I had to read late into the night to see how this page-turner ended! What a read!

Rachel Krall has a True Crime podcast and came to the Atlantic coastal town of Neapolis for the rape trial of Olympic swimming hopeful and town Golden Boy Scott Blair. Scott is accused of raping Kelly Moore, granddaughter of the town's police chief. Before Rachel get to Neapolis, she finds a note on the windshield of her car and once she gets to her hotel, she begins to get more notes. The notes are from a Hannah Stills whose sister Jenny died 25 years ago in a supposed drowning accident although Jenny was an excellent swimmer.

As the trial progresses and she receives more notes from Hannah, Rachel begins to see similarities between the two cases.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this super fantastic read that kept me up way past my bedtime. Megan Goldin really hit it out of the ball park again with this book.

"Rachel Krall is the voice of a true-crime podcast. After her first season led to an overturned conviction, she has become an overnight sensation. Now she's set to podcast the trial of a town's golden boy - a swimmer with Olympic dreams - who's accused of raping a high school student. When she gets to town, she is contacted by the sister of a girl, Jenny, who died 25 years ago. Her death was ruled as accidental but the sister knows there is more to it and begs Rachel to help. Rachel is pulled between covering the trial and finding the truth about Jenny. And there are some who don't want the events of the past to be remembered."

I liked the format that Goldin uses. We get Rachel's POV and then we get the podcast episode as Rachel discusses the trial. There are several clues about what really happened with Jenny but Goldin is very subtle with some.

The tough part of this story - there is rape of a young girl identified as K and the trial is brutally descriptive of what happened. These are fictional characters but Goldin wants the reader to see the devastaion that rape can have on a girl and her family. And it's awful.

The ending is not one you might expect. Goldin does take us through the verdict. And we do find out what happened to Jenny. Goldin gives us a twist with a couple of characters.

This is my first book from Goldin. I immediately ordered her first book after reading this one. She has a fast-paced, easy-to-read style. Great story from Goldin.

Well done Megan Goldin! Liked 'The Escape Room' and liked this one even more! Anyone looking for a suspense/thriller/mystery/whodunit/coming-of-age story? Well, this one checks all of those boxes! The story is told through Rachel Krall, who has a podcast about unsolved crimes and follows trials. Season 3 of her podcast brings her to a coastal town where a college boy, accused of rape, is about to stand trial. What sets this book off from others is a letter Rachel reads, which is unsettling for one, because of the way it found her and two, because as a podcaster, everyone knows her voice but how did this person find her? Through these anonymous letters, Rachels learns of maybe another incident that occurred in this same town many years ago. The author perfectly layers the stories together in this hard to put down suspenseful thriller. #netgalley #thenightswim

Loved this book! Amazing pacing and really great read. Kept me up later over the days I was reading cause I couldn't put it down

Night Swim was insane!!! It revolves around Rachel who is a host of a podcast. In her podcast she has to cover a serious rape trial. She discovers some creepy but thrilling things. I really could go on and on about how great this one is, but I don't like spoilers and won't say more. I loved Megan Goldin's writing. I loved her last book and this one does not disappoint. It has all the aspect of a wonderful thrillers. I am for sure excited to see what she writes next!!

Thank you St. Martin's press, NetGalley, and Megan Goldin for the ARC!

I really enjoyed the podcast concept of this book - I like how it was split up into podcast episodes, letters from Hannah, and then the present occurrences. I think that made it a really quick and easy read.

What was not easy was the subject matter. It was horrific, real, and terribly sad. This book weaves two completely separate rape cases together (one that was never reported and one that is currently being tried). Sometimes, it was difficult to distinguish between the cases, which made it even more terrifying.

The characters in this story are detestable- for the most part. Neapolis was a city full of hate which made for a great story, but a sad ending for several people.

Megan Goldin’s previous novel, The Escape Room was loaded with twists and turns. I was really hoping for a big twist (or any twist, if I’m being honest) in The Night Swim, but I found it all to be pretty straightforward and predictable. Though it didn’t detract from the book, it wasn’t quite as exciting as I thought it would be.

The Night Swim is an outstanding suspense/mystery read. The plot was engaging, the characters well developed, and the topic, sexual assault/violence, even though it was very unnerving and shocking at times, gave the story a unique and realistic theme. I enjoyed the podcast part of the story a lot, and the courtroom drama kept me glued to the book’s pages, and left me conflicted and emotional. What really made this book stand out from all others in this genre was the ending. It was just perfect. No loose ends, no unnecessary, written for the shock value happenings, and no rushed, less than believable conclusion to a superb story.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This books will reel you in on page 1 and won’t let go until the end. As a podcaster who covers true crime stories, Rachel travels to Neapolis to cover the Scott Blair rape trial. Immediately a fan leaves her an anonymous note asking for help in solving the murder of the fan’s older sister. With striking similarities between the two cases, the book ratchets up the tension slowly and methodically and makes you question if justice does exist. There are some graphic scenes from both cases, but I think they were done tastefully.

This is a book you’ll want to read and it will stay with you after it’s over.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

'This is Rachel Krall on Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts YOU in the jury box.'

You will love Rachel's professionalism and neutral perspective on her true life crime podcast.
She goes to the actual location where the trials are taking place. She investigates those knowing the case and that resonates greatly with her podcast listeners.

While reading Night Swim you will find the chapters are gripping and short. Some chapters you'll find podcasts, some Rachel's own perspective/thoughts and then.... the letters you'll see/read.

The Night Swim is an amazing read. Again, hard for those who have triggers of rape. Especially when you see how the justice system deals with the gray area such as rape.... and the brutality of it all.

I devoured this read. I enjoyed the amazing ability this author had to make us feel like we were there with her listening, seeing and being there with her at all times. And I won't say the ending.... but wow. wow. wow.

5 letter stars from me.

*Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book.*

I devoured this thriller/mystery and enjoyed it every bit as much as her previous The Escape Room.

This book is about two different rapes (trigger warning, does get fairly graphic) twenty-five years apart in a small coastal town in NC.

Rachel, a popular true-crime podcast personality is there to cover the current trial of the local golden boy accused of a brutal rape. While there, she begins receiving letters from Hannah claiming that her sister, Jenny, who drowned 25 years before was actually murdered. She needs Rachel’s help to seek justice.

This story is told in alternating chapters by Rachel and her actual podcast script.
Lots of suspects, great tension-building and several twists made this hard to put down, even though the subject matter was very disturbing.
Highly recommend.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

I absolutely loved The Night Swim! I instantly connected with Rachel and I’m kind of sad her podcast is fiction. It’s just like something I would listen to. I was hooked from the beginning and I was surprised at the end which hasn’t happened in awhile! I stayed up way too late reading this and I am 100% glad I did! Highly recommend this book to everyone!

Very good book great writing, flowed really well drew me in and kept my interest through the whole book

Great book!
Rachel travels to a small town to cover a case on her true-crime blog. When she arrives in town, she quickly discovers that she has been followed by an eager fan hoping for answers on her sister’s death. As Rachel struggles to follow the case and unravel the town’s dark history.
Highly recommended. Great plot twists and character development. I was instantly hooked!

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! This book is everything I look for in a mystery. A tale of two rapes, 25 years apart, handled expertly and sensitively. I was captivated from the beginning - I myself, am a fan of true crime podcasts ever since I stumbled upon Serial podcast in 2014. I loved the style and composition of the writing, it alternated between third person narrative, letters from another character, and the actual podcast episodes - this would be even more fantastic in audio I presume! The two mysteries were blended flawlessly and both stories were interesting, gut wrenching and intriguing. The book hits on themes of rape, blame, the treatment of rape survivors, court testimony, reputation, guilt, silence. Right on the money for me!

Couldn't out this book down! I love true crime podcasts & the Apple tv series Truth be Told, so this was a perfect read for me.

I was trying to figure out how 2 crimes committed 25 years apart were connected. Slowly as events came to light began to get a glimmer of what hap p before the final reveal.

I received an advanced copy, but voluntarily left this review.

Will leave 5 star review on Amazon under name of Connie
Thanks for granting me access to this book

*** 3.5 Stars ***
Expected Publication: August 4th, 2020

Rachel Krall is the host of a true crime podcast which is extremely popular after she was able to set an innocent man free with her investigation. Considering I am a fan of true crime podcasts this was a perfect set up for me.
While Rachel is in a small town called Neapolis for season 3 of her podcast about a rape trial. The rape trial is the Neapolis' top swimmer who supposedly is good enough to be in the Olympics; and is accused of raping a high school girl and granddaughter of the police chief.
While in Neapolis, Rachel receives a letter on her car windshield asking for her help into the possible murder classified as a drowning 25 years ago of the writer's sister.
This story alternates between Rachel diving into the rape trial and also trying to get answers into the possible past murder with some very heavy writing on rape culture I must add. It's raw and it's hard to read at times.
While I would not classify this as a psychological thriller, I would say it was a very decent true crime novel. It was well written, fast paced, and the character's were well developed.
The reason I dropped my rating from 4 stars was I didn't love the ending. I found it far fetched, coincidental and kind of took away from the severity of the rape trial. It almost felt like two really good short stories that were forced together and could have been further developed separately.


Special Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This was great. Very timely with all the crime podcasts out there. Because the subject is rape it can be a little hard to read but I think a book that has made you have a physical reaction has done its job. You're supposed to feel the horrendousness of the act of rape. Really, really spectacular read. Thank you St. Martin's Press for this wonderful arc.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is an intense and emotional thriller. It is a hard journey to go on and may be triggering for some to read. It took me a while to make it through this book just because of how dark and real it could be. Having said that, I thought it was a good story and I would recommend this book.

This is a heartbreaking story about 2 girls being raped 25 years apart. It is hard to read in places and harrowing. The plot is brilliant and really cleverly written. This is definitely a memorable story. There is so much packed into it and a shocking end. It is a compelling read from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

While Rachel is covering the trial of a local athlete accused of rape for her true crime podcast, she receives a series of letters from Hannah, a young woman urging her to investigate her sister’s death in this same town twenty five years ago.

The dual stories unfold from two points of view, Rachel’s and Hannah’s, and we are treated to both a courtroom procedural, mystery, and psychological thriller. There was sympathetic insight into the heartbreak rape victims and their families suffer both in our society and as a result of the judicial system.

This was an engrossing, didn’t want to put down read. Rachel is a strong, savvy character; I hope this will be the beginning of a series.

I liked this so much better than Goldin’s prior novel, The Escape Room.