This was a good book, though I found at times it was a bit slow. This is the second in the series, Rachel Krall a true crime podcaster has become famous because of her previous involvement in a case. Now she has many inmates that want her to help them get out of prison. She agrees to fly down south at the request of the FBI to talk to an inmate who is due to be released in a few days, the inmate, Terence Baily, had been originally imprisoned for breaking into a woman's apartment and was in the process of going through her dresser drawer when the police arrived. Because there was a person that was doing that very same thing, except he was killing the women, the police believed that Terence was their man, so instead of a community sentence, he has spent 6 years in jail (he was sentenced to 2, then 4 more were added after he got into a fight). Rachel talks to him, but gains nothing from the talk. Meanwhile Maddison Logan has gone missing from her campsite, Maddison had also visited Terence, which is what the FBI wanted Rachel to talk to him, to find out what they talked about. Maddison is a blogger with a huge Instagram following, Rachel decides to do some investigating on her own and manages to get an invite to a blogging conference being held locally. Things take a little while to develop, but once they do, the latter part of the book really goes quick. I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #St Martins Press for the ARC.

𝐁 𝐎 𝐎 𝐊 𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖


4.7/5 Dark Corners- Megan Goldin


𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒:


Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place?


When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really?


When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail, the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krell herself. Suddenly a target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.


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


𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒:


Could have probably given this 5 stars except I didn’t love the background of social media/influencers (just a personal thing I didn’t enjoy)


Rachel the main character was also much more sassy then I remembered her in night swim, which I enjoyed as she played a main character in one of her own podcast ventures.


This can be read as a stand-alone as references to the first book are briefly explained and not entirely important to this story.


Overall LOVED this book- it was a page turner and I couldn’t put it down READ for lovers of true crime, suspenseful mysteries, and stories that rely heavily on detective work and past flashbacks - after 2 hits by this author and no misses she def has become auto read for me.


Food for thought: The Night Swim by this author is a READ also! Many thanks to the author Megan Goldin, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the much-appreciated digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The book is due to be released on August 08, 2023.


#bookworm #bookish #bookblogger #bookgram #instareads #readmorebooks #bookstagrammers #goodreads #bookstagram #netgalley #arc

After falling in love with The Night Swim last year, I was ecstatic to discover that Megan Goldin was publishing another Rachel Krall novel and beyond thrilled when that novel, one of my most anticipated reads of the year, became available on NetGalley. Thanks to MacMillan and NetGalley for the eARC! This gets 4.5 stars from me. There’s multiple POVs and it takes a quick beat to get into the flow of the novel, but once you do it’s not easy to step away. As usual, Rachel Krall is intuitive, quick thinking and a pursuer of the truth. This follow up did not disappoint and I hope we get more Rachel Krall in the future.

The second book in the Rachel Krall series was an entertaining mystery. It was fast paced and my only regret was I guessed all the twists.

I am a huge fan of all Megan Goldin’s other books. This one was alright, but I was mildly disappointed.

Rachel Krall was flown in by the FBI to meet with a suspected serial killer, days before he’s set to be released (first off, this would never happen in real life). They want her to try to get a slip up in something he says in an attempt to get him held while they keep investigating (because if you haven’t broken a serial killer case in 6 years, a podcaster will surely do it). When Rachel gets nowhere, she decides to stay and do a little investigating on her own.

Rachel ends up at an influencer conference, but she doesn’t want to go as her self, so she goes undercover as @runninggirlrach, pretending to be a running micro influencer. I feel like this is unrealistic because even normal people can smell fake, paid for followers a mile away, never mind real influencers.

There were a couple of unnecessary pointless deaths that didn’t add anything to the plot line. The whole book could have been avoided if people were just upfront and honest in the beginning.

Overall, I love Goldin’s writing style. However, her attention to detail was better in other books. I didn’t hate it, I just felt that there were too many small things that were wildly unrealistic for me to love it.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins for early access to this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why but I didn't expect the night swim to have a follow up novel! Which is totally silly now looking back. Megan and her podcast were perfectly set up to continue on with future crime novels!

I love anything crime/FBI/investigation and this checked all the boxes. I know influencer culture is not everybody's cup of tea but it is mine! So I very much enjoyed how much time was spent in that world.

The pacing was great and I loved all the tricks along the way. Megan Goldin is officially added on to my "must read" lists!

Rachel Krall is back.

💭 What’s the best thriller you’ve read lately?

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
3.75 ⭐️

Rachel Krall from the Night Swim gets tied up in another investigation for her podcast when an FBI agent calls her in to talk to a suspected killer. The cops were not able to get Terence for murder but made other charges stick. He gets out in a few days and he is asking for Rachel.

Overall I liked this book. There were a few elements that seemed unnecessary and the ending felt rushed. But if you enjoyed the Night Swim and want to go on another journey with this character this is a good book. It didn’t hold quite the same magic as Night Swim but I don’t regret reading it.

Thanks to @wordsbetweenlines for the buddy read to help me get my Netgalley percentage back on track.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 22 of 2023. I really like @megangoldinauthor’s books, and this one was no exception. I did need to get used to the different timelines and points of view at times, but I like how everything came together. The book was really fast paced. Things resolved maybe a little too neatly for me in the end, but I still really enjoyed the novel. This could be more personal preference. Still a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read in my books.

In the follow up from "Night Swim," main character Rachel is mysteriously brought down to Florida to help in an FBI case. Rachel is the only lead they have on the case of Terence Bailey who is about the be released from prison despite suspicions surrounding him as a serial killer. When a popular social media influencer seemingly randomly visits her in prison, and then disappears - FBI scrambles to figure out what happened before Terence is released as a free man.

Let me tell you - this book was SO good, even better than "Night Swim" in my opinion. I felt like we got to know Rachel so much better during "Dark Corners" where she had much more character development. The mystery behind Terence Bailey and the disappearance of the influencer is so well crafted. I enjoyed reading along and speculating with my own theories as to what was going on. Even though there was a crazy twist you don't see coming, I just really enjoyed the story telling and the suspense building. I also enjoyed the behind the scenes peek at what the life of an influencer is like and how it isn't always sunshine and free roses for them. Overall, I highly recommend this book. Even if you haven't read "Night Swim," you can easily pick this one up without worrying about missing a beat.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Following up on "The Night Swim," Rachel Krall is just trying to recover from the trial she reported on when the FBI says she's needed in an investigation and she's leaving for Florida. Influencer Maddison Logan was visiting inmate Terence Bailey in prison and went missing hours later, and because Bailey had asked for Rachel by name, the FBI think she might be able to assist in the case. When a body is found, the FBI cut Rachel loose, but she can't let go. Bailey is suspected of murders but the police haven't been able to gather enough evidence, and he seems to have an accomplice on the outside. With Bailey's release date fast approaching for his time served for breaking and entering and assault, he's likely to become a threat again soon if they can't prove that he should still be locked up.

I enjoy mixed media elements in mysteries, and though this novel doesn't have podcast episodes in it, I still enjoy the perspective of the podcaster using connections to solve a mystery. I was a bit surprised by the ending, and though my mind wasn't blown, it held my attention. An enjoyable read!

CW: murder, death, kidnapping

Rachel Krall is back! I was so excited to read this book.
This story is incredible. Not only do we get to do a deep dive into the world of social media influencers and that whole insane career path, but it's also such a great thriller, full of so many well developed characters.
I lovdd that we have chapters that are Rachel's podcast transcripts as we are trying to solve a mystery, it was one of my favourite parts of the previous book The Night Swim.

So many clues are dotted along the way and I loved picking them up and seeing how I could figure out the puzzle, and I only had an inkling of what was fully going on just moments before the big reveal. Excellent read all the way through.
Absolutely pick this one up! You will not be disappointed.

Rachel Krall , a true crime podcast host, is brought to Florida by the FBI to help with a case. Time is of the essence as the suspected killer is set to be released in 2 days..

This is the second book of the series and Rachel's story. Megan did an excellent job! It was a slower start as there are several different moving components and substory lines throughout that ultimately connect. Just when you thin you have things figured out Megan throws you another curve ball. I loved Rachel;s strong personality and determination and how she doesnt back down!

Fingers crossed for a third story and more of Rachel Krall.

Megan Goldin is the queen of satisfying thrillers, and Dark Corners is no exception. True Crime podcaster Rachel Krall from The Night Swim is back, and asked by the FBI to help with a missing person's case: social media influencer Madisson Logan. She was last seen visiting Terence Logan a few days before he is to be released from prison. She is the second person who visited him in his six year stint for breaking and entering (time added because he got in a brawl in jail). The police believe he is linked to multiple murders and missing person's cases, perhaps even partnering with someone while he is on the other side. The FBI recorded his meeting with Madisson and he gave her one order: "Bring me Rachel Krall."

Despite FBI telling her to leave town, Rachel sticks around because there is a big social media influencer convention in town, and maybe she can gather clues as to Madisson's disappearance. Is Madisson alive? Is Rachel Terence's next victim? And what's the deal with the stinky Uber driver?

This was a well-paced thriller, and the influencer convention side plot was kind of fun. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Any book by Megan is amazing this was no brainer that it would be amazing! I can’t wait for the next one!

I am so, so sad to be writing this review. I have immensely enjoyed all of Goldin’s other books, but this one isn’t working.
I don’t remember Rachel Krall being awful in The Night Swim, but she’s really immature here and after 30% I can’t take it anymore. Also not a fan of the FBI agent, but either. I’m hoping I love her next book better.

Like many readers, I enjoyed The Night Swim and was excited to hear about a new book in the series! Sadly, Dark Corners fell very flat for me personally.

I don’t remember Rachel being so unlikable in the Night Swim. In fact, I kind of remember her being very average and personable. This time around, she’s smug and holier than thou and “so sexy” and “looks like a Viking princess”. She’s also incredibly charming and so likable that everyone she meets is willing to instantly spill their guts to her.

My mom likes to joke that my life motto is “but would you be saying that if she were a man?” I usually love an unlikable protagonist and I try really hard not to be turned off by a female character who is assertive or doesn't feel the need to be friendly and pleasant. The thing is, Rachel was just insufferable.

The good news is you don’t need to remember anything from The Night Swim to read Dark Corners. There's a few reminders from the previous book, but you can 100% read this as a standalone (though if you only want to read one, I highly recommend The Night Swim!).

The dialogue felt a little clunky at times and the story wasn't my favorite but it wasn't a bad plot. This might have worked better for me as an audiobook, so if you're on the fence maybe give that a try!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader.

Podcaster/investigator Rachel Krall has no idea what she is getting into when she agrees to help the FBI with a case in Florida. What follows is a web of lies and deceit, not the least of which come from the social media influencers at BuzzCon, and some poor old police work that left people in perpetual danger. I love the character Rachel Krall and Agent Martinez was a great addition. This book constantly revealed connections and “coincidences” that constantly had me re-evaluating everyone in the book!

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!

I had read and loved Night Swim, the first book in this series, so I was really excited for this book, too --especially when I saw it was about social media influencers. As usual with Goldin, I thought the plotting was excellent and I really loved the cast of characters we met. Rachel Krall continues to do what we wants and needs to get the good story. Every time I thought I had the story figured out, I was wrong.

The only thing I thought needed some work was the love story -- the chemistry felt a bit forced. Otherwise, I thought this was excellent!

Dark Corners is a fun read. I wonder if this will one day feel dated, as it centers heavily on social media influencers and the toxicity of that lifestyle. One can only hope that this darker side of social media will one day be obsolete - the author pulls no punches when it comes to presenting influencers in an extremely negative light.

If you've read Megan Goldin's excellent The Night Swim, then you have already been introduced to MC Rachel Krall, a podcaster who reports on true crime. It is not necessary to have read TNS to enjoy Dark Corners, but always fun to continue reading about a character you like.

Rachel gets pulled into an FBI investigation of a current missing woman, and older unsolved murders that they feel may all be related. Rachel continues to be a character worth rooting for, and Dark Corners is an enjoyable read with some nice twists. It was not, for me, quite as good as The Night Swim, but still very entertaining. Three and a half stars.