😁REVIEW😁
Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
Out 8/8/23

Thank you to @ for a netgalley of this one (and all of MG’s previous books).

Honestly, this book was an absolute page turner. Though I really enjoyed Night Swim, Dark Corners is a perfect second act for our main protagonist Rachel. The plot was had enough intensity that you needed to get to the end. The chapters that were the podcast did not interfere with the story at the fore front, but more supported how we were getting to the end. The back drop of an influencer’s conference was fun. And Joe Martinez better be in the next book with Rachel’s character. Goldin is truly an amazing thriller/suspense writer and I am HERE for whatever she writes next!

Don’t be alarmed. This is not a true sequel. You do not need to read NS to read this one, however I recommend reading all of Goldin’s backlist.
•

If you were a fan of this author’s previous thriller novel, The Night Swim, you’ll wanna get this. The true crime podcaster MC of that book, Rachel Krall, is back! This time she is trying to solve the case of a popular online influencer who has gone missing under strange circumstances that involve a man suspected of the murder of 6 women…

There was a little aspect of this that I couldn’t take seriously and was sort of silly and took away from the scare factor for me…curious to discover what other readers think of it. 😆 I also didn’t feel attached to any of the characters, unfortunately. Despite that, I still enjoyed the crime solving aspect and the author’s writing style was solid.

I enjoyed this crime thriller and think it will be great for fans of Jennifer Hillier and Karin Slaughter (but less graphic than her books typically are).

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for the review

This book deserves a place of notoriety in the breathless page turner category. I absolutely could not put it down and just had to know how it would all resolve. It was great to pick back up with Rachel Krall from The Night Swim and see more of her character development. However, do not feel like you have to read The Night Swim prior to Dark Corners. This can be thoroughly enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

I started reading this shortly before bedtime and got totally creeped out. I suggest you start reading in the daylight hours because the first couple of chapters are 👀.

Dark Corners has multiple mysteries that ultimately converge for a suspenseful and satisfying conclusion.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

This book would have been better if there were less victims. There were to many names to remember of the missing and or murdered victims. I listened to the audiobook and the best part was the podcast episodes. This gave a clear outline of what was happening in the story. Otherwise, I would have been lost.

I found this book very engaging, a common thread in Goldin's works.

A solid thriller with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. I'm not usually a fan of plots that involve podcasts or social media influencers (I guess I'm old and still can't relate to that world well), but Goldin manages to include these aspects without sinking the narrative.

Another great thriller by one of my favourite authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for a fair review.

5⭐️ Dark Corners was Megan Goldin best book yet! I loved it. She wrote a thrilling suspenseful story that held me captive. I loved The Night Swim and I was glad to see Rachel again.
True Crime is my jam and I thought MG did a really good job. Mystery and fear drove this and I was surprised a few times. It was creepy and cleverly told. I didn’t want it to end and I can’t wait for the next one. I highly recommend it. I listened to most of this and loved the audio version. The narrators were a perfect fit.
Thanks Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

This was not my cup of tea - I wasn't a fan of the writing or plot. I found a lot of the writing to be annoying and cringey but to each their own.

I need to read book one, but I read this could be a standalone. I didn't find myself confused, I just didn't like it.

Dark Corners follows podcaster, Rachel Krall (previously in The Night Swim) as she looks into the disappearance of influencer, Maddison Logan, after she visits a soon to be released prisoner, Terence Bailey. Terence was in jail for a break and enter, but is suspected of being a serial killer in the Daytona area. Rachel was summoned to the area by the FBI, but they cannot stop her from investigating this disappearance on her own. She begins to uncover secrets and she realizes no one is truly safe.

I was excited to see Rachel Krall's character come back in this book, but you do not have to have read The Night Swim to enjoy this book. I like that Rachel is a strong character who is able to stand on her own two feet, and will stop at nothing to figure out what happened. I liked how the book unfolded, peeling back the story one layer at a time. I think some of the aspects of the podcast and narrators of the chapters are lost in the physical book, but imagine it would be perfect on audio.

The chapters fast paced and short, which makes this book a quick and easy read. I kept on telling myself "just one more chapter" and then I was done! My only complaint is some of repetitiveness in the book, which made the book longer than necessary. I found some aspects of the story were spoon-fed to us, which made some plot points obvious. That said, even though I figured out much of the major "reveals" it didn't impact my enjoyment of the novel. I thought it was fast-paced, interesting and had lots of twists and turns.

If you like thrillers, or even those crime type podcasts, this may be the book for you! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

This was such an addictive read I literally listened to it in a few hours because I couldn’t put it down. I loved the format of podcast updates/episodes interwoven onto the rest of the story. I also enjoyed being back in Rachel Krall’s world and watching her help solve the case. The story kept me intrigued and guessing the whole time. I really hope there are more books coming in this series! I listened to the audiobook and the narration was so good!

Megan Goldin hit another home run with Dark Corners. I loved the first Rachel Krall story and was excited to see her character come back with a sequel. The story captivated me form the beginning and it was a quick read. Highly recommend! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

I love Rachel Krall. She’s a badass MC who we originally met in The Night Swim and now Dark Corners. When I saw Megan was coming out with another book, I instantly added it to my tbr pile.

I’m not gonna go into to much detail about the story other than that you’ll be in for a hell of a ride. This book has so many twists and turns that I never saw coming. Megan has a very intriguing writing style that I can’t get enough of. I love the true crime podcast aspect of the book and how it adds to the story itself.

I really hope this isn’t the last we get to see Rachel Krall and Joe Martinez. If you love influencer lifestyle, serial killer plot lines and true crime podcast’s then I highly recommend picking this one up on August 8th!

Thank you so much to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the e-arc!

4.5 stars! I absolutely loved Dark Corners by Megan Goldin. The Night Swim was such a great story, and I loved the idea of weaving the podcast in with the story, and Goldin does the same thing with Dark Corners. With a formula that works so well, I hope she writes more books in this series and with the same format.

Dark Corners dives into the world of influencers, missing girls, and the American justice system. I was hooked from the beginning and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this. I felt like I was in Florida watching this unfold and it truly did have me checking all the dark corners of my house. You don't have to read The Night Swim first but I think it would. This is such a fun thriller/mystery!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This is the second book in the Rachel Krall series and I actually enjoyed it more than the first. Rachel, a journalist turned true crime podcaster/crime solver is called upon to meet an inmate who is scheduled to be released from prison in the next 48 hours. Unfortunately, it appears he has his sight set on her.

I love the strong female character that is Rachel. And I thoroughly enjoyed the influencer life as a subplot. But one of my favorite things about this series is that the books are formatted into a true crime podcast, so I strongly recommend listening to the audiobook (which has great narration, BTW) so that those parts don't get lost in translation.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rounded up from 3.5
Only hours after visiting Bailey, who is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering even if he is suspected to be a serial killer, Maddison, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following disappears. Rachel is called in by the FBI to help find Maddison and figure out if her disappearance is related to Bailey in any way, going undercover as an influencer.
This is a mystery/investigation, book 2 in the Rachel Krall Series (book 1 was The Night Swim). I preferred this one to the first book in the series, but it was not a home run. I have read a few of Megan Goldin books now, and I prefer her thrillers to her mysteries. My favorite so far wear The Escape Room and Stay Awake, two page turners that will both keep you at the edge of your seat from the first page. I did like to have an insight into the influencer's world.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

What a foursome… a social media influencer, a crime podcaster, a rideshare driver, and a prisoner.

Rachel Krall was called to an investigation in Florida because one of the inmates wanted to talk to her, and the FBI hoped Rachel would find out and then head home.

Rachel found out nothing, but she didn’t head home.

Rachel stayed and decided to do investigating on her own especially because the social media influencer Maddison disappeared.

Maddison was involved in this because the prisoner had talked to her a few days before Rachel was summoned.

What was that about?

And how did the rideshare driver fit into this?

DARK CORNERS is an edge-of-your-seat thriller for readers who enjoy pairing social media with crime investigation, gruesome scenes, and shady characters.

It is a good one and one you won’t want to miss. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Rachel Krall Series #2

I was thrilled when I heard that Rachel Krall from The Night Swim would be back in book two.

This time she is on a mission to dig for information on a missing high profile influencer, Maddison. She visits Terence Bailey, who is in person and a suspected serial killer. He is also being released in a matter of days.

Rachel embarks on a risky little investigative journey on her own.

I was never fully engaged in the story and wasn't wanting to reach for it, which is a sign I couldn't connect or didn't care. I'm not a fan of the influencer vibes and this one was quite heavy on them. There were also a few turns that were overdone IMHO.

If you can suspend belief, enjoy police procedurals, interviews, and the social influencer angle, this may be one you would enjoy.

I really liked this book! The Night Swim was one of my favorite audiobooks I’ve listened to so I couldn’t wait to dive into this. I liked how this was written where we were mainly looking for a WHY not just a WHO. It was constantly making me wonder how all of these pieces of the puzzle would connect and I loved that.

I think my only complaint is the lack of the podcast in this. I LOVED that part of the previous book so I was looking forward to it but that’s really all I have to complain about.

The first Rachel Krall book, The Night Swim, was one of the first audiobooks I ever read and LOVED it.

This one was no different, with the podcast mixed in with the story plus the way the story is told is just so good that it sucks you in.

This was maybe better than the first book!! I loved the stories and how they intertwined and the ending was not what I expected at all!

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for advance copies!

I really enjoyed this sequel to Night Swim, but it also works as a standalone for those readers who haven't read the first Rachel Krall book. In Dark Corners, the FBI flies true crime podcaster Rachel to Florida to help them investigate the disappearance of a famous van-life influencer, Maddison Logan. Before Maddison disappeared, she met with inmate Terence Bailey, who is imprisoned for breaking and entering and is suspected in multiple murders. Rachel meets with Terence Bailey in prison to find out his connection to Maddison, and she also goes undercover at an influencer convention in Daytona to find out if any of Maddison's friends know what happened to her. Dark Corners is a slow-burn, complicated mystery that kept me entertained throughout--it was definitely a different plot from the usual missing person stories I've read. I also listened to part of it on audiobook, which was excellent and had the added bonus of bringing the podcast chapters to life with January Lavoy as the narrator. I hope there are more Rachel Krall mysteries in the future! Thank you to Netgalley, the author, St. Martin's Press, and Libro.fm for the librarian preview!

As with her last book, this one hooks the reader with an on trend story line. It got a bit convoluted with all the extra deaths/murders instead of focusing on the main story line but an enjoyable read.