After reading the Escape Room by Megan Goldin I was excited that she was writing another book. This book is entirely different but excellent all the same. This book has some tough material in the book and if you have had to deal with rape some of the content might be hard to get through but overall I really enjoyed this book. The author makes you feel like you are right there experiencing what the characters are going through. Megan is a thriller writer I will be anticipating future books from for a long time! I appreciate being able to review this book a day ahead of its release date! Go get this book, you will not be disappointed!.

This is my second galley by Megan Goldin (first being The Escape Room) and WOW, why doesn’t anyone give this woman more credit for being a LEGIT thriller writer. This time she brought us into the world of an investigator, Rachel, who runs a crime podcast (major Serial vibes) who is working towards her third season of her podcast and hoping to make it her best one yet. This time, she is doing real-time coverage of a rape & sexual assault trial. Town’s superstar swimmer and Olympic hopeful is accused of raping a 16 year old girl and it has each town taking sides. On top of that, Rachel is given a series of letters from a woman who claims her sister was murdered 25 years earlier. Going between the emotional impact of the present day case and this woman’s account of the raw months leading up to her sister’s death, this book is more than just a thriller…it has you questioning who’s guilty and what happened to Jenny Stills 25 years before. While it is important to note that this book could be a trigger for some, as it discusses sexual assault and can be too much for some readers, it was an outstandingly laid out thriller and I couldn’t put it down!

I received an ARC of The Night Swim in exchange for an honest review. This ranks as one of the better books I’ve read this year. Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster. She is in the small town of Neopolis to cover a local rape trial. A local golden boy, destined to be an Olympic swimmer, is accused of raping the police chief’s granddaughter. As you can imagine, the town is equally split. While Rachel is covering the trial, she receives mysterious letters from Hannah, asking Rachel to investigate her sister’s death from 25 years ago. Jenny’s death was ruled an accidental drowning, but Rachel has always felt it was murder. The two cases are discussed back and forth in the book, and start to have some similarities. And, the ending is just totally unexpected.

I am not familiar with this authoress so I wasn't sure what to expect from this book other than from the few reviews that I read.
First, I will say that this book is 100% TRIGGER WARNINGS: RAPE, ASSAULT, SLUT-SHAMING, ALCOHOLISM...you get the idea.
I did like the writing of this author but I wouldn't consider it an actual mystery...at least not to me because I figured out everything each step and chapter of the way.
It's a very difficult read at times but I finished it.
I am not particularly a fan of the lead character but I am guessing that there may be a sequel as her producer mentions another possible case at the end which is not revealed to the readers.
The author does a rather decent job of explaining the court proceedings and filling in her podcast listeners with details regarding rape and things of that nature. I will say that I have absolutely no idea how a podcast works but if it's similar to the book then it sounds pretty damn boring to me.
I would consider the sequel if this ends up that way.
I found the ending to be a bit disappointing and just wanted something more.

This is one of the best books I have read this year! It is not an easy read but it is a thought-provoking and important one. I read Goldin's novel, The Escape Room a couple of years back and really enjoyed it. That being said, The Night Swim is in a league of it's own! It is an emotional, timely, raw discussion of sexual assault, survival and the search for justice.

From the publisher - The novel tells the story of Rachel Krall, who has gained notoriety hosting her crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty (a la Serial). She travels to the small town of Neapolis, which is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved. Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

This novel deals with topics which may be triggering for some, including rape, the imbalance of power in the justice system and the way sexual assault accusations are treated in today's society. Goldin's novel highlights the unfairness of a system where the blame is placed on the victim for the horrific actions of the accused. While exploring these sensitive issues, the author handles the assault scenes, the trial testimony and the fallout from it with grace, care and honesty.

The plot moves at a fair speed, alternating between narrators Rachel, Hannah (Jenny's sister in search of justice) and Rachel's podcast transcripts. The book really picks up in the second half, following the court proceedings of the Neapolis trial, while interspersed with details from the twenty-five year old cold case. Goldin weaves the stories together effortlessly. There are some twists to the story that catch the reader off guard and make for a really unique narrative.

The author creates characters who are engaging and truly human. You will root for some and develop great disdain for others. Rachel in particular is such an enjoyable, tenacious and intriguing character, I would not be surprised if (in fact, I hope) this marks the start of a trilogy or series.

While I ultimately would not classify this as a typical edge of your seat thriller, if you are a fan of mysteries or crime dramas (and can handle sensitive content), you will definitely enjoy this novel.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

Megan Goldin writes compulsively readable thrillers; this is the second one I've stayed up half the night to finish because I had to know what happened. The Night Swim takes a current rape trial, as seen through the narrator Rachel's (a podcaster/journalist) description, as well as transcripts of the podcast she is broadcasting about it, and combines it with the 25-year old death of a teenager, related in mysterious communications that Rachel receives. The fast-paced sequence of events and the shifting perspectives kept me engaged and guessing right up to the final pages. I also enjoyed the varyious angles included, such as the podcast transcripts and the trial testimony. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

The Night Swim is without a doubt my favourite thriller of 2020. Even though it was a bit slow-paced, I did not mind this at all because the story never got boring, The book is about the investigation of two different rape cases. One of these cases has an ongoing trial and the other one has officially been closed decades ago. The main character, Rachel, Investigates cases and seeks justice for her true-crime podcast and comes to investigate the two rape cases. I LOVED that the book contained podcast chapters! Next to the podcast chapters, the book had a dual POV; the chapters switched between Rachel (the podcast host) and Hannah (a woman seeking justice for her murdered sister). The narrative of the book was super captivating and kept me turning page after page.

In short, I loved the characters, I loved the plot, and I loved the writing. I definitely recommend this book to all thriller lovers and to fans of Courtney Summer's 'Sadie'. I do have to add that this book contains trigger warnings such as rape and sexual assault.

Look - I watch a lot of Law & Order SVU so I thought I could handle a rape trial. This book....this book goes beyond. This is look at society and the treatment of rape victims.

Goldin has a gentle touch, and yet, she is quickly able to pull in the reader and immediately put them in the center of the story. This is a powerful story and Goldin was able to handle it with gentle powerful words.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This was such a great read and I really couldn’t put it down once I picked it up. If you are into suspense/thrillers that are well-plotted and make you think, then this is one you want to pick up when it is released. It wasn't a simple who dun it, but rather it incorporated a few stories and weaved them into one great story. It made you think, sometimes about topics and realities that were uncomfortable, but necessary to both think and talk about. Just a great read from the moment you pick it up and I can't recommend it enough as just great summer reading.

Massive thanks to @stmartinspress for allowing me to read this one early and providing a review copy.

To start this review I just need to say that Megan Goldin’s writing in this book is riveting and perfect. Her descriptions of characters were so well done that I could picture them in my mind. It was the same with the settings. I felt like I was there and could hear and see everything. Most of the chapters alternated between past and present stories and the author did a great job of weaving the two timelines together. Other chapters were episodes of Rachel’s podcast and letters written to Rachel asking for her help. As for Rachel herself, I loved her. She’s tough and perseverant and willing to face danger.
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The book revolves around a rape trial and while that was hard to read about, I felt that the author treated the subject with sensitivity. She also brought to light what I’ve heard many times, that rape victims are often treated with suspicion or like it’s their fault in some way. That should never be the case.
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The story was suspenseful throughout as you wait to see what happens with the present trial and the case from the past. It moves at a slower pace but honestly that was how this story needed to be told and it didn’t bother me. I would definitely recommend this book as well as The Escape Room by this author.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is the story of Rachel Krall who covers a rape trial for her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. After her podcast helped freed an innocent man, she has become a household name and now the current season needs to be a smash. She arrives in the small town of Neapolis, North Carolina ahead of the trial of a local young man who has been accused of rape. At the same time, she is hounded by a fan who is from the same small town about the murder of her sister 25 years ago. Hannah, who was a young girl when her sister died, begs Rachel to find her sister’s killer. At first, Rachel brushes it off as she needs to focus on the new case. As she covers the case from victim blaming to the courtroom to the verdict, Rachel finds just how polarizing the topic of rape can be. Unlike the black and white view that murder is wrong, the subject of rape shows ugly shades of gray. While she tries to stay focused on the current case, she can’t help but be pulled into another case of Jenny Stills whose death was ruled an accidental drowning. However, the details don’t sit right with Rachel as she tries to find the truth. Was the victim raped that night? Will the perpetrator be punished? What is the connection to the death of Jenny Stills? Is there a connection?
After I read this book, I read some of the reviews, as I normally do, to see if my impressions match the impressions of other readers. And just like in the book, the topic of rape polarizes the reviews. I found The Night Swim to be a thought-provoking, dramatic story as it shines a light on the complicities of a rape case. How and when does consent need to be given and expressed? Why is a promiscuous man known as a stud, but a promiscuous woman is a slut? A few reviewers demanded that the story come with trigger warnings. I think the book’s description as a podcaster covering a rape case wasn’t warning enough. Overall, I liked Rachel with her dogged curiosity for the truth and justice. I liked that she didn’t just push the Jenny Stills case aside simply because it wasn’t the case she was covering. There was also a twist that I didn’t see coming. I thought I guess it but boy, was I wrong! I recommend reading it with care as the story deals with the important issue of rape and the details of the case are graphic. Ms. Goldin doesn’t pull any punches; she writes a rape case that is as real as it gets. As I read, one case seemed so cut and dry and the other one was not so straight forward. As the cases unfold, there’s more than what meets the eye. It opens the conversation of how rape cases are handled, investigated, and prosecuted. I recommend The Night Swim. The story grips you from the very beginning and keeps you hanging on until the very end.

The Night Swim
is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

I could not put this book down! It was fantastic. Yes, the subject matter was dark and uncomfortable to read but this was the perfect suspenseful, mystery/ thriller. I loved the podcast aspect of this book; it was so well done. The rave reviews that Sadie received for the YA genre that utilized podcasts in its’ story line, I would give 100 fold to this book! As soon as I finished the book, I wanted to listen to the podcast (non-existent) and see what the next season would be about (Megan Goldin, could you please write a follow up about Rachel and the next season of her podcast?)

Oh my goodness there is not enough good things I can say about this book. The book goes between two different story lines, one that is mainly told through letters. Rachel is a true crime podcaster who helps to solve crimes. She decides to make the trial of a girl raped as her season 3 crime and reports on the trial as it's occurring. While she's in town she starts getting mystery letters from a girl named Hannah who asks Rachel for help catching her sisters killer. Rachel soon finds herself uncovering truths that were buried for years and secrets that were never meant to be discovered. This book kept me intrigued from page 1 to the very end and I found myself sad when it ended.

I highly recommend this amazing book and I thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to give my unbiased review.

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you. Maybe I should just leave the past alone. Let it die with me."

The small seaside town of Neapolis is seeing more excitement than it is used to. Sure, there is a fair share of tourism as the summer crowds flock to the city's beautiful beaches, but this is something completely unprecedented. One of their own, a golden child of the community, has been accused of a heinous crime. As a collegiate swimming star destined for Olympic glory, Scott Blair was a beacon of pride for the local townspeople. The fact that his family is one of the wealthiest in the area was merely the cherry on top of their reverence for the young man. Now the notoriety that comes from being the hometown of a future Olympian has soured. Scott has been accused of rape. The alleged victim and her family, also residents of the city, are taking every legal action they can against Scott. With the trial set to being, a throng of national media has come to the town, bringing a shadow of negative attention to the normally sunny town.

Rachel Krall has arrived in Neapolis as just a small part of the massive press machine. A couple years ago she started a popular crime podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty. Her reporting helped a wrongly incarcerated man walk free and propelled her podcast to a huge following. Normally Rachel uses the show to take a deep dive into trials that have already happened. The luxury of hindsight often allows her to come to conclusions that the jury or prosecutors may have missed. For her latest season, however, Rachel has something completely different in mind. Rather than dissect the trials of the past, she will place her audience directly inside of an ongoing case. She chose the story of the rape in Neapolis because rape trials seem to be one of the few cases in the justice system where the victim faces as much scrutiny as the accused.

In transit to the trial, Rachel pauses at a rest stop. When she returns to her car, she sees a note tucked between her wiper blade and windshield. The letter is from someone named Hannah who states that she has reached out to Rachel several times asking for help. You see, Hannah's sister died many years ago, and her death was ruled an accidental drowning. Hannah thinks it was actually murder. She believes that if anyone can come to the truth surrounding her sister's death, it would be Rachel. Here's the problem though. Rachel purposefully doesn't do televised interviews or publish pictures of herself. Short of hearing her voice, no one would be able to identify Rachel. This makes Hannah's presence all the more troubling. How did she know who Rachel was and why has she latched onto Rachel as some sort of savior?

Last year I read Megan Goldin's The Escape Room, a novel that saw me gaining the new skill of multitasking walking while reading. This led to more trips and stumbles than I care to admit, so I quickly abandoned this foolish attempt to not miss out on any of the action in her book. Still, my enjoyment of that book had me ready to read whatever Goldin came up with next. That turned out to be The Night Swim, a decidedly different book that Goldin's publisher generously provided to me. This new novel is described by the publisher as "electrifying and propulsive" superlatives that are accurate, but not in the traditional thriller sense. Unlike her previous work, Goldin does not use a fast-moving plot to drive the momentum of her newest offering. Instead, she uses the development of her characters to provide the propulsion that her publisher promises. That's not to say that this character focus is a bad thing. In fact, I'd argue that the strong cast of this novel actually made me enjoy it more than The Escape Room.

"That's how trials work. It's medieval. It's not about getting to the truth. it's about who can put on a better show."

The trial setting gives The Night Swim echoes of those classic John Grisham thrillers. Like Grisham, Goldin peppers in a commentary on the justice system's questionable track record with sexual assault crimes and forces the reader to face the realities of our flawed legal structures. She doesn't hold back on the graphic descriptions of the crimes that were committed. These uncomfortable passages are difficult to read but vital in providing the context of each character's convictions. Beyond the questions surrounding the rape, the novel is haunted by the customs of small-town life. This is the kind of place where everybody knows everyone else. It one person has an opinion, it becomes a universal fact for the rest of the community. That small-town Americana permeates every page of The Night Swim adding another layer of depth to this already stellar novel. The Night Swim proves Goldin's versatility as a storyteller and marks another fantastic read from this masterful author.

The Night Swim will have you guessing how this story will end. I love true crime podcasts and enjoyed the storyline. I liked how Megan Goldin included episodes of the podcasts in the book. Her writing style is very realistic.

A Heart Stopping Thriller that Kept me Glued to My Seat!

When you hear the name Rachel Krall, it’s instantly recognizable. She is known for her Podcast “Guilty or Not Guilty” which is now in it’s 3rd Season and which will be its most controversial yet - focusing on the topic of sexual assault in the small town of Neapolis. Rachel is going to cover a rape trial as it unfolds. It’s he said, she said and it’s going to be a doozy.

To make matters even more dicey, while in town, Rachel begins receiving anonymous letters from someone claiming to be the sister of a girl who died 25 years prior. The sister, Hannah believes her sister Jenny was murdered though the official cause of death was drowning.

Rachel investigates both cases, chasing down angles wherever they may lead.

Can she find the truth before it’s too late?

Speaking from my experience as a former paralegal for 24 years, when it comes to the law, it is often the case that the attorney who puts forth the better argument wins, regardless of whose side the law is on. It was therefore thrilling to see how the lawsuit in this novel played out (no spoilers) - as it always is in legal thrillers. I found the characterizations to be brilliantly plotted, Rachel Krall’s podcast to deliver, the testimony in the courtroom to keep me engaged and Hannah’s letters quite gripping.

In short, “The Night Swim” by Megan Goldin expertly delved into extremely sensitive topics. Furthermore, this book was an intriguing pulse pounding thriller that took the bull by the horns and came out swinging. Bravo!

This was an excellent buddy read with Kaceey.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, Edelweiss and Megan Goldin for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 8.2.20.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had a enough mystery to keep me reading and the adding in the courtroom drama was interesting. I gave this one 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4.

Gripping and well written, this one blends mystery and suspense with intrigue and emotion. The subject matter is dark, but the author handles it well. The multiple vantage points add depth and draw you in. Rachel is an interesting character and I admired her determination. This emotional rollercoaster is full of tension. There are scenes that will break your heart while others make you feel like you are there in the room. I am immensely impressed by the writing in this story.

My first real, long-ish review for the many books I have been lucky enough to receive from Netgalley. Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, both of whom approved me for two separate versions of thus book, MOBI and audiobook. Because of that, both of my feedback will be roughly the same.

Megan Goldin, along with a trio of wonderful voice actors (Bailey Carr, January LaVoy and Samantha Desz), might as well have beamed this story directly into my brain for all I kept thinking about it. A proper courtroom mystery, reminiscent of some of my favorite television and films, I was consumed with the details of both cases, in no small part thanks to the three women narrating. Carr’s haunted reclaiming of the trauma that marred her childhood, Desz’s practical and observant third person voice drinking in the trial and LaVoy’s soft, masterful story-weaving as Rachel Krall, investigative podcast host extraordinaire, all make Goldin’s small, secret town come alive.

I found myself taking notes as I went along, noting suspicious people, developing theories, at least one of which was proven true by the end. For me, that’s the mark of a well written mystery, if the writer is skilled enough to leave enough tools and clues for their audience to take a stab at on their own.

Achingly relevant, The Night Swim is for crime fans everywhere and for anyone who hungers for justice to be served. I can’t wait to read more from Megan Goldin.

Again, thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the free copies of the book in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin has left me not only uncomfortable, but shaken, which in my mind means the book has been successful. The story deals with the rape of two different teenagers in an idyllic, remote beach community on the North Carolina coast, spaced 25 years apart.

Neapolis, NC is a small, remote beach community in North Carolina. Like many rural, small towns, everyone basically knows everyone, the business of a family or individual often turns into the gossip business of the town. Also often the case, certain families with members in prominent positions in the community have a perceived air of importance that can last for generations. The opposite is also true, families that are looked down upon, for whatever reasons, can be the outcasts of the society also for generations.

Rachael Krall is a journalist turned podcaster. She hosts a wildly popular true crime podcast that focuses on a specific crime and trial over the course of each season. After two impressive seasons Rachael is headed to Neapolis to cover a rape trial that has left the community devastated and also divided as the community picks sides. What Rachael doesn't know is that 25 years earlier, Neapolis was also the scene of the repeated raping of a teen by a group of her peers, ultimately resulting in her death. The night of her death also was the night that two teen boys in the community were killed and a third badly injured as their truck hit a tree and caught fire. Their deaths shook the community, while the death of Jenny Stills was relegated to a paragraph in the newspaper on an inside page.

On her drive to Neapolis, Rachael makes a stop to eat at a roadside truckstop/café. When she returns to her car she finds a note on her windshield addressed to her. The note is the first of many from Hannah, the younger sister of Jenny Stills who after 25 years is looking for justice in the death of her sister. Hannah is begging Rachael to dig into the town history to help root out the killer.

The story is well told using multiple POVs. There are a couple of chapters from Rachael's viewpoint, telling her story of covering the trial as well as time spent uncovering the ugly truth from 25 years ago. There is also a chapter with more information from Hannah. Each "segment" of the story concludes with an episode of the podcast. Juggling multiple points of view is a tricky task, and I've seen many authors attempt it with vastly differing results. Megan Goldin has done an excellent job with this, seamlessly transitioning between the three viewpoints. She has used it as a tool to keep the story moving along.

The underlying issue of rape was delicately handled which I appreciated. There is little need to delve into a graphic account of the act itself. In fact, leaving most of it to the imagination of the reader may be even more powerful and shocking than giving a detailed account. I feel that the story does a good job dealing with the emotions and toll that a violent act like rape has not only on the individual, but also on the family, and when they bravely come forward against their attacker, the rifts it can bring to a community. Also at the core of the story is the value of a family name, and to what lengths people will go to protect that name.

The book was very engaging and moved at a great pace, never feeling like it was lagging. Like peeling an onion, the narrative of the two crimes unfolded layer by layer. This is an easy read, great for a weekend. It is also a story that will leave its mark deep within your core and stick with you long after your have closed the book, which I believe to be purposeful on the part of the author. She has done her job masterfully.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin's Press, in exchange for my thoughts and review.