4⭐️ 📖 Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the anticipated sequel to The Night Swim. I really enjoyed this quick read. Rachel finds herself twisted up in a race against the clock as the FBI races against the clock to prove that an inmate really did murder all the women they think he did—before he is released from prison on a lesser charge. I really enjoy the mix of “story” vs podcast narration. Ready for Rachel #3!

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 stars

I liked Dark Corners more than The Night Swim! There were differences in formatting between the two. In The Night Swim, we get chapters of Rachel’s podcast which I really enjoyed, but we don’t get that here. This story has a lot more POVs, but doesn’t distinctly say at the beginning of each chapter who it is. I did find that this drew me into the story more. I also loved the addition of the FBI Special Agent Joe Martinez. Overall I just liked the plot a lot more here!

Definitely recommend!!

I have been provided with a review copy of Dark Corners from NetGalley for an impartial review. This book was just so easy to get lost in. I completely got lost in the story and I just loved getting to see these new characters come together. I just absolutely love this story and I just didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

A solid thriller with an enjoyable main character. True crime podcaster Rachel Krall is asked by the FBI to come to Daytona Beach and speak to a prisoner in the hopes that Rachel might be able to help find a missing social media influencer. The story comes together nicely, following Rachel, a killer with an unusual physical ailment, and some unsolved murders and disappearances in the area. As the past and present weave together, Rachel ends up getting drawn into the world of influencers and the investigation until she eventually and inevitably becomes a target. Some of the dialogue felt really stilted and unnatural to me, and there was a bit of romance thrown in that was a little cringey, but I still enjoyed this fast-paced thriller, and I hope Goldin writes more books featuring the character of Rachel. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy.

4 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! First off, I know this book is being marketed as Rachel Krall #2, but reading Night Swim isn’t necessary before reading this (though it’s also a good book!) I actually enjoyed Dark Corners better, I thought it was a bit less chaotic than Night Swim, and I appreciated that there was only one POV. There wasn’t any sort of huge twist, but more of a slow burn mystery that resolved itself nicely. I definitely recommend for a nice little mystery that’s light on gore/horror.

I will never not want this series on audio. The production that went into this book and the Night Swim is beyond! So good! I feel like not only am I following the story I am there listening to a podcast. This is every true crime podcast lovers dream! Definitely recommend this one! Thank you so much to Macmillan audio and Macmillan publishers for the ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest review!

If Megan wants to continue with Rachel’s story it will be an automatic buy for me!

“Always know what you’re walking into. Dark corners can be danger points”.

Terrence Bailey is scheduled to be released from prison in a few days. The FBI have long suspected him of six murders but couldn’t tie him to it. Now, social media influencer Maddison Long visits Terrence in prison. He writes her a chilling message: “Bring Rachel Krall to me”. Hours later, Maddison disappears. Could Terrence have an accomplice on the outside? And what does podcaster Rachel Krall have to do it with any of it? FBI Agent Joe Martinez is about to find out. Though initially reluctant, once Rachel is involved she will stop at nothing to find Maddison. She goes undercover at Buzzcon, an influencer conference, and is forced to confront very real dangers lurking around the corner.

“Dark Corners” features the return of Rachel Krall from Megan Goldin’s previous book “Night Swim”. I loved “Night Swim” and was eager to be in Rachel’s world again. Through technically #2 in the Rachel Krall series, “Dark Corners” can definitely be read as a standalone. I enjoyed seeing Rachel still working on her true crime podcast, and got a kick out of the Influencer aspect - I feel seen! LOL Though initially slow to start, once this story got going I couldn’t put it down!! Told from dual viewpoints, readers see Rachel and Joe working the case while the killer is plotting a chilling revenge. I couldn’t figure out just how there people fit together and when it was revealed, I was so surprised! This book was just as great as its predecessor and I am really hoping for more Rachel Krall in the future! Thank you to Netgalley, Megan Goldin and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! “Dark Corners” releases August 8, 2023!

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

St. Martin's and MacMillan audiobook, thank you for Megan Goldin's amazing thriller. I am such a fan of this writer and this might be one of my favorites from her. I love the true crime podcast format and that readers get to return to Rachel Krall (Night Swim main character); Rachel is smart, empathetic, and strong, the perfect main character to drive this suspenseful examination of social influencer lives, murder, and the darkness of being "internet/influencer famous". I love stories that examine social media and influencer themes and in the hands of a kind of behind the scenes true crime podcast trope... oh yes please!

Goldin understands how to make a thriller work: she uses pacing well, brings in effective changes in tone/style for the podcast chapters, and drops in twists and reveals that keep the plot moving without ever feeling like the twists and reveals are out of left field (which I hate in a thriller). Part of the fun of this book is also seeing how the story comes together, how seemingly unexpected connections make sense and how reveals bring the reader into the story.

I want to say that the audiobook production, from MacMillan, is outstanding for this book. The podcast chapters sound like a true crime podcast and the narration from André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz is excellent (this book really benefits from the different narrators to really bring the podcast and thriller plot together).

I am never bored reading Megan Goldin's books and I really love that we got more of Rachel Krall. Recommended for fans of the author and for thriller fans in general. A strong recommendation for mystery and suspense fans and book clubs, I am thinking of adding this to one of my own book clubs for a change up from the usual historical and contemporary fiction reads.

NOTE, I would recommend reading Night Swim first but there are no spoilers in this book (I am just a traditionalist, I read in order as I like to see character growth, etc etc).

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: Crime podcasts, missing person, influencers

I honestly think that this one moved a lot slower than the first one. I also liked Rachel more in the first book. She seemed pretty combative for no reason in this one. That stuff aside, I did enjoy this. I thought the story was interesting. I liked trying to figure out what happened to the missing influencer and how it ties to the prisoner. I mostly just expected more action. I do recommend it!

Was a decent follow up to the first. I just couldn't get into this one. The first was the same, I'm not sure if it was the characters or the plot

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC of Dark Corners in exchange for my honest review.

“Always know what you’re walking into. Dark corners can be danger points.”

In Megan's second book featuring main character Rachel Kroll, a well known true-crime podcaster, Rachel gets lured to Florida by the FBI under false pretense. The FBI made it sound as if they were giving her an inside scoop into a case for the podcast. Instead, she's drawn into an active case- she needs to be questioned because her name came up during the investigation. Maddison Logan (#vanlife) goes missing just after visiting a prison inmate named Terrance Bailey. Right before her disappearance, Maddison leaves a voicemail for Rachel asking for her help and sounding scared. Unfortunately, Rachel's correspondence gets screened by her producers and the voicemail isn't found until after Maddison is gone. Rachel is determined to find out why Maddison reached out to her and where she went. Rachel gets caught up looking into multiple missing people and deaths throughout this story.

Looking back at this book as a whole, I did really like the overall plot and storyline. I thought that the twists were good and I liked finding out surprises about who the reader believed to be the bad guy. I enjoyed the wrap up in the end that explains what happened in the past- the night two young girls went missing- and how those girls and another main character are linked together. I thought the conclusion was satisfying and gave me the answers I needed, despite me questioning how realistic some of the aspects of the conclusion were.

The lengths Rachel went through as an investigative reporter (and not a law enforcement official) were super risky and at times, I expected her actions to compromise the case. Overall, Rachel Kroll was much less likeable in this book than she was in The Night Swim. In Dark Corners, she was constantly defensive, hard-headed, and seemed to have a chip on her shoulder towards everyone.

There were a few deaths mentioned in this book that had nothing to do with the cases the FBI were investigating. These red herrings kind of threw me off of the storyline until the causes of death were completely explained in the ending. Also, the character that smells so awful that everyone remembers meeting him and can identify him? Obviously I understand medical conditions like this exist, but I felt like for a thriller storyline it made things a bit too obvious. In my opinion, the romance that went on in this storyline was also unnecessary. Lastly, I thought there was some extra filler in the book (like a romance) that really didn't matter to the storyline.

Also, maybe it was because it was an ARC that I read on my Kindle, but it was difficult to tell which chapters are podcast episodes (or possible notes for podcast episodes) because there was no header clarifying this to the reader. I figured out the smaller font chapters are either the podcast or her personal notes, but initially I was really confused.

Dark Corners will be published on August 8th, 2023!

After loving the Night Swim, Dark Corners was one of my most anticipated summer thrillers. Unfortunately it was a bit of a let down for me.

The podcast in this isn’t seamlessly integrated to the story, I guess it’s supposed to be something recorded after the story took place and just randomly dropped in between chapters 🤷🏼‍♀️ It was hard to know that it was a podcast in the ebook bc it wasn’t marked with any information or font change and it wasn’t until I switched to audio that I understood.

I don’t know what happened to Rachel Krall from the Night Swim but Dark Corners Rachel is arrogant, stubborn and kinda rude. Her “I do what I want” attitude was annoying. I found the plot to be pretty far fetched and the POV of Thomas McCoy felt unnecessary for the majority of the book. There was an unnecessary romance that felt super forced. The dialog felt clunky and unnatural. There was too much use of names in it and no one talks like this, it’s just so awkward sounding and completely pulled me out of the story. The book also uses the full names of characters sporadically throughout, like “Joe Martinez was relieved when Rachel Krall agreed to meet with Terence Bailey.” I can only assume was a style choice by the author, but it was super distracting to me.

There is also repetitive info and phrases throughout, included the same descriptions used by two different characters a few pages apart. There were some minor plot holes and perplexing choices made by a professional journalist. The ending didn’t fully add up for me. I was invested enough to want to finish it, but was a bit let down because of how much I loved The Night Swim. I’d definitely read more by the author, but this wasn’t the book for me.

Thanks to St. Martins Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC/DRC.

Omg where I do I start with this review?!?! I LOVED IT!

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed The Night Swim, returns to search for a popular influencer who disappears after visiting a suspected serial killer.

Let me tell y’all that Megan Goldin writes my kind of “true crime” books. The characters are just creepy enough without being scary and the suspense here is chef’s kiss. Add in some mini cliffhangers and you won’t be able to put this one down. The mixed media format of a podcast is so fun and really makes the book come alive. Highly recommend the audiobook for a fully immersive story.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the E-ARC and @macmillan.audio for the ALC! Dark Corners is out 8/8/23

What was the last book that creeped you out?

I liked Rachel Krall in Night Swim, and I loved her in this. She seems to have found her footing as an investigative journalist, with gumption to spare. Joe Martinez made me suspicious from the beginning, so when she shrugged off his authority, I cheered.

Overall, this is another amazing Thriller from Megan Goldin!

This book absolutely 100% lived up to my expectations. This was such a fun thriller to listen to. It was not gripping, fast paced and exciting!
•
What I loved
• The format with the podcast was perfect and was done so well via audio
•POVs from multiple characters including the villain which I also enjoy
•The MC Rachel Kroll is such a well written character and I sure hope Megan Goldin continues with her storyline
•The twists were well delivered and solving the case along with both Rachel and the FBI was a blast

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of Dark Corners in exchange for my review.

Megan Goldin has done it again! This book kept me in suspense until the very end.

Rachelle Krall is a true crime podcast host, who is summoned by the FBI to Florida. She believes she will have exclusive access to a murder story, but when she arrives, she finds that she has become a character in the story.

Terrence Bailey has been in prison for the past six years and is days away from his release. The police believe that he is a serial killer, but have been unable to prove their suspicion. The clock is ticking to avoid another innocent victim losing their life.

This book gives the reader a peek into the ultra competitive world of social media influencers, the uneasy relationship between local police and FBI agents, and the mind of a serial killer. A great read that will keep you guessing.

2.5 stars

This was...fine. Kind of. It had potential in some ways but ultimately fell pretty flat for me.

Firstly, I'm really not sure The Night Swim needed a sequel; Rachel Krall's story was wrapped up nicely as it was. But I digress. I'm going to break this down because my thoughts are disorganized.

THE CHARACTERS: I enjoyed seeing more of Rachel's investigative nature, but overall I liked her character less in this as compared to her in The Night Swim. It seemed like the author was trying super hard to make Rachel a badass, which she already was, and in Dark Corners she came across as forced and needlessly combative.

Also, guys, in case you didn't know, Rachel is sexy. How do we know? We are told...repeatedly, Joe Martinez, the FBI agent introduced in this book, is immediately simping over her. Which, like, cool, but Kim, people are dying.

"As for the husky bedroom voice mentioned in one of the articles in the dossier, he had to admit that the reviewer had been scarily accurate..." "Rachel Krall's sexy voice had nothing on the rest of her".
Joe, I'm begging you to stop.

THE PLOT: As a whole, the story in Dark Corners was pretty good. I'd say the bones of the mystery and how it unfolded were the best part of the book. There are a lot of plot points and red herrings throughout this, and at times it was a bit hard to keep track of them all, but ultimately it all came together.

THE WRITING: I gotta be honest: I don't really notice an author's writing unless something about it particularly impresses me or particularly bothers me. In this case, it's the latter. I think the thing that most annoyed me in this was the constant and needless use of characters' full names. We know who Rachel and Joe are, there's no need to keep saying 'Rachel Krall got up.', 'Joe Martinez headed to'. It drove me crazy, not gonna lie.

Then, the writing was also palindrome-y (is that thing? no, but I'm using it because I can't think of anything else), in the sense that a sentence would start and end with the same thing, so that we were being told things twice. This happened a lot, but the example I made sure to note was "He eats his lukewarm meal in the privacy of his car and listens to the latest news updates on the car radio while he devours the burrito and fries." You already told us he's eating, no need to repeat. I definitely think this book really would've benefitted from more editing.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for giving me access to this title so that I could read and review it! All thoughts are my own.

Wow I am on a seriously good sprint of amazing thriller audiobooks.

Dark Corners might be one of my favorites of the year so far.
Thing i loved:
- Police procedural
- Multiple POV
- Serial Killer vibes
- Fast paced

Dark Corners is the second in The Rachel Krall books. I hadn’t read the first and i dont think that you would need to read them in order. I didnt find anything about this to be confusing having not read the first book.

So I absolutely loved The Night Swim and was beyond excited to get this book. And I can’t decide now which I like more. They’re very different, and I think that may be jarring for some readers but I immediately got a Kinsey Millhone vibe with this. Rachel Krall fills all the Kinsey-shaped holes in my reading heart!!

This was exciting from page one, and the killer was sickening and twisted. It also reminded me a little of Silence of the Lambs just in the way they’re tracking a killer.

Rachel is determined and independent and focused on getting answers, which is awesome. All the side characters are fun, too. I definitely see this building to a long-running series especially now that we’re attached to Joe. And I anticipate Brian and his law school experience may come into play in later books.

I really really enjoyed this and I hope there are a ton more to come. I need a character like Rachel to follow. I don’t usually do series but the first two in her series are so great that I’ll be first in line for the next one!

2.5 stars


I am a big fan of Megan Goldin but this one completely missed the mark for me. Such a huge difference between this one and all the others, which I loved. This was hard to read, felt long, boring, I didn't care about any of the characters or the story.

Hoping the next one will be better.

Thank you Netgalley or allowing me to read this book!