Many seemed to love this one, so I'm clearly in the minority.. but I unfortunately, was not one of them. It was just ok for me. Actually, Rachel's repetitive thoughts bothered me and made for a slower read. I don't enjoy slow burn, nor do I like predictable reads.

I'm sorry, but I wanted to like this more and didn't. I found myself having to suspend belief in certain aspects of the book, which ultimately took away from my enjoyment.

I did however, enjoy the format and will be trying out her other book: The Escape Room.

Rachel is a true crime podcaster who needs to make season 3 of her show live up to the hype of seasons 1 and 2. She decided to travel to the small town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial in real time that is ripping the town in two.Just outside of town she finds a letter on her windshield addressed to her. This is disturbing because although her voice is widely recognized, she has kept her appearance a secret.

Letters keep appearing in strange places all over town and Rachel now is not only investigating the current rape trial and but because of the letters, a death that the authorities deemed an accidental drowning 25 years ago. Are the two cases connected? What secrets is this small town keeping? What is the price of a reputation?

The way this story is woven together will have you thinking through every possibility. It will also have you contemplating who is trustworthy and what power lies can wield.

Rachel Krall has found her calling in a true-crime podcast, “Guilty or Not Guilty”. With her investigative nature, strong will to expose the truth, and her sultry and mesmerizing voice, she gains fame when she proves an inmate is actually innocent.
After hearing about an upcoming trial in the small town of Neopolis, Rachel decides to kick it up a notch and follow the daily events. It will be a tumultuous trial based on the sensitive nature of the charges: the town’s football hero and golden boy is charged with the brutal and senseless rape of the former police chief’s granddaughter. The victim, “K” has already been tried in the court of public opinion and her sentence has been cruel; the townspeople have turned against her.
As Rachel orients herself with the charges, the town, its people, and history, she begins receiving notes from someone encouraging her to investigate an earlier death in the town. Twenty-five years ago, Jenny was found dead in the ocean and it was ruled an accidental drowning. Jenny was well known for jumping off the cliffs, swimming in the night, staying out late with a will of her own. The anonymous notes say it wasn’t an accident, it was rape and murder.
As the past and the present facts, myths and emotions swim around Rachel’s head, she tries to keep the two separate, but the more she learns, the more it appears both crimes are eerily similar.
This is a really believable plot, told in a fast-paced and heart-wrenching style. I wasn’t able to reach a stopping point, I read until the last page. I love this author’s writing style, her care with the sensitive subject of rape, and her believable and endearing characters. I only wish I could have hugged Jenny and told her how sorry I am about the way she was treated. This plot is that believable; I had to keep reminding myself that Jenny only exists in Rachel’s mind and on the pages of this beautiful story.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for making it available.)

Summary: In the small seaside town of Neapolis, a young man is on trial for the rape of a teenage girl. Scott Blair is Neapolis’ athlete-hero, with a college scholarship and a good shot at a place on the Olympic swim team. His defense team presents multiple character witnesses who attest to Scott’s upstanding community spirit.

The underage teenage girl, known as K, only has her testimony and the report from a rape kit. It is a classic case of he said/she said. The victim desperately needs a witness to support her accusation.

Among the reporters at this trial, is Rachel Krall, a well-known true crime podcaster. After several seasons of covering past trials, Rachel is reporting on the case in Neapolis at the end of each day. Rachel is also receiving mysterious handwritten notes and emails from a woman named Hannah. The notes implore her to look into the death of her sister. Many years ago, Jenny was a teenager when she died in Neapolis, a supposed drowning victim. Her sister, Hannah, insists that Jenny was murdered. Intrigued by the amount of detail in the notes, Rachel is pulled into investigating Jenny’s death while reporting on the contentious rape trial.

Comments: In The Night Swim, Megan Goldin does an amazing job of conveying the emotional devastation of rape and the rule of good old boy culture in a small town. In painful detail, the author describes what a female goes through in a rape trial. In describing the violation of the victim after the rape and not dwelling on the intimate details of the act itself, the author empathically describes how the court treats sex-crime victims.

I thought that the primary voices in the book, both the podcaster and the letter writer, were the perfect means to differentiate the cases. The formats also allowed the reader to develop deep compassion for K and Hannah.

Very highly recommended for fiction readers of courtroom dramas, legal fiction and women’s issues.

This book is full of mystery and suspense. I highly recommend it. The story is well written and easy to follow along with. It has a great start and super finish. It will intrigue you all the way through.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press Macmillan Audio & Netgalley for the free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love when books include bits of media such as letters, journal entries, text messages, etc. The Night Swim is about a podcaster that is following a trial as it happens, so naturally “episodes” of her podcast are included. For this reason I would highly recommend listening to the audio! What better way to experience the podcast sections? There are also two narrators for the two different perspectives that the author uses, which I always appreciate. It’s hard when one narrator takes on multiple roles.

I saw a few early mixed reviews that criticized this being marketed as a thriller so I went in without expectations. The Night Swim definitely felt more like a thriller than some lately… Maybe courtroom mystery, light on the thriller side? Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rachel, the main character, sometimes seemed to have a life that was a little too good to be true. It made everything feel a little far fetched at times, but an entertaining read nonetheless.

Initially, I would have expected alternating chapters between Rachel and Hannah and past/present, but the author focused on Rachel’s perspective and her research into the past, which still worked well for the story. I was definitely more invested in the mystery of Hannah’s sister’s death than the current trial Rachel was initially sent to cover, but I think that was the intent. I loved the way they were tied together in the end. And I would love if the author made this a series with more podcasts covered by Rachel!

I flew right through this captivating and heartbreaking book. Again, definitely recommend the audio format if this one is on your TBR!

Night Swim follows Rachel a popular crime postcast host while she follows the current courtcase of an olympic bound swimmer accused of rape. While in town reporting the courtcase for her podcast she starts to receive letters concerning another possible crime that occured 25 years ago.

For me this was the perfect summer vacation type of read. This was not a fast past psychological thriller but rather a slow burn part thriller, part crime fiction, and part courtroom that touches on the serious topic of rape culture. This was more what I was hoping to get with A Good Girls Guide to Murder.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. The podcast angle definitely made this a more interesting and current. I just felt like some of the story was implausible, Jenny's story. In writing out my reasonings I realized I was blaming her, which is a big part of this too. So I won't go there. I will assume it was to protect her sister, Hannah. This wasn't a great to die for mystery, but it kept my attention and made for a pretty good read. PS... I had a feeling and I was right at the very end ;)

I thought this was going to be another twisty thriller. I enjoyed The Escape Room so much. But The Night Swim is not really a thriller. It's a courtroom drama/murder mystery. it also deals with a violent rape and rape culture. I commend Megan Goldin for writing about this subject, but unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I'm not a big fan of courtroom drama to begin with. Rachel, the main character in this story, has a podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty. The chapters alternate between her podcast and Rachel covering the trial of a young man accused of raping a teenage girl.

The story starts slow and is a bit confusing in the beginning because Rachel is contacted by another local woman, Hannah, whose sister died 25 years earlier. The death was ruled a drowning, but Hannah believes her sister was murdered. How do these threads all connect together? Read The Night Swim to find out. Because of the subject matter, I can only recommend this book to readers for whom rape is not a trigger.

Although this book was not on my Reading Rush TBR it is the first book I finished during this challenge. I had started a few days ago and couldn't let the story go. It's a rather propulsive story. Goldin uses court room drama, podcasts and letters to tell the story of a small town torn apart by the cases of two women. The incidents may be separated by decades, but in each case there is more to the story than the town would like to reveal. How much do the townspeople know? How far will they go to protect the guilty?

Goldin brings up many questions about the process of trying rape cases both in the courthouse and in the court of public opinion.
Why are we as a society so willing to overlook the sins of our athletes? Why do we so vehemently plead their cases for them when faced with irrefutable proof of their guilt?

I would recommend The Night Swim for anyone who likes a strong female protagonist, likes books written in an alternative format or simply enjoys a good thriller.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Megan Goldin for advanced access to this book.</i>

Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster, and her niche is to cover trials as they happen. She has decided her next series will be a rape trial in small town North Carolina. She has no idea that she will quickly be pulled into another case, 25 years old, led on by clues left in mysterious notes by Hannah, the sister of the victim of the 25 year old crime.. Megan Goldin weaves three narratives, a third person perspective of Rachel in the present, the transcript of Rachel's podcast updates on the rape trial, and a first person perspective through Hannah's notes and emails. Initially, I didn't think that Goldin presented any differentiation between the three narratives, they seemed to have the same "voice," but that quickly worked itself out. Although the subject matter is difficult, she hit it head on, capturing the feelings of people on both sides of the case. Even though I though I knew which character from the past was pivotal in the current case, I guessed wrong. This is a good legal thriller, fast paced and a very satisfying read that shed slight on a very important issue.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Brilliant! The Night Swim by Megan Goldin was one of the most unique premises for a book that I have ever come across. The main character has a podcast called "Guilty ot Not Guilty" that explores both old and current crimes. She is covering a rape case but, while in town, an old rape case comes to her attention.

The characters are believable and some of them are likeable right off the bat. I learned to like others and some are not anyone you would want to know. She brings out the feels.

Another thing I just realized is there is not a romance going on as a secondary plot. That's okay! This book didn't need it. Obviously, I didn't miss it.

I also read her previous book The Escape Room and I have to tell you that I liked this one much better. The author doesn't have to worry about this book. I have a feeling it will do quite well.

I really liked this book and it kept me turning the pages. I often just read in the evenings but, I had to finish this one this morning. It just kept beckoning me to read the ending. Oh, what an ending it was! If you like Psychological Thillers, you will like this book as well.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review.

Book Review: The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
(Published by St. Martin's Press, August 4, 2020)

4.25 Stars

From "The Escape Room", her enthralling corporate financial murder suspense thriller loaded with mind-blowing high-tech gimmickry, the author pens for us "The Night Swim", an equally chilling dual murder mystery and courtroom drama, intricate, haunting, set decades apart in an idyllic coastal tourist destination.

What is remarkable about both novels is the sheer originality of Megan Goldin's plots, baked from scratch, with a creativity and imagination that stretch boundaries, almost - just almost, to the point of implausibility.

"I'm Rachel Krall and this is 'Guilty or Not Guilty', the podcast that puts you in the jury box."

After the success of her first season in which she "... sets an innocent man free...", a podcaster is rendered so influential, wielding far more influence than a legal eagle, jurist or jury, and so much so that now her good graces are besieged by both sides in a local court case, - including a ghost, stalking, with decades old grievances.

(But, wait - when was the last time has anyone actually listened to a podcast?)

No matter.

Entertaining. Excellent writing. Unputdownable!

Review based on an ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.

Wow! Megan Goldin weaves an incredible plot line in this emotional story of heartbreak and seeking justice as 2 crimes, one present and one past, are investigated at the same time.

I greatly enjoyed the writing style of this story and how it is told. I was immersed in the story. I enjoyed Rachel’s podcast and investigative skills and how the present story unfolded through her podcast and the past story eerily through letters seeking Rachel’s help in a stalkerish manner. The stories weaved together seamlessly as clues are laid out the plot thickened.

Megan Goldin makes you think and feel deeply and see aspects from every angle. It’s thought provoking, hard to read at times, touches on the power people can hold over others, and how deeply lives are forever changed by such tragic events. It’s well written, raw, real, and will touch you deeply as justice is sought after. It’s a story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

The Night Swim is an intense, disturbing story that keeps the pages turning. Rachel is a podcast journalist whose current “case” is about a golden boy in a small town accused of rape. While she’s covering the trial for her podcast, she becomes involved in a 25 year old mystery. Nicely told in alternating POV’s, the story becomes more entrenched the deeper Rachel digs into the old mystery. Great characters, plenty of twists, couldn’t put it down. Would love to see the book’s protagonist in another story!
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the podcast aspect of it. The beginning was a little slow but it did pick up. The mystery was well written.


I received a digital arc provided by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an honest review. Thank you.

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had to stop reading this at just 6 % to tell my husband how good it was. It really was two stories, past and present that ended up intertwined by a small N.C. town. And. I. Was. Hooked. This is my first “podcast book” and I thought it was done so well. Did I mention I love a good podcast??

This might be my favorite mystery, thriller of the year. It gave me a landscape painting of a town that had color and shadows that I might not have noticed on my own. From a distance it’s beautiful and peaceful. But with an up close view, there were things hiding in shadows. Secrets, coverups and lots of mystery. Terrible, dark, bad things happened in this town. And no one wants to talk about.

I highly recommend this if you love this genre. It was so good!

This was a NETGALLEY gift from the publisher and this review is my personal opinion.

Taking a rape charge to trial is so hard. The victim has to relive the experience again in front of a room of strangers and their characters are usually destroyed. Most of the time, the victim has lifelong PTSD. In The Night Swim, "K" is a 16-year-old who is assaulted by golden boy Scott Blair, Olympic swimmer hopeful. Main character, Rachel Krall, has a true crime podcast where she puts her audience in the jury box. While Rachel is attending the trial, she starts receiving correspondence from Hannah who is from the same town as the trial, and her sister died 25 years ago, which she thinks was murder. The trial and who killed Hannah's sister Jenny progress at the same time. This was a hard read because of the rape/sexual assault that happened to both young girls and how their lives are changed forever by the attack. This is a heartbreaking book but well written and kept me invested in both the young girls' lives.

Wow, this book was really wonderful but very intense, and I would want anyone reading this to read the description carefully to get a sense of the kinds of dark content that is present in pretty much every scene of this book. Because part of what makes it particularly powerful is not just that it is examining a past crime of sexual assault-- it is diving headfirst into the ways we narrativize this particular crime in terms of the motives of the perpetrators and the character of the victim. I thought the characters in this one were really strong (particularly our 2 focus POVs, Rachel & Hannah), and the writing was excellent. All around, this is one that made me too sad to fully love, but I was immersed & think it is a worthwhile read for those who can handle how dark the subject matter is. Looking forward to going back & reading THE ESCAPE ROOM from this author

This was SO GOOD. I felt uneasy pretty much the whole time, and the storyline mix of the current trial that Rachel is covering, along with the slow discovery and reveal about what happened to another young girl years before was just so well done.

Rachel runs a podcast about crimes. The one she's covering this week is about rape. The victim and the guy who did it, along with the whole town- Rachel covers what they go through and the process from all angles. It's shocking and so sad to see what all a victim has to go through to hopefully get justice. But then people judge (the victim) them anyways.

And Hannah is a fan of Rachel's and needs her help. It's kind of creepy how Hannah almost seems like a stalker, but this town has buried secrets and they need to be brought to light.

Not really a whodunit, more of a what happened sort of story. And while what happened in the past is messed up, what's happening in the current trial is equally upsetting. I was sucked in to the story and stayed up too late reading it.