I enjoyed this book. The plot revealed itself pretty early on though, and it ended abruptly. I wasn’t sure if I was missing a page ?

Rachel Krall, a popular podcast journalist, is pulled into an FBI investigation for questioning after her name is mysteriously dropped by a suspected killer. When social media darling Maddison Logan suddenly goes missing, eerily similar to a case from years before, Rachel can’t seem to resist getting involved. She ignores the obvious dangers that arise and sets out incognito to hunt for answers.

I really enjoyed getting pulled into the tension of this ever-evolving puzzle . . . thrilling fiction that also reads like true crime . . . very entertaining! This was my first read by this author, but it definitely won’t be my last.

This title is scheduled to release on - August 8, 2023

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Dark Corners for my unbiased evaluation.  4 stars

This is my third Megan Goldin book, but it’s only after reading that I realized this was book 2 in a series – and I missed book 1. Oops! I’ll have to wait a few months to try to forget a few things before picking up “Night Swim.” But I didn’t like this as much as the two Megan Goldin books I did read; while it was certainly a gripping thriller, it wasn’t as thought provoking as those others. Maddison Logan, a popular Instagram influencer, has disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer in prison two days before his release. Rachel is a true crime podcaster who’s asked by the FBI to come to Florida to help them with the case – and then she decides she wants to do some digging of her own and try to help. I really enjoyed the inside look at the influencer world, and really liked the main characters. The plot was a little bit confusing until about halfway through, when things started coming together, but I did love the ending – and read the second half of this book in one night because I couldn’t put it down. All in all, definitely recommended, even if it wasn’t quite as engaging as some of Goldin’s other books.

So much suspense and a thriller of a ride!!!
This book had it all police, FBI, missing girls, killings, murderers,
Jail. All the things that intrigue me I read this book
Pretty fast that's how good it was. As soon as you get
Into the storyline you can't stop.
Really enjoyed this one

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Rachel Krall, a famous true crime podcaster is back and this time helping the FBI in the search for a social media influencer who went missing. Terence Baily, a suspected serial in prison, is about to be released and is one of the last people to see Maddison. Why would she visit him? When a body is found, the officials wonder if Terence has an accomplice. For the most part, I liked this book but when not investigating, Rachel and the FBI agent are mooning over each other. That's the part that got on my nerves. If they focused more on the mystery rather than the romance, I would have liked this more. Rachel was ok, I like her character. The agent, though, got on my nerves. I just didn't like him and I could have done without his character.

A sequel to The Night Swim ♥️.. this is about true crime podcaster Rachel Krall—a character from The Night Swim—who feels responsible for finding a missing social media influencer, Maddison Logan, after she left Rachel an eerie voice message asking for her help.

Which then brings us to Florida where a man, Terence Bailey, is being released from prison after time served for a petty crime. He is suspected of killing several women. Maddison had visited + interviewed the suspected serial killer right before she disappeared. This was two days before his release.

So Terrence Bailey clearly had an accomplice.. right. Or is there something else at play here??

At the FBI’s request (enticing her with an exclusive story on the case), Rachel fly’s to Florida to meet one-on-one with the prisoner to help establish proof of his involvement in Maddison’s disappearance.. to find her + to keep him locked up. The FBI tells her Terence Bailey is a big fan of her now sensationalized podcast “Guilty or Not Guilty.” So with Rachel being there in person they’re hoping he will reveal something to her.

What happened to Maddison.. is she still alive.. and who was the mastermind behind her abduction??

If you’re looking for more of a podcast element in this book you won’t find that here.. but there is an influencer conference #BuzzCon that Rachel attends looking for info about Maddison. Let me just say that NOTHING is at it seems in this book. Red herrings are plentiful.

Rachel’s personality is not the same as in Dark Corners, but I still enjoyed her characterization just as much here + also the romance brewing behind the scenes. This can be read as a standalone but I also recommend Dark Corners too if you haven’t read it yet. 4 stars — Pub. 8/8/23

Much thanks to the publisher via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed The Night Swim by Megan Goldin and read it very quickly a few summers ago. I found Dark Corners to be similarly bingeable. The final reveals and untangling of the plot was clever and the action adventure climax came at the perfect time. I also found the killer to be perfectly creepy in a way that doesn't always come across for me in thrillers. That being said there were a few things that didn't deliver for me. Rachel and Joe's romance wasn't quite believable for me. I appreciated their tension but I needed a little bit more groundwork there between them. Also the whole 'influencer' subplot felt a little bit unnecessary and slightly mean, painting a large group with one brush. I think this will be a popular summer thriller since it delivers a lot of the things people want in a beach read. I do look forward to reading the rest of Goldin's backlist.

When a true crime podcaster finds herself in the center of a case involving a popular missing influencer who is connected to a suspected serial killer... and the possibility that there is a larger case at hand and that the real killer could still be outside. Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster who actually helped solve real cases, but then she is suddenly called in by the FBI to help with a case involving Terence Bailey, a man who was put in prison for breaking and entering though he was long suspected of murdering six women.... Terence is about to be let out of prison soon but he got a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot young influencer with a huge following.... who disappears hours after visiting Terence. The FBI ask Rachel to come help because she somehow came up in the conversation between Maddison and Terence, and now Rachel is invested in finding out what exactly happened to Tessa and why she was brought into the conversation. Maddison might be a famous influencer, but there is no real information on her and who she really is outside of her curated social media. More questions begin to pile up as to why both Terence and Maddison have matching ouroboros tattoos and why said tattoo is also found on another victim that has just appeared despite the fact that Terrance is still in prison... which means there’s another killer on the outside. The real question is are Terence and the outside killer working together or is something else happening??? Rachel soon finds herself being the target of the killer, can she figure it out before its too late? This was a really fun mystery and it felt like an episode of Criminal Minds, with how we got the POVs between Rachel, The Killer, and Joe the FBI agent. I liked how the mystery played out and enjoyed that we got background info on the case in the format of Rachel’s podcast throughout the book. I’ve been a big fan of Megan Goldin’s books and this one did not disappoint!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Full disclosure, I’ve not read Night Swim. I’ve been meaning to but never got around to reading it. I really like Goldin’s writing style and how even with so many plot lines they all converged together in the end. The social media angle was different, but I didn’t care for those chapters. The characters were too vain and unlikeable for me. Overall, if there is another book in this series I would read it.

This second book in the Rachel Krall series was even better than the first. I enjoy mystery/thriller novels, however, I don't want anything that's too graphic. Goldin's story-telling is perfect for my tastes. There is an intriguing mystery, that keeps me guessing, it is timely and relevant (this one delving into the world of "influencers"), and overall a delicious fast-paced mystery. As an IRL fan of true crime podcasts, I look forward to following our protagonist Rachel Krall on future cases!

I think I need to go find Night Swim because so many other reviewers have told me that I should have started with that one even if this one is a stand-alone with cross over characters.

Dark Corners was creepy AF. I wanted to puke with the snakes 🐍 (fear much) and legit this is the reason I stress about social media and influencers and whoever is on the other end of seeing my posts.

The author takes you into the influencer world but I feel like I guessed and knew who the bad guy was from the start so that took a bit of my interest away. But it was decent and I think thriller readers would like this. Just creepyyyyyy and makes me become slightly more stressed about being online 🤯

Megan Goldin has created a wonderful sequel in her Rachel Krall series! I loved the first novel, "The Night Swim", which is why I was so excited when I was granted an ARC copy by the publisher. What I appreciate most about this novel is its straight forward story telling. Goldin isn't trying to trick you with any half baked twists and turns. She does a masterful job of just weaving an interspersing plot along with interesting characters.
I really enjoyed the underlining commentary on influencer culture and what it takes to be a full time content creator. Is it really as glamorous as it truly appears? As the smallest scale book blogger even I can say that I can get carried away in trying to keep up on the social media game, comparing my books read per year, comparing my follower count, the stress of not knowing what to post... And I do this for fun!
Also as a big podcast junkie myself, I still love that our heroin is a true crime podcaster. The chapters that are Rachel talking to her audience are often my favorite. How her tone changes, how the story teller takes over. It is wonderful writing on Goldin's part truly.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of Dark Corners! I loved The Night Swim so I was very excited when I saw Dark Corners coming out! Also just a huge fan of Megan Goldin’s work! This was a very fast paced thriller that I could’ve devoured in less than a day! (Adult responsibilities got in the way of that) The story was gripping and it kept me on the edge of my seat wondering, what’s going to happen next?! All of the main characters were super interesting and I wanted to know all about them, which helps keep me engrossed in a book. The influencer aspect of the story was interesting and I liked how the book focused on how influencers lives are all curated and not natural. I enjoyed the small romance portion of this thriller as well. This book has small quick chapters which is a huge win in my book! Please write more Rachel Krall books!! Thank you again for an ARC of Dark Corners!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Dark Corners.

I enjoyed the first book in the series so I was excited my request was approved.

Dark Corners isn't my favorite book in the series for one big reason: you know who the bad guy is right from the start.

This eliminated any suspense, any drama, and even though you get clues to figuring out whodunnit, who cares since the reader already knows?

Second, seriously, a romance between Rachel and Joe? Is that necessary?

Third, I'm not a fan of influencers and the whole social media nonsense so that part of the plot really zapped my energy and attention

Fourth, it was hard to suspend disbelief, at times, with Joe sharing confidential information with Rachel.

I understand he needs her help but in real life I don't believe law enforcement, especially a federal agent, giving a podcaster so much information, even if she hosts a popular crime show podcast. Very inappropriate.

What I did like:

The police procedural; the investigation, Rachel and Joe pounding the pavement and interviewing witnesses, potential suspects, and reviewing cases and clues.

I like how all the murders are tied up but I'm always disappointed when the author reveals the identity of the killer, right from the start.

And we don't even know why he did. Just because?

I do look forward to the next book featuring Rachel Krall.

I adore Megan Goldin! The first book I read was Escape Room and that was killer. This did not disappoint. It was suspenceful and twisty! The perfect combo in a thriller book.

This was an interesting twist on influencer culture, running away from your past and creating a new identity. Rachel Krall, a successful podcaster, is brought into an FBI investigation when Maddison Logan, an influencer, disappears after visiting Terence Bailey in prison. Rachel is asked to speak to Bailey in prison and is immediately left with an ominous threat. The police suspect Bailey in the deaths of several women, so the FBI wants Rachel to return home and get out of harm's way. She'd rather continue her investigation and decides to go undercover at BuzzCon, an influencer conference, to learn more about Maddison and how she might be connected to Bailey.

There were quite a few twists and turns that kept me quickly turning the pages. Megan Goldin is easily becoming a must-read author for me. Each of her thrillers has a unique premise and a fast pace, which makes the reader keep coming back for more. I loved the introduction of FBI agent Martinez, and hope that Megan continues having him and Rachel investigate more crimes.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review.

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin is a twisty true crime thriller you must add to your list!

Dark Corners is the second book in the Rachel Krall series. The series follows Rachel who is a true crime podcaster/journalist as she uncovers a case of a potential serial killer.

Without any spoilers, I felt Dark Corners is very current and was a lot of fun to read! There were several different story lines that all intersect in the end.

I’ve been a big fan of Goldin’s writing since her first novel. I find her writing gripping and fast paced from the first page and Dark Corners was no exception; I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great read. I enjoyed the storyline. Yes the end was very predictable but I enjoyed the ride. I loved that the characters were young influencers. I even enjoyed the little surprise spicy part..

I read this straight after The Night Swim & I have to be honest; it’s just not it for me.
Dark Corners took me a hot minute to get into due to the dialogue being so clunky. I didn’t feel like this one flowed well & there was just too much going on for me to get a good grip. Rachel, honey, what happened to you? Girl was MEAN in this one and it bummed me out because I loved her in The Night Swim. I also was bummed out because the podcast wasn’t really a front running element in this one, we just get Rachel’s perspective. Overall, I’m bummed out. I’ve loved Goldin’s work prior to this one but unfortunately it was a miss for me.

So a lot of this murdery thriller following a true-crime podcaster took place around Daytona Beach. And as a more or less lifelong resident of the place (I moved away last year), I was curious to see if they could convey the true and utter nastiness and skeeziness of the shitty little town I grew up in. I don't want to give the author too much of a hard time or focus on the wrong thing here. but a major plot point was an "influencer convention" that was being held at a hotel in Daytona, and the main character was unable to find a room anywhere because there were IT, energy, and medical conferences being held in town at the same time, and all of the hotels were full. Yeah...no. No one will ever have an IT, energy, medical, OR influencer convention in Daytona Beach, FL. Bikeweek? Sure. NASCAR? Of course. Anything that requires a few more IQ points is most assuredly not going to happen in Daytona. And the influencer convention would have to take place somewhere much more glamorous than the sandy cesspool of Daytona could offer. All that aside, the story of this podcaster getting pulled in by the FBI to find a missing influencer was compelling enough to tear through it in a few days, and while I found the writing and the language to be pretty plain and simple, no bells or whistles, the pieces of the story came together in a satisfying way in the end.