This was so much more than a thriller, and I love when that happens. I don’t really have the right words for this one, it was heartbreaking, smartly done, thought provoking, but it was not what I would call a psychological thriller in the sense of what I am used to reading, so just be prepared for that. Rather, the focus is on a current day trial, where the town’s golden boy has been accused of raping the granddaughter of the police chief. Rachel Krall is a well known podcaster that gets a note on her car asking for help in finding out what happened to her sister Jenny Stills 25 years ago, in the same small town, who was also raped and later allegedly drowned. As Rachel investigates and realizes the cases may in fact be connected, it culminates in an ending that I was not expecting.

This is a tough read and there are trigger warnings throughout, one obviously for rape but two also for abuse, and so you should be aware of this going into it. But I thought this was well done in how the topic was handled, and the audiobook is fantastic, I do think it is the way to go if you can read it that way.

I really enjoyed Goldin’s first book and thought this was equally as good, so she is moving into autoread status for me at this point. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital copy to review.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the podcast aspect, but also that the whole book did not follow that theme. I liked the two cases that the main character was involved in and how they were tied together in the end. I would give it a solid 4 and would definitely recommend!

The Night Swim is a story about rape - the violence of the event, the trauma of the aftermath, the horror of the trial and the gauntlet women are forced to go through to achieve justice. While the details are not graphic, the brutality of what happens within the story is distressing enough that those who are triggered by this subject should probably not read the book.

Rachel Krall went from small-time reporter to household name when she started the podcast Guilty or not Guilty? which "puts the listener in the jury box". During her first season she helped an innocent man go free and her second season was just as successful. Podcasts are a hot commodity however, and with copycat casts appearing everywhere, Rachel is concerned for her ratings. Determined to stay on top, she and her editor Pete decide to cover a rape trial and show how differently they are handled to those involving murder. Which is why Rachel is traveling to Neapolis, NC - to do programs about the trial of the town's local hero, Scott, a national championship swimmer bound for Olympic glory who allegedly assaulted a young girl named Kelly.

The trip gets off to an eerie start. Stopping for a caffeine fix and a rest room break at a small diner, Rachel returns to her car to discover a letter left on her windshield. The note, from someone named Hannah, tells Rachel that the woman has contacted her twice and resorted to this method of communication because Rachel has not responded to her previous correspondence, and Hannah is desperate for her help. Hannah’s sister Jenny was murdered twenty-five years earlier in Neapolis and the case was never solved. It wasn't even a case - the police insisted Jenny drowned. But Hannah knows better, and she needs Rachel to get justice for her sister.

As a radio personality who doesn't do television interviews and whose publicity stills are fuzzy shots taken by her ex close to a decade ago, Rachel should be unrecognizable, so it disturbs her that Hannah somehow knows who she is. It troubles her even more as the notes continue to appear - on Rachel’s car, at her hotel room door, dropped off at the courtroom where she is covering the trial. But even as Rachel worries about her stalker she becomes increasingly interested in Jenny. It quickly becomes clear that whatever happened two decades before was no accidental drowning. So why was there no police investigation? Why do the townspeople act so strangely when she asks about it? And why is everyone so anxious to blame Jenny for her own death?

This slow-burn, low key mystery is an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. I feared at first that I would find Rachel off-putting, that she would be so focused on her ratings and success that she would use either the rape case or the Jenny case to get where she wanted to be and trample everyone who got in her way. Instead, I found Rachel to be an amazingly kind, compassionate and considerate person who is persistent in tracking down information but not at all callous about it. She doesn’t expose the people who help her, doesn’t promise Hannah solutions she can’t give her, and doesn’t railroad witnesses. In short, Rachel is a decent human being who knows how to do her job and does it well.

I liked that there was no love interest in the book. Rachel is exploring two cases - Jenny and the Scott/Kelly trial - and spends all her time working. I thought this was realistic - she has limited time in that community and needs to focus on what she wants to accomplish.

The look at how justice regarding rape works - from the blame-the-victim mentality of many people to the devastating toll it takes on those involved (the father of one of the witnesses loses his job, Kelly's family feel forced to leave town, the accused loses his scholarship and his chance at the Olympics before the trial even takes place) was fascinating. While I don’t think the author gives a balanced view - she doesn’t seem too concerned about innocent until proven guilty - I did appreciate the effort she expends in showing the domino effect of the assault and how a lot of innocent people are damaged by it.

I also really appreciated how a string of normal occurrences on Kelly’s part turned into a crime. She gets into a fight with a girlfriend and as a result, is forced to leave a party in the middle of the night with no real safe way home. She finds herself seeking help from people whom she considers allies who abuse that trust. It’s all very normal and underlines the vulnerability women face when we aren’t hypervigilant of our surroundings and suspicious of everyone we see.

While she is a key figure in our story, we meet Hannah only through her letters till the very end. These missives track what she, as a ten-year-old, witnessed in the weeks leading up to Jenny's death. Ms. Godin nails this portion of the narrative, capturing perfectly how a young child could be witness to crucial events/conversations and never realize the significance and meaning of those occurrences until she is much older.

For those used to the frantic pacing of books in the current thriller market, this story might seem a bit too slow. I would disagree though – this book has a true to life measure that makes it more chillingly realistic than a lot of the more frenzied offerings currently on the shelves.  I would recommend The Night Swim to anyone who enjoys mysteries.

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I absolutely love true crime podcasts so naturally this book fit right in with me. I love a good who dun it? This town has a rape/drowning/murder tragedy that pits two prominent families against each other. The town is taking sides. Enter Rachel, the podcast host. Rachel is convinced to take on a somewhat detective role in this case. Rachel discovers a lot more than she thought she would. Her own family history becomes intertwined with this case. If you like suspense, twists, and true crime podcast detectives, you will love this book.

After reading Escape Room, I knew I had to read The Night Swim because Mean Goldin is a genius. Will be purchasing for the library's collection and recommending for book discussion groups.

Finally, a readable, interesting, engaging mystery!!! These days, the bookshelves are full of mysteries and thrillers, but these are weak in the department of intelligent writing. Not "The Night Swim"! And I am now a fan of the authoress.

The novel deals with one of the most cruel, devastating and disturbing crimes - the rape. And with the aftermath of this despicable act/acts - what happens when the victim does not stay silent.

Popular true crime podcaster Rachel Krall is staying in the small town of Neapolis to cover the real-time trial where the local golden boy is accused of raping a young girl. It is the case of he said/she said - and also what everyone else is saying, and opinions are divided.
Rachel is also approached by a woman asking for her help with the older, forgotten case.
What is the price of going out into the light with the truth?

The topic weighs heavily on my mind. Rape is such an evil act, such a destroyer of people's souls - and also their lives and the lives of their dear ones. Such a multitude of pain affects the victims. Ah.
And the brave ones to come out often also pay the price of public shame, the loss and even invasion of their privacy, the ugly reactions of mob.

Ms Goldin is very good at covering all the shades and nuances of what happens. The violent acts themselves are described with capable hand, the pain is visible, yet the descriptions are not disturbingly graphic. She also uncovers the atmosphere of shaming/slut shaming, where the (mostly unprotected) girls might be shamed into the silence and submission.

Of course, not everything is 100%. To be honest, there is a slight aftertaste of "the boy/man is very, very probably guilty". Which is not always the case. But in the most cases, it IS the truth. The truth shall prevail in any case is a good answer to this polemics, which Ms Goldin does not oppose in my opinion.
Also, there is a character that is both victim and perpetrator (in staying silent). His suffering should not be forgotten - but also not his silence.

Having said all that, I simply hope that there will be a series with Rachel! Such a well-built environment should be continued.

This is a rich, multifaceted read that aspire for the best mystery read position of this reading year!

The Night Swim was a frustrating, maddening, sad and satisfying read for me. Please note, if you do not like reading books that describe sexual assault or rape, then stay far away from this book.

There were really 3 storylines presented to the reader in this book. One for Hannah who is telling the story of what happened to her sister 20+ years before, one for Rachel, the reporter who investigates crimes and is being pursued by Hannah to tell her sisters story, and one for the podcast that Rachel presents to her listeners summarizing her investigation findings.

The uniqueness of having Rachel’s story and then her Podcast throughout the book was interesting. I quite liked it as it presented information that the story didn’t cover or it went in to more detail of information already presented to the reader. I truly felt like I was listening to a podcast in this audiobook and that was pretty cool.

The storyline with Hannah was a big bust for me however. Things just didn’t mesh up well. First Hannah pursue Rachel to request her help, then when Rachel gets interested, Hannah backs off. When she does communicate with Hannah, it’s in bits and pieces instead of just telling her the story all at once and requesting her help. It didn’t make any sense. No one would do that in reality. And it was frankly, very annoying. Add to that, when Hannah did share her information, she told it as a story with very specific scenes being fully laid out such as how she picked up a stick and ran it through the dirt as they walked down the road or describing the movie theater they went to, how the food bar was set up, how the popcorn looked like confetti on the ground, etc. If you’re trying to recruit a reporter’s help in looking into an event, none of these things would be part of your conversation. They don’t matter.

I can only attribute the story being told like this as the author wanting to take advantage of the dual timeline trend that is so popular right now. It really didn’t fit this story and felt very forced.

Having said that, the story itself, both timelines, were heartbreaking and gripping. I was so sad. Some of the events are based in reality and are a direct reflection of the failures of our legal system and small town police departments in their inability or unwillingness to hold men and boys accountable for their violent actions.

I would recommend this story but I wish it had been written or packed differently, not using the dual timeline. It just didn’t work for me.

What a difficult subject to cover, but fairly well written. Some parts were difficult to read just because of the subject matter, but overall I enjoyed the book.

I really enjoyed this book! This book was generously provided to me through NetGalley. Highly Recommended!

This book contained 2 mysteries, a court case, and involved a podcast...ingredients for an excellent thriller. It was very interesting, heartbreaking and slightly creepy at times. I flew through the story and had a hard time putting this one down. I highly recommend this book and will be picking up more books by Megan Goldin.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I strongly believe some books are written for audio and this is definitely one of them. The audio for this book was fantastic I felt like I was listening to a true crimes podcast. This book was so powerful and had me in tears by the end. I was not expecting that at all! This book gives you look into the devastation rape can cause not just to the victim but to the victims family as well. This book was so so good and I highly recommend it on audio!

Intriguing book that had me guessing throughout... as the book progressed I kept changing my mind about who was going to be the culprit in the old case that she was investigating while simultaneously covering the trial of an eerily similar case. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Great dual timeline/POV mystery. Really enjoyed the audio as well. Great story, I'd read this author again for sure.

If you have heard about the groups who take on legal cases pro Bono for innocent people in prison then this book may be of interest.
This story is intense and shows what some people will do for others even when they don’t know each other only because it’s the right thing to do.
People who use their influence to set the truth free.

I was slow to review but that is in no way a reflection on The Night Swim. All the stars for this book. Would highly recommend. Thanks to Megan Goldin, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for my review.

I had a fantastic time with this book, and it's so much improved over The Escape Room that I have to give it five stars.

Trigger Warning: It's about the rape of two girls and the murder of one of them. It's not a passing scene, the rapes are described throughout the book, though not graphically.

The Night Swim is a fast paced thriller with a lot of characters with very dark pasts. It takes place in a small town where everyone knows everyone, they all grow up together, and residents rarely leave. It's about class and sexism and misogyny, and the very slight differences in how we treat rape victims now versus in decades past. In truth, there are not a lot of differences, but there are some.

The main character, Rachel, is the narrator of a famous true crime podcast, and I love these books when they are done well. This one does it well. Our secondary character is Hannah, the younger sister of a girl who was raped and killed as a teen 25 years before. Rachel is currently reporting on the trial of a college swimmer accused of raping a teenage girl in current times.

[In real life, the Stanford swimmer rape case was local for me. I knew the locations involved, I was able to vote to recall the judge in the case, I read the victim's memoir and because it was a local case, it all felt very personal to me. If you have any desire either to read about that case or to hear exactly what happens after a rape, Know My Name by Chanel Miller is invaluable. The Night Swim does not take its main details from that case, but does appear to report the aftermath of a rape accurately.]

The primary plot of this book is Rachel and her investigations into the crimes against both women, and it is a gripping ride. There were a lot of characters who were intertwined but I was able to imagine each of them and remember who was whom. I didn't find any glaring plot holes in this complicated story, and I felt it was for the most part believable.

It was so good I had to forgive it when one of the rapists decides to just confess everything for no apparent reason at all. Honestly, I was mad at this part, and maybe not too happy with how that particular story was wrapped up. But it wasn't the main focus of the book, nor was it the main ending, and I did love everything else.

I thought The Escape Room was an enjoyable mess. I hated that I enjoyed that book as much as I did. The Night Swim is a Not Guilty Pleasure, and I hope Rachel Krall appears in upcoming books by Goldin. Thoroughly enjoyable!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror Books for the ARC (which I received after publication). I was slightly hesitant because of my ambivalence over Escape Room, but Goldin has upped her game here and definitely earned five stars!

I found this story started a little slow for me but then really took off. It's two stories of rape, 25 years apart, that intertwine and tell the horrible outcomes of two innocent young girls. It also tells about the impact to the families and the reactions of the people in a small town where everyone knows your business. Both stories were intriguing and gut wrenching.

Told from alternating perspectives and Podcast episode transcripts, the two cases eventually come together in the end with some surprising twists.

This book was a crazy thriller! I couldn’t read it at night haha. If you like thrillers then this book is for you! I rated this one 4 stars.

Wow! The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is a gripping story that's impossible to put down. I loved the way the story was told in past and present, as well as the chapters told in podcast. At times it was a tough read because of its subject matter (rape and bullying), but I couldn't stop reading it. The connection between the 25 year-old possible murder and the present trial hooked me. I can't wait to see what the author writes next. Highly recommend, especially to readers who love true crime. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one just didnt do it for me. I DNF'd the book at 30%. Something about it just was not able to hold my attention. I plan on trying again.