My husband and I listened to The Night Swim on our camping road trip last week. We not only listened in the truck but listened when we normally would've been watching. It really kept our attention. In our conversations, both of us referred back to things that we heard in the story. If you're looking for a criminal podcast kind of story, this could be just the book for you.We loved the sound effects in the audio version. Very engaging!

Do you like to listen to podcasts? Particularly, true crime podcasts? If yes, then you’ll definitely want to check out The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. I was reluctant to listen at first because of the sensitive subject matter (rape and sexual assault), but must say that I was intrigued very early on. I thought that the writing was extremely well done, grabbed my attention quickly, and handled with care. I enjoyed the podcast snippets, dual perspectives, timelines, and phenomenal narrators in Goldin’s latest. January Lavoy is one of my very favorite narrators, so listening to her bring Rachel Krall’s character to life was a major plus for me. You also get two mysteries for the price of one in this novel, so that’s pretty fantastic too! Please be aware that the novel is centered around a rape trial, so there are major trigger warnings for rape and sexual assault. The content can be intense, heavy, and unsettling at times. The accused rapist is a competitive swimmer, so I thought of Chanel Miller’s memoir, Know My Name quite often while I was listening. This story is powerful, impactful, and important. Highly recommend!

Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts you in the jury box, is intricately woven into this heartbreaking, unsettling story of retribution and validation. This book is very timely and critical. Monsters come in many forms causing pain and ruining lives with no care or compassion. Will justice be served? Past and present times are merged together creating a suspenseful and heart wrenching account brought to life through a podcast searching for the truth. The audiobook pulled me in and held me captive until the shocking conclusion. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this riveting audiobook.

Rachel Krall hosts the popular true crime podcast Guilty or Not Guilty, which has made her something of a household name. As Rachel heads to the small town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial for her third season, she is contacted by the mysterious Hannah who claims that her sister was murdered in Neapolis 25 years earlier. As Rachel begins to investigate the decades-old incident and reports on the rape trial, she discovers that the town has a lot to hide. Overall, I found The Night Swim to be a nail-biter that kept me interested until the end.

A couple of Goldin's storytelling techniques didn't exactly sit right to me. I liked that Hannah and Jenny's story was told through Hannah's letters and emails, but overall it felt like a weak plot device. There wasn't much of an explanation as to why Hannah chose not to reveal herself until the very end of the book. The letters built some suspense, as we weren't sure when the next one would appear, but it really didn't make sense that Hannah remained hidden. I also felt like the character Pete served no purpose, except to do some behind the scenes research. He's not active in the plot and barely speaks, except for what's relayed by Rachel. The whole "my producer is in the hospital but he's still doing work" thing seemed odd.

The production of the audiobook was great. Certain segments of the book were written as snippets from Rachel's podcast and the audio recording included theme music and some background elements. I love when producers take advantage of the medium to make the listening experience fuller and this audiobook definitely fit the bill.

This book has been one of my most anticipated reads of the summer. I was so happy to see it as a Book of the Month pick for August 2020, and simply giddy when I was provided a review copy of the audiobook by the publisher via Netgalley, so I was able to listen along as I read. This one one that didn't have time to collect a speck of dust before I jumped into it, and living in Lubbock, Texas, that's saying something!

I really enjoyed this book. It's a mix of that mystery-suspense crime fiction and women's fiction, and for anyone this might appeal to, there's not one shred of romance. The thing that appealed to me most was the "true crime podcast" element in the story, and that did not disappoint. In the audiobook, the podcast chapters, there was music for the into and end that gave it such a realistic flare.

Our main character, Rachel, is visiting the seaside town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial for her podcast, the first season of her podcast with live coverage of a trial. Innocent or Guilty, she puts you in the jury box. Rachel was an interesting character, but one I don't feel I got to know on a deeper level despite her being the main character of the story. This was very much plot driven. But there were many other characters we do get to know pretty well over the course of the book, including Jenny Stills, a girl who was raped and murdered in the same town 25 years prior. Rachel wasn't expecting or even wanting to get sidetracked on a cold case while she was there, but once she got pulled in, she couldn't let it go.

What was really cool about this book was that early on in the book, I really didn't know who was innocent or guilty in the current trial, and i didn't know who killed Jenny stills 25 years ago until the very end. And for the latter, consider me shocked!

The only reason this is a 4 star and not a 5 star read for me was a few minor inconsistencies. For example, the trial lawyer is described early on as having a solid record for no overturned trials. Somewhere in the middle, it says there was one, and at the end again, it says there wasn't.

As for the audiobook, there were three different narrators for this story, all female. One for the regular chapters from Rachel's perspective (third person POV), one for the podcast chapters in Rachel's first person voice, and one for chapters in the POV of Hannah Stills, the sister of the murder victim Jenny Stills. All three narrators did an excellent job telling this story.

First, thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan, and The Walking Book Club for the advanced audio copy of the book.

The story follows Rachel Krall and her podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" in its 3rd season and as she and her listeners follow the rape trial of a popular swimmer who is Olympic bound and accused of rape by a 16 year old girl. During the trial, listener Hannah has been leaving letters for Rachel to help her bring justice to her sister, Jennie who died 25 years earlier. Like the rape victim in the present day, Jennie was also vilified by the town while she was being gang raped by several boys in town.

Story was well written as both the stories of what happened to Jennie 25 years ago and the outcome of the rape trial unfold. I enjoyed listening to this story as I walked. I found myself wanting to find out what had happened in both cases.

Another thing I liked is how the author addressed how we as a society treat rape victims--from telling them that they must have done something to deserve what happened to them to the revictimization that the trial puts the victim through as well as the condemnation from the community.

I loved The Escape Room, so I knew I had to read The Night Swim. It did not just not disappoint, but is making my favorites of 2020 list.

I had my own suspicions for 4 characters for Hannah's storyline. The two cases, the podcast, the objective viewer on the sidlines, Rachel’s role. The Night Swim is not an easy subject to digest, but neither are cases like Kelly's in the first place. I will be anxiously awaiting Megan Goldin's next book like so many others.

I listened to the audiobook courtesy of MacMillan Audio and the podcast chapters were SO real it sucked me right in. I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim was a wonderful suspenseful book. Rachel Is a famous from a real crime podcast She is at the trial of a rape of a 16 year old girl Edge of seat story. #netgalley.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

If you get the chance to listen to this one on audio, I would highly recommend it! It has a podcast element and is really well done.

The Night Swim is a mystery/thriller that tackles rape culture, victim blaming, and the way the US criminal justice system handles sexual assault cases. It follows Rachel Krall who runs a popular true crime podcast. For this season of the podcast, she is traveling to a small coastal town where she will report on an ongoing trial surrounding a high-school aged rape victim. Meanwhile, she also ends up investigating a possible rape and murder that occurred 25 years earlier in the same town.

Bit by bit, this unpacks rape culture, dubious consent, victim blaming, the higher risk of being poor, and how people will also blame victims for "ruining" the life of their attacker when they come forward. We also see in painful detail the problems with litigating this kind of case and the way it re-traumatizes the victim, not to mention the kinds of corruption and suppression of evidence that can occur. Especially when a victim lacks power and status.

I think this book is incredibly well-done and I always wanted to read (or listen to) more. Do be aware that it graphically addresses all of these topics and is not always an easy read. But if you can cope with it, I would recommend it wholeheartedly. I received an advance audio copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This one is full of twists and turns and so much unexpected. I had this in audio which is the best route for me and perfect! I started this and picked up the caulk and spatula and got busy and lost filling in cracks and before I knew it I was lost in this book and had ALL the holes and cracks filled in the house. (moving and painting UGH!) This thriller had me captivated. Rachel is a true crime pod cast host who found fame after her first season helped to set free an allegedly innocent man. Now she is sitting in on a rape case. While in town she is approached by a woman who's sister was murdered years ago but when Rachel starts asking questions everyone claims it was an accidental drowning. Again, twists and turns and a surprising ending! So good!! This is a new to me author but I really enjoyed this and will be checking out more from her. The narrator was perfection!

**Received this audio ARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley**

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin will haunt you, but in a good way. After my first spin with the author’s The Escape Room last year, I think I expected something similarly twisted, irreverently over-the-top and just off-the-wall insane and unpredictable when I picked this one up. But instead, what I got was a mystery-thriller that was much more introspective, resonating, and heartbreaking.

The protagonist of the book is Rachel Krall, creator and host of “Guilty or Not Guilty”, a true crime podcast that has taken the country by storm and catapulted her name to instant fame. In spite of that though, Rachel tries to keep a low profile, avoiding public appearances and having her photo in the media. Which is why, upon her arrival in the small town of Neapolis, she is surprised to find she is recognized, by someone who leaves an anonymous letter on her car windshield, begging Rachel to use her podcast to help.

Having come to Neapolis to report on a notorious rape trial that has received national attention, Rachel nevertheless becomes intrigued by the mysterious note’s author and contents. While everyone in town is focused on the trial involving local college student and swim prodigy Scott Blair and his alleged rape of a teenage girl, Rachel begins doing another investigation of her own, unable to ignore the desperate pleas of the anonymous notes that just keep on coming. Further research leads her to the case of another sexual assault victim named Jenny Stills, whose body was found off the Neapolis pier twenty-five years ago. Although the police reports all say cause of death was accidental drowning, the writer of the notes who claims to be Jenny’s younger sister insists that she was murdered.

As the present timeline continues forward chronicling Rachel’s coverage of the Scott Blair trial, another perspective provided by Jenny’s sister through her letters gives us a look back into the events of the past. In this way, the traumatic experiences of two abused young women, separated by a quarter of a century, are revealed to us through Rachel’s tireless investigations on both cases, which also uncovers startling parallels and more difficult questions. After both the prosecution and defense teams finish laying out their convincing arguments in the courtroom, what will be the verdict? And while many in town still remember Jenny Stills, why are they all so reluctant to talk about her? Finally, who is Jenny’s sister, and why won’t she agree to meet Rachel face-to-face?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Night Swim, a novel that is one-part mystery and one-part court drama, with a slight bit of thriller thrown in. As I said, the story felt very different from my one and only other experience with Goldin’s work, the completely ridiculous yet entertaining romp that was The Escape Room. While my enjoyment of that book was entirely predicated on my ability to suspend my disbelief, this one, in contrast, did not exhibit the same kind of cheeky, throwaway quality. And whereas The Escape Room succeeded because you were never mean to take the premise all that seriously, The Night Swim on the other hand is deadly serious, tackling themes that are darker, heavier, and meant to stay with you for a long time.

After all, few topics are more timely or relevant in today’s society than some of the ones addressed in this book. Foremost of these is the subject of rape and the silent suffering of victims, particularly those who are young and vulnerable, singled out for discreditation and powerless to speak out against their abusers. It is heavily implied the only reason there even is a trial in Neapolis is because the victim’s grandfather was the chief of police, and the sentiment is split regarding the accused, who is the town darling and an Olympic hopeful. Meanwhile, despite privacy laws protecting minors, everyone knows the identity of the victim is Kelly Moore. There are no secrets in a small town, but plenty of gossip and rumor, and readers know with a dread that no matter the jury decides, a young girl’s life is going to be destroyed forever.

I also liked the character of Rachel Krall, who is motivated by the search for truth as well as a genuine desire to help others. At first, believing she had failed someone in overlooking her previous requests for help, Rachel is driven by a sense of responsibility, but then becomes more and more entrenched in the mystery surrounding the circumstances of Jenny’s death as more information comes to light. All I can say is my heart broke for the Stills girls, and there are things in this book that will leave you feeling raw from the inside out.
The thrills are actually quite minimal, mostly coming into play in the end. In general though, I would classify The Night Swim as more of a mystery with a good dose of gripping courtroom trial-related suspense. There are some surprises, but ultimately what this book delivers is an unflinchingly searing look into the way many rape cases are perceived. All told, Megan Goldin has created this emotional crime thriller from the seamless integration of two stories separated by a generation, and at its heart is a determined heroine who ties it all together.

Audiobook Comments: The Night Swim was a fantastic listen, especially with some chapters that are told as Rachel’s reporting through her podcasts or the letters that are written to her. The way they are presented are very immersive and realistic. Amazing performances were also delivered by the narrating team of Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz.

This book was awesome!! If you haven’t picked your August Book of the Month, you should get this!! The audiobook was also really good - the different voices really helped keep the story moving and clear. Thanks netgalley & macmillan audio for this audiobook!

The Night Swim follows a fictional true-crime podcaster sitting in on a rape trial for her current podcast season. While working on the current case, she uncovers information about a death that happened 25 years prior in the same town. The connections between the two cases are so interesting and I love how podcast episodes were intertwined in the storytelling. If you like true crime or podcasts like Serial, you should read The Night Swim!!

I thought I was reading just another mystery, which I was, but its more than that. On the surface, the reader thinks they are reading a story about a true crime podcaster who is in North Carolina to follow the rape trial of a well-known Olympic-hopeful swimmer, but there is another story. A story of a woman who wants Rachel, the podcaster, to help her solve the mystery of her sister’s death 25 years ago. Told in two voices, it is Rachel’s firsthand account of what is happening along with the podcast of the trial, in which she is vocal about the stress put on rape victims when testifying. It moves back and forth in time, as Jenny Stills sister, tells the 25-year old story of her sister’s supposed drowning. I listened to the audio version of the book. With three distinct voices, Rachel, the podcast, and Jenny Stills sister, it increased the enjoyment of the book—to the point that I neglected dinner to find out how the book ended.

What a fantastic book! I almost didn't request this one, because of a string of meh thrillers I'd read in a row, but I kept hearing how fantastic this book was, so I decided to give it a chance. I'm so glad I did. Rachel runs a true crime podcast that has her traveling to a small coastal town where a champion swimmer is on trial for the rape of a teenage girl. Once Rachel arrives, though, she starts getting letters from a woman named Hannah who asks for help solving the murder of her sister who died nearly 30 years before. As Hannah's story unfolds, so does the modern-day court case that Rachel is covering for her podcast, and more and more, it's seeming like the two may be linked.

I could not stop listening to this. The audio was fantastic, and I would highly recommend that format for this book. Rachel was a smart, compassionate character who made for a great protagonist. I would read another book with her as the lead in a heartbeat. I also thought that the subject matter was handled very delicately, but unflinchingly. I appreciated that the author didn't get too graphic in her descriptions, but that we as the reader were still aware of how horrendous these crimes were. I thought the subtle explorations of rape culture and the emotional trauma of going to court were also handled really well and believably.

The mystery surrounding the death of Hannah's sister also unfolded in an edge-of-your-seat kind of way. And the way the two stories tied together was brilliant. The writing was strong, the plotting superb, and the motivations of each character were spot-on. Megan Goldin definitely has a new reader in me!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the audio copy of this book.

The Night Swim: A Novel By Megan Goldin
The week of August, 4th brings readers two Adult Thrillers that tackle women's issues in page-turning fashion. First, Megan Goldin's The Night Swim A Novel delves into rape, classism, and the perceptions that society tags onto people. Second, The First to Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan takes on the Pharmaceutical Industry, infertility, and wealth in an insane Adult Psychological Thriller that I will be reviewing shortly. In both instances, the issues at the crux of the stories never drag down the plot or become preachy.
Unlike The First To Lie, The Night Swim leans more to the Detective/Women's Sleuth genre, riding the true-crime podcast trend. That is just a matter of preference, in sub-genre. Megan Goldin writes The Night Swim from two points of view, Rachel, the host of Guilty or Not Guilty, Hannah (we'll talk more about her later), and then episodes of Guilty or Not Guilty are interspersed in between. Megan
Goldin's format keeps The Night Swim moving at a fast clip, along with keeping readers on their toes. You don't feel like you have solid ground under your feet, which creates more suspense throughout the novel.
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The Night Swim: A Novel By Megan Goldin: Our First Adult Thriller Buddy Read
<Sentimental Moment> Becky and are having our first Adult Thriller moment! But not our last as I'm so excited to report that we will buddy read Ruth Ware's next thriller One By One!!! And thank the book fairies because I can't do that alone, again. BAH! Here is Becky's review of The Night Swim, which is both fantastic, concise <ahem unlike mine> and has a synopsis, should you need one. We also agreed on well, everything?
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The Night Swim: Social Themes
Megan Goldin's The Night Swim A Novel excels where many Adult Thrillers, whether they fall under detective, psychological thrillers, or other sub-genres, is in its handling of social themes. As with The Split by S.J. Bolton, Goldin doesn't just use them as plot devices. Instead, Goldin gets into the nitty-gritty of each and explores their ramifications thoughtfully, fearlessly, and purposefully. Furthermore, the themes Goldin has chosen to approach in The Night Swim are relevant, sensitive, and complicated. So, let's break them down, eh?
Rape- what is so impressive about the way Megan Goldin handles not just the physical act of rape (and yes, please keep this in mind if you choose to read The Night Swim) is how she handles the aftermath. She depicts both the victim and the accused, throughout the trial, very honestly. It leaves the reader to contemplate what happens if the accused is innocent. If the victim was raped but unintentionally implicates the wrong person, what is the cascading cost to that person's life? To both lives? The victim then does not know who raped them, and the defendant has to live with that accusation for the rest of their life.


Thank you to St. Martin's Press for a Hardcopy ARC and St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an Advance Audiobook for an honest review.
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The burden of proof lives and dies with the victim. The horrors a victim must jump through to build a case, let alone convict the accused, are depicted in devastating detail. I do not care how many times you have heard the term "rape kit" (unless you have experienced it or otherwise administered one), reading the details of what goes into what it entails was disturbing.
The body of a sexual assault victim is a crime scene, "said Nurse Rice. "It's my job to... methodically collecting evidence in a way that preserves the chain of custody and reduces cross-contamination."
Nurse Rice explained how the victim's clothes were put into evidence bags... "...examine every inch of the victim, from the tip of her head to her toes. We document each bruise, scratch, and abrasion. We remove any foreign pubic hairs, semen, fibers. Anything we find. And we take swabs and samples of the victim's own pubic hairs for comparison purposes.
"If the victim agrees... we use a camera called a colposcope to photograph internal injuries. Lacerations on the genitals. Anything that might be evidence of a sexual assault."
I wish I could say that was all, but there is more to it. From there, the victim also has to relive the entire experience by testifying on the stand. If she doesn't, there isn't a case. Meanwhile, the defendant shows up every day. It is the constant reliving of a nightmare for months if not longer that will already haunt you for a lifetime.
Classism and reputations are also addressed in The Night Swim. Megan Goldin does a fantastic job connecting how your social status correlates to perception and the worth of your life. When cases such as these rip families, towns, and even the country apart. Often, the social status, the perceived social activities of the victim, and the power of the defendant's family can choose the outcome of the case more readily than its reality. The Night Swim interweaves this truth within the crime committed 25-years ago and present-day, flawlessly.
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The Night Swim A Novel: Structure
Megan Goldin rides the trend of true crime podcasts, giving her main character, Rachel, Guilty, or Not Guilty. While this is a trend for the sub-genre, it is my first experience with true crime podcasts. Sprinkling podcast episodes throughout the book might be typical. I loved how Goldin utilized it. Having Rachel's actual point of view, interactions, and inner-dialogue/conflicts and then seeing how that filtered through to her podcast was insightful.
The wrench that Goldin brilliantly adds to the piece is social media. I love how twitter blows up on Rachel and her podcast. Again, it is another way of showing both sides of the trial, before the truth comes to light. No matter what or who you decide to believe, Rachel sticks to providing a balanced story on her podcast. Neither those who think the victim nor those who think the defendant will let her get away with it. Hearing the ugliness, we all know exists on social media, played out, is jarring and done realistically.
Along with Rachel's point of view and the podcasts, we have Hannah's point of view. Hannah begins writing letters to Rachel while she is in Hannah's hometown, covering a rape case. Twenty-five years ago, her sister Jenny died, after she went swimming at night by a jetty and hit her head.
The police ruled Jenny's death an accident, but Hannah insists she witnessed everything that happened that night. And Rachel is the only one that can help her bring the truth to light.
When you bring all of this together, it is a bullet train of mystery, action, and suspense.
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The Night Swim A Novel: No Spoilers- The End... Meh
Becky and I agreed that this is where The Night Swim lost its steam. It was anti-climatic and predictable in yes, the actual predictable way. It wasn't predictable in the good way, where we had tidbits that we could pick up on but anti-climactic, could have been much better predictable.
There were so many ways that I wanted The Night Swim to do and be better. Megan Goldin attacked so many social themes with bravery that I wanted the end to be brave. With two massive crimes, you have the chance to do so much. I will not say more than that because of spoilers.
Also, the odd thing? Goldin did leave A LOT of clues and exciting things that I connected the dots on throughout the town's 25-year history. Things that Becky and I discussed and got us excited. If those things had been a part of the ending? That would have been awesome. That would have been the right kind of predictable. None of that had anything to do with anything. And that had us kind of like... well what was the point of any of it?
It was a shame that all these social themes never became preach, never took anything away from the suspense or entertainment of the story throughout the plot, but then had the ending just fall flat. But I think it is still worth the read, as many will probably enjoy it, even the end. And again, the social themes are worth it, in itself.
Plus, with such a likable main character and the ending? I am wondering if this might be the set-up to a series. And I would read the next installment.

This was a fantastic thriller. Alternating between a crime in the present and a crime in the past. I was hooked from the beginning. A well written mystery with strong characters, I highly recommend. The ending didn’t disappoint. The audio was fantastic and enhanced the story.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. After seeing so many rave reviews about this book, I went in with high expectations. Ultimately I was a little let down. I was hoping for a fun, twisty thriller but was met with more of a court room drama. I listened to the audio book and I really liked how Rachel's podcasts parts, actually sounded as if I were listening to a podcast... intro/outro music and all. This book can be very triggering as it deals with the topic of rape. The author does do a great job at handling it in a respectful way. I would definitely recommend this one if you do like slow burn drama. The audio was really good!

The Night Swim
Megan Goldin

Goldin’s excellent new thriller The Night Swim is a timely tale about long buried secrets with Pandora’s box consequences. Set in a small coastal town that has grown exponentially in the time between the current and twenty-five-year old cold case where the backdrops are both breathtaking and treacherous and most of the characters are not what they seem. The main protagonist Rachel is very genuine and likeable and her podcaster role is brilliant and timely, while Hannah her costar is a heartbreaking enigma. The story is fast paced but about halfway through Goldin’s brilliance explodes as she weaves her diabolical twists and turns giving the audience a bad case of whiplash and picking their jaws off the floor by “the end”. If you love a good mystery that isn’t easy to figure out and characters who will stay with you long after the read is over are fans of Hank Phillipi Ryan or JT Ellison then The Night Swim needs to be on your shelf.

NARRATION:
The Macmillan audio version of the book is definitely the way to go, the narrators Bailey Carr, January LaVoy & Samantha Desz are wonderful. January makes a very impressive Rachel but each narrator fits their roles perfectly and puts just the right amount of feelings in just the right places making it hard to remove those earbuds.

Journalist and host of the successful true crime podcast Guilty or Not Guilty Rachel Krall has decided to shake things up for season three. She will be covering a live rape case being tried in the small coastal town of Neapolis. The accused is an Olympic swimming hopeful and his accuser is the sixteen-year-old granddaughter of the town’s legendary Police Chief. Rachel knows the case has split the town in two but she’s determined to cover the case objectively. But before the trial even begins Rachel starts receiving cryptic letters from Hannah, the younger sister of Jenny Stills, a girl who drowned tragically twenty five years earlier, only Hannah insists Jenny’s death was a murder not an accident like was reported all those years ago and she’s begging Rachel to help her finally uncover the truth. Rachel has to admit that Hannah has peaked her interest so in between covering the trial Rachel starts investigating Jenny’s death. What she finds is a case that was never handled correctly and a town who have short memories about what really happened the night Jenny died.

Rachel Krall is in Neapolis,NC to cover a rape trial for season 3 of her successful podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty. She stops at an out of the way diner and returns to her car to find a note addressed to her on the windshield. The note is from a girl named Hannah wanting Rachel to investigate the death of her sister Jenny years earlier. The book is written in alternating chapters by Hannah and Rachel, with some of Rachel's chapters being from her podcast tape. Even in the audiobook there was no confusion as to who was talking. The beginning of each chapter has the speaker identified but the voices are unique so there would be no confusion even if there was no identification. The episodes of the podcast were well identified with music. The narrators did an excellent job with the characters. Bailey Carr sounds troubled as Hannah, January LaVoy has a well moderated conversational style as Rachel with her emotions evident, and Samantha Desz sounds very professional in the podcasts. As the trial of the famous young local athlete accused of raping the granddaughter of the chief of police begins and the letters continue, the past seems to connect to the present. Most of the book concerns the trial and may be to some an exhaustive courtroom trial. I enjoyed this because there was a lot of background on rape trials and what the victim goes through and clear explanations of the procedures. This is a timely topic handled well by the author and the book shows the difference between neatly wrapped up TV trials (i.e.SVU) and reality. It sets the stage nicely for the connection between past and present and the unexpected and exciting conclusion. This is the first book of Megan Goldin's that I have read but it will not be the last. Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to listen and review this book.

4.5⭐
Summary
“This is Rachel Krall on Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts YOU in the jury box.”

Rachel's podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, became an overnight sensation when she found evidence to set an innocent man free. With pressure to make season 3 the best yet, Rachel heads to small town Neapolis to cover a devastating rape trial that has rocked the city. The town is divided when the local golden boy, and potential Olympic swimmer, is arrested for the rape of a high school student. On top of the trial, Rachel begins to receive frightening letters from a woman named Hannah begging her for help.
"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."

Overview
➸ POV: 1st Person, Rachel's POV, Hannah's letters, and Guilty or Not Guilty Podcast segments

➸ Rachel Krall: Host of the true crime podcast Guilty or not Guilty, Covering a rape trial in Nepalis

➸ Hannah Stills: Writes letters to Rachel, Sister Jenny was killed at 16, Adopted and left Nepalis after her family passed away

➸ Content Warnings: Murder, Rape, Victim Blaming, Graphic & detailed depictions of sexual assault, Cancer, Suicide, Death, Adoption, Sexism, Drunk driving

My Thoughts
Wow.... This book completely blew me away. I had heard amazing things about this author and the podcast element to this story intrigued me. I had no idea this would become a new favorite mystery/thriller!

First of all, if you are able to access it, I cannot recommend the audiobook enough. This has multiple narrators as well as music for the podcast portions. The audio for this worked so well for this story and really brought it to life. I was completely immersed in this story and finished all 10 hours in 2 sittings.

“To tell you the truth, I don't get how we can almost unanimously agree that murder is wrong, yet when it comes to rape some people still see shades of gray.”


This book is extremely heavy. This deals with so many difficult topics and really highlights the horrors of rape culture and victim blaming. There were definitely many moments that were difficult to read and stomach. So make sure to check out TWs before going into this one! It does not shy away from graphic details. But I also learned a lot about trials and how damaging they can be for victims. Not only was this an amazing thriller, but it has an extremely poignant and important message as well.

I loved watching these two threads unfold and come together. While I didn't find the final reveal to be especially surprising, it was so well written and paced that it honestly didn't matter. I was still blown away by the execution. I loved the format - between Rachel's POV, Hannah's epistolary chapters, and the podcast elements. It was such a unique and effect style. And it brought a lot to the story! Nothing ever felt info dumpy because we were learning everything right along with the characters.

Overall this mystery blew me away. It was an immersive and chilling read that I won't soon forget. I highly recommend checking this out immediately!