I love books by Megan Goldin and Dark Corners was no exception! The Night Swim is one of my favorite thrillers, and Dark corners follows the same MC, true crime podcaster Rachel.

I loved the fast pace and the twists. There were few times I felt a bit confused, but it didn't deter from the story and it eventually all made sense.

Would highly recommend!!

initial thoughts: I was so thrilled to see another Rachel Krall book, as The Night Swim was a five-star read for me back in 2020. I liked the multiple POVs, the courtroom scenes, and the podcast & Netflix series additions as well.

this book, did not have any of that. it was told entirely from Rachel's POV, and Rachel was a bit, prickly, for last of a better word in this book. while the story of two of the characters did surprise me at the end, there were a couple of things towards the end of the book I didn't love, which I don't want to give away.

I'm hoping if we get another Rachel Krall book, it will be more reminiscent of the first in the series.

I had high hopes for this one, and though I did enjoy it, it just felt like something was missing compared to The Night Swim. I think it's worth a read if you liked The Night Swim, but not something to recommend as a stand-alone.

I was a huge fan of the Night Swim and felt underwhelmed with this one. The influencer plot was easy to latch onto but by the end was feeling very meh. A little too slow moving for my taste.

Sorry, I read this months ago and apparently forgot to submit my Goodreads review -

This was okay, but it didn't grip me like Night Swim did. I like the way she writes her books, but I think it was the mystery itself that didn't pull me in. It seemed like there were too many moving parts and I found myself drifting away from caring. I'd really like the next Rachel Krall book to be one that she's doing a podcast on and trying to crack herself again than one that she somehow gets inserted into.

Rachel Krall is a podcaster who specializes in true crime. In this second book in the series (which I read out of order and don't feel that it hurt my ability to follow along), Rachel is sent to meet with a prisoner suspected of working with someone on the "outside" to kill young women. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the podcast and mystery threads; her personal story-line not as much. Very good though and I'll definitely go back and read the first book in the series. Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Apparently this series is going to be about women in jeopardy - not my favorite genre. And I think that either the author needs to brush up on FBI procedure, or the FBI needs to be fixed. Really, the Agent alternated between being entirely too secretive and revealing way too much to a true crime podcaster. I liked this book slightly more than I liked the first book in the series, but I wont be continuing with the series. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

It was really nice to go back to the world of true crime podcaster Rachel Krall. I enjoyed her last book and had no idea this was a sequel of sorts. Plot wise, it wasn't as twisty and dark as The night swim. I did like the idea of giving her a love interest here, although it was sort of out of nowhere, nothing kinda was leading to see that happening. Interesting enough, the character with the peculiar smell was a bit annoying and hard to understand his motives. It was implied from the beginning that he was the perpetrator here.

I struggle sometimes with these mystery procedural type books, often finding the continuation of a character to be a bit of a cop out, but I think it really works here. I was immediately brought back to the Rachel Krall I remembered from The Night Swim even though I’d read it over 3 years ago. The podcaster solves crimes trope has been beaten into the ground by this point, as has stories about influencers, but this was still really effective for me.

Nothing was super mysterious or surprising but because of how much I enjoyed the characters, that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story as a whole. Really hope Goldin continues the series, I’m definitely a fan!

3.5 stars

Dark Corners is a standalone follow-up to The Night Swim, both featuring podcaster Rachel Krall. I read The Night Swim several years ago and forgot much of the plot, but was able to follow Dark Corners just fine.

What I liked: the novel was fast-paced and kept me interested. I liked how Rachel was an outsider trying to uncover the details of an unsolved crime. The influencers' gala setting was fun until it went off the rails at the end. I liked how we were trying to figure out who Maddison really was and what she was hiding. The villain throughout was majorly creepy and kept me guessing.

What I disliked: The romance toward the end of the novel came out of left field for me. All of a sudden two characters were into each other. There were a lot of plot points that seemed unneccessary and not at all connected to the missing/murdered women. Rachel was a bit unlikable throughout, especially her insistence she was too good to be a part of the influencer conference.

I adore this author and was so excited to get an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed the characters and the premise for this book. However, I felt that there was just too much going on throughout this book to really be able to follow, and at times I struggled with it all, which bogged me down and made the read much less enjoyable than I was anticipating. The pacing was off as well, the first bit few by and I was hooked, but then it slowed down A LOT until the very end. The ending also seemed to wrap up a bit too quickly and left me wanting more. Overall, it was okay, but I was hoping for more.

This book is a suspenseful, heart pounding psychological thriller. The twist had my head spinning and the cleverly placed red herrings is the chefs kiss. I throughly enjoyed this one. Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this book much more that the first Rachel Krall book. It does not need to be read in order, it can be read as a standalone. I am not a fan of books with podcasts, but I did enjoy this one. The social media influencers gave it an entertaining feel. The twist at the end of it bring everything together. Did I see it coming, yes, but it was written in a way that I did not mind that.

The narrator did a great job, especially transferring between the book and the podcast. This made listening to the audio book much more enjoyable.

I want to thank Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an ARC, and advanced listening copy of this book.

I loved Night Swim and couldn’t wait for this book! Unfortunately it was not for me. This was an insiders look at an influencer’s lifestyle. I found the story confusing and hard to follow. I also didn’t enjoy the singular POV. Although this book was not my favorite by Megan Goldin, I still look forward to reading future reads from her as I usually love her books!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC.

Rachel is a true crime podcaster that gets asked to help on the case of a missing woman. While helping the FBI, Rachel unknowingly has put herself as a target.

Dark Corners is the second book in the Rachel Krall series. While this is the second book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, Night Swim, and highly recommend reading it too.

Dark Corners is an intriguing thriller. Dark and compelling. Recommended for fans of true crime podcasts and psychological thrillers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading more about Rachel Krall. I loved the social media aspects - very real life - and all the details. Plots twists galore, kept me reading fast!
Thankful for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this book! Devoured it quickly. Spent the last 25% on the edge of my seat as everything came together. I adore true crime podcasts and shows, so this was right up my alley and did not disappoint. I even liked the backstory of the influencer though I am not a big fan of that lifestyle.

Now, don't mind me as I head to Amazon to purchase a hardcopy for my collection.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review. This book is a keeper.

I was interested in the storyline, but I think the way it all connected and was tied up was a bit choppy. It felt like the author was grasping at straws to make sure everything came full circle; so much so that I actually rolled my eyes at a few parts at the end.

I first met Rachel Krall in 2020. In Night Swim, the popular true-crime podcast host covers an ongoing rape trial and a 25-year-old mystery. She's back in Dark Corners, where the police call her in to help find Maddison Logan, an influencer who went missing just hours after meeting with Terence Bailey in prison.

This novel goes deep into the world of influencer rivalries, secret societies, and the dangers of the internet. Rachel goes undercover at BuzzCon (an influencer conference) to learn more about who Maddison—  the person, not the internet personality— really is.

Megan Goldin did it again! I can't wait for the next Rachel Krall novel!

I went back and forth between audio and ebook, and both had me listening or reading as fast as I could.
I loved the side romance that began between Rachel and Joe.
I hope there is a third book to the series where we can see it continue.
The ending tied up nicely!