This was a very captivating read! It's two stories in one. This is the second book of Megan Goldin's that I have read and really enjoyed. She is fast becoming an author that by name alone, I'd get her book!

Rachel Krall, a podcast host fro Guilty or Not Guilty, is attempting to outdo her last season by covering a rape case by making the audience feel as if they are right in the jury box. Sides are split down the middle of this case, the accused on trial, is popular and training to be in the Olympics. The girl, referred to as K, was bubbly, kind, and dreams of being a Physiotherapist. Rachel is known for her voice, and keeps a low profile. She heads to Neapolis a few days early before the rape trial begins, but after stopping at a rest area, finds an unwelcome letter under her windshield wiper. She's uncomfortable with this fact, because someone knows who she is in public.

Despite Rachel's misgivings, the letter intrigues her, the letter is from a fan, who believes Rachel is the only one to help solve the murder of a sister from decades ago.

Hannah was just a little girl, when her world turned upside down, but Hannah will not remain silent anymore and if she can get Rachel on board, Hannah may get justice for Jenny. It's coming up on twenty-five years, that Jenny died.

I was captivated from the beginning, the story opens with a very young girl trying to comfort her mother after being told the tragic news of her oldest daughter drowning. Alongside of Hannah's story, is Rachel's, where Rachel is inquiring and interviewing people regarding the upcoming rape trial. Little by little each side of the rape case is revealed. Rachel continues to receive letters from Hannah, and it is through the letters that Jenny's story unfolds. I loved how this whole book had two stories happening side by side, and told from varying perspectives. In the beginning, you wonder if the letters are a lure from an unstable person, but the more pieces that fill in, the more invested it becomes to learn the entire story behind the letters until the shocking end.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

YOU MUST READ Megan Goldin's The Night Swim, coming August 4 from St. Martin's Press!! Rachel Krall, the number one podcaster of Guilty or Not Guilty, is covering a rape trial in the small Southern town of Neapolis for the third season of her show. She has chosen to do so because she "want[s] her [listeners] to think about how rape and the threat of rape affect[s] women in a hundred different ways.". Citizens of Neapolis, like Rachel's listeners, are divided on how they view the trial. About half think that the defendant, a college student whose Olympic dreams have been cast in doubt, should be convicted, castrated, or killed. The other half think that the sex was consensual, and that the victim, a sixteen year old high school student, is lying to protect her reputation.

As Rachel prepares for the trial, she receives letters from a listener asking for her help in solving the twenty-five years old murder of her sister Jenny. Rachel begins to investigate and uncovers hidden secrets that lead to a breathtaking conclusion. Goldin treats her subject with sensitivity and style. Highly recommended. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC provided in return for this honest review. Thanks also to my GoodReDs friend Dita for recommending The Night Swim.

Megan Goldin's The Night Swim is a juxtaposition of two rape crimes that were committed 25 years apart from one another. Rachel hosts a podcast which focuses on a crime per season. In contrast, Hannah's sister is a victim of an unsolved crime that she wants Rachel to cover. The setting is coastal Neapolis where there is a huge socioeconomic divide, and the wealthy seem to be untouchable. Secrets cannot be hidden, however, regardless of your socioeconomic status.

Although a sensitive topic, Goldin handles it in a delicate manner. The characters, both the innocent victims and menacing townspeople who judge them, are well-developed. Anyone who lives in small town America can relate to the depiction of this coastal community.

If you are looking for a good mystery, this will be one you will not want to put down. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

Would have been 5 stars if chapter and speaking voices were tweaked and marked a little better with maybe a little more background on Rachael and Pete. In several places it takes a second glance to figure out who is 'doing the talking'.
Great, fast paced book with lots of twists and turns with one new event to follow and an old mystery to solve. Characters are great, setting is picturesque, and story will keep your attention. Jacket cover gives adequate information. No spoilers from me! Enjoy!
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review.The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the ARC.

What an outstanding read!

Very fast paced, clear narrative, held my interest so well, that nothing got done until I was finished reading the entire book.

Great example of a mystery thriller.

Five stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Megan Goldin has crafted an engrossing page turner of a read in The Night Swim. Well worth the read!

A compulsively unputdownable thriller about two girls from the same town who are violently raped, then disbelieved and their reputations are ruined. The incidents are separated by 25 years, but are they connected? Enter Rachel Krall, who arrives in town to cover the trial of the beloved local athlete charged with the most recent rape. Rachel isn't an investigator, nor is she a journalist in the usual sense. She's the producer of a popular true crime podcast and she's cut her teeth on getting to the real story behind the public story. An impressive cast of well-drawn characters and wide nuance of views to past history make this book a page-turner. I loved Megan Goldin's Escape Room, and I love this book too -- not only because it's a darned good thriller but also because it educates on the topic of rape. Her deft perspective allows the reader to see the vast damage done by a single ignored rape victim, destroying not just the victim, but the family and community. #netgalley

For some reason it took me awhile to get through this book, which disappointed me after reading the Escape Room in less than a day. There was something whiny about Hannah, which I know is awful to say given the subject matter, but I found myself rolling my eyes whenever she narrated. All in all though, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the advanced copy. It is always appreciated.

WOW this book was amazing! I could not put it down and I finished it in one day! Two stories, one past and one present re intertwined here to create a powerful plot with an end that I could not have predicted. Rachel has a popular podcast on true crime. For the first time she is covering a current, live trial: a star swimmer has been accused of brutally raping a high school student. Rachel sets up camp in the small town of Neapolis where the trial is just about to start. She starts receiving notes from a mysterious woman named Hannah, asking her to investigate the murder of her older sister Jenny that happened in the same town, 25 years earlier. Rachel is a little freaked out but soon starts to investigate Jenny's death as well as following and podcasting the current rape trial which is downright vicious. The book is gripping with every detail in both cases bringing the reader closer to the shocking conclusions--especially in the death of Jenny from the past. The suffering of both Hannah and Jenny in the past, and the poor 16 year old rape victim Kelly in the present are both brutal and sad. Do not miss this riveting book! Thanks so much to NG for the ARC!!!

OUT OF THE 29 BOOK CLUB participants who read the ARC, we all agree it is a MUST read for their book clubs this year! Not just on the list… but at the top of the list for the AUGUST READ!!

This book has it: a victim advocate with a voice, a victim with no voice, and a bunch of small town politics (THAT WE SEE EVEN IN BIG CITIES,) cover-ups of not just one crime, but two.

Rachel Krall hosts a crime podcast that looks into cases where justice wasn’t served, or highlights cases where justice is slipping away. While in the town of Neapolis to cover a trial against a sports star (in the small town) who being accused of rape, Rachel starts receiving letters from someone claiming to need her help in solving her sisters’ murder years before.

This HAIR-RAISING, SPINE-TINGLING, ANGER-FEST made me want to run out and start a vigilante-crime-fighting-underground-for-women-who-never-received-their-justice-organization! I won’t do it, of course, but it really raises the question of how often victims in the day of #METOO still don’t get their justice. Because let’s face it the truth is that this type of small town story plays out across the country in our headlines STILL nearly every day!

Sad, compelling, nail-biting, and unforgettable.

I also want to add, the podcast angle was genius!

Thanks St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Well written with timely commentary on criminal/rape trials and the justice system. A mystery/thriller that’s next level in terms of theme and content.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47590265

This was a great domestic thriller. Nice small town vibe with lots of twisted characters. So many twists and turns. This was hard to put down. So many secrets, passions, love and loathing. Nicely written and well executed!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rachel Krall became a star with her new true crime podcasts where she had solved a few cold cases. For season three she decided to cover a live trial. The town of Neopolis is torn apart by the rape trial of a popular and wealthy athlete. While in town for the trial Rachel receives mysterious letters begging her to solve a decades old incident. The letters begin to seem almost threatening being left on her car, sent to her hotel and hinting at the murder of a girl that official reports call an accident. When Rachel agrees to research she finds the two events converge in interesting ways. The subject of how a rape can affect a whole town is well covered. Rachel is curious and balanced, her podcasts delivered with compassion and grace. Well written, fast paced this story asks questions someone doesn't want answered.

Rachel is the host of a successful true crime podcast - her show has had two seasons and is about to record its third. The case she has chosen to take centre stage this time is a rape case that has fractured a small southern town. Rachel hopes to infiltrate this community and document the court case as it develops, asking her listeners to judge for themselves whether they believe the accusation of rape made by a local teenage girl, or whether they think the accused, a popular sports star, is innocent. Just as she prepares to delve into the nuances of this case, she is approached by a stranger, a woman who claims that her sister's death twenty years previously was actually a murder - one she wants Rachel to help solve.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, Goldin's follow-up to the excellent Escape Room. Both the present day court case and the mystery from twenty years ago were gripping and well-plotted, with enough twists to keep me guessing. The depiction of victim blaming and sexual victimisation of teenage girls was expertly done and heartbreaking. Rachel was a great narrator and the conceit of her true crime podcast was a really interesting way of making the reader feel involved.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. I absolutely loved The Escape Room - I thought it was one of the best books I read in 2019., The Night Swim is very different - The story starts with the death of a young girl - Jenny - as told by her sister Hannah. Hannah's mother died at about the same time; so she's alone in the world. And Hannah, 25 years later, wants to tell her story - she believes her sister was murdered.
Rachel is the host of a crime podcast. She's been successful telling her viewers about recent crimes and week by week tries to solve the.. Sounds like "serial" - anyway, Rachel is going down south for a rape trial - and she is committed to tell her viewers the truth. Rachel starts to receive messages from a woman asking for her to help solve a 25 year old crime - a woman by the name of Hannah. She wants Rachel's help is is determined to convince her.
Rachel investigates the small village and learns there are many secrets in this community. Soon everyone she meets is connected in one way or the other to a girl who died 25 years ago and it seems like everyone is hiding something.
3 stars - alot of description that I didn't think was necessary and/or interesting. I must say I am disappointed because I loved The Escape Room. Crime fans will like this book.

Podcast star Rachel is in Neapolis to cover the rape trial of the home town star for her series, Guilty or Not Guilty. She also becomes aware of another possible brutal crime of years ago that was covered up by the locals. The story covers the trial through Rachel's podcasts, and she investigates the older crime on her time off.l Good character development, you really disliked the bad boys in this one. Interesting!

Wow. For a book including the topic that's hard to read (i.e., rape), it captivated me from beginning to the end. Told in multiple perspectives, The Night Swim introduces you to Rachel Krall, creator of a true crime podcast. She's in a North Carolina coastal town for a rape case; however, she's persuaded to handle another case of another young woman's sad demise.

I enjoyed the podcast chapters and another character's chapters as much as Rachel's. The book flowed as both mysteries weave themselves cleanly. The quick pacing enthralled. While some moments may trigger you, the story reads as important, if you can get past some description.

I could not put this book down and I expect the same for other readers.

4/5

*Thank you, Netgalley, for the free arc!*

Comes now the newest sleuth, the true crime podcaster, and Goldin’s heroine is a familiar trope to those who were enthused by “Serial” and faithfully follow the cases and casters who’ve made the genre so popular.
Rachel Krall is our gal on the scene, a young investigator following her recent successes with a third season of her podcast “Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts you in the jury box.” She’s in a small town where a criminal trial, about to begin, has already polarized local opinion, mostly for the defendant, an Olympics-bound swimmer, a prototypical affluent golden boy, and then local girl from a police-connected family he’s charged with raping. So far, this might be a ripped-from-the-headlines story about a privileged Stanford athlete similarly accused, but Golden ups the ante with a secondary plot about a fifteen year old mystery, the drowning death of a teenage girl whose sister insists she was murdered and inveigles an initially reluctant Rachel into looking into the case. The secondary plot has the mystery the major one doesn’t; the writing is formulaic, the pacing assured, and the novel temporarily filling, which is to say it’s as good and forgettable as an episode of Law and Order.

A small town is torn apart during a rape trial of a wealthy young man/sports star who allegedly raped a high school student. Rachel, is a journalist with a podcast and this season's podcast is about this rape. At the same time, the 25th anniversary of a murder/accident is coming up in the same town and the sister of that victim wants it to be investigated. She contacts Rachel by leaving notes on her car and in her hotel which certainly gets the attention of Rachel, who feels almost stalked, but yet very curious about the death. In fact, she is so curious that she does some actions that are rather risky, including leaving the courtroom for the podcast case to search for answers for the older case. Hmmm, doesn't sound too smart in more ways than one.
It could have been better with less stupid actions by Rachel and it didn't need to be as graphic in details. Not a bad story, but not a great one, either. 2.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book really held my attention. There were 2 story lines going on within this story. The trial of a young man who has his eyes on swimming in the Olympics accused of raping a high school girl; and a young woman possibly murdered many years ago. I really didn't see the tie in coming. Definitely surprised me!
Great writing, easy to follow even though there were 2 story lines. I really enjoyed this book.