I really enjoyed the style and format of the Night Swim, so hearing that there was a follow up, I was very excited. Overall, I did have a fun time reading this one. I liked the general idea of this story, and following the twists to see what happened. In some spots things felt a bit obvious or silly for me. I am not a fan of romance in my thrillers, so that was a bit of a negative for me. It was good to check back in with Rachel and see where she was at with her podcast and sleuthing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy of this novel.

I just finished reading DARK CORNERS by MEGAN GOLDIN and had to chat about it.

This is the second book following Rachel Krall, a journalist & the host of the true crime podcast Guilty or Not Guilty. After only a few seasons her podcast has blown up, making Rachel a household name (think Serial). And while Rachel’s on the never-ending quest for truth and justice, she’s also happy to fly under the radar.

I absolutely loved THE NIGHT SWIM (aka Rachel Krall #1) and fell in love with Rachel's character. She's strong, determined, curious and intent on finding the truth. She also expresses empathy and a passion for solving the mysterious, while remaining impartial. Her mission is to remember the victims and be to be sure their stories are heard.

The book opens with Rachel getting a call from the FBI, who hope she can shed light on a missing person’s case in Florida. Rachel isn’t familiar with the victim, the super popular content creator/influencer Maddison Logan whose #vanlife Instagram has made her a star.

For reasons the FBI cannot figure out, Maddison paid a visit to inmate Terence Bailey, who was arrested six years earlier on a breaking and entering charge. She’s the first and only person to visit Terence and the FBI cannot find any connection between the two.

Terence is scheduled to get out of jail in a few days. But before he does, Maddison vanishes. The FBI is convinced her visit + disappearance are no coincidence. Rachel being Rachel, is committed to finding out the truth, as Maddison going missing is only the beginning in a series of unsolved cases and the catalyst for the next season of Rachel’s podcast.

The book explores the sometimes dark, and not altogether authentic side, of Influencer culture, as Rachel finds herself leveraging her podcast celebrity to help find out what happened to Maddison.

I’m such a huge fan of MEGAN GOLDIN’s writing and was so excited to jump into her latest. The book is told in alternating POVs with the podcast mixed in. I enjoyed the look at influencer culture and the found this to be a quick, page-turning read. For me Rachel did read as a slightly different character than the first book and while her mission remained the same, I did feel there were moments where she was a bit careless which felt out of character for her. In THE NIGHT SWIM she seemed to rely heavily on her gut and her instincts and those elements felt a little off in this book. That said, still a very enjoyable read and I hope to see more Rachel in the future.

DARK CORNERS picks up a few weeks after the conclusion of THE NIGHT SWIM, but for those asking, you can absolutely read this as a standalone. That said, if you haven’t already read THE NIGHT SWIM I highly recommend it as it’s one of my faves. I’ve read it twice!

Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book that features podcaster Rachel Krall is dark and delightfully sinister. Rachel is called in by the FBI to help find a missing social media influencer, Maddison Logan who disappeared after her visit with convicted felon Terence Bailey. When Rachel herself visits Bailey, she is thrown into a nightmare circle of murder involving influencers and those who stalk them. The action is fast paced and the story is chilling and compelling. I enjoyed that the author kept me guessing about who the bad guy was as well as the motivation behind their crimes. I especially enjoyed all of the research that went into the book, especially the insight into the dark web and how influencing works on social media. The characters were well-developed and dynamic, and the author did a superb job of presenting fascinating and believable characters. The story was well-crafted and multi-layered and ended up, in my opinion, being a brilliantly written and clever thriller. With some head-spinning twists and some deliberate misdirection, too, this may be my favorite thriller this year so far. I just could not put it down!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Convicted serial killer, cutthroat influencers, and a true crime podcast, oh my!

Wow, what a ride! My first read from Megan Goldin and I'm very impressed. It was just enough thriller/suspense that it kept me on my toes, but not so much that I was scared out of my mind. Dark Corners is the second book in the true crime podcaster series, but can absolutely be read as a stand-alone.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC, I really enjoyed this book!

I read The Night Swim back in 2020 and was not a fan. However, I have read most of Megan Goldin’s books and enjoyed more than I’ve disliked. I’m not sure if I just don’t like the characters in this series but this one was just fine. I did enjoy it more than the first book. Also, I feel like you could read this one without reading the first and still enjoy it.

Oh. My. Gosh.
Every once in whole a book comes along that makes you lie in bed and refuse to get up until you have read the very last page. This is one such book. I could not get enough of this book. Rachel Krall is back and better than ever. She was a little spicy in the beginning,
I don’t want to give too much away, but if you are looking for a twisty thriller, READ this book!
I have read ALL of Megan Gold in’s books and like fine wine, just just gets better and better.
Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

3.5 stars

I did not realize this was a follow-up to The Night Swim with the same main character, but it has me excited to go back and read. Rachel Krall was a smart and fun character. As a true crime podcast listener myself, I enjoyed following her story as she delves into the mystery. I liked the mix of POV from Rachel, the main detective Joe, and the villain. The villain was definitely creepy, but not as sinister as other bad characters I've read.

Terence Bailey has spent six years in prison for breaking and entering, though police believe he may be responsible for the murder of six women. Right before he is due to be released, Bailey gets a visit from Maddison Logan, a lifestyle influencer. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect it's all connected to Bailey. The FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel Krall’s help when her name becomes connected to the case. Rachel goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, to delve into the world of social media stars and influencers. Here she discovers intense rivalries and exclusive clubs. After the body of a women is found with a peculiar tattoo, the danger increases and the stakes are higher to find not only where Maddison is, but who she is.

Overall, a very intriguing thriller. I did find the ending a bit lackluster but it was an enjoyable reads. Answers were given by the end of the book, but it all came together so quickly.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I received both print and audio ARCs of this book via Netgalley. I mainly listened to the audiobook because I listened to The Night Swim prior to diving into this book and loved the narration. This follows a similar narrative but adds a male narrator in addition to the 2 female narrators. Rachel does a special report in this book versus a podcast.

You do not have to read Night Swim prior to reading this book. They are unrelated in content, but the style of the storytelling is similar. If you didn't like the way Night Swim was told, you probably won't like this as it has the same style with the special report mixed in with development of the plot. This does not feature a court room trial, so if you enjoyed that aspect it is missing here. I however really enjoyed the way the story was told, and looked forward to the special report segments. They delivered information that you didn't get from the regular chapters while summarizing information we already knew about the crime.

This installment follows Rachel as she is called in by the FBI to speak with an inmate who is about to be released from prison. Terrence Bailey is long suspected of murdering 6 women, but police were never able to prove it. They were able to get him on breaking and entering. As his release from prison looms, he receives a surprise visit from a popular influencer who then suspiciously diappears. People who know her don't think much about it as she is known to go off the grid periodically. Rachel's name popped up in their conversation, and the FBI want her to find out how she is connected to Terrence and the missing girl. Rachel's conversation with Terrence doesn't go well, prompting the FBI to think she may be in danger when he leaves prison in a few days.

Ever the investigative journalist, Rachel finds herself in the middle of the investigation for the missing girl, Maddison. In an attempt to find out more information about the missing girl, Rachel attends BuzzCon, a post influence conference that Maddison was supposed to attend. Rachel doesn't find Maddison at the conference, but she does uncover information that lead her and FBI Agent Joe to clues that they missed early on in the investigation. I don't want to spoil things, but I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. As with the previous book, I thought Goldin did a good job capturing the life of an influencer accurately in the "Instagram vs reality" conversations as well as the conversations about how cut throat and callous some influencers can be. The personas you see on the internet aren't always the real person.

This was just as entertaining as the first book, though not quite as suspenseful. I never really felt that Rachel was in real danger. I did think that the police and FBI made it way to easy for Rachel to gain access to case information. The plot is a bit predictable at times and I had some things figured out early on. Despite that, I still enjoyed the experience.

This is the second book that follows podcaster Rachel. In this book, Rachel is called in by the FBI when an inmate scrawls her name in a message to one of his visitors. That visitor has gone missing and the FBI is hoping Rachel can get some answers.

While this is the second book with Rachel, it can easily be read without reading Night Swim first.

Rachel made some stupid choices for the sake of her podcast. Like in a horror movie where you know someone shouldn’t walk into the woods but they do it anyway. But it was still another great summer thriller option that kept me turning the pages.

Dark Corners was unfortunately just okay for me. After loving the Night Swim I was very excited to jump in to this thriller. While it ended up being more of a police procedural it was still an interesting mystery. I felt like we knew very early on what the ending would be and it was just the journey of learning all the details. Rachel as a character kind of back slid and became weirdly grumpy?? She also gets a random romance sub plot that felt so forced and odd. Overall, I had wanted different things from this book than we got but I will still read anything this author puts out!

After reading/listening to The Night Swim and loving it, I knew I needed more of Rachel Krall! Podcast themed books are one of my favorites. At times I was hooked to the book and other times I just wanted a little more.

Krall is amazing sleuth detective and is always one step ahead of law enforcement. I loved that there was minor spice throughout and really enjoyed that relationship build. The ending really made the entire book and it was completely worth the read/listen!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book but it’s hard to beat The Night Swim!

***Many thanks to St Martins Press, Megan Goldin, and NetGalley for the ALC/ARC copies in turn for my honest review.

This book was great! The Night Swim was one of my favorite books I read in 2021 and this one was just as good as the first. This is the second in the Rachel Krall series about a true crime podcaster. I love the main character and the mystery is engaging and twisty!

With The Night Swim, Megan Goldin jumped to the top of my "must-Read" authors. I have since read almost all (The Girl in Kellers Way is not in Kindle form, hint hint) of her books and all are 5 Star reads. The Night Swim introduced Rachel Krall. Dark Corners is another fast-paced, suspenseful story also featuring Rachel Krall. I love this character and hope this becomes a series that continues. Rachel hosts a true-crime podcast and has helped solve cold-cases and free wrongly accused inmates. In this story, a popular influencer goes missing and Rachel goes undercover at an influencer convention to help find her. Yes, they have influencer conventions. Who knew? I really enjoyed the insiders look at both the silliness and lucrativeness of influencing. The podcast excerpts within the story are cool too. Oh yeah, there is also a serial killer on the loose and that's where Special Agent Joe Martinez comes in. While this story lacked the emotional impact of The Night Swim, it made up for that with the fun chemistry between Rachel and Joe. Again, I hope this story continues, but either way, looking forward to more from Megan Goldin!

Thank you to #NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Megan Goldin for this ARC! All opinions are my own!

This is a fast paced psychological thriller. I enjoyed the plot. Rachel is drawn into a case by the FBI. She has no idea that she’s put herself in danger. There are some twists and lots of suspense. A very enjoyable read.

When I started reading Dark Corners I wasn’t aware that this was the second book in the Rachel Krall series. Thankfully I can say there is no need to have read the previous book to enjoy this one, though I will also say if you are like me then once you finish with this one you’ll likely want to pick up that first book.
Lead character Rachel Krall does a true crime podcast and gained a major following when her investigating helped free an innocent man. Now she’s back, lured to Florida by the FBI hoping she can help them with a case. Social media influencer Maddison Logan has disappeared…only days after visiting inmate Terence Bailey in prison. Terence has been in prison for years for breaking and entering, but having served his time he’s about to be released. Only the FBI suspect he’s actually a serial killer and are hoping to find proof so they can keep him locked up. First things don’t exactly go as planned and then a body of an unidentified young woman is found and Rachel is able draw a connection to Terence, but seeing as he has been in a maximum security prison it’s not possible he killed her. Is it? Despite the FBI encouraging her to return home Rachel sticks around, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. Complex characters and a gripping well plotted story make this one a winner. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Dark Corners.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2BZ4G69KZAHPO/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Rachel Krall is back for another season of her podcast! Dark Corners is the follow up to The Night Swim and this time around, Rachel is called in when a suspected serial killer is about to be released from prison. Everything from there snowballs into an enjoyable thrill ride. Told through traditional narrative and podcast episodes, this is a great read for those who binge listen to podcasts and enjoy trying to piece together a mystery.

Remember Rachel Krall from The Night Swim? Our favorite investigative reporter/true-crime podcaster is back – this time uncovering the dark secrets of the influencer world while searching for a missing up-and-coming influencer who might be the victim of an alleged serial killer. This book has its foot on the gas from the very beginning, and yet it still has the whole book to gradually build up the tension and anticipation. It’s well paced, with plenty of clues dropped along the way, but still not enough to truly guess the outcome. I was hooked from the first chapter and kept turning pages until I was done. Rachel is still smart and savvy, knowing when to ask questions, and sees the big picture to connect the dots, but has become a little bit jaded after all she’s been through. Yet she still saw the humanity in the victims, rather than letting their tragedy define them. In my opinion, this made her more relatable. Also making her more relatable was the small thrill she found in her interactions with her FBI minder… yes, Rachel gets a little love story sideline in this one, but it plays into the overall story without being a distraction.

From my blog: Always With a Book

I was thrilled when I heard that Megan Goldin was bringing back Rachel Krall in another book. Night Swim was one of my favorite books and I had always hoped we would see Rachel again!

While this is listed as book two in the Rachel Krall series, I will say that these are connected stand-alones. You really don’t need to read Night Swim before reading this one. Of course, I do highly recommend that, but that’s just my opinion.

Once again, we have a very cleverly crafted story that kept me engaged from start to finish. There are the elements of the podcast used here – which are definitely my favorite, though I will say that these parts weren’t as frequent as they were in the previous book, which I missed and would have loved to have more of. We also have an active missing persons case and this is tied to a serial killer. Of course, I loved this aspect of the story because I am a fan of serial killer stories – not sure why, but am. And I loved how this one played out.

I love that we once again see Rachel not only doing her work as a podcaster, but also actively investigating the case. Once she gets involved with something, she is like a dog with a bone and no one and nothing is going to stop her, not even when her life is threatened. She will get the answers she wants at all costs, and I love that determination.

This book took quite a few twists and turns, and I never knew what to expect next. It is most definitely a case of nothing is what it seems on so many levels and I loved that! Once I started this one I had a hard time putting it down because I was so wrapped up in what was happening…it’s that good and that addicting! I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Rachel…I want more of her and her podcast!

After reading Night Swim years ago, I was excited to read Dark Corners and get back to Podcaster, Rachel Krall. I think I loved Rachel a bit more in this one. There was less Podcast and more detective work from her. Can Rachel become a true detective? She was amazing! One thing that I loved in this one was how it included the social media aspects and shenanigans we have today. It made the story come more to life! I also enjoyed the bit of romance within as well!

This fast-paced, mystery thriller, was it! I would love to see Rachel Krall continue on her [unofficial] detective work in a future book.

A great sequel for the main character Rachel Krall. I had really enjoyed the author's first book with this character and was excited to have another. Rachel is a likable heroine. I like her intelligence and her personality makes it easy for others to open up to her. I liked the introduction of a love interest in this one too. I loved the links between the missing influencer and the past murders. The story is well woven and builds anticipation at a good pace. I hope there will be more Rachel Krall books in the future. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.