Can secrets remain hidden in a small town? “This is Rachel Krall on Guilty or not Guilty, the podcast that puts You in the jury box”. Two rapes in a small town decades apart but yet somehow disturbingly connected. Rachel is in town covering a rape of a sixteen year old girl, who has accused the son of a well known local business man and who happens to be the towns star athlete, she’s covering the trial for her podcast. When she arrives in town she starts receiving anonymous letters, from a woman named Hannah whose begging her to investigate her sister Jenny’s murder that happened twenty five years ago but was labeled a drowning. Rachel takes a chance and begins investigating following the evidence that Hannah puts in the letters and soon she finds herself uncovering evidence and coverups all while covering the trial. Soon small town secrets are uncovered and victim blaming begins and the current case and past case overlap. This was amazing! I loved the alternating chapters between past and present and the podcast chapters! At times some of the past chapters got heavy and emotional for me when it came to what happened to Jenny and the current rape case Rachel was covering so please be aware readers there are parts that include rape and victim shaming. I enjoyed this book especially the way the author shows how our society treats rape victims especially when the accused comes from a wealthy family. I give this five stars!

The way this novel intertwined two different cases of rape was so intriguing. I loved the idea of incorporating modern times with the podcast. At first I was unable to see the possibility of a connection. The twist at the end where the antagonist was revealed was shocking. I would definitely recommend this novel. On Goodreads, I rated this a 4.5/5. My only complaint is that I felt the novel dragged a bit in the beginning.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. WOW! I had a hard time putting this book down. Twenty-five years a young girl named Jenny committed suicide, but her sister believes that it is murder. Twenty-five years later, Rachel, a podcaster is in the same town to cover a rape trial when she discovers a note on her car from someone that wants her to look into Jenny's case. This book is back and forth between Rachel, Jenny's sister, Hannah, and the podcast. As the story goes on Rachel believes that these cases might be connected, but are they? This is an excellent book. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Rachel does a podcast of murders. She is doing her season three podcast on a current case that is in trial about a rapist.
When sh finds the first letter from someone named Hannah she's not sure what to make of it. As she's watching the trial of one rapust for her podcast she's also investigating the rape and murder of Hannah's sister that happened twenty five years before. Somewhere along the line all the information on the murder has been lost. There is no autopsy report, no forensic evidence not even a police report. It's like it never happened.
This is an enjoyable story. It's suspenseful and intriguing. I recommend this book!

Intriguing and captivating. A podcast host covers a rape trial and in a small town and is enticed into investigating a death that had occurred years before. Two generations and two crimes make for a roller coaster of a read.

I’ve never listened to podcasts so I wasn’t sure if I’d like this. I loved it. The story is told from two points of view Rachel and Hannah it’s also told in Rachel’s pod cast. Rachel goes to a small town to cover a rape case and uncovers a second crime in the small town. This is definitely a must read. I feel like I was blindsided by the end in such a good way. Usually I can figure out who did it. This had a twist i wasn’t expecting. I’m hoping that Rachel’s podcasts continue.

A little gimmicky for my taste. I felt the same about The Escape Room but thought I’d at least try it.

I felt all the emotions while reading this book. It may be hard for some to read this novel based on the topic of rape and death but I loved the fight for honesty and the justice sought after in this novel.

"The Night Swim" deals with chasing truth and the desire for a victim to be heard. Something that is so real these days. Both past and present events detailed in this book push you out of your (reader) comfort zone.

I loved ever part of this novel. The hard parts made the good parts that much more enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this novel.

Oh. My. Gosh. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book since "The Escape Room" was one of my top reads of 2019.... and I'm just as BLOWN AWAY.

Rachel is a famous true crime podcast creator who's divorced and married to her job. One day, she travels to a small town of Neapolis, North Carolina, to do research on a famous rape case which may or may not have been fabricated; the victim was the granddaughter of a police chief and was allegedly raped by the Olympic swimmer Scott Blair. But after she comes back to her from a diner, Rachel finds a note begging for help uncovering the truth about the drowning of Jenny Stills whose case is filled with so many holes that it looks like a possible murder. While Rachel is indifferent to the note at first, her innate curiosity takes the better of her and the investigation begins... Only it looks like the two Neapolis cases may actually have more in common than it seems.

I am shaken, unsettled and very emotional after reading this. "The Night Swim" is not a light psychological thriller you could pick up for your beach read; rather, it is a serious exploration of the topic of rape, which is certainly a potential trigger. However, Goldin tackles this difficult topic with a sensitive and objective outlook. There is also a strong theme of guilt associated with rape, which is heavy but well presented.

Overall, I'd HIGHLY recommend this book not only for its quality thriller value, but also the literary exploration of our society's rape culture. Its not easy, but it pulls you in from the beginning. 5 stars.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Are you, like me, one of those readers who loves a book that keeps you guessing and that challenges every one of your “little grey cells” as you try to figure out who’s the good guy and who’s just masquerading as a good guy before the author’s seemingly straightforward takes a sharp turn before the final reveal? If that scenario is your cup of tea then THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin is the book for you. I had read a previous book by this author, The Escape Room, and thoroughly enjoyed it so I decides to give this one a try. Let me tell you I was not disappointed.

The Night Swim tells the story Rachel Krall whose podcasts re-examines true crimes and, in at least one instance, has led to an innocent man being set free. Now Rachel is in the small, insular town of Neopolis covering the story of the town “golden boy” who has been accused of raping the grand-daughter of the well respected and now deceased police chief. In addition, Rachel has been receiving letters from a woman named Hannah begging her to investigate the death of her sister Jenny who was raped and murdered in the very same town 25 years earlier and whose death was ruled accidental and never investigated.

Told by Rachel and Hannah in alternating chapters, The Night Swim is chilling, nasty, intelligent and shocking………a clever and dark confection that hinges on not one but two crimes as it examines the horror of rape and its consequences for not only the perpetrator but also surviving victims, who are forced to relive the traumatic event multiple times.

Unraveling this smart psychological thriller will provide you with hours of enjoyment and diversion as well as providing your tired brain cells with the workout they deserve during the boring hours of this “pandemic”.

Slow paced with tight tension and a haunting tale. I absolutely loved this book- I think because I am a bit addicted to True Crime Podcasts but regardless, I thought this was well written

A podcast journalist with a case to present gets mixed up with a 25-year-old mystery, and all sorts of secrets are uncovered. Bringing in threads from other cases, and leaning heavily on the themes of rape, harassment, and victimization of rape victims, Golden not only tells a story but keeps in the spotlight this ongoing societal issue. The plot is interned with both the past and present, and when everything comes together in the end, you’ll think you know what’s coming, but you won’t. A well-done trial mystery that will leave you a bit heartsore and re-examining your convictions.

The author has expertly weaved the stories of two rapes which occurred in a small town 25 years apart. Rachel, an investigative reporter, is there to cover the trial of the young man accused of the crime for her podcast she does with her partner. While there she gets pulled into the other crime by Hannah, the sister of the other victim, who has been haunted this for a very long time. The novel was very well written and kept me engaged throughout. This is my first book written by this author but definitely won’t be my last. #TheNightSwim #MeganGoldin #NetGalley

It was a well written book, had lots of potential but sadly it did not hold my attention. It was slow paced and drawn out. I believed it to be something else when I read the description. I am into faster paced books, with more of a police procedural subject matter.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley

After reading Megan Goldin's novel The Escape Room, I was excited to read this book. This one definitely doesn't have the same nail-biting 'what's going to happen next' feel like that one did. It was a slow burn and had a lot more legal/courtroom drama than thriller. There were 2 crimes that the main character, Rachel (a podcast/reporter), was trying to piece together in a small town. One was the murder of Jenny Stills from 25 years ago and the other was the rape of a 16-year-old girl that Rachel is reporting on in her podcast and is what brought her to the small town.

I enjoyed the writing style and the author's ability to draw you in to the drama. Although it was a slow burn, it still was a quick read for me since I enjoyed the characters and the story.

I liked this book better than I expected to when I first opened it and realized it's similarity to Gilly MacMillan's latest with the podcast narrative. It was really engaging and told an intriguing story; I couldn't put it down. The characters were realistic and well described. I didn't really feel the title was appropriate, though. I also would have liked to see more closure for Bobby and Dan Moore's family. I will definitely look out for this author again.

As a fan of true crime podcasts, I couldn't wait to read Megan Goldin's latest book. In it, Rachel Krall, one of the nation's top true crime podcast hosts, finds herself in a small coastal town to cover the rape trial of a local girl against one of the town's shining stars and a potential Olympic competitor. Before the case even begins, though, Rachel starts receiving disturbing messages about another case from the town's past. Twenty five years ago, a girl named Jenny drowned... but her sister is convinced there's more to the story. As this book follows the injustice committed against two young girls, you'll experience a myriad of emotions over the atrocities that changed the town forever. This book is incredibly well-written, haunting, heartbreaking and a really heavy read. Read it... but queue up a light-hearted beach read next!

As a mystery this book delivers, it checks all the boxes and then some. Having said that, it also broke my heart. It is so much more, it touches on so many pressure points. There were characters that were deplorable, some were honorable and others were tragic. Hannah and Jenny stayed with me for days.

I have to admit, when I first started reading, I almost put it down. The author made a habit of using the character's name way too much and it was driving me crazy. It wasn't, "Rachel knew she was wrong and she wanted to fix it." It was, "Rachel knew Rachel was wrong and Rachel wanted to fix it." It was almost like the author couldn't keep the characters straight without that reminder for herself but it was very irritating as the reader.

But I pushed past it and it turned out to be a good read. Intriguing, decent mystery, some suspense. Two different crimes, during two different time periods, and I wanted to find out the outcome of both.

I did feel like I really knew what happened with Jenny, it was really just a matter of who and why. Right around the time I felt like I knew what had happened and the book was just trying to drag it out, a new twist or two were thrown in. They weren't super surprising, but enough to keep me reading.

The present-day crime felt very true to life, based on a very similar real crime.

I also felt the way the book was written did a great job of highlighting the differences in how things are today compared to how things were in decades gone by. The way people would look the other way, cover up crimes for people they knew, and pretend not to know what was happening to someone or multiple someones.

I feel it could have been a tighter book, maybe some more suspense thrown in, but overall, it was a good read and worth the time.

This was an extremely well written story. An excellent thriller that also deals with deeply tough subject matter in a sensitive fashion. I loved the multiple POV mixed in with the main character’s podcast transcripts – it kept the story moving and the book flew by for me. I think the author did a great job of portraying the repeated trauma that sexual assault survivors are subjected to not only during the assault, but afterwards if they choose to report. This story will stay with me for a long time, and I’m impressed at the author’s ability to write so beautifully about a sensitive topic but still providing a great thriller.

To be honest, The Night Swim made me very uncomfortable at times – but that’s part of why I think the author did such a great job writing this story. My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed, but it was satisfying. Highly recommend this book! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this great thriller.