Rachel Krall has been thrown into the spotlight after her true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, has gotten wildly popular. She is on the road to Neapolis, a small coastal town in the States, to cover the case she has chosen as the subject of her third season. Rachel covets her anonymity and is uncomfortable when she starts receiving letters on her car and in her hotel room from a woman named Hannah. Hannah tells Rachel she has reached out to her before via email but was ignored. Hannah wants Rachel’s help to solve her sister’s murder from 1992 that occurred in the same town. Rachel is already covering a controversial rape trial for her podcast but can’t satisfy her curiosity from learning more about Hannah Stills and her sister, Jenny.

My only criticism of this novel is that for me, Rachel was missing some depth. Yes - she was an excellent investigator, yes - she did a great job covering Kelly’s rape trial but I still had no idea of who Rachel really was by the end of the book. I loved the exploration of what it means to be guilty and demonstrate forgiveness. The dual plot lines in this story kept the pace moving and the multiple POVs helped as well. It was a good length and didn’t drag at all! My favourite part of this novel was the podcast scripts. I am a true crime podcast junkie myself and I would definitely tune in to Guilty or Not Guilty if I could. The ending still surprised me and it connected all of the dots.

Thank you to St Martins Press for my free review copy of this book. I enjoyed this author’s last book so was eager to read this one. This book was told by alternating points of view and also through a podcast. The main character, Rachel, has a successful crime podcast and is currently covering a rape trial. Please note that there are vivid descriptions of rape if this a trigger for you. The writer doesn’t use this to sensationalize the book and I think she has taken care in how she has portrayed it. Rachel is covering the trial of a 16 year old rape victim who has accused the local star athlete of raping her. In addition to this another incident from the same town has been brought to her attention. This happened years earlier and the death of a teenage girl was classified as drowning but her sister believes she was murdered. The book deals with both cases and both are well written. I don’t classify this book as a thriller. I think it is more of a mystery. I loved the way the stories were told and I read this in a day. Overall another book from this author that I really enjoyed.

Anyone else a fan of true crime podcasts?
To me The Night Swim was a cross between a courtroom drama, and the transcript from a true crime podcast. But it needs a huge disclaimer/trigger warning because the court case is about the rape of a teenage girl.

The book is told by two different women, Rachel and Hannah.

Rachel is an investigator currently in a small southern coastal town for a trial that is the focus of the third season of her true crime podcast. The town is friend upside down when a potential Olympic swimmer from a notable family is accused of raping the teenage granddaughter of the former police chief.

Hannah, is a fan of the podcast and a native of the same town, although she has not been back in many years. She is asking for a Rachel’s help with the death of her sister that occurred decades earlier. For years she has been running from her past, but now, with Rachel’s help, she is hoping to face it and get answers.

Both Rachel and Hannah’s stories are entwined with Rachel’s podcast transcript, giving you a little bit of information at a time. Just enough so you almost feel like her listeners, getting a front row seat in the jury box, seeing how not just one of these crimes, but both unfold.

This one was really good. Although detailed and graphic, I couldn’t wait to see how these two stories overlapped and the outcome of the trial. This was my first book by Megan Goldin, and I really enjoyed the pace and story of it. I felt immersed in the story and the small town.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the copy to read and provide an honest review.

I was excited to receive an advance copy of The Night Swim and my excitement was more than warranted. It’s a great story, fast moving, smooth flowing, action-packed, and dangerous with a good, solid mystery that kept me guessing until the end. The story takes place in the small town of Neapolis, a happy tourist attraction but with a lot going on under the surface. Author Megan Goldin capably manages to combine a present day alleged crime of rape and a decades old “accident” with issues both then and now of reputation, harassment and abuse and neatly wraps it all in a true crime podcast setting, such a hot topic these days.

Rachel is the podcaster. She went to Neapolis just to cover the rape charge against the town’s golden boy. But Neopolis doesn’t feel safe. Rachel did not expect to be stalked by someone wanting truth and justice for the death of her sister twenty-five years ago, and there’s something not so nice beneath the sunny, bright exterior face the town shows to most visitors. She isn’t sure everyone she interviews is telling her the truth about today or back then. Goldin moves seamlessly between the present and past and expertly weaves threads through the events and characters of both and ties them up into a totally unexpected and totally satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of The Night Swim. All opinions are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it, and cannot wait for Megan Goldin’s next book.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Wow! Great suspenseful book that weaves two stories into one. I enjoyed the short chapters and how they switched between Rachel to letters from Hannah and then into the podcast covering the rape trial. There were a lot of twists and the ending was very good. The only reason I didn’t give this a full five stars is because I’m not much of a fan of reading about court cases, but even though I don’t care for them, this one was very well written and kept my interest the whole time. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good mystery. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

To see more of by reviews check out my Goodreads and Instagram pages.
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I received a complimentary digital copy of this arc book from St Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Trigger warning: this story is about the effects of rape on a teen including the emotional after effects and fight for justice.

This was a quick paced novel which kept my interest throughout. I enjoyed the alternating chapters of Rachel, and Hannah and then the podcast version to round off the story. It begins quite ominously with Hannah talking about how the death of her 16 yo sister Jenny overwhelmed the family. Her mother who was struggling with cancer eventually died leaving Hannah an orphan.

Rachel Krall is an investigative reporter who presents a popular podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty, “the podcast that puts you in the jury box”. This is the third season for her podcast and wants it to grab her viewers attention. The Blair rape trial is in the headlines in Neapolis so she packs up and drives there to cover the duration of the trial. She also likes to present a personal aspect of the case by interviewing people and gathering a consensus of the town.

She finds it odd that in this day and age people are so willing to blame the victim in this case Kelly Moore, “K” as she is referred to by the media. It’s supposedly to protect her anonymity. Since the town is small everyone knows everyone including the incident involving a party with underage teens drinking. Doing an investigative podcast as a journalist can expose you to many creepy stalkers. So, Rachel is somewhat alarmed when she finds a letter under her windshield wiper on her way to Neapolis.

While covering the events of the Blair trial, she continues to receive letters from Hannah begging her to investigate the murder of her sister Jenny 25 years ago. Her death was considered an accidental drowning but Hannah knows there was more to it as her sister was an accomplished swimmer. Coincidentally, this occurred in Neapolis where it seems most people still recall the incident.

Rachel begins to piece together information about the Blair case which oddly seems to involve some of the same people around during the time of Jenny’s death. There seems to be a lot of secrets buried in this old town where people’s reputation are paramount to the truth. Rachel prides herself on being a fair and objective investigative reporter which can often put her in dangerous situations. She doesn’t believe in coincidences and against her producer Pete’s advice tries to make sense of Hannah’s story.

The story contains enough characters for to wonder who did what and where. It doesn’t contain too many extraneous details that your mind will start to wander. It begs to ask the old question of people can really change and reinvent themselves. How do you repair a reputation whether it be true or not? The strong female protagonist is admirable and an advocate for rape victims. It can be difficult to obtain justice when freedom can be bought and sold at the expense of others, often the victims.

4.5/ 5 stars

The Night Swim is a mystery/thriller. It is my first book by this author.

The main narrator is Rachel. She has a very popular true crime podcast. So the book is divided between her 3rd person POV. And her podcasts. And there is also a 1st person POV of Hannah writing letters.

This is a book that I probably would not have picked based on the cover or book blurb. But it has been getting so many good reviews and recommendations. And it was chosen for The Book of the Month Club. So I decided to give it a try. And I'm glad that I did.

This book is about the very important topic of rape culture. The book focuses on one case for Rachel's podcast. It has to do with a rich swimmer being accused of rape. I was fascinated by this case. And I found Rachel's involvement to be really interesting.

In contrast another case from 25 years ago is explored (that is where Hannah comes into the story). Her sister drowned 25 years ago. And she has questions.

I really enjoyed the back and forth between these two stories. And I liked how Rachel was involved in both of them.

I found the beginning of this book to be quite riveting. And I was very surprised how much I enjoyed Rachel's Guilty or Not Guilty podcast.

I was also very impressed with the author's writing in the third person. Usually I find that I am very aware when an author is writing a 3rd person POV. But in this case the author shifted seamlessly from the podcasts, to the letters, to the 3rd person POV.

Some of the story was a bit hard to read. And some of it was infuriating (especially how girls and women are put on trial when they come forward accusing someone of rape). But it's such a meaningful subject.

There were definitely some surprising turns of events that I enjoyed very much. And overall I really liked the story. This was a strong mystery/thriller.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin was not what I expected. I had not even read a synopsis before starting, so I had no idea what it was going to be about. But after reading Goldin's previous book, The Escape Room, I was expecting this book to be a fun, fluffy, and entertaining thriller. That is not what The Night Swim is, and I think this review should probably be prefaced with a trigger warning that this is a dark and emotional story about sexual assualt. It's a good and important story, but it's not an easy read.

The Night Swim is about two rape cases, separated by 25 years. Rachel Krall, a famous true crime podcaster, comes to Neapolis, North Carolina to cover a big trial for accused rape against a 16 year old girl. While Rachel is in town covering the trial, she finds out about a similar case that happened 25 years ago and begins to investigate.

I liked this book a lot. The serious subject matter did catch me by surprise as I was expecting something a bit more fun. There is nothing fun about this story. But it felt very realistic. The rape case in this story shares many similarities with the real life case against Brock Turner at Stanford a few years ago. I recently finished Know My Name by Chanel Miller, which is the victim's memoir about her whole experience from the rape through the trial. There are enough similarities between this fictional story and the real life story that I assume this was purposeful on the part of Goldin. And because I knew so much about the real life case, it only added to the authenticity of this fictional case. Both the crimes committed and the trial scenes in this novel felt like real life things that have happened/could happen/will happen again, and that made the whole reading experience unsettling but also intriguing.

Interspersed within the story are episodes of Rachel's podcast, and I really enjoyed the addition of those podcast episodes. It was a unique way to tell the story and relate the events of the trial. This novel was somewhat of a slow burn; there was not a lot of action. But overall I felt like it was a well-paced, suspenseful and thought-provoking story.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Before I start my review, readers should be warned that this book deals heavily in sexual assault and rape. Some of the scenes insinuate graphic sexual battery which may be hard for some to read. That being said, The Night Swim should be on every must-read list this year. This story about a true crime podcaster investigating a rape trial brought up so many emotions in me—anger, sadness, disgust, outrage. I want people to read this book so that they feel those emotions too, and maybe something will change with how we treat victims of sexual assault. Even though this was a fictional trial in a fictional town, the behavior of the townspeople to the trial unfortunately coincides all too well with how our society still reacts to these situations. More thought is given to the futures of those that are accused over those that are victims, and the insinuating stigma that surrounds the victims downplays the seriousness of these crimes. It’s a vicious chain reaction, and it just needs to stop.

It’s also worth mentioning that though this book may look like a thriller at first, I would classify it as a courtroom drama with a mystery element. I know not everyone can handle a thriller, so hopefully this disclaimer will open this one up as a possibility for your tbr!

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐⭐⭐/ 5 stars

Wow, I started reading this just expecting a typical murder mystery, but came out haunted and still thinking about all the devastation that happened. Two women were raped, 25 years apart in a small town that is divided in opinion. Rachel Krall, a star podcast host, has come to Neapolis to report the trial of K and her alleged raper, a Olympic-trained swimmer from a prominent family. In the meantime, Rachel is getting letters from Hannah Stills, younger sister of Jenny Stills who died in a suspicious swimming accident over 20 years ago. It smelled like a cover up. Covering two different similar cases, you clearly see how the topic of rape usually victimizes the woman. It was heartbreaking to know what happened to Jenny and how it was covered up for so long and what is going through K and her having to testify in court. This book keeps you guessing and with 2 different cases, you keep wondering if they are connected in some way in such a small town. Loved Escape Room , also written by Megan Goldin, but Night Swim is so much better in so many ways because the story just grips you immediately, but nicely paced throughout. Highly recommended! One of my favorites this year!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! This is out today! Happy pub day!

I really enjoyed this thriller! The Night Swim tells the story of Rachel, host of a true crime podcast who arrives in a small town to cover a rape trial where the town’s star swimmer stands accused. The alternating plot line is the story of Hannah and the loss of her sister 25 years earlier in the same town under similar circumstances. The story slowly unfolds revealing the true details of each event as you learn what really happened. I thought the pace of the story was good, it kept you guessing, and the dual timeline was well done and very interesting! I definitely recommend this one!

Blog Tour
In The Night Swim, a new thriller from Megan Goldin, author of the “gripping and unforgettable” (Harlen Coben) The Escape Room, a true crime podcast host covering a controversial trial finds herself drawn deep into a small town’s dark past and a brutal crime that took place there years before.
Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name—and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The new season of Rachel's podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation—but the mysterious letters keep coming. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insist she was murdered—and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases—and a revelation that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

https://wendyreadsandwrites.blogspot.com/2020/08/blog-tour-night-swim-novel-by-megan.html

The subject of this book is rape and it is very hard to read, at times. The characters are well developed and believable. I was drawn in from the first pages and was invested in the storyline to the last page. It is a fast paced, though provoking, emotional thriller. Well done. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review

It's been a long time since I read a good well-written mystery. This was fast paced and easy to read, a story within a story and dual timelines so there was a lot going on but the author did a good job of interweaving the stories. There was also some courtroom drama thrown in for those that like that. I really enjoyed this one and hope this is not the last of the character Rachel Krall, as I think this would be the start of a great series.

I have to rethink what I consider to be a thriller.

The Night Swim is a book that checks a lot of boxes on my reading wish list. I've read more than one thriller/mystery that features a podcast/book/tv show insert. Full disclosure, I consume a ton of true crime podcasts so I'm sure I am the target audience.

In Night Swim, Rachel (journalist/podcast host) travels to a small beach town to cover a rape trial. Much like reality, people in the town are divided on whether or not a crime even took place. Naturally, Rachel finds herself entangled in an older case involving another teenage girl twenty years prior. If Rachel's podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty existed, it's probably one I would binge. It's particularly enjoyable to hear her try to present both sides equally no matter how the case develops. You have to read the book to see if she succeeds on that front.

I do worry that classifying this as a thriller may upset the thriller group I follow, but I am going to encourage them to treat it like a mystery instead. I'll definitely be reading Megan Goldin's next book. I enjoyed the story-within-a-story aspects and tore through this book as fast as I could find time for. Nice setup, interesting characters and a conclusion that didn't feel pandering.

Last year Goldin came out with Escape Room, which was freaking brilliant. She has done it again with The Night Swim. A tale of two mysteries woven together by a podcaster. This was one I've been looking forward to for months. I was originally going to order it via BOTM (if they had it, which they did!), but then NetGalley blessed me with a digital copy.


Lots of craziness and drama goes on in The Night Swim. Of course, that usually makes an amazing book, and in this case, it definitely did. There are two mysteries going on, a rape and an unresolved suspicious drowning. The main character reminded me a lot of myself, and how once my mind is set on something, it's hard to get my thinking to change. I loved the courtroom drama, I loved the podcast. I loved all of it. Can't wait for Goldin's next one.


5/5 Stars

This is my second read by Megan Goldin (Escape Room), and I LOVED it. Some of this is because it hits several of my interests at once: cold cases, true crime podcasts, small town court drama, etc. But it’s very good. I’ve tried to read other books with podcast aspects and found it frustrating. It really works here. Recommend to true crime fans who are interested in fiction as well and thriller readers.

Have you ever said you're going to go to bed early because you're bone tired, but then end up staying up way past your normal bedtime binge reading a book? Yeah. That's what happened with me last night with The Night Swim.

I got to the 50% mark and just couldn't go to bed without knowing how the book ended.

I won't get into the summary of the book, because that's what Goodreads is for, but just know that it deals with a very sensitive and triggering issue of rape and how our legal system essentially puts the victim on trial, traumatizing them even further. So reader beware if that is a topic that you can't read about for your own well-being.

4.5/5⭐️

I loved this book! Not a surprise as I loved The Escape Room. Totally riveting but very different books. Held my interest throughout. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me an early arc in exchange for my honest review. Wonderful!!!

DNF @ 50%.

I was hesitant to read The Night Swim after not liking Escape Room, but figured I’d give Megan Goldin another chance.

I was super excited when I started this book to feel intrigued and genuine enjoyment; however that didn’t last long.

The story of a podcast host, Rachel, going to a small town to cover a rape trial sounded exciting. What could go wrong? Well when a stranger starts leaving her notes it amps up the excitement... until it becomes redundant.

I really wanted to love this book, but it’s slow moving and while I can sense what Goldin was hoping to accomplish with this duel stories meeting in the middle it just took too long to even get close. Outside of the note leavers requests happening in the same place as the trial, there’s very little that connects the two stories.

Definitely do not recommend this book.