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.

I was excited to find out that Goldin had decided to do a Rachel Krall series. Rachel's first book that she is featured in was Night Swim. An amazing book, if you haven't read it, yet. Rachel is a podcast star and looks at the victims of crimes.

I don't know if it was just me being sick, bad sick, or the topic of this book, but I didn't enjoy it as much. This dealt with an Instagram influencer going missing. I don't get the whole thing about influencing. If the book is any indication, the people seem conceited and narcissist that influence on Instagram. Not saying they are, just that it seems that way.

Madison, an influencer, goes missing after visiting a prison inmate, Terry Bailey. Rachel's name came up during their conversation and now the FBI needs her help. She goes to Florida and is soon thrown into the whole Instagram influencer craze.

I think.some things were just outrageous. I don't really think a podcaster could figure out a point in the case before the FBI. If course, it's a book and not real. I will continue to read this series. There were personal questions left unanswered about Rachel that I would like answered in the next book.

Tentative publishing August 8, 2023

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#netgalley
#stmartinspress
#megangoldin
#darkcorners

Summoned from her home by the FBI, Rachel Krall is quickly immured in influencer culture--a lifestyle influencer, Maddison Logan, disappears hours after meeting a man suspected of killing and dumping women's bodies. Terrance Bailey is in jail, though, so who kidnapped Maddison? Can Rachel figure out what's real and what isn't in a world of people who assuredly lie for a living before she becomes the next victim?

I really really enjoyed The Night Swim. I loved the podcast aspects, I loved the twists and turns of the story. I was thrilled to see that Rachel is back, still podcasting, this time going undercover as a running influencer to try and help solve the disappearance of a fellow blogger. While the FBI and police's main suspect sits in jail, only days from getting out, who kidnapped Maddison? I really couldn't put this b0ok down, I wanted to devour it whole in one sitting, but alas, life kept me from that. I still found myself reaching for my kindle whenever I had a spare moment, because I needed to see what Rachel was up to, who the identity of the mystery woman in the swamp was, and how all of the podcast interludes fit in with the larger story.
This was a complete 180 from Goldin's last book, Stay Awake, and I'm truly enjoying her ability to tell such wildly different stories. I'm glad I continued reading her after the complete mess that The Escape Room was--I knew Goldin was an excellent storyteller, and I'm excited to see what she brings us next!

Megan Goldin is an author I always know I can count on for an excellent read so I requested a review copy of her latest thriller, Dark Corners, without even reading the synopsis. I was thrilled to start reading it and realized that it features Rachel Krall, the protagonist from The Night Swim, my favorite book from Goldin so far. Don’t worry if you haven’t read The Night Swim yet because Dark Corners works well as a standalone. That said, definitely go back and read it though because it’s fabulous!

Rachel Krall is a badass. She is a true crime podcaster who has become a household name because even though she has no experience in law enforcement and is not a detective, she has been able to solve cases that law enforcement agencies have not. Her instinctive investigative skills and her no nonsense attitude have grudgingly earned her the respect of the various agencies, including the FBI who has called her in to assist on the case that is the focus of this book.

Following Rachel as she puts together the pieces of a case was the most riveting part of The Night Swim for me and this was also the case here. It’s fascinating to see her mind at work and to follow her train of thought as she investigates. This case, which focuses on a social media influencer who goes missing after paying a visit to a serial killer in prison, was especially interesting to follow as it takes Rachel into the world of influencers and even to an influencer convention, giving a sneak peek into that world and its narcissistic nature. Golden always weaves plenty of twists and turns in her novels to build suspense and when an unexpected twist actually puts a target on Rachel’s back, I couldn’t put the book down until I knew how that was going to play out.

I read the e-book and listened to the audio version of this book and highly recommend the audio since many excerpts from Rachel’s podcast are woven into the story. While it was fine to read those excerpts on the page, the audiobook really enhanced my reading experience.

I don’t want to say anything else for fear of spoilers, but with Dark Corners, Megan Goldin has delivered another addictive and suspenseful read and I can’t wait to read more from her. I also hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Rachel Krall!

Solid thriller read about a young female social media influencer who goes missing amidst the search for a suspected serial killer. Told from three points of view, including a true crime podcaster (Rachel Krall from this author’s previous novel, The Night Swim), a police officer and the killer and interspersed with extracts from podcasts. Some good twists, red herrings, good, even pacing and an easy to read style. There is even a bit of romance and commentary on the insidiousness and negativity of social media. The ending went on for a bit too long with, to me, unnecessary details. Overall though, I really enjoyed reading this novel.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for thir complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

In Dark Corners, Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster. She built up a following by using her show to prove the innocence of convicted murderers. But even she is not ready when the FBI asks her to speak with a presumed serial killer, Terry Bailey.

Terry has only two days left of his six-year robbery sentence. Why did he ask his last visitor, Maddison Logan a now missing #vanlife vlogger, to contact Rachel? Did he use an accomplice to kidnap, or do worse, to Maddison? When Terry admits nothing to Rachel, the FBI cut off Rachel’s access to the missing person case. Intrigued, Rachel decides to investigate both the current case and the years old serial killer case. She begins by posing as a new fitness content creator at a convention of influencers because it was the last place Rachel was seen alive.

“I’ve been looking for a predator. It turns out that a predator has also been looking for me.”

The content creators’ world was unusual and fascinating. The characters, especially Rachel, felt genuine and made you root for them. Terry has a bit of a compelling backstory too. The tension of the cat and mouse chase between Rachel and the killer ratcheted up the tension from the midpoint of the book to the surprising finale.

Dark Corners is another great thriller from the author of The Escape Room. It is much better than the first book in the Rachel Krall series, The Night Swim. 5 stars!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

I really enjoyed The Night Swim, so I was so grateful to receive a gifted copy of the second book in the Rachel Krall series! Thank you SMP!🥰

I was a bit concerned that I would not remember enough from book one to understand this one, but thankfully this was not the case. Technically these can be read as standalones. But it didn't take me long to remember Rachel and her podcast.

Dark Corners follows well-known true-crime podcaster Rachel as she dives headfirst into a convoluted case of a missing influencer after being called to assist the FBI. But this case is about to become personal for Rachel, when she learns why she's being called to help.

This was really well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The twistiness, the influencer aspect, the podcast episodes all make for a unique thriller. The back and forth with the timeline did trip me up a little bit, but overall it was an entertaining read and I definitely recommend.