Rachel Krall, our favorite true-crime podcaster is back!

Once again, the FBI reaches out for her assistance. They’ve asked her to meet with Terence Bailey. Mr Bailey is an inmate in a Florida prison who’s the #1 suspect in a string of unsolved murders. On the verge of being released, the FBI is desperate for help to keep him behind bars. They’ve run out of options and hoping Rachel can get him talking.

A brilliant plan that went totally sideways. Now The FBI wants Rachel out of Florida stat! Not only did she get no answers, but now she has a target on her back and Terrance is about to come after her! (Thank-you, F.B.I.!)

Rachel is a great MC. Smart and strong, she likes to do things her way. But I always have a problem when our “average citizen” does the work of the police. (Maybe that's just me)😉

This was a great follow-up to book one, Night Swim. Hoping this series will continue.
I enjoyed both the digital and audio versions and recommend the audio!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio.

A Captivating and Compelling Story of Mystery and Intrigue

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Rachel Krall is a well-known true-crime podcaster. The FBI has asked her for assistance on a missing persons case in Florida. The missing person is the popular van-lifer influencer Maddison Logan who disappeared after visiting a prisoner at the Florida State Prison. Maddison has a substantial social media following.

Terrance Bailey is in prison for breaking and entering, but the FBI suspects he is responsible for the murder of several women. He is due to be released from prison very soon. The FBI wants to know why Maddison was visiting Bailey and whether her disappearance is related to that visit. They think Rachel can help. When Rachel realizes that Maddison had left her a voicemail right before she disappeared, she is determined to help find her. Rachel goes undercover as an influencer at Buzzcon, a popular influencer conference held at Daytona Beach. She needs to learn more about Maddison before Bailey’s release from prison.


REVIEW
Dark Corners is a captivating and compelling story of mystery and intrigue. What happened to Maddison? What’s Maddison’s connection to Bailey? And why did Maddison contact Rachel? These are all questions at the heart of the story, which is told from multiple points of view, including segments of Rachel’s podcast about Maddison’s story.

Megan Goldin’s writing is riveting. She masterfully weaves a story about a prisoner, a popular influencer, a podcaster, the FBI, an influencer convention, a beautiful Florida beach, and a meticulous ride-share driver. There is so much going on in this book, and Goldin has penned it all together perfectly.


Rachel’s character is amazing. I fell in love with her in The Night Swim (2020) for her drive and determination; my admiration grew with Dark Corners. She is strong, smart, and savvy. Her character pulls you into the story. I felt like I was riding on Rachel’s coattails during this story, right there with her the whole time.

I was delighted to listen to the multicast audiobook of Dark Corners. The narrators were André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. The voices, the pacing, and the tone were all spot on, effortlessly captivating this listener!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher MacMillan Audio
Published August 8, 2023
Narrated André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

📚Dark Corners, by Megan Goldin, is the second book featuring well-known true crime podcaster Rachel Krall.

Summoned to Florida by FBI agent Joe Martinez, Rachel learns her name came up during a recent visit between social media influencer Maddison Logan and prisoner Terrence Bailey at a Florida prison. Bailey is set to be released soon while Maddison has gone missing; the only link the FBI can find between the influencer and the prisoner is Rachel.
As Rachel goes in search of Maddison, she decides to attend a social media influencer conference, Buzz Con. The influencer who banks the most followers during Buzz Con can earn up to five million dollars in endorsements. As Rachel learns more about the world of influencers, she sees it’s a much darker pursuit than most people realize. People can, and do, kill to get ahead.
While meeting various influencers, Rachel runs across a woman traveling through the US from Europe. She tells a tale of a middle aged, red headed male ride share driver with particularly bad body odor whom she believed was intent on kidnapping her. Rachel discovers others have reported seeing that same man asking around for Maddison.
During her time in Florida, Rachel will be questioned in the death of one of the Buzz Con attendees, she’ll uncover Maddison’s true identity, and she’ll figure out the reason Terrence Bailey was talking to Maddison about her. She will face danger and fall into the trap of a murderer. This time, Rachel will need someone to come in search for her. Will they find her before it’s too late? Or, in an ironic twist, will Rachel Krall become the topic of a future true crime podcast?

✨I love all of the books I’ve read and listened to by Megan Goldin and this is no exception. I listened to the audiobook and feel this is one of those stories that is best when listened to. Since the book uses a podcast format, the audio really lends itself to an immersive experience. The narrators did a wonderful job of bringing the words off the page and engrossing me into the story.
The reason I took one star off is because this is now our second book about Rachel Krall and we still don’t really know much about her. This book talked about the fact she was married before but gives us nothing else. I want to know more about Rachel’s past and I’d like to determine whether or not she’s a dynamic character versus a stagnant one.
If you enjoy thrillers, true crime podcasts, or other works from Megan Goldin, then I highly recommend this!

Thank you NetGalley, Megan Goldin, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook ahead of the proposed August 8th, 2023 release date in exchange for a candid review.

This was a really fun audiobook. I loved that it was a whole production and gel at times like you were listening to Rachel's podcast.

Megan Goldin is always a reliable thriller author. This book was creepy and twisted without being cheesy and too unpredictable.

I liked it—couple twists and a lot of vapid influencers. Lots of characters and audio is great with different narrators and music between chapters. I hope we see Joe again in future books!

DARK CORNERS by Megan Goldin and read by Samantha Desz and January LaVoy is an entertaining suspense.

⭐⭐⭐💫

This is my first read of Goldin's and I wonder if I should have read Night Swim first. I never felt lost per se, but I wonder if things would have been a bit more memorable. Just a quick caveat!

This suspense/thriller had a few different things going on from the beginning. There was Rachel Krall, the true-crime Podcaster, the podcast special report exerpts, and then the serial killer who we know immediately.

I wasn't sure how this structure would work for me, but as I listened, it was good. I enjoyed the way all three aspects came together to show the truth of what had happened in the disappearance of a social media influencer suspected of being killed.

There seemed to be a lot more of the how and the why's as the mystery here instead of the who. It made it a different feel. I appreciated all the red herrings that made me try to make the wrong connections.

I have mentioned before that I love January LaVoy's voice, and she did a fantastic job with this story! It was easy to follow, especially with the breaks with Desz's sections.

I enjoyed this story while listening. I felt like it was an entertaining suspense, but ask me in week what it was about and I will probably forget. Confession: I had to listen to the last 3 chapters again to remember. This could totally be because I was busier than usual while listening, because there is a very strange distinction about the killer that felt super odd and memorable. Regardless of my memory slip, I did remember liking it!

Thank you @netgalley, @macmillan.audio for @stmartinspress for this ALC and letting me share my thoughts. This audio will be available on August 8th.

While I really enjoyed Megan Goldin's Night Swim, I wasn't a huge fan of this one.

When I found out that this would be following Rachel and still have that podcast element, I was so excited. I thought this one would be a huge win. But I found that I didn't enjoy the "romance" bit in this and I thought it reminded me too much of another real life true crime case.

I also wasn't too keen on how Rachel was utilized on this one. It didn't feel like investigative journalism, but more like a straight up cop/ detective story.

All that said and done, it came to around a 2.5 (3 star rounded up) for me.

Thank you Netgally for the advanced audio in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ALC. I really enjoyed this listen! I loved the podcast portions and story told within. There’s quite a few characters so there’s a few times I was confused but overall great book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of "Dark Corners" by Megan Goldin. This was my first time readling/listening to a Goldin book and after I was invested in this story, I learned it was the second Goldin book featuring Rachel Krall. I hope I didn't spoil anything from the first book since starting with this one.

I enjoyed this book and wonder if the reading experience was as enjoyable as the audio version. Since there was an imbedded podcast, I can imagine that might be distracting in written form but it was a seamless inclusion in the audiobook format.

The characters were well-developed and the underlying relationship between the FBI agent and Krall was a fun addition to the story. I was able to make out a few of the connections early in the story but overall, the mystery "who done it" story was delivered well.

Full Review and Recipe that Matches the Book: https://bakingthroughbookclub.com/202...

What do paroled prisoners, mega-influencers, and body odor have in common?

Together, they create the backdrop for a special addition to Rachel Krall’s award-winning podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. Rachel is the fictional podcaster featured in Megan Goldin’s first book, The Night Swim . Dark Corners picks up a couple of weeks after the events of The Night Swim , when Rachel is supposed to be relaxing after her trip to Neapolis. One day, however, she gets a call from Special Agent Martinez from the FBI, where her name has come up in a missing persons investigation. A hot Instagram star by the name of Maddison Logan was in town for Buzzcon, a conference that serves as the mecca for mega-influencers. During that time, Maddison goes to see a convicted murderer by the name of Terrance Bailey in jail. Now, Maddison is missing, and the only lead the FBI has is a note Bailey scrawled to Maddison asking her to find Rachel Krall. With time running out, Agent Martinez hopes to find Maddison before it's too late. Can Rachel infiltrate the world of picture-perfect yoga poses and insufferable mealtime photographers in order to find out what happened to Maddison?

Like The Night Swim , Goldin does an amazing job laying out the puzzle pieces for her readers so that they can start solving the mystery little by little. It’s not hard to connect a few of the pieces, but the story doesn’t weave together until the end. If I had one criticism, I would say that the connection the story had to Buzzcon seemed shallow. That part of the ending felt rushed, like the author grew tired and decided to mop up the loose ends as quickly as possible. So much detail went into describing the mega-influencers that anything but a juicy ending for them seemed like a letdown.

A few friends have asked me whether I preferred The Night Swim or Dark Corners. One glance at Goodreads tells me that this is a highly-debated topic. The Night Swim was more detailed and realistic. The mystery was well thought-out, and I found myself wrapped in the trial. It definitely felt like it was ripped from the headlines. I was half expecting Guilty or Not Guilty to appear on my podcast recommendations right next to NPR's Serial. Meanwhile, Dark Corners was more salacious. It was realistic in its own way, but part of the fun was how UNREALISTIC the life of an influencer actually is. All the characters were unlikeable, but in a gossip magazine sort of way that makes you want to find out what happens next. Unlike The Night Swim , which covers the topic of rape, Dark Corners has far fewer trigger warnings. However, Rachel Krall seems almost TOO invincible in Dark Corners. Journalists have mad research skills, but it's hard to believe that Rachel could discover more information in one day than a whole team of FBI agents with unreleased details at hand.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster who has helped at least one innocent person get out of jail. So when the FBI called her to Florida out of the blue her curiosity was peaked. She learned that Terrance Bailey was about to be released from prison after serving time for a lesser sentence even though he was suspected of murder. When another social media influencer who met with Bailey goes missing, Rachel is called upon to figure out what happened. The FBI is also trying to stop Bailey from being released. Will they have enough time to save the social media influencer is anyone’s guess.

Megan Goldin is one of my favourite authors so I was super excited to get the chance to listen to this one in advance. Unfortunately, this one fell a bit flat for me. It was particular long and I found it difficult to follow the story line all the way through. The narrator was really good and she was easy to listen to. Overall, the story was a bit slow and dragged out. I’ve seen many other who have enjoyed the book so I was encourage everyone to give any book a chance as you never know.

Author Megan Goldin is a mastermind with the pen. Once again she stuns with this phenomenal suspense.

Coming off the fame of her true crime podcast Rachel Krall is suddenly lured to Daytona Beach by the FBI due to her name coming up in an investigation. From there the world of social media influencers takes hold as one of their own goes missing. Narcissists to sociopaths, nothing is off limits in this incredible read!

Expected Pub Date: August 15th, 2023

After reading The Night Swim by Megan Goldin and really enjoying it, I was excited to see that this new novel, Dark Corners, featured the same true crime podcaster - Rachel - as the main character. This book was propulsive, well written and the audio narration and performance was wonderful - just like the first novel. I loved hearing the podcast aspect again and the different voices on the audiobook really elevated the feel of the novel and the back and forth between the story and the podcast.

One aspect I found really interesting is that this was based in the world of influencers and social media. It was so fascinating to really get into the head of some of the influencers and what goes on behind the scenes of getting the perfect picture and growing a follower base. And the idea of a monster hiding in plain sight -there were some twists and turns that were fun - but also predictable.

You don't have to read The Night Swim to enjoy this one - but I recommend it just so you get to know Rachel and her journey in the first novel. Overall, this was a fast read and I am excited to see if the author continues on in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for this advanced listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

Being new to the Rachel Krall series, I had no idea that Dark Corners is book #2. Golden's 2020 book Night Swim is book #1 and on my "to read" list.
FBI agents hit a wall in their investigation of the disappearance of Madison Logan, a social media influencer with a sizeable following. Agents discovered that Madison visited petty criminal Terrance Bailey in prison. Locked up for breaking and entering, agents are trying to charge him with the mysterious disappearances of six women, but don't have the evidence. When Madison goes missing after visiting Bailey, agents are trying to figure out how Bailey could be involved. Reluctantly, agents seek out Rachel Krall to help with the investigation. Rachel uses her previous "Runner Girl" social media platform rather than @rachelkrall so as not to draw attention to herself, and goes undercover at BuzzCon the social media influencers convention to get clues on Madison's disappearance. Rachel begins her investigation by visiting Bailey in jail just days before he is released. The visit doesn't yield much, however, Rachel does notice an unusual snake tattoo on Bailey. As she makes the rounds at BuzzCon she notices two things: the hyper-competitiveness and rivalries among influencers, and influencers with that unusual snake tattoo.
The podcast element makes this a good audiobook selection. It's an entertaining and quick summer read. If you like Jennifer Hillier, you'll enjoy Megan Golden. The narration is also good.

This is the sequel to The Night Swim and continues right where it left off. Rachel Krall finds herself and her podcast right in the middle of another mystery. This audiobook was done just as well as the first with multiple narrators and a podcast segment. I found the story even better than the first book. I really hope Megan Goldin keeps writing Rachel Krall mysteries because I need more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Goldin and Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Night swim, but this sequel featuring true crime podcaster, Rachel Krall was equally as good. Following a serial killer and a convention of social media influencers in Florida, Rachel teams up with local FBI agent to try to figure out what happened to some missing women.

Twisty with a touch of romance, the audio production quality was excellent and as was the narration by January LaVoy, Samantha Desz and Andre Santana. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Libro.fm for early audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

Famed true crime podcaster Rachel Krall finds herself intimately involved in the case of a suspected serial killer soon to be released from jail. A woman who visited the prisoner is now missing, and it is clear that the prisoner wanted the missing woman to contact Rachel. Why did he want to contact Rachel, who actually is this woman, where is she, and what about the abandoned camper filled with rats and snakes?

No matter the warnings from the FBI to go home, Rachel pursues her work as an investigative reporter to help solve the case.

I enjoyed the twists and turns as more suspicious deaths are revealed and Rachel immerses herself in the influencer culture to learn more about the mystery woman. A little romance spices up the thrills for a satisfying read.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Being 100% this book was a little hard for me to get into in the beginning. I attribute that to not reading/listening to the first book in the series, so I felt like I was missing something. With that said it does not affect how I enjoyed the book or my rating of the book. I thought the narrator was able to capture the “smooth, sexy, easy listening voice Rachel is described as having. The whole book I thought the story was going one way to then be totally shocked with the plot twist at the end.

I may have jumped into the series at book 2 but I will be going back to listen to the first book as well as any future book in the series. Well done!

I LOVED The Night Swim so I was pumped to read this new release that included a continuation of Rachel’s character.

The audiobook was meh for me. I enjoy January LaVoy but the others were just okay.

The story lost steam around 40% for me and while I was surprised by the final twist, I’m not sure I was invested enough to care.

The influencer stuff seemed a little cliche and out of touch.

The romance element seemed forced and pointless.

Unfortunately this just didn’t work for me but I’ll still recommend readers pick up Night Swim.

This can be read as a stand-alone but is technically a sequel to Night Swim. This was way better than Night Swim. Like Night Swim, Dark Corners has a victims’ advocacy message though it’s not has heavy as the first book… actually it’s quite light. The topic of what types of missing people get more media and law enforcement attention is briefly mentioned but not explored much.

Dark Corners starts off with a missing influencer which leads to a series of other missing young women. We follow our main character, Rachel, and an FBI agent as they work to solve the mystery. We also get the perspective of a Norman Bates-esque serial killer throughout the book, which added to the eerieness.

This was pretty entertaining, though not my usual genre. Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC.