I def had some issues with the story. I didn’t love the influencer-con premise, and found all the details revealed to Rachel, a stranger, too convenient. And I could pretty much put all the pieces together early on. I’m annoyed at the things Rachel missed that should have been obvious. But all that being said.. I still enjoyed it. It’s a quick, satisfying mystery.

I was so excited to be offered a @netgalley copy of Dark Corners by Megan Golden. I’m always anticipating a new release from her every summer.

Dark Corners follows the same podcaster from The Night Swim. This time Rachel is being brought into a case by the FBI. They have a criminal who is about to get out of jail. He hasn’t had any visitors until recently when another influencer came to see him. She’s told to find Rachel Krall. The FBI think he’s still dangerous so they want to know why he’s asking for her and what the connection is. The influencer has since gone missing and they are looking for answers in anyway possible.

❤️Review❤️

Megan Goldin always finds a way to keep me on my toes. I spent a decent amount of the beginning confused. I had a harder time connecting and immersing myself into the story. This scared me because normally I’m sucked in from page one and can’t put it down. It worried me that I was going to dnf it and then something finally clicked and it was the typical thriller that I know and love from her. The chase for answers was on and I couldn’t wait to see how it ended. The twist was worth it and it saved my experience reading this book. Now the torture to wait for her next release next year.

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Hoooooweeee. That was quite an enjoyable ride. Another Megan Goldin page turner. After the first few chapters, I could not put it down. Hints were dangled along the way, and I picked up on some but not all.

Rachel Krall is called to Daytona when her name is uttered on camera by a convict. She doesn’t know the man, nor the person he was speaking to. But she’s known for her podcast so people know her. She gets roped in to help with a missing person case and stays in town as things get more sketchy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

In Dark Corners, Rachel Krall is just back from her escapades in The Night Swim (book one), when she's roped into yet another strange disappearance. A woman has vanished from her RV, and there's a possible link to a convicted felon, who is asking for Rachel by name. Meanwhile, a luxury influencer convention is taking place nearby, and there's a hot FBI agent and a dead body or two thrown in the mix.

I wasn't as impressed with this book as I was with The Night Swim, which is perhaps an unfair comparison because it meant my expectations were sky-high. The influencer bits were really cringey for me and the dialogue felt especially juvenile throughout the book. Overall, it felt like a completely different writer was penning this story. Personally, I would have preferred to only have Rachel's POV in the story (I particularly could have done without Joe's POV — and honestly, his character) because I think it takes away from the reveal of what's going on.

Overall though, this book is entertaining enough if you don't expect it to live up to The Night Swim's legacy. Thank you to Megan Goldin, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for my advance copy.

I didn’t love the influencer aspect of the book. I thought they were very stereotypical characters and sometimes too many that it was hard to follow, but other than that the twists and turns were great. Megan Goldin did it again.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dark Corners is the sequel to The Night Swim which makes it the second installment in the Rachel Krall series. Rachel has a true crime podcast that has garnered a huge following, as well as a ton of submissions with requests for her to investigate various cases.

She recently finished up a case (from The Night Swim) when she is called by the FBI and asked to come to a prison and meet with a notorious serial killer, Terence Bailey, because a recent visitor of his went missing. Oh, and the girl that went missing happens to be a super famous influencer. The drama, right???

I really enjoyed reading through all of the escapades that Rachel gets up to in this one. It felt different from The Night Swim, but not in a bad way. I listened to The Night Swim on audio and it had a great podcast element so I think this one would probably be great on audio too!

I wasn’t sure if Megan Goldin would manage to follow up The Night Swim with a sequel that could match it in suspense or outright brilliant writing, but somehow, Dark Corners did just that.

The second in the Rachel Krall series, I was excited to read another story focused around her. Between Rachel’s fearlessness and her strong, independent vibe, she was a character I grew to love in the first installment of this series. This time around, she was even more determined, a fact that the wily Special Agent Joe Martinez perhaps grew to regret. We also got to see behind the curtain a tad bit more of who Rachel really is as her gritty, in-your-face tenacity was on full display.

The absolute best part of this one, however, was easily the complex, yet easy to follow plot. Delivered via multiple POVs (including one decidedly evil man) plus a handful of podcast transcripts told after the fact, it kept me on the edge of my seat. A stunning example of crime fiction, it also held plenty of thrills for this thriller loving gal. The climax, in particular, was both realistic yet also pulse-pounding, a detail that would easily translate beautifully onto the silver screen.

Truly unputdownable, I was delighted by the many twists (one that had me gasping out loud), red herrings, and unmitigated foreboding. And as the facts were slowly revealed, I was, quite candidly, unable to guess where they were headed. Just as mind-boggling as the suspense-driven plot was, though, it also delivered a heartwarming potential love match. And I, for one, can’t wait to see where it might go in the next novel.

All in all, this was yet another example of how brilliant the masterful Megan Goldin is. Without a doubt, I’m already eagerly awaiting another addition to her collection. From the riveting storyline to the perfect, little bow of a conclusion, I was left desperate for more. Now I’m just going to have to wait for waaay too long to get another fix by this author. So if it isn’t already obvious, I strongly recommend pre-ordering this one now. Or, if you haven’t already read The Night Swim, pick up a copy today! Rating of 5 stars.

Trigger warning: abduction of a young woman, forced captivity, drugging, mention of: prostitution, spousal abuse, drowning, strangulation, stabbing, death of a spouse, financial crimes, drug use

What a ride! Megan Goldin never disappoints, and I was so glad to hear she was bringing back Rachel from The Night Swim! You can definitely read this one as a stand-alone novel, and, in fact, I think I liked this one better than Night Swim because, duh, serial killer!! I found the podcast/influencer angle less annoying than the usual thriller that has those elements in it.

4.5 stars - I'm not sure this is "objectively" this high of a rating, but my number 1 criteria for this genre is to entertain me, and DARK CORNERS fully delivered the entertainment factor for me! Every element of the plot worked for me: the past serial murder angle, the current missing woman investigation, and the current suspense element closing in on Rachel. I really liked how all of that was paced and how the stories came together & resolved. For me, all of that was so satisfying & exactly what I want from this kind of story.
Writing quality wise, I do struggle with some of the choices. The podcast segments are so well written, and I wonder if this is just the author struggling to translate that talent into dialogue? It just feels clunky at times and there is an over repetition of names that gets a little grating. I saw some people saying they didn't like the characterization of Rachel... TBH, I didn't remember her characterization clearly enough from NIGHT SWIM to notice 😹 But YMMV- I didn't find her abnormally rude or TSTL
That said, this is my favorite book to date from Megan Goldin and I 100% hope we get more Rachel Krall!!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the gifted early copy. Below is my honest review.

I really like Rachel Krall! This is the second book about her from Megan Goldin and the fourth Goldin book I've read overall. Loved them all!

In this one, Rachel finds herself pulled into a seemingly random investigation due to the words of a random prisoner doing time, who also happens to be a suspected serial killer. FBI agent Joe Martinez brings her into, hoping her presence will get the prisoner to talk in another case. Of course, things go completely bonkers from there, and it turns out that the web is much more tangly than previously suspected.

The killer in this one is terrifying and disgusting, and it really makes you think about how often you trust strangers.

Definitely give this one a read. I don't feel like it really gave anything away from the first in the series, but I always recommend reading all books in a series first. I think you could get away with not reading it in this case, but why would you skip the first one when it's good too?

Dark Corners
By Megan Goldin
Pub Date: 08 Aug 2023
St. Martin's Press
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

As Rachel Krall (previously in The Night Swim) delves into the mysterious disappearance of a popular influencer, she discovers a chilling secret. This may prove that the suspected serial killer is not as far away as it seems.

I have followed Megan Goldin's work for several years. Dark Corners was immersive and enjoyable, keeping me flipping pages. In comparison to Night Swim, Dark Corners was a close second. However, it creates an atmosphere that keeps readers engaged and entertained. Goldin's distinct writing style evokes suspense and mystery. It also brings a modern twist with its foray into social media and influencers. Rachel was fantastic in Night Swim, and I really enjoyed revisiting her character in Dark Corners.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's for allowing me to experience this thrilling novel. It is always a pleasure to review Megan Goldin's books.

#DarkCorners

Having loved Goldin’s previous book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘮, a twisty tale that dealt with rape culture in society today, I could not wait until August to dive into her second book in this ‘series.’ (I say series lightly - same main character, but that’s about it - this book stands completely on its own).

This time around, true crime podcaster, Rachel Krall, is off to Florida, thanks to a call from the FBI. Young women are missing, a violent inmate is involved, and Rachel seems to be the piece that ties them all together.

I was completely absorbed in this book, trying to figure it all out, crawling down plausible rabbit holes the author created, and had more than one jaw-dropping moment. Goldin is a master of building both tension and characters; she doesn’t just go for the twist, but deeply develops each piece of her tale. I was absolutely buy anything this writer puts out in the book world.

It’s hard to review this book without comparing it to its predecessor, THE NIGHT SWIM, which had that rare five-star magic. This one, however, fell a bit flat. The main character just didn’t seem herself, and the story lacked depth. I still have hope for this writer and series, though, so I’ll continue reading.

I loved Megan Goldin’s last book so when I got a copy of this I couldn’t wait to start reading. Rachel Krall from the previous book is the main character in this book. I felt this book had a little bit different feel than her last book. It was a super fast and thrilling read but I did prefer Night Swim a little better. This one did have some good twists towards the end and was very fast paced and engaging throughout the book. I would recommend it for sure.

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for the ARC for my honest review.

Dark corners is a psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes from beginning to end. I read this as a standalone, I did not read the first book (The Night Swim) and I did not feel confused at all! This book was engaging and full of twists and turns.

This book was interesting...

Rachel the true crime podcaster from Night Swim returns with a new case when the FBI lured her to Florida to meet with an inmate who was set to be released in two days. All this because Madison, social media influencer went to a lot of trouble to visit the inmate in question Terrance, has gone missing. Shortly after her visit Madison went missing leaving behind her camper van with signs of a struggle. Though Terrance is in prison for a break in not murder the police have long suspected that he is a serial killer. Maddison going missing makes it seem like maybe he had an accomplice. The only part of his conversation with Madison that anybody could figure out was about contacting Rachel. Thus the FBI getting her involved... of course once she is involved Rachel can’t walk away. Especially when a body is found. While continuing her own investigation Rachel finds out that Madison had been at an influencer event so she attends semi-undercover to see if maybe there is a clue there since nobody was going to talk to the police about anything. But the death of one of the influencers seems to indicate there is danger everywhere...

From the start I could guess the truth about Terrance though the level of nonsense and clear police corruption that kept him in prison for 6 years for basically doing nothing was crazy yet sadly believable. The cops made up their mind with absolutely no evidence and just decided he was the killer. Meanwhile had they put any effort into finding out anything about him other than a troubled childhood they might have done something useful. But just like how they didn’t bother to look for Aysh or Hailey. Seriously Rachel found out more about all of them in two days than anybody else bothered to. The fact that they called the FBI in when Madison went missing says a lot about their priorities and is rather ironic considering how things end.

One thing I didn’t get was why the killer went after Aysh and Hailey in the first place. They didn’t fit the profile of his other victims... they were just two teenage girls working and minding their business. From what they said all the other victims were sex workers or runaways. There were 3 personal kills he made but these girls don’t fit as they were just regular people. It couldn’t have just been opportunity since he was ready with the water and he likely was the one to slash the tire so he planned it. Two bottles indicates that he meant to catch they both... I suppose he could have seen them both together but still even so neither of them really fit. Hailey had a troubled family yes but she had moved out on her own so... Also why was he killing peoples in the first place? Was it just anger over his condition? So he took it out on completely innocent people who had nothing to do with him but I guess reacted to his condition?

The funny thing about this whole story is that had the killer not tried to cover his tracks he would never have been caught. Had Madison not gone missing nobody would have ever known except for two people who couldn’t do anything about it and had no idea he was in fact a serial killer. It’s always the cover up that gets them.

I liked this it was a bit less gruesome than most thrillers tend to be. I don’t really remember Night Swim I may have blocked it out for so many reasons. I would definitely read more about Rachel and her podcast. I’ve read all but one of the author’s books.

This book has made me weary of drinking water offered by drivers and using their phone chargers. And being an influencer seems like a terrible thing to do.

“Always know what you’re walking into, dark corners can be danger points”

“The scariest monsters hide in plain sight”

To be truthful, my experiences with the author’s books have been uneven. When I look at the way I’ve rated her prior books, they range from 2 stars up to 5 stars. This is a very solid 4 star read.

I really liked our main character and found myself really engaged in the mystery.

The podcast chapters did definitely take a few before I liked them (I was a teeny bit bored by these chapters at first), but I soon found myself looking forward to them.

And I definitely got a kick out of our influencer convention.

The author does a great job of amping up the suspense and even throws in a red herring or two that will get you looking at things in the wrong way. Love that.

I hope there are more books I the series because I’m definitely on board.

• ARC via Publisher

Although this is listed as Rachel Krall #2, it can be read as a stand-alone. I loved this fast-paced mystery with the podcast element. It was fun to read back and forth between the story and the podcast transcript.

This was very well done and I look forward to read more of Rachel Krall books if there will be more.

I was super excited to see that Rachel Krall was coming back after I read and LOVED The Night Swim. Unfortunately, this might have been my least favorite Megan Goldin book so far. I liked it enough to keep reading and finish it, but idk Rachel’s character felt so flat? Her whole personality was about exercising, with some horniness and being exhausted by people thrown in. I don’t recall being as weary of her character in TNS, or maybe the story was good enough for me to overlook it, and this plot was just so-so. I’m still a huge Goldin fan, this one was just a miss for me!

It’s been a while since I read The Night Swim. I do remember how much I liked it, so I was excited to receive this ARC. Podcaster Rachel Krass is summoned to the Central Florida Correctional Facility to be questioned by the FBI. She’s dismissed by them but now her interest is piqued. She decides to hang around for a while to do a little digging of her own.

Dark Corners is told in alternating chapters by Rachel and the possible serial killer. I enjoyed reading as Rachel investigated her own leads. I think this was a solid mystery/thriller. I would love to read more and hopefully meet up with FBI agent Joe Martinez again in future books.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.