Great courtroom crime book worthy of a Grisham drama. Good look at the complexity of trying a rape case

Loooooved this book!!! What a great story!! The twists and turns. The characters. The imagery. Getting to the truth in two crimes, BONUS! Megan Goldin just got another fan!

The Night Swim is an amazing thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. Rachel Krall is the host of a very serial podcast. She has chosen her third season to cover a rape trial that is happening in Neapolis, a coastal town on the Atlantic. On her way to tow, she receives a mysterious letter from someone named Hannah begging her to look into her sister's murder. Jenny's death had been ruled an accidental drowning, but Hannah know that not to be the case. Rachel tried to ignore the letters, to focus on the trial, the reason she came to Neapolis, but the intrigue is too difficult for an investigative journalist.
So, The Night Swim has two mysteries. The rape trial, and Rachel's search for the truth of what happened, and the drowning of Jenny. It is told with 3 points of view. Rachel's, Hannah's, and the podcast transcript.
As the trial continues, and Rachel begins to unravel the mystery of Jenny's death, she realizes that these two might be connected.
Goldin handles the rape victim's story with such care, and it's an important one, in the #metoo movement.
A great story that I loved.

What a great story. I am definitely a fan of Megan Goldin. The story moved quickly, was suspenseful and had me guessing, incorrectly, all the way. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I give it a solid five stars.

This is the second book of Megan Goldin’s that I’ve read, the first being The Escape Room. Because I loved the first book i was elated when St Martin Press approved me to read The Night Swim. This book wasn’t as good as The Escape Room...it was even better! I read it over the course of 4 days and thought about it every time I put it down. In a time when the #metoo movement is so prevalent this book gives an in-depth look of how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go! I can’t recommend this thriller enough!

I completely loved this book!!! It kept my interest from beginning to end. I loved the whole podcast spin on it too. That was great, especially with the current trend of podcasts nowadays. Which I myself love. It was great going back and forth between characters too. I love how Goldin was able to draw you into the story right away, and leave you lingering until the end. I'm literally going right now to read another book she wrote. This was an excellent read!

Interesting story about guilt and innocence, winning and losing and speaking the truth. Podcasts have become popular in our society. Communications regarding events now exist on the broadest scale this world has ever known. As a society we must weigh what we read and hear with discernment. These subjects are just part of the story told inThe Night Swim.

The characters are skillfully crafted. The story spans 25 years and deals with sexual assault. I felt empathy for the victims and angry at how vulnerable young girls can be treated so badly because they lack the power to defend themselves. The ending was surprisingly unexpected. Excellent storytelling by Megan Goldin.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from St Martin's Press through NetGalley.The opinions expressed are completely my own.
#fenUgreeK #NetGalley

This mystery is a page gripper-a do not put it down story. The characters, although not always redeeming, keep the reader wondering-guessing. This is a thriller with a twist.

If you are looking for a book you won’t be able to put down and sticks with you long after you are finished, this is that book! I was hooked almost immediately to the authors portrayal of two different characters Rachel (a podcaster) and Hannah (a girl from the cities past) and a rape trial weaved in. The plot moved quickly as chapters were short and at times from different perspectives. I read this book in a little over a day and still can’t stop talking about it. I appreciated the psychological mystery of this book as I was shocked and stunned to hear how these stories collided. (I seriously had to put the book down and pick my mouth off the floor). Loved it and would recommend to anyone!! 5/5 stars, I am definitely going to be looking at anything else this author writes. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the early read.

Modern day mystery that is very well written. The storyline is really intriguing and keeps the reader’s interest. The descriptions of the characters are well formed and the main characters are very like able.
In some spots it was hard to differentiate between Rachel and Hannah. Their characters are very similar.

I was lucky to read an ARC of the authors first book-Escape Room, and it had me hooked. So when I saw she had another book, I immediately signed up for it. It did not disappoint!!!. Rachel Krall is a successful podcaster and she has travelled to Neapolis to cover a devastating rape trial for her newest season. Before arriving, a mysterious envelope appears on her car window at a truck stop--and keeps showing up throughout the book Someone wants her to look into her sisters death, that was ruled a drowning, but the family is certain she was murdered. Throughout the book these is flashbacks to the past to reveal the 'murder' of Jenny. When Rachel starts looking into the story, the town doesn't want to answer, and the past and present start to collide. I highly recommend this book and look for to more from this author! Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Krall has a very successful true crime podcast where she has helped solve cold cases. However, for this new season she wants to try something different. Rachel travels to the small town of Neapolis to cover the town’s controversial rape trial. While there, she is contacted several times, and sometimes in disturbing ways, by a fan who needs her help. Hannah never believed that her sister drowned twenty-five years ago, but she needs Rachel to find the what happened. Will the truth come out or will the town continue to protect its own?

The author seamlessly combines methodic courtroom drama with gripping psychological suspense. This book will keep readers up long after they have finished the last page. While it might be easy to correctly guess the guilty party from the past, readers will want to see how events unfold and if justice is served in both cases. Megan Goldin brilliantly inserts readers into the mindset of the characters. Hannah will live in their hearts for years to come. This is a must-read for all mystery and thriller fans.

Notes:

I signed up to honestly review an advanced e-copy of this book. Thanks to Netgalley/MacMillan/St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity.
This review was originally posted on the Ariesgrl Book Reviews website.

This is more of a 3.5/5.0 rating, for what it’s worth. Here’s the basic premise - what if the host of My Favorite Murder was covering the Brock Turner rape trial? And what if during that trial she uncovered another old case that remained unsolved?

It’s an interesting and topical premise, though it felt a bit rough around the edges and a bit too cute for its own good. As one point, the old case is largely told by letters the podcast host is getting from the sister — but these letters end dramatically, exactly as if they were written as chapters in a thriller. It starts to become impossible to think of them as letters. Other chapters are, theoretically, transcripts of the podcast episodes she’s recording while watching the trial. That works better but still feels clumsy.

The other thing I can’t quite figure out is why the author felt the need to make the trial so clearly the Brock Turner case (Stanford swimmer accused of rape). It’s such a publicly known thing it felt weird and awkward to - as one example - have the accused rapist be a star swimmer. Why not even change that one basic fact?

Regardless it’s a good read and I thank Net Galley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. In fact, so many other reviews here rave about the authors prior novel that I’m going to check that out.

Ooooph! I just finished The Night Swim and I'm shook to my core. I loved authors last thriller The Escape Room and I was hoping for another wonderful twisted revenge fantasy...The Night Swim isn't that. It follows a newly popular true crime style podcast and the host Rachel, as she travels to follow a rape trial. The chapters are short and readable and the story switches points-of-view regularly-- but not too much.

Rape is frequently mentioned. The trial Rachel is covering is all about rape that is alleged against a popular Olympic swimmer hopeful and a drunk high school girl. It's harsh and real and some parts were hard to read. That's just the first mystery.
The second part of the story and the second mystery also involves rape. A rape and death that took place decades ago in the same town and that Rachel is informed of via notes from a victim's family member.

Both stories weave together seamlessly and were traumatic and hard to read at times, but I'm glad I pushed through to the end.

This story stay with me for a long time.

Be warned: sexual assault is a big part of the story and frequently mentioned.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was my first book by Goldin that I have read and will not be my last. I loved the crime podcast and the small town aspects in the book. It definitely felt all too real. Definitely recommend.

It took several chapters for this one to really keep my attention but about 20% of the way in, I couldn't put this one down.
I personally listen to podcasts now and then so this story intrigued me. Rachel is in the middle of a trial that's split and town and her job as the podcast director is to be impartial and truthful to all as she covers the trial of a local teenager claiming to be raped by a local swim champion.
Separately, as soon as she arrives in town she receives messages from a girl named Hannah whose sister died 20+ years ago. Hannah swears her sister was murdered, that she didn't drown as the story was told, even though Hannah was only 9 years old at the time.
While Rachel spends every waking moment investigating both cases, there are some who don't want her to know the truth about either case.

A podcast host reports on a present day murder case that sounds too similar to one that occurred 25 years ago. The host, Jenny, is lured into the old case by a series of anonymous notes, calls, strange meetings and clues that pique her interest. Could there be a connection between the two cases? Is this small town hiding a secret? She has to pursue it . After all, she IS the host of Guilty Or Not Guilty.

The Night Swim is a novel about a rape trial through the lens of a podcaster's eye.

Rachel is the mastermind behind the controversial podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" which examines criminal cases with her critical eye. To create a spin on her third season she travels to Neapolis to cover a live rape trial. During Rachel's travels to the city, she finds a mysterious letter tucked under a windshield wiper of her car. The letter is a request from Hannah, a longterm fan and native from Neapolis. The letter unveils details of the unsolved death of Hannah's sister 20 years prior. As Rachel starts to cover the trial, she also starts to investigate the death of Hannah's sister. As the trial unfolds, a coverup starts to emerge and a strangely familiar theme starts to emerge between the death of the past and the rape trial. Written in alternative voices between Hannah, Rachel, and her Podcast, this story is a captivating page-turner that does not disappoint.

Thank you Netgalley, Megan Goldin and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I honestly think this is the best ARC I've received from NetGalley. Great for fans of the mystery/thriller genre, but it also blends the present day obsession with podcasts. Strong female main character and the book focuses on society's views on rape culture. Some of the subject matter was hard to stomach, but it was written in a powerful, yet tasteful way, and I couldn't wait to get back to my book to finish the story. I will definitely recommend this book to anyone who will listen. And I will be on the look out for other books from this author. I could even see the main character getting a series.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin tells the story of a podcaster, Rachel Krall, in town to cover a rape trial. As the book unfolds, she receives a strange note on her car from Hannah Stills. While covering the trial, Rachel gets pulled into investigating the death of a young girl from twenty five years earlier - Hannah’s sister.

On the surface this book has a great storyline and Goldin does a masterful job of interweaving the stories of Rachel and Hannah. However, the real story is about the difficulty of rape trials - both in terms of getting a verdict and the pain it causes the victim to relive the rape many times over. Often, the victim is portrayed as a slut, whore, and/or liar.

I appreciated that Goldin used her character’s voice to express this on multiple occasions. Whether or not she intended to use this story as a platform, readers will have a hard time not thinking about this book long after finishing it.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.