I received this ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an honest review. This was an outstanding mystery that took place in a small coastal town, Neapolis. Two violent crimes happened in Neapolis, 25 years apart. The story is about Rachel Krall , a popular podcaster, as she follows the trial of a wealthy, popular and famous young man accused of violently raping a young girl. While Rachel works to follow the trial, she receives mysterious notes and messages about a suspicious death of a young girl 25 years before that. Jenny Stills, a very strong swimmer, went swimming at night and drowned. Her sister, Hannah , is convinced that Jenny was brutally beaten and then thrown into the water. The chapters alternate between the current trial , Rachel ‘s podcasts of the trial and finding out the truth about the attack on Jenny. There are many twists and turns and surprises. I enjoyed this book.

This is far from a feel-good read. Two stories, two rapes- 25 years apart. It was powerful and heartbreaking. Despite the disturbing subject matter, the writing is well-crafted. This book is a mix of mystery and legal crime thriller. If you like this genre, I highly recommend reading this book.

A #MeToo legal drama with a decades old mystery as the backdrop, this compelling story pulled me immediately and I couldn’t stop reading it!

For fans of AGGGTM or Serial and other true crime podcasts, Rachel is like an adult Pip which I loved... equally spunky and occasionally reckless but with a passion for truth and justice.

While the ending wasn’t shocking, the legal drama throughout felt raw, true to life, emotional and gripping and that’s where the strength of this book lies.

My biggest gripe is the fact that it’s classified as a thriller which I think gives some unfulfilled expectations of the book. Maybe suspense would’ve been a better genre since no one is in any imminent danger until the very end.

Overall, really enjoyed this one despite the frustrating topic it deals with and I’ll continue to read anything Goldin writes.

“The Night Swim” by Megan Goldin is one smart, intense novel that I highly recommend checking out this summer.

Rachel has a podcast that brings her to a small town to cover a horrific crime while simultaneously being contacted by Hannah whose sister had possibly been murder 20 years prior. Rachel sets out to unearth the truth in both crimes. I found the writing and the different perspectives of Rachel’s journey so compelling and thought provoking as you go along with her to figure out what actually happened? Who is the victims? And whose reputation are we trying to protect? Novel out August 4th.

#thenightswim #megangoldin #arc #netgalley #julesbookshelf #goodreads #mustread

What an amazing summer read! Megan Goldin has written a book that grabs the reader from the start. A policeman arriving at the door with a little girl, Hannah, who has bleeding feet and has the duty to tell her mother that her older daughter, Jenny, has disowned.

Enter Rachel, twenty five years later. She is on her way to a small town In North Carolina to cover a rape trial. Rachel has a podcast and she is going to cover a rape trial of Scott Blair. The author does an excellent job of weaving these two stories together. As the reader, I felt like I was allowed to be Rachel’s shadow as she investigates both cases.

This book is fast-paced. I could see this book as a successful series following Rachel and her true crime podcasts. I did have a little trouble with the ending, I think it could use some work I had so many emotions as I was reading. I found myself talking outloud to the characters.. Overall, Night Swim is a satisfying read. Thank you St, Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like listening to true crime podcasts? If so - I highly recommend listening to The Night Swim. Rachel Krall is starting the third season of her hit podcast Guilty or Not Guilty. This time she’s covering a rape trial in MD. When she arrives in town, she also starts receiving notes begging her to investigate a crime that took place in the town 25 years ago.

I really enjoyed this story and alternated between reading the ebook and audiobook. I have to say in this cast the audiobook really adds a lot to the reading experience. The podcast sections are produced to truly sound like podcast episodes - with the music at the start and ending and sound effects.

Highly recommend listening to this one if you’re interested in reading it! Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the free ebook and audiobook review copies.

This was a fabulous book--I read it in one setting because I could not put it down. The story is told from different vantage points and in different ways--Rachel's story which is the reality part of the story, Hannah's story which is in a series of letters, and Rachel's podcast which is the background of the other case and not until the end do all the pieces come together. I must say that I shocked by who the mystery rapist from 25 years ago--not who I suspected at all.. I don't know if it would be possible, but I would love to read (listen) to Rachel's next podcast!

The Night Swim


A delightfully written emotional read full of captivating
courtroom drama and mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Rachel Krall is the producer and host of the highly popular Guilty or Not Guilty true crime podcast. She is now headed to the coastal town of Neapolis North Carolina for the start of season three of her podcast. The town’s golden boy, Scott Blair, a college swimmer destined for the Olympics has been accused of raping Kelly Moore, the sixteen year-old granddaughter of the now retired police chief. The town is being torn apart by opinions about the case.

Hannah used to live in Neapolis when she was a young girl, and now she is back in town trying to get justice for her beloved older sister, Jenny. Twenty-five years ago the coroner ruled that Jenny drown by the jetty but Hannah knew that wasn’t the case. There was much more to the story than that. Hannah surreptitiously contacts Rachel asking her to help uncover the truth behind Jenny’s death. Rachel is reluctant to get involved, but is soon drawn into the mystery.


REVIEW
The Night Swim is a captivating, compelling and emotionally intense read.
Author Megan Goldin weaves a tale that is part courtroom drama, part mystery, The writing is smartly structured alternating between Hannah, Rachel and Rachel’s broadcast of the Guilty or Not Guilty podcast.

There is a wide array of well-developed characters in the story, from Rick the grumpy convenience store clerk to the elusive Hannah. I felt strongly connected to all of them, but I particularly admired Rachel’s character and her drive and determination to reveal the truth for both Jenny and Kelly. I would love to see more of Rachel and her podcast in future books.

The Night Swim is beautifully written and brilliantly plotted. But be forewarned....this book is about rape and can be difficult to read in a few places. Goldin does a nice job giving us just the right amount of details to understand the extent of traumatic and emotional experience. The podcast chapter describing the courtroom the day that Kelly testified was an noteworthy piece of writing because of Goldin’s stellar descriptions capturing the emotional intensity of the room.

Author Megan Goldin worked as a foreign correspondent for ABC and Reuters in Asia and the Middle East where she wrote about war, peace and international terrorism. She now lives in Melbourne,Australia with her three sons and is the bestselling author of The Escape Room (2019) .

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher St. Martin’s Press
Published August 4, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Thank you Netgalley, St-Martin’s Press and Megan Goldin.
This is one of the best stories of the year for me and will not forget this novel.
Two stories of rape set 25 years apart and you wonder throughout the whole book how these two stories come together.
This novel gets you frustrated, mad, sad and sickened to the core.
Well written, powerful story. A novel you cannot put down..
Megan Goldin, I cannot wait for your next novel.
Highly recommend 5 stars 🌟

Rachel Krall elected to follow a rape trial as the focus for her third season of a true-crime podcast. It comes down to "the he said, she said" between the golden boy training to be an Olympic swimmer and the girl that had left an impromptu party while intoxicated. In addition to this, Rachel received a letter from Hannah, whose sister had died in 1992 in that town. Hannah knows her sister was murdered after a summer of harassment, but it had been dismissed as a drowning and she had been shuffled into foster care after her mother died. Rachel now is tied to both cases and finds a connection between them that she didn’t expect.

With true crime being a popular topic for podcasts, this is a timely kind of novel. Even without that, we have the small town back and forth as the rape charges polarize the town. Then we move into the courtroom drama and the way that it can violate victims repeatedly, with no regard as to the victim’s state of mind. While I’m sure some of the characters are exaggerated a bit for the sake of the courtroom delivery, this is very much how rape victims feel if they actually testify. They’re judged by the townsfolk around them, have to explain everything in excruciating detail for the SANE examination, for their side of the prosecution, and then in the cross examination where their reputation and word is going to be ripped apart. This novel definitely shines a light on this aspect of our legal system, and why it’s a feat of supreme bravery to take a rapist to trial.

At the same time, the small-town mentality in Neopolis means that the old case of Jenny’s drowning was covered up and forgotten, her reputation smeared for months before her death. She was a victim several times over, and her younger sister Hannah was too ignorant and then too traumatized to prevent it from being ignored. The clues that were slowly uncovered as Rachel spoke with people and received letters from Hannah really drew me in, and I was just as eager as Rachel to discover the truth. It comes together with a slow and gradual pace, with the reader in the same boat as Rachel.

This is just as gripping a read as Megan’s novel The Escape Room and is fascinating despite the difficult subject matter. The actual rapes aren’t described in detail, but we certainly feel the devastation left in its wake.

Wow. This book is heavy. It is both a murder mystery and a legal thriller.
I was hooked immediately. The chapters alternate between Rachel’s investigation and Hannah’s letters. I loved the chapters that are episodes from Rachel’s podcast. As you read, the rape trial and Jenny Stills’ drowning are both discussed, making it feel like you are experiencing two stories in one.

The Night Swim is intense, parts are raw, and the writing is fantastic. There were parts where I teared up. There were parts where I felt sick to my stomach as the novel explores what a rape victim experiences when their case enters the courtroom. The depiction of the bond of sisterhood is beautiful and heartbreaking. This one stuck with me long after I finished it. I know this one is an August BOTM pick, so if you haven’t been able to get your hands on it yet, please do.

I hope to read more Rachel Krall! She’s a badass.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

Here is the thing. This book is SO hard to read and yet once you get started you NEED to continue. This story delves very deeply into the subject of rape. But it is a real, upfront depiction of what the victim goes through not only at the hand of the rapist but at the hand of those that still blame the victim. Was she asking for it? How was she dressed? What did she do to deserve this?

I won’t say this book is perfect. There are parts that I do not believe was written accurately but for the most part the story hits home. The story also has the murder of Jenny, who it is claimed accidentally drowned, but her sister is sure it is murder and wants Rachel to find the truth.

Again, this story has parts that are hard to read. It gets intense and you just want to put it down to take a breath but then you can’t stop thinking about it.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I read Megan's previous book last year and thought it was just okay. I enjoyed this book so much more.

Rachel is a podcast host, but not just any podcast host. She is THE true crime podcast host. For her third season she is following a rape case while it is going through trial recording episodes at night while spending all day in court. As she investigates the case she is contacted by a woman whose sister died 25 years ago and she is convinced it was murder.

As the two cases begin to weave their way around each other Rachel is searching for justice, while others want that justice to stay hidden.

This book had great pacing as I found myself racing to the next chapter. I liked having Rachel's podcast as separate chapters and found that was a fun addition. Overall, this was a good book that got me thinking and trying to figure out what had happened.

The Night Swim was a tense and exciting novel. The main character, Rachel Krall, is the host of a true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, that is very popular. She goes to a small town to cover a rape trial. The town is divided on the guilt of the accused, a popular high school athlete. While covering the story, Rachel starts getting notes from a fan of the show asking that Rachel look into the death of her sister, years before. The two stories are woven together along with some surprises along the way.

I really enjoyed this book. I am not familiar with Podcasts so that element was new to me. It was interesting to see the trial from the impartial prospective of the podcast as the facts of the case unfolded.

I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read the Advanced Reader's Copy.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is a mystery story that explores the world of true crime podcasts.
Rachel Krall has a successful true-crime podcast, and in season three, she’s going to do something a little different instead of exploring cold files and past crimes she’s going to bring her podcast into the current trial of a young man accused of raping a teenage girl. When she starts getting anonymous letters from someone who wants her to investigate the drowning death of a teenage girl twenty-five years previously, the similarities between the two cases have her wondering if history is repeating itself. The author keeps you on the edge of your seat while reading this book, and I found it impossible to put down. Publishing Date: August 4, 2020 
#TheNightSwim #MeganGoldin #StMartinsPress #MysteryAndThrillers #NetGalley #bookstagram

This is my second book my Megan Goldin and I enjoyed it more than the first! This could be a series with each book being another podcast/mystery for Rachel to solve. I loved the second mystery that was filtered in with the main mystery, I had no clue who did it with either mystery, my jaw dropped when everything was revealed. Read it pretty quickly because I just had to know what happened, could not put it down!

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Megan Goldin for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller - 5 stars for a fabulous read! I loved The Escape Room by this author and this is even better.

Rachel Krall has a very successful podcast that has featured one unsolved cold case per season. She was able to solve both and feels the pressure of her next case. She decides to cover a current trial and present an unbiased view of both sides. She heads to Neapolis, a small town on the NC shoreline, for the rape trial of golden boy, Scott Blair, an accomplished swimmer with Olympic dreams. But that's not the only case Rachel is involved in; an unknown person starts leaving her notes in places where Rachel feels she should be anonymous. The writer tells Rachel about the murder of her sister 25 years ago and begs her to look into the case. Rachel soon discovers connections between the two cases decades apart.

The way this book is written grabs you from the beginning. We are privy to Rachel's thoughts as well as the script of her podcast as she attends the trial. We also get to read the notes from Hannah, the woman trying to get justice for her sister's murder long ago. The podcast scripts delve deeper into the issue of trying to prosecute rape trials - the he said/she said aspect, putting the victim on trial for her actions, how rape and murder are treated so differently in the public eye. Reputation plays a big role in this book as well - how gossip and rumor spreading can be so completely devastating, especially in the social media landscape.

Highly recommended for a twisty psychological thriller that will keep you guessing and glued to the pages.

Rachel hosts a popular true crime podcast. In her prior two seasons, she addressed old murder cases, with one even resulting in the release of an innocent man from prison. This season, she chooses to follow a rape case that is set for trial with the intention of putting her audience "in the jury box."

Scott Blair is accused of raping 16 year-old Kelly Moore. Scott is a competitive swimmer with a real shot at making the US Olympic team. He comes from money and a well known and respected family. The small town of Neapolis is divided on Scott's guilt with many people taking their anger out at the Moores and vehemently denying that their local hero could possibly be guilty of attacking the young girl.

When Rachel gets to Neapolis, her plan is to devote all her time and energy into the trial and the podcast. Afterall, she wants her audience to feel like they're in the jury box so it's essential that they're given all the facts in as close to real-time as possible. But Hannah Stills has a different agenda for Rachel.

Hannah's sister drowned when Hannah was just ten years old. Her mother died shortly after, giving in to her battle with cancer. Hannah doesn't believe that her sister - a strong swimmer - accidentally drowned, or worse, that took her own life. But Neapolis's memory is long and their grudges deep and to the residents of Neapolis, Jenny was bad news, her name synonymous with what happens to wild girls with loose morals. No one in Neapolis has any reason to believe that Jenny's death was nothing but an accident and an investigation was never opened up.

Hannah leaves a letter on Rachel's car at a rest stop. Rachel keeps a low profile and has kept her face hidden from her viewers to maintain a semblance of privacy in her day-to-day life. Finding the letter on her car leaves Rachel unnerved, but she's even more wary when Hannah's letters start showing up in Rachel's hotel room and at the courthouse. Hannah always seems to be around, but one step ahead.

Hannah is desperate for Rachel to look into her sister's death, and feels that scaring her is the only way to get her attention. It works, and Rachel quickly becomes invested in finding out what really happened to Jenny Stills twenty-five years ago.

The novel simultaneously follows the trial of Scott Blair and Rachel's investigation into Jenny Stills' death. We also get snippets of Rachel's podcast and her research into that case. I have a feeling this will be done really well on the audio version! I really liked the format of the book, the multiple storylines, and how everything came together. It was a pretty quick read and with the two different mysteries, it almost felt like a two-for-one deal! I definitely recommend this and I'm eager to pick up Goldin's other work, The Escape Room.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Night Swim.

I was first captivated and intrigued with Megan Goldin's, "The Escape Room", and she has most assuredly continued with that same high level of excitement and suspense with "The Night Swim". Megan Goldin is exploding on the literary scene with her next psychological thriller, "The Night Swim". It's refreshing and rewarding, when a new author is able to follow-up with as just a riveting and emotionally charged novel, as her first one.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC and this is my honest review.

Legal Thriller ✔ Suspense ✔ Courtroom drama ✔ True Crime (complete with podcasts) ✔ This book has it all! At first I was a little confused keeping all the characters straight, but as the storylines unfolded and came together, it all made sense. This is not your typical edge of your seat thriller, but it will definitely capture your attention and make you want to keep turning the pages. 4.5 ⭐