Thank you for the ARC (Netgalley)

I struggled with this one, a lot. I read Night Swim when it came out and enjoyed it. I was excited to receive this ARC. However, this one felt off for some reason.

Let's start with Rachel. She came across as unlikeable, reckless, and irritable. She kept acting like an amateur sleuth and had a total disregard for FBI procedures. At one point, she walked into a crime scene and refused to leave, wanting to be involved in the investigation, never mind her possible contamination of the scene. I found the banter between her and Martinez to be so ridiculous. The way the FBI brought her in, she refused to listen to them, then they just wanted her to leave was unrealistic. It felt like a very bad cop show written by someone that didn't take the time to research police procedure.

The social media influencer aspect wasn't for me either, but I know this is a personal preference. I understand that being an influencer is an actual job, but I couldn't take it serious in this story. Not really a spoiler, but in the end, Maddison won some influencer award because of everything that happened to her, that made her viral and blow up. The woman was hunted down and tormented by a deranged serial killer and everyone was like, "oh she's such a good influencer".

I don't know what else to say, I really didn't enjoy this book and it felt like the writing was rushed and the author didn't take the time to research, lay out plot points, and make the story believable.

I did enjoy the ending in regard to Terrence Bailey. That was a bit of a redeeming factor for me.

This book is sooooo good! This is my fourth read by Megan Goldin and she consistently wows me with her twisty, mystery thrillers. Her first three books dealt with cutthroat back stabbing in the world of finance (The Escape Room), an investigative true crime podcaster unraveling a murder/rape in a college town (The Night Swim/Rachel Krall #1), and, a woman who tortures herself trying to stay awake because every time she wakes after nodding off, she finds she is being hunted and remembers nothing that has happened to her for the past two years (Stay Awake) – all three were brilliant, twisty, and exciting page flippers.

Goldin’s newest title, Dark Corners, is her second book featuring Rachel Krall, the creator of a popular investigative true crime podcast. Krall is contacted by the FBI, out of the blue, “instructing” her to fly out to Daytona, Florida at their behest and expense – no explanation provided. It turns out that her name has come up in connection with a dangerous prison inmate and the disappearance of a well-known social media influencer, Maddison Logan. As the story develops, she is swept up into the investigation of the murder and disappearance of several young women, and the hunt for a serial killer. Along the way she delves into the world of social media influencers, where the characters adopt flamboyant alias personas (the only humor in the book). Krall proves a valuable ally to the primary FBI Officer handling the case, while at the same time exposing herself to considerable danger.

I learned a new word/medical term for the genetic disease Trimethylaminuria, a rare disorder in which the body emits an unpleasant smell as of rotting fish (thank you wiki)…One of the main characters suffered from the disease which predictably triggered behavioral issues.

All of Goldin’s books are page flippers but this one nearly gave me whiplash and kept me up half the night reading. The book was unputdownable! Her first book was an instant hit with me; I loved the dark humor. Her last three books, including Dark Corners, are original, mostly bereft of humor, and kept me guessing throughout. Her resolutions are complete, for those readers who like tidy endings.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of this novel due out on August 23rd…I loved it so much and I can hardly wait to see what Goldin comes up with next!

This book was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. Absolutely terrifying and thrilling at the same time. One of my favorite books!!

A true crime podcaster,Rachel Krall, has been asked by the FBI to interview an inmate,Terence Bailey who is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering. Police suspect that Bailey has been involved in the murders of several women, but have no definite evidence.
Maddison who is an online iinfluencer visits Bailey two days before his release and then disappears. The police are sure that her disappearance has something to do with Bailey and want Rachel Krall to try and get the evidence they need.
Krall sees a tattoo on Bailey's arm. It is a snake eating its own tail and this same tattoo was also seen on a murdered girl.
I don't usually read any series as i like my books tp be varied, but I did enjoy Megan Goldin's books Stay Awake and The Escape Room, so I thought I would give this series a go, but it was not for me.
I do thank the author, publisher and Netgally for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was able to get an early copy of this book via Netgalley! Thank you!

A true crime podcaster who became insta famous because she helped an innocent coach get a new trial and out of prison, gets herself into a current situation where an inmate is getting ready to be free from prison and there are a lot of circumstances surrounding his release. This book ties current events and people like social media influencers and current technology into events from the past while solving a crime that is 6 plus years old. I am a true crime junkie so this caught and kept my attention.

My only critique (and this may be solved when the final copy hits the shelves) is that when the book chapters switch to the podcast notes I wish the chapter was titled differently or there was a little more difference in the fonts when the book switches back and forth. That kept catching me off guard.

Also, I would like to note that this book leaves an open ending for possible more and/or a series! Love it!

Eye opening story about the world of social influencers with murder, missing women, wrongly accused and a murderer on the loose mixed in! Rachel Krall is a podcaster who is known for solving crimes and freeing innocent people convicted of crimes. While she is taking a break after the conclusion of a recent podcast, she is contacted by the FBI and meets them along with a prisoner in a Florida penitentiary. A cryptic conversion with the prisoner, Terry Bailey, leads Rachel on a journey to find answers about a missing girl who was Terry’s only visitor during his incarceration. FBI agent, Joe Martinez, realizes he’s put Rachel in harms way when he learns of the veiled threats Terry made against Rachel and given the fact that he is being releases from prison in just a few days. When Rachel decides to stay despite Joe’s encouragement to return home, they begin to work together to find the missing influencer who is leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. Can Rachel and Joe find who is orchestrating the murders before it is too late? Excellent novel for those interested in crime mysteries, suspense, social media, and cold cases. This review is based on the ARC provided by #St. Martin’s Publishing and #NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read before pub day on August 8th! This book, the second in the Rachel Krall series, feels very different from book one (The Night Swim). It definitely felt like the stakes were higher and the characters were in more danger, which I enjoyed. I figured out the main twist, but there were a ton of red herrings to throw you off the scent and confuse you, and it was fun trying to piece everything together. At first I thought it switched POV too much and it was a bit jarring, but once I got to know the characters, it didn’t bother me. I liked the ending, and I’m hoping to see more of Joe Martinez in future books! This will be a great summer thriller from Megan Goldin!

Loved this one much more than the first one in the series! In comparison, this book has several different points of view, and you don’t know how everyone fits into the story. This was better than the multiple timelines of the first book. It’s also a mystery/ serial killer happening in real time with Rachel in the center of it all. Definitely some interesting twists, some I expected but some that surprised me! Didn’t love the romance aspect and didn’t need it. I was also missing Rachel’s producer who was a more frequent element in the first book! I’ll still definitely read more from this author!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is about Rachel Krall, a true crime podcaster, who gets recruited by the FBI to help them try and solve a case of a missing influencer.

I was so excited to read this book since I really liked “The Night Swim”, which is the first book. I enjoy Megan Goldin’s writing style and I also was excited to read about Rachel Krall and her podcast again. This book takes place right after the first book, but it could be read as a standalone.
I found the mystery aspect to be very interesting at the beginning of the book. I kind of guessed the ending so it was predictable in my opinion. I would have rated this book higher, but I did feel that it was too long and dragged on in some parts. I was starting to not be as invested in the mystery towards middle of the book.

I did really enjoy Rachel’s character development and the ‘romance’ that we saw towards the end!

Podcaster Rachel Krall is back in “Dark Corners” by Megan Goldin. Terrance Bailey is about to be released from prison, but the police suspect that he’s actually a serial killer. Before his release date, he gets a visit from lifestyle influencer Maddison Logan, who then goes missing. During their conversation, Terrance tells Maddison to try to get in touch with Rachel, so without any other leads the FBI pulls Rachel into their active investigation.

I absolutely love Rachel Krall and was so excited to see her in another story (can we please keep this series going?!). This book definitely felt different from “Night Swim,” but I didn’t mind the shift. Also, I really liked the dynamic between Rachel and Joe Martinez, the FBI agent. I’m always here for an undercurrent of love.

This book was an interesting deep dive into the world of social media influencers- it didn’t necessarily add to the plot, but I do think it made Rachel a more interesting character. She tends to avoid being the face of her podcast and seeing this side of online presence allows us to understand why (besides the obvious safety issues of her podcast subject matter).

In the end, this book was a solid 4 star read for me. I really enjoyed it and felt engaged the whole time. I can’t wait to read more about Rachel Krall and truly hope the series keeps going!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book comes out August 8th!

I’m a big fan of Megan Goldin and I really liked this book. This is a police procedural set in Daytona Beach, Florida. Rachel Krall is the primary character, and she was introduced in a previous book (The Night Swim). Rachel is the host of a popular true crime podcast, and has been called on to help investigate a case of a missing woman. This book has twists and turns and interesting characters. Hope we see Rachel Krall in future books.
Recommended!

I am addicted to the Rachel Krall series!! This book was just a as good as Night Swim if not better. I rate this book five out of five stars and highly recommend it to anyone to read!!

An excellent follow up to The Night Swim. Rachel Krall is one of my favorite modern female characters. Goldin would do well to continue this series. Clear your schedule before starting this one because it will pull you in from page one and leave you guessing until the end. I loved it.

I loved Megan Goldin's novel The Night Swim and had hopes that the continuing story of Rachel Krall would be as enthralling as the first installment. This book was not written in the same style as The Night Swim with the multi-points of view and the Podcast transcripts. Dark Corners stuck with just Rachel's point of view and really had nothing to truly do with her hit podcast. She was in the middle of the action, including an in depth look at the world of social media Influencers. Some may find this interesting, yet I find the world of Influencers to be abhorrent and obnoxious. I had no ties to any of the characters, and even the personality of Rachel seemed a bit arrogant and off balance. It was interesting to see how the mystery unraveled but there were no strong feelings from me either way. #darkcorners #megangoldin #netgalley #goodreads

I was very excited for this one! I loved Night Swim and this one didn't disappoint. Albeit slow at times, I found it overall very entertaining. 4/5 stars from me.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for a gifted arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: August 8, 2023

This is my second book by Goldin and it didn't disappoint! This book gave off "The Last Housewife" vibes along with Ashley Flowers vibes too.

I loved that this book focused on the true crime aspect of a social media influencer and how you don't really know who the "monster" is. One thing about Goldin is that her writing sucks you right in plus the short chapters will have you reading past your bedtime. This book isn't really full of twists but more in the vein of fast paced mystery. I also loved that Goldin had transcripts from Rachel's podcast throughout the book too.

The only main thing that didn't make this a five star read was the multiple POV plus the short chapters. It made me as a reader feel discombobulated at points. I think if it was just one POV with the short chapters then this definitely would have been a five star read!

Perfect for fans: popcorn thrillers, true crime, mystery, Ashley Flowers, Ashley Winstead's "The Last Housewife"

I love the decision to turn this into a series. I enjoyed Rachel Krall's investigatory skills in ‘The Night Swim,’ so I was excited to see what case she would crack open next!

But I didn't quite enjoy this as much as the first book. However, it's really only because of personal preferences. I don't really understand the hype around social media influencers, so I didn't find the core content of this story that engaging. I thought the courtroom scenes and drama in ‘The Night Swim’ were super strong, so I was bummed that didn't occur in this sequel. And this particular mystery begins with telling the reader the identity of who is behind the murders, so the only thing the reader gets to discover is how that person is connected to other characters, and that's not the kind of narrative I like in my thrillers. I prefer a bit more unknown and reveals.

All that aside, the pacing is fast and there are a lot of little tricks thrown in along the way to distract the reader, which I thought was fun. So anyone looking for a relevant true crime mystery novel that is quick to read can look forward to this one!

I thought the overall story was fine. I did like how this story talked about and focused on influencer culture, a topic that is currently relevant in society. I also liked that it mentioned how the public treats missing person cases differently between white and black women and even men. Then there is also the issue of the delay of police searching for teenagers because they may have run away in the past and how that can affect the outcome of their case. I do think the twists, while not predictable, they were a bit over the top and there was a romance included in this that I don’t think was needed. I did like Night Swim better, but if there is another book that includes Rachel Krall, I would pick it up.

Spoiler- Free Review
I had mixed feelings about this read. In some aspects I enjoyed the variety of plot points, but overall it felt incredible disjointed. I didn’t like the way everything came together at the end. It felt sloppy to just write off so much of the plot. Some things were hinted at very obviously and characters didn’t figure it out until the end and some things were not hinted at at all and felt like they pulled them out of thing air to tie up the plot.

Additionally, the tone felt odd. It may have been due to the changing narrator, but as a whole it felt discombobulated and didn’t come through for me.

Although this was not my favorite I really do think this would do well as an audiobook. The podcast chapters would lend themselves to the audio form nicely and I think it would help with the tone differences between narrators.

Nit-picks - Spoilers
They talk about how the victims don’t match for the killings and then they end up being done by the same person.
The influencer deaths felt really stupid and took away from the overall plot for me.
The romance aspect between the leads was very misplaced and unnecessary.

I was very excited to read Dark Corners (Rachel Krall #2) by Megan Goldin. I really enjoyed the twists and the surprises. In the middle it kind of took more time to get to a point, but still got me hooked and I couldn’t put it down.

Now I am a Megan Goldin fan and I hope there will be more of Rachel Krall in the future.

I really recommend this book!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy.