the sea at night. Her sister, Hannah, knows that her sister was murdered, but needs Rachel's help to figure out who was responsible. Rachel divides her time between the rape trial and this murder mystery from the past. It turns out the two cases are connected, but in a way that I wasn't expecting.

Overall, I couldn't put this book down. I loved every bit of it. Goldin did a wonderful job weaving the two storylines together seamlessly. The story was fast-paced and kept me reading late into the night. There are some scenes that were hard to get through because they were so heartbreaking and unsettling, but Goldin handled the sensitive material in a way that kept it from crossing a line for me. I will absolutely be checking out what this author comes up with next!

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on August 4th, 2020.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the ARC.*

Incredible! Captivating! Thrilling!

A haunting story that will stay with you days after you finish reading. There were times where I was shaken up, crying, laughing but I could not put this book down. This book that made me feel like I was living within the pages and pulled me into the story making me feel like I was a character involved.

This truly is a great book.

Rachel Krall hosts a successful true crime podcast, and her career is dedicated to sharing criminal trials in real time with her devoted listeners. When the latest crime brings her to the oceanside community of Neapolis, NC, Rachel becomes embroiled in developing a podcast covering a rape trial. The town is polarized over the allegations. A handsome golden boy headed for Olympic fame has been accuses of raping a teenage girl. Emotions are running rampant as Rachel covers the trial, aiming to present an unbiased view of what is happening in the courtroom. While in Neapolis, Rachel is contacted about the death of another teenage girl from twenty five years ago, Jenny Stills. While Jenny's death was never classified as a homicide at the time, her sister has always believed that Jenny was actually murdered. Rachel finds herself caught between trying to create her podcast on the current rape, as well as investigate the mysterious death from years ago. As Rachel becomes more enmeshed in the community, it appears more and more that Jenny's death may in fact have been the result of foul play.....and that it could be potentially connected to the current rape case.
Rachel begins a race against time to help reveal the truth about what happened to Jenny. However, it becomes clear that someone does not want her looking too carefully into the past.....and will go to whatever lengths necessary to protect their reputations, as well as their lives.

I read The Escape Room by Megan Goldin and it was one of the best books that I had read in 2019. When I saw this book I thought it would by of a similar vein and was really looking forward to reading it. I didn’t expect it to be like this, totally heartbreaking. But it was totally brilliant too. Wow, what a great read and a really awesome up and coming author. I really look forward to what Goldin is going to throw at us next!

The part that drew me in was that podcasts and armchair detectives are so in right now. This was a who done it that will shock you!

I really liked the format of this novel. I also enjoyed learning about podcasts and I liked the characters a lot. I look forward to more from this author.

Wow. Just, wow. This was an unbelievably all-too-believable book that was so well-presented and emotionally charged that I couldn't put it down... I was on vacation when I started reading. I had read The Escape Room and liked it as a fairly easy thriller - interesting and well-paced and a quick, easy read - and figured Goldin's second would be more of the same. When I started reading, realized it was a book about rape and violence against women, I almost put it down. I didn't see how it could be another "easy thriller" given the topic. I tend to avoid these as topics, and they certainly aren't "vacation reads"... But from the opening paragraphs I was completely and utterly drawn into Goldin's world and simply couldn't stop reading until I knew what had happened - both to K and to Jenny (and Hannah, of course).

The choice of a true-crime podcaster as the protagonist gave the story an angle that I was less familiar with and I found Rachel to be a totally accessible, believable character who felt like a "regular" person thrust into an extraordinary series of events. It never felt forced, she never acted in ways that felt disingenuous or forced. She was a real person, uncovering unreal details about all too real events and worked beautifully as the source of those revelations. I have been raving about this one to everyone I know, and am exceptionally impressed at the way the author crafted a tight mysterious thriller out of the hot mess that is rape trials and rape investigations. Goldin was sensitive without being melodramatic, and her crisp prose was unflinching without feeling overdone or presented for shock value.

This was a difficult read but an exceptional one and I'm DEFINITELY a member of the Megan Goldin fan club as a result of it!