'This is Rachel Krall on Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts YOU in the jury box.'

You will love Rachel's professionalism and neutral perspective on her true life crime podcast.
She goes to the actual location where the trials are taking place. She investigates those knowing the case and that resonates greatly with her podcast listeners.

While reading Night Swim you will find the chapters are gripping and short. Some chapters you'll find podcasts, some Rachel's own perspective/thoughts and then.... the letters you'll see/read.

The Night Swim is an amazing read. Again, hard for those who have triggers of rape. Especially when you see how the justice system deals with the gray area such as rape.... and the brutality of it all.

I devoured this read. I enjoyed the amazing ability this author had to make us feel like we were there with her listening, seeing and being there with her at all times. And I won't say the ending.... but wow. wow. wow.

5 letter stars from me.

*Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book.*

I devoured this thriller/mystery and enjoyed it every bit as much as her previous The Escape Room.

This book is about two different rapes (trigger warning, does get fairly graphic) twenty-five years apart in a small coastal town in NC.

Rachel, a popular true-crime podcast personality is there to cover the current trial of the local golden boy accused of a brutal rape. While there, she begins receiving letters from Hannah claiming that her sister, Jenny, who drowned 25 years before was actually murdered. She needs Rachel’s help to seek justice.

This story is told in alternating chapters by Rachel and her actual podcast script.
Lots of suspects, great tension-building and several twists made this hard to put down, even though the subject matter was very disturbing.
Highly recommend.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

I absolutely loved The Night Swim! I instantly connected with Rachel and I’m kind of sad her podcast is fiction. It’s just like something I would listen to. I was hooked from the beginning and I was surprised at the end which hasn’t happened in awhile! I stayed up way too late reading this and I am 100% glad I did! Highly recommend this book to everyone!

Very good book great writing, flowed really well drew me in and kept my interest through the whole book

Great book!
Rachel travels to a small town to cover a case on her true-crime blog. When she arrives in town, she quickly discovers that she has been followed by an eager fan hoping for answers on her sister’s death. As Rachel struggles to follow the case and unravel the town’s dark history.
Highly recommended. Great plot twists and character development. I was instantly hooked!

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! This book is everything I look for in a mystery. A tale of two rapes, 25 years apart, handled expertly and sensitively. I was captivated from the beginning - I myself, am a fan of true crime podcasts ever since I stumbled upon Serial podcast in 2014. I loved the style and composition of the writing, it alternated between third person narrative, letters from another character, and the actual podcast episodes - this would be even more fantastic in audio I presume! The two mysteries were blended flawlessly and both stories were interesting, gut wrenching and intriguing. The book hits on themes of rape, blame, the treatment of rape survivors, court testimony, reputation, guilt, silence. Right on the money for me!

Couldn't out this book down! I love true crime podcasts & the Apple tv series Truth be Told, so this was a perfect read for me.

I was trying to figure out how 2 crimes committed 25 years apart were connected. Slowly as events came to light began to get a glimmer of what hap p before the final reveal.

I received an advanced copy, but voluntarily left this review.

Will leave 5 star review on Amazon under name of Connie
Thanks for granting me access to this book

*** 3.5 Stars ***
Expected Publication: August 4th, 2020

Rachel Krall is the host of a true crime podcast which is extremely popular after she was able to set an innocent man free with her investigation. Considering I am a fan of true crime podcasts this was a perfect set up for me.
While Rachel is in a small town called Neapolis for season 3 of her podcast about a rape trial. The rape trial is the Neapolis' top swimmer who supposedly is good enough to be in the Olympics; and is accused of raping a high school girl and granddaughter of the police chief.
While in Neapolis, Rachel receives a letter on her car windshield asking for her help into the possible murder classified as a drowning 25 years ago of the writer's sister.
This story alternates between Rachel diving into the rape trial and also trying to get answers into the possible past murder with some very heavy writing on rape culture I must add. It's raw and it's hard to read at times.
While I would not classify this as a psychological thriller, I would say it was a very decent true crime novel. It was well written, fast paced, and the character's were well developed.
The reason I dropped my rating from 4 stars was I didn't love the ending. I found it far fetched, coincidental and kind of took away from the severity of the rape trial. It almost felt like two really good short stories that were forced together and could have been further developed separately.


Special Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This was great. Very timely with all the crime podcasts out there. Because the subject is rape it can be a little hard to read but I think a book that has made you have a physical reaction has done its job. You're supposed to feel the horrendousness of the act of rape. Really, really spectacular read. Thank you St. Martin's Press for this wonderful arc.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is an intense and emotional thriller. It is a hard journey to go on and may be triggering for some to read. It took me a while to make it through this book just because of how dark and real it could be. Having said that, I thought it was a good story and I would recommend this book.

This is a heartbreaking story about 2 girls being raped 25 years apart. It is hard to read in places and harrowing. The plot is brilliant and really cleverly written. This is definitely a memorable story. There is so much packed into it and a shocking end. It is a compelling read from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

While Rachel is covering the trial of a local athlete accused of rape for her true crime podcast, she receives a series of letters from Hannah, a young woman urging her to investigate her sister’s death in this same town twenty five years ago.

The dual stories unfold from two points of view, Rachel’s and Hannah’s, and we are treated to both a courtroom procedural, mystery, and psychological thriller. There was sympathetic insight into the heartbreak rape victims and their families suffer both in our society and as a result of the judicial system.

This was an engrossing, didn’t want to put down read. Rachel is a strong, savvy character; I hope this will be the beginning of a series.

I liked this so much better than Goldin’s prior novel, The Escape Room.

Rachel Krall is the host of a popular crime podcast. She travels to a small town to cover an extremely divisive rape trial.
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While she is there covering the trial, someone begins following her and leaving notes begging for her help. The letters detail another rape case that happened in this town twenty five years ago. Rachel is drawn deeper into both cases and begins to wonder if there are parallels.
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Rachel asks questions and is told to leave it alone. She senses danger and corruption. But she can’t stop herself, she has to find answers.
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Megan Goldin’s writing is flawless- such polished prose and sharp syntax. She handles this delicate story beautifully.
She will now be an auto buy author for me, since I also loved her other book, The Escape Room.
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I highly recommend this one! ✨
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✨Due out August 4, 2020✨

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𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯’𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.⁣
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A small town ... A rape... A trial ... a podcast ... a grieving sister ...a covered up murder ? ⁣
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Rachel is a famous crime Podcaster who travels to a small town to cover an active rape trial. Hannah is still mourning for the death of her sister 25 years ago in that same small town. Jennys’s death was labeled an accidental drowning but Hannah is certain it was murder .⁣
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Generally speaking, I really enjoyed this story. There are a lot of court scenes, which at times felt a little long ( I mean even the jurors were yawning 😆), but overall I thought the author did a really good job at keeping the suspense going for both stories within the book. Towards the end it was hard to put down and I didn’t get to sleep until a bit later than normal! ⁣

I have another book by this author on my giant TBR list and it just moved up in line 😀

The setting is a beach town in the summer....sounds like the makings of a great book. Unfortunately, bad things can happen anywhere. I liked "The Night Swim," but didn't love it. I wanted to read to find out what happened, but it wasn't a book that I couldn't put down. It focused on two rapes 25 years apart. I enjoyed one of the stories more than the other. I was happy with the conclusion and my questions were answered, but it was just okay to me.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

This book is compulsive. It takes a hold right from the start and doesn't let go until the end.

Rachel runs a successful podcast on crimes. She is very popular, and in this instance puts all her efforts into a rape trial. It's not an easy one to digest. The back and forth in the courtroom goes at a steady pace, though brutal at times. The victim seems to be the one on trial. As it's often the case, the general attitude is "she asked for it". Easy to say when one isn't in that situation.

Hannah sets out to get Rachel's attention about a horrible injustice which occurred twenty five years ago. Her sister Jenny was presumed to have drowned even though she was a good swimmer. She earned a bad reputation then, due to obsession and cruelty.

The thing is that nobody expects for both cases to have anything in common. There are coverups and miscarriage of justice which funnily enough link to both cases. It's a gripping and heartbreaking story which will linger for quite some time. It's very cleverly crafted and portrayed.

I was kindly issued with an eARC from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

This is the second book I’ve read by Megan Goldin and it certainly won’t be my last! Ms Goldin has the ability to grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning and hold it until the very end.

The main focus is on Rachel as she covers a rape trial for her podcast. There is a secondary storyline woven throughout the book as well. Rachel has been asked to investigate the alleged accidental drowning death of a 16 year old girl that occurred 25 years ago in the same town.

The events that are revealed in each of the storylines are often disturbing and heartbreaking. This book really makes you think, puts your emotions through the wringer and keeps you riveted until the final page.

I highly recommend this book!

Make no mistake; this book is about rape - more than one, in fact. And even though it's told mostly through the "unbiased" eyes of an investigative reporter's wildly popular crime podcast, it's clear that it favors the "Me, Too" notion that accusers are to believed (or at the very least taken seriously). Honestly, I happen to agree; but if I am to be fair, I can't write a review without letting other potential readers know what's in store.

Those who are up for that also should know they'll be getting into a well-written, captivating (if not sometimes horrifying) story that begins as Rachel Krall is in small-town Neapolis, North Carolina, to cover a rape trial for the third season of her "Guilty or Not Guilty" podcast. Her producer, who usually accompanies her, can't make it this time, but the digital age keeps them bound together. The accuser is a teenage girl, and the young man is - or was, before all this happened - well on his way to becoming an Olympics hopeful (plus, unlike the young woman, he's from a prominent and wealthy family. No surprise, then, that the citizens of Neapolis are staunchly divided on who's lying and who's telling the truth.

Before the trial begins, Rachel finds a note on her car from someone named Hannah, who insists her sister Jennie was murdered in the town years ago and begs Rachel to investigate while she's in town. Rachel is intrigued, but Rachel must concentrate on the trial at hand. Besides, Hannah refuses to meet in person, making her story more of a stretch to believe. Still, there's something very convincing in what Hannah writes as she repeatedly finds ways to get messages to Rachel. So despite her producer's cautions to stay on track, she ventures out to see what she can learn.

Some chapters take place in the courtroom, some are "playbacks" of Rachel's latest podcast and others follow her as she attempts to dig up information on what really happened to Hannah's sister. As a whole, that makes for a story that held my interest from beginning to end. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review an advance copy.

3.5 stars rounded down.

Told in three rotating POVs (third-person following Rachel as she investigates two dramatic cases 25 years apart, first-person letters from Hannah to Rachel detailing the case from 25 years ago, and the first-person podcast recordings Rachel produces about the present day case), The Night Swim details a dramatic and emotional account of two girls separated by decades who are attacked on the same beach. The modern case is accompanied by the courtroom proceedings and a few external interviews, while the old case is recounted almost entirely in letters, notes, and emails.

The letters didn't feel like letters. I think that's my big issue with epistolary style. So often, Hannah says she frantically scribbled the letter while doing something else or on spur of the moment. But they feel more like a typical first person narrative. I had to remind myself every time that these were actual letters that Rachel was stumbling upon like the world's creepiest scavenger hunt. Indeed, Hannah's part in the story really felt like an excuse to set the book apart from its peers rather than as a really deliberate act. There's some overlap between the two cases, certainly, but not enough to, in my mind, justify putting them together.

I will say I loved the way the modern case was handled. The interviews with various characters, the polarity of the "court of public opinion" in the town, even just the style of prose used in the podcast episodes was excellent. I liked certain nods to actual procedure, like how the victim couldn't talk to the press because of the value of her testimony, how the families of both victim and suspect snuck around and we're affected by the trial and allegations. Plus, it was just compulsively readable.

The ending was overkill, I think. The big confrontation felt forced (like so much of the Hannah story) and then everything was over in a handful of pages. Plus there was a really weird cheek kiss that felt like something right out of a bad movie

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review I absolutely loved this book. The story line had me hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed the characters as well as the plot. The twists and turns kept me turning pages til the end. This is a must read thriller for this summer, and have already recommended it to several friends.