I was excited to read more adventures of Rachel Krall, as I enjoyed the first novel "Night Swim" featuring this character. The first novel includes her podcast, and I must admit that was catnip for me.

This second installment was not QUITE as good but close to it, in my opinion. Rachel is the same kick butt, savvy journalist. This time she has been summoned by the FBI when her name comes up when a social media influencer visits a prisoner, and then the social media influencer disappears shortly afterward.

Does the FBI contact on-the-ground investigative journalists/podcasters often? I don't know. It seemed a little suspicious because Rachel seemed not integrated into the full investigation. It was like she was put on the side to help the specific FBI agent.

The POVs were Rachel's perspective (third person) at various points in time, a smelly Uber driver, and then the reader would get some oddly narrated chapters. It was like it was a podcast episode, but it never directly said it was. A header would have been great for those chapters!

I did miss Rachel's podcast episodes, which featured so prominently in the last book. It was the extra something that made that one a really, really good book for me.

As for the plot, I wasn't too interested in the social media influencer conference that featured prominently for a chunk of the novel, but I think the author handled it well, and the reader got some behind-the-scenes information. It's obvious that Goldin knows a lot about the subject.

The pace of the novel was pretty good. There was a little romance thrown in, which surprisingly worked - although I'm not sure how realistic it would be that FBI agents get involved during the investigation.

I really enjoyed this novel overall! Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This Intriguing story grabs you and doesn’t let you go! It’s full of murder and lots of mystery, as a podcaster works with the FBI to try and solve all the cases.

I really loved this book! It grabbed my attention from the start. We pick back up with Rachel Krall, a true crime podcaster. She gets sucked into an investigation at Daytona Beach after a famous influencer goes missing. I love all the talk about social media influencers taking on a different persona online than the way they are in real life. There were so many twists and turns. I did predict one twist, but it didn't take away my enjoyment for this book. There were quite a few surprises. Not to mention a cute little side romance. I recommend this book if you love books with a podcast element and a good missing person investigation. Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to read.

This was a fun and twisty read, but left me a little less than satisfied. I didn't buy into the FBI being so cool with letting Rachel in on a lot of the info they did, and I kind of wish one of the POVs was left out, as it drained some of the tension from the story. I also felt the influencer culture was a little one-dimensional and a little too based in stereotypes, so a lot of them came off like caricatures instead of real people. However, I did enjoy the ride and thought the mystery unfolded in an exciting way, so would recommend!

A fun fast read that is a crime thriller who dun it.
This author reminds me a lot of Lisa Gardner. If you like Lisa Gardner then you will love this book!
Thank you to the publisher for letting me read this on NetGalley !

If you enjoyed 'The Night Swim', you might like Dark Corners even better! Rachel Krall is the famous true crime podcaster (from the first book, The Night Swim) who is helping the FBI search for Maddison Logan, a social media influencer who went missing after visiting Terence Bailey in prison. Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering but has long been suspected as being a serial killer.

Rachel decides to investigate Maddison's disappearance herself and joins BuzzCon (a social influencer conference happening locally) because Maddison was supposed to be attending. As the story progresses, we see Rachel pursue each and every lead and make more progress on the case than the FBI. But does this make her an easy target as the next victim?

I really enjoyed how the mystery unfolded. My only criticism is that the reader has more information than the characters which led to the book dragging on a bit in the middle chapters. The twists also had less impact because again the reader had more information than Rachel and the FBI. This made it a bit easier to see the plot twists coming. Overall, it was a great read and all questions are answered by the end of the book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advanced copy of this book. Make sure to get your copy on August 8th, 2023.

I wasn't a HUGE fan of the first book The Night Swim so i went into this one with high hopes it would be better. I was hesitant to pick this up thinking it was going to be another book where 90% of it takes place in a courtroom. I get that a lot of people like those books, but I am not one of them. I did in fact enjoy this book more than book one so that was nice. A few of the ‘twists’ weren’t twists at all to me since I spotted them a mile away and I feel most readers probably would too. Overall, it was a good read and worth it, would I read it again? Probably not...

Overall, this is another fantastic thriller by Megan Goldin with an interesting, timely setting in the social media influencer world with the popular podcast format draw. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger to keep you coming back for more. Details will not only reel you in but repel you in all the best ways - you’ll practically smell the pungent words coming off the page.

Rachel Krall’s morning is completely upended when she’s called by the FBI to fly across the country to sunny Daytona Beach for a case. What she doesn’t yet know is that she’s been named by a suspected serial killer in prison… and he wants to meet with her. She quickly becomes entangled in a missing person’s case as she goes under cover at the influencer conference the missing person, Maddison Logan, was attending. Despite the FBI’s pleas for her to fly home and stay safe, she dives deeper into the missing person’s last interactions all while uncovering the dark and glamorous world of money-making social media influencing complete with elaborate cocktail parties and luxury swag. True to source, she does this all while digging up cold case clues. Following Rachel undercover at BuzzCon, her podcast, the FBI’s search for Maddison and the dialogue of a mysterious, smelly ride-share driver, this story is one maze that you will love getting lost in.

This book does not contain dramatic twists and turns. Rather it’s a slow trickle of new information that’ll keep you wanting to devour each fresh page until you can no more. In a book community desperate for the next unique, dramatic-twist thriller, I appreciated the subtle twists, steady yet quick pace and complete closure on all plot points. The alternating storylines all hold equal interest and help with the stellar breakneck pacing.

I felt a slight lack in character development, however that is likely do to the fact that our main character, Rachel Krall, was introduced in Night Swim, Goldin’s breakout novel from 2020 in which we’re introduced to Rachel and her justice-serving podcast. While reading Night Swim is not essential to understanding Dark Corners, I suspect the grasp and enjoyment of Rachel Krall’s personality and motivations would be much more profound having just read Night Swim. Other critiques include that it felt unrealistic that Rachel would be such an integral member of piecing together an FBI case and their reliance on her knowledge was questionable. Her interactions with the FBI also felt strange at times, with some awkward banter and unrealistic exchanges.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. I was spooked reading this one in the dark which is a telltale sign of a strong thriller. There was a slight lack in character development and some of the character interactions felt odd, but overall I highly recommend this next dive into main character Rachel Krall and her quest for justice through her podcast.

I have read all of Megan Goldin books and loved them. I love the decision to turn Rachel from night swim into a series. i enjoyed Rachel’s investigatory skills in ‘the night swim,’ so i was excited to see what case she would crack open next! Rachel is now helping the FBI in the search for Maddison Logan, a popular social media influencer who went missing after visiting Terence Bailey, a suspected serial killer in prison. Rachel is confused as to why the FBI called her in, and she discovered that, Maddison visited Bailey and he told Maddison to bring Rachel Krall to him! The Night Swim” was told from the alternating perspectives of two characters, Rachel and Hannah (the sister of a Victim) along with the transcripts of Rachel Krall’s Season Three podcast, as she follows a LIVE TRIAL for the first time, while making her PODCAST. The style of this book was different, and told all from Rachel’s side in her findings. Rachel inserted herself into the INFLUENCER world at a BUZZCON conference, where she w discovered dangerous rivalries, hoping to learn more about Maddison.
She and FBI agent Joe Martinez will also discover connections to at least two unsolved cases, of girls who also went missing just as Terrance Bailey was incarcerated.

Could Terrance Bailey still have an accomplice on the outside?

All in all I really enjoyed the style of this book, once I got over not have different POV!

#netgalley

In Dark Corners Megan Goldin brings back podcaster Rachel Krall from The Night Swim, this time a suspected serial killer, who is incarcerated for other crimes draws her in to a case involving missing sex workers, a missing influencer (or should I say content creator?), the FBI and mystery that even Rachel doesn't know her role in. Rachel uses her skills that she has honed as a hit podcaster and researches a case that goes back nearly a decade. Will she bring closure for all of those involved in these cases and create her next hit season, or will this mystery and predator allude everyone and potentially lead to more bodies?

I am a huge fan of Megan Goldin! When I saw that she has a follow up novel to "The Night Swim" with Rachel Krall as the lead character, I was thrilled to receive an ARC. Goldin does not disappoint in the fun and twisty mystery.!

Rachel Krall is a famous podcast host, who moonlights as a mystery solver in her free time. She is called out of bed early one morning by the FBI to help with an investigation that her name has come up in. She is flown down to Daytona with little information on the case, but she knows that a prisoner wants to speak with her.
It turns out that a social media influencer has gone missing and her last known whereabouts were visiting this very prisoner, Terrance Bailey. Bailey makes some cryptic comments to Rachel when he meets her that baffle the FBI and Rachel herself. She checks into the social media conference that the influencer had been attending to find out more, even though the FBI has determined she should go home. Rachel is not afraid of a suspected serial killer getting out of jail in the next few days. (But shouldn't she be??).

"The scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight," Bailey had told Rachel. She should heed this warning, but will she?
This is a fun mystery that had me guessing and getting some parts right and some parts wrong. I enjoyed the ride and would recommend this book to all of Goldin's fans. It wasn't my favorite of hers, but definitely a good time was had reading it. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley! 3.5 stars

I'm just going to throw this out there: Megan Goldin is very quickly heading to the top of my favorite authors list. There, I said it.

As soon as I found out that Goldin had written another book, I was excited and requested it on Netgalley without even reading the premise. And then, I finally read the book (while on vacation, because I save my favorite authors for vacation) and imagine my absolutely joy when I find out that this book is the SECOND Rachel Krall book? I absolutely loved <i>The Night Swim</i> and knew I was going to be in for a great read.

Thankfully, I was not disappointed. This thrilled just goes from 0 to 60 so quickly you'll get whiplash. I was immediately drawn in, especially because there has all the makings of the type of book I love - multiple POVs, a podcaster, a look into the lives of influencers, and, of course, crime and mystery. Plus, Rachel Krall is an amazing MC and it was so fun to get to dive into her life and learn even more about her.

I loved Rachel's dislike of influencers and all things social media, and it was also really fun to see how Goldin would portray influencers. Although I love social media, this novel does a great job of sharing the pitfalls of wanting to be in that kind of spotlight, and Rachel's healthy distrust was definitely fun.

This novel is incredibly fast paced and very hard to put down, so I recommend if you do make this a vacation book and you don't want to miss your vacation reading it, either choose your plane ride or read it by the beach or pool. Just remember to apply SPF because you will be in the sun until the story is over.

Once again, Megan Goldin has knocked this story out of the park. I can't wait to see what Rachel Krall does not (and I hope Agent Martinez will be along for the ride).

True crime podcaster Rachel Krall is back, this time focusing on an unsolved series of murders in Florida. Tackling these crimes has her involved in the world of social media influencers and working with the FBI to determine the who, what, when and why of past murders while investigating the present day disappearance of an instagram celebrity. Five stars.

Megan Goldin's most recent book Stay Awake was one of my favourites of last year. It was the first of her books that I read and I immediately went back to read her two earlier books.

Dark Corners sees Rachel Krall (the true crime podcaster who starred in The Night Swim) back for another mystery thriller.

I was hooked from the start. Rachel is summoned by the FBI and immediately drawn into the hunt for a missing high profile influencer.

No spoilers, this is an involved and multilayered plots, historic murders and a race against time as a suspect in those murders in due to be released from prison.

Megan Goldin is very skilled at weaving multiple plot strands, and this story is presented through Rachel's present, reports from her podcast, and chillingly, the perspective of one of the suspects with a cold eye for his potential next victim.

The plot comes together brilliantly, with a lot of twists and all questions answered.

This is a very satisfying and skilfully presented killer thriller, even better than The Night Swim and fans of Megan Goldin's previous books are going to love this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! I read The first to this duology and absolutely loved it so I was very excited to get an ARC to this one.

The story was great and the twist toward the end was good. I found a few things were obvious but overall I was hooked and needed to know what was going to happen next.

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin is an engrossing read.. A superb job with plot and characters. Well worth the read.

Rachell a true crime podcaster had been asked to help find a missing fellow podcaster, Maddison. Maddison went missing after visiting Bailey, a murderer of six women, who is soon to be released. Rachel goes to visit with Bailey to see if he knows anything about Maddison's disappearance.
A young woman is discovered who has a tattoo of a snake eating its tail?. That is the same tatto that Rachel saw on the back of Baileys had when she was visiting him the other day. is the killer now targeting Rachel. Will Rachel figure it out in time.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for sending me an ARC of Dark Corners in exchange for an honest review.

An Instagram influencer named Maddison Logan lied to gain access to Terence Bailey, an inmate in a Florida prison. He’s days from release even though the police have long suspected him of abducting and murdering several young women. At the end of their brief conversation, Bailey wrote “Bring Rachel Krall to me. Do whatever it takes to find her. It’s time. . . .” But within hours of leaving the prison, Maddison disappears, and the FBI’s investigation is going nowhere as Maddison seems to have no past. Out of desperation, the FBI asks Rachel—who’s essentially Sarah Koenig from the Serial podcast—to come to Florida, talk to Bailey, and see if she can get a lead on what happened to Maddison. Soon, Rachel is conducting her own, parallel investigation of what happened to Maddison, which includes going undercover at an influencer convention called BuzzCon, even as she is being targeted by the murderer….

Dark Corners marks the return of Rachel Krall, heroine of The Night Swim. That’s good news indeed, as Rachel is a clever, engaging character. There are multiple mysteries at work in this novel. Who is Maddison Logan? Was she really abducted, or is this all just some ploy for greater online fame? Does Maddison’s disappearance have anything to do with a death at BuzzCon? Is Terence Bailey really a serial killer about to be freed, or did someone else murder the women he’s suspected of killing? There are also several red herrings, making it unlikely you’ll figure everything out before the reveals.

Ms. Goldin sets Dark Corners within the world of Instagram influencers. I can only assume that was a deliberate choice so that she could explore—perhaps expose would be a more accurate word—that community. Most of the influencers are portrayed as cutthroat and/or phony, creating utterly false presentations of their lives and using their so-called friends for nothing more than their own promotion. It’s an interesting portrayal, but certainly not a flattering one.

Dark Corners is a solid, entertaining mystery/thriller. It’s well plotted, and builds to solid climax. I look forward to the next novel starring Rachel Krall (and co-starring FBI Special Agent Joe Martinez, I suspect). Recommended.

P.S. You know that meme that says “when I was a kid I thought quicksand was going to be a much bigger problem than it is”? Well, this book has quicksand, and it’s a problem. Another selling point for this book. 😁

Ohhh my goodness, this is another FANTASTIC Megan Goldin book! I mean, I loved her last book but this one knocked it out of the park! Great character development, twists, and just overall an excellent thriller. I am so glad I got the chance to read this one and can't wait until I can discuss it with someone else!

I enjoyed Rachel Krall in The Night Swim, but she was a bit more unlikeable in Dark Corners. She is askaed by the FBI to head to Daytona, FL to assist with an investigation. She ups and leaves (and sadly we don't hear from poor Pete again) and meets with FBI agent Martinez. He slowly fills her in and has her talk with a man in prison.

She learns that Maddison, a social media influencer, had just visited this man as well and her name was brought up. She doesn't get much information but Maddison is now missing.

For most of the book, there are seemingly three storylines going on: one that reads like it could be her podcast episodes regarding a dead girl found in the woods, another regarding Rachel and Martinez and the Maddison investigation and yet another by a ride-share driver named Thomas.

Some of these pieces are pretty easy to put together, but how it all evolves is interesting. There is a deep dive into the world of social influencers (Rachel infiltrates Buzz-Con, a conference for social media influencers). There are no podcast episodes (just the notes which could read like a podcast, but this does differ from Night Swim). There are also no courtroom scenes (one of my favorite parts of Night Swim).

There is no need to read Night Swim before this one as it doesn't bring up that book at all (aside from a few mentions that she just returned from Neapolis). Rachel herself is hard to like. She's stubborn and doesn't have a ton of common sense. She's an armchair detective and doesn't listen to people that, you know, actually solve crimes for a living. She thinks she is invincible, which is frustrating, given her history with crimes and podcasts. But she does get things done. We don't get any more background on Rachel, but it does seem like we'll see more of her in future novels.