A favorite author since I read her early books, Megan Goldin’s newest novel Dark Corners doesn’t disappoint. This book brings back Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster of the excellent book, Night Swim which I loved and highly recommend. Megan is an excellent writer and whatever she writes, I will read.

In Dark Corners, Maddison Logan (@JustMaddie) a popular social media Influencer goes missing after visiting an inmate in prison, and suddenly she disappears. The FBI calls Rachel for help who then goes undercover to find out what happened to Maddison.

I liked this book, I love Megan’s writing but there was something missing for me that her other books had. I can’t put my finger on it. That being said, still a good read.

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his release date approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? And why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel Krall’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems to only exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail—identical to a tattoo Rachel had seen on Bailey’s hand—the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krall herself. Suddenly the target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Out on August 8.

The book started off strong. I was very excited for the return of Rachel. The first chapter had me wanting more, however once we got to the chapters with Thomas, it totally gave away who did it. That took away the suspense for me as it just became a waiting game for everyone to find out. Overall it was a good book and Rachel was quite sassy in this one, but for me it wasn’t as good as the first which took the score down. I would recommend it though as it is a quick, fun read

This was my first Megan Goldin read and I enjoyed it!
What I liked: I enjoyed the multiple POV’s that the chapters were divided into. I especially love reading from the killer’s perspective and not knowing how they were going to be connected until the end! I liked the main character, Rachel, and how she’s not easily intimidated/scared. The writing was medium-paced and easy to read!
I also loved the unique “body-odor condition” of the killer! That was such an interesting identifier!

What I didn’t like: I felt there were minor things that became repetitive. For example, there’s a chapter or two where Rachel mentions she doesn’t like social media, doesn’t want to put herself online, doesn’t know much about social media, etc.
There was also an entire separate storyline/murder that had nothing to do with the plot. I felt like it was a waste of time when I realized it wasn’t really connected.
After the big plot twist was revealed, there were so many little mysteries/questions that just ended up getting a rushed explanation at the end that felt odd. Like the author wanted to wrap the story up with a pretty bow so she through in a bunch of explanations for all of the little plot holes that seemed more so an afterthought.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and will read the other book that Rachel Krall is in!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

This was an interesting read that brought the modern intrigue around true crime podcasts to the center, paired with the timeless interests humans have always had in the macabre proclivities of other humans.

I found the character development to be a little forced, but I wasn’t sure if that was the writing or my uncertainties about how an influencer could exist outside of the digital world. It seemed almost too convenient to have the influencer isolated, so that additional storylines didn’t have to weigh down the story, but it left more questions to be answered.

Loved this book! I like the Rachel Krall series too. We need another book! I really enjoy this author, so I knew this book would be good. I liked the premise & the twists. I actually didn’t guess who Maddison was until the end. This was also a unique plot. Will post a video review soon

Rachel is back, this time helping the FBI in advance of a prisoner being released from his 6 year sentence. Add in a social media influencer convention and unsolved murders, and you have a pretty good novel. There were a lot of names to keep straight and one ‘mystery’ that I figured out right away, but overall the unfolding of the major plot was done well. The chapters are short enough to keep you engaged and the podcast was interspersed in increments to help fill in the gaps.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

Thanks to Netalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ebook and audiobook arcs of this novel. I loved being able to listen, because the podcast element to this book is so nicely done on audio and the narrators do a great job. I enjoyed seeing Rachel back working on another case, although you do have to suspend some belief in parts of the story. I also could do without romance in my thrillers... but that's just me!

As a huge fan of The Night Swim, I was excited to read this book. I will say from the beginning of this book, it caught my attention. I liked the characters and the tone. I enjoyed the part of social media although I can understand this trope is not everyone's favorite thing. Overall, Rachel is a character I really liked. I think that Goldin handled the storyline really well, and showed more of Rachel's depth. I enjoyed the suspense and the journey we went on to come to the conclusion.

I am loving this series! Rachel Krall is at it again. As a true crime podcaster, after being lured in by the FBI, she investigates the murders Terrance Bailey is being accused of, as well as the disappearance of a well-known influencer, and things begin to take a dangerous turn.

Megan Goldin sure knows how to weave an intricate plot. Once again, I found myself captivated in this complex story of murder, suspense, secrets, and danger. I did; however, really miss listening to Rachel’s podcast. That was what really drew me in to the first book. I really enjoyed Rachel and FBI agent Joe Martinez’s spark and I hope this continues on in future stories and we see something develop there.

Great suspenseful story with good twists and a captivating plot. I can’t wait to see what Rachel ends up investigating next!

Ripped through this one quickly. It’s well written and hard to put down. Kind of a lot of red herrings.. which was kind of annoying. But overall I enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this book. I've read Megan Goldin before and have always been impressed with her writing.
Megan draws the reader in on a wild ride and then leaves them feeling out of breath. Once again, she surprised me at the end. I gave my arc to my sister to read while she is on vacation. I can't wait to hear what she has to say.
Readers of B. A. Paris will love this book!

Short synopsis: True crime podcaster Rachel Krall is back investigating a missing social media influencer.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed Night Swim so I was excited to see book 2 come out. My favorite thing in these is the little podcast snippets Interwoven throughout the book, especially on audio!

This was a quick read with some fun points of view: Rachel, the FBI agent in charge of the case, and a hired car driver. We are able to suspect someone pretty early on, but don’t realize the extent of their involvement until the last little bit of the story. I didn’t expect that at the end!

I also liked the social media aspect of it, and the lengths some people will go to for fame and notoriety. Also, the book community is the best community; book lovers are so friendly overall and I just love my book friends!

Read if you love:
* Podcasts
* True crime stories
* Investigations
* Social media
* Short chapters
* Multiple POV

Like Night Swim, I absolutely loved this novel! It was so well written and thought out. I loved the deep dive into the lives of “Influencers” and just how ridiculous and fake it all is. I’ve seen it first hand, and know to many people who live or try to live this lifestyle and it’s all just smoke and mirrors. Megan’s character, Rachel Krall is very believable. I can’t wait to red the next installment of this series.

True-crime podcaster Rachel Krall is back in Megan Goldin's new book, Dark Corners.

"Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison. Police have long suspected him of killing six missing women. When influencer Maddison Logan goes missing after visiting Bailey, they wonder if he has an accomplice on the outside. The FBI asks Rachel to help find Maddison. She goes undercover at Buzzcon, an influencer event, hoping to find any information about Maddison. She discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned deadly."

This is a compelling fast-paced narrative from Goldin. There are some interesting observations about Lifestyle Influencers and what that even looks like. (Probably not what you think) There is a lot of misdirection and red-herrings - Goldin keeps you guessing.
Rachel Krall is a little more assertive in this book - it's always good to see characters grow and change.
Like last year's hit, Goldin uses an uncommon condition as a plot device. I've heard of it, but never been around someone that has it.

There are surprising twists and the ending is wild. Definitely a book that thriller lovers will want to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book!

I really enjoyed <i>The Night Swim</i>, the first book in this...series? I presume? But <i>Dark Corners</i> was a bit of a let down.

The novel picks up with Rachel after the events of the first book. Trying to enjoy some time off, she's brought to Florida because her name has been brought up in a missing persons case that is also tied to a suspected serial killer getting out of jail in a couple days. Rachel joins forces with the FBI to find the missing influencer before the suspected killer gets out of jail.

I didn't really mind the plot of this novel. I do think that the conversation around influencing and influencers was a bit one-sided and felt a bit like it had an agenda that all influencing is negative and narcissistic. There was also a lot of explaining about the influencer world that I just didn't think the book needed. Like, most people know what brand deals are?

Which gets into my biggest critique of the novel, which is the writing. Where was the editor? This book is so repetitive. Things are repeated two or three times as if the reader hadn't just read them. Like, yes I understood the first time, you don't need to tell me again. This would be in both the same character's POV, as well as when the POV changes--the POV would rehash what we just learned from the previous POV, which isn't necessary. It made the novel feel so long and so redundant. I also would love to know why we kept using people's government names. Example: "Joe Martinez and Rachel Krall walked into the room..." Like you can just say Martinez and Rachel, it's okay. I know who you mean.

I also didn't love that we had POVs from two other characters. I don't remember <i>The Night Swim</i> having more than the POV of Rachel and the podcast, but maybe there were. In this case, it felt like the podcast element was pushed to the wayside to instead give us the POV of the detective, which...I didn't care about.

Overall, this didn't work for me. I'm unsure if I'll continue with the series because the past two Goldin books I've read haven't worked for me writing wise. We may have to part ways.

I was excited to receive an ARC of this book and go on another journey with Rachel Krall.
However, the book starts out about Maddison, a social media influencer, that goes missing after interviewing an inmate accused of being a serial killer. The FBI then calls in Rachel to assist on the case and once she agrees she is in for way more than she thought.

The book alternates POV’s between Rachel, the FBI agent, and the serial killer (always interesting to get the sinister thoughts of the serial killer involved).

This book is very on trend with the social media influencer phenomenon going on right now, but I felt that aspect was WAY overdone and drawn out to some eye rolling moments. This book also took quite some time to get invested in and while I found it interesting it just didn’t fulfill my expectations. The ending to me fell flat and didn’t give me that gasp moment. The twists were over the top and overall it lacked the depth I wanted from this story and author because I know she is exceptional. This is just my personal opinion, but I am not a huge fan of throwing a little romance into these thrillers because in this case it got a bit all over the place and distracting. It was still an interesting read and wouldn’t deter anyone from giving a read of their own.

I wanted to thank Megan Goldin, Netgalley, and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this second in the series following Rachel Krall, podcaster and investigative journalist. The setting and social media context were interesting and felt really relevant to our times. It was pretty crazy! The pacing and writing were definitely moving things along really quickly with some interesting twists. I will be looking out for book 3 in the future. I definitely recommend this series to thriller readers.

So I loved night swim the first book on this series and this book did not disappoint
I love seeing Rachel’s character learn more and investigate everything

I will say idk why but I wanted more at the end but the twists and turns kept me going

Twisty, riveting and I just could not stop reading until I was done!

Just like the previous book I enjoyed the podcast elements of this book. It would be a good one to consume as an audiobook if you like them. This time Rachel is not an observer, but she is right in the middle of the case. It was a change from the last book and I enjoyed it. The peek into the world of social media influencers was interesting and timely.

I thought I knew what was going on in the book, but it turned out that I was wrong. So wrong. I loved how everything connected at the end.

4/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book.

This was a fast paced story with great characters and unexpected twists. This one really held my interest. I read it straight through in less than a day. This is the first Megan Goldin book that I've read but it won't be the last. Highly recommended.