Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
I was very excited to see another Rachel Krall book. I immensely enjoyed Night Swim. This was another adventure in the popular podcasters life. I really enjoy the Rachel Krall character and how she’s part podcaster part detective. This book focused a bit on influencers which was interesting. Also the story of a convicted felon who’s about to be released from prison. Why he’s in prison really doesn’t add up for Rachel so she digs deeper. Though I did enjoy this story it was a bit slower especially after Night Swim. I give it a 3.5⭐️

I find Rachel Krall to be insufferable. There is no other word for it. And because the main character is so hard to be around as a reader, I was annoyed by the whole book. I don't even think Megan Goldin is a bad writer. I find this series to just be terrible because this podcaster she's created as her lead is just terrible. I could go into all the nit-picky things I didn't enjoy or just didn't make sense but I won't. Bottom line: if you liked The Night Swim, you'll probably at least feel the pull to read this follow-up. I really liked her book Stay Awake, which was released in August 2022.

First off if you have read The Night Swim you have to add Dark Corners to your future TBR list! My mind is still buzzing since finishing this book. Dark Corners takes you on another twisty mystery with Rachel Krall when she is flown in to speak with a prisoner soon to be released and a woman has just gone missing after visiting him. Rachel finds herself in the middle of BuzzCon which is a conference for social media influencers where she learns people’s true colors behind their perfect Instagram accounts in her search for this missing woman. This book kept me on my toes and had me guessing every step of the way! Thank you Net Galley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Crime podcaster, Rachel Krall is called in by the FBI when social media influencer, Maddison Logan goes missing to meet with inmate, Terrence Bailey. Bailey is incarcerated for aggravated robbery when Logan visits him in prison before she disappears. The police were unable to connect Bailey to a string of murders 6 years ago and as dead bodies pile up in present day the FBI is sure Bailey has some sort of connection. As the FBI investigate and Rachel becomes involved, the story unravels with many layers. This story was plot driven and had strong characters. I thought the ending would've been predictable but that twist was very unexpected and threw me through a loop.

Thank You St. Martin's press and NetGalley for the Ebook Arc of Dark Corners. I'm a fairly new fan of Megan Goldin. Having only read her previous book Stay Awake over the summer. This book like her former one kept me gripped from begining to end. It ends a lot of chapters on a cliffhanger making it an easy one sitting read. Tense, and atmospheric with wonderful commentary on social media and the curated versions of an influencer. Rounding this up to 4.5 stars. Highly recommend and look forward to more books from this author

I really liked this thriller, though I’ve liked every thing this author has put out. It was less whodunnit and more why did they do it which I really enjoyed. Overall a good read!

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my second Golden book and the second in the Krall series. Solid 4 star. Great mystery that flows easily and will keep the readers attention. Recommend

A gripping ,suspenseful thriller with a strong female character who hosts a true crime podcast about people who were falsely imprisoned. I enjoyed Rachel as a character because she had grit and determination and didn’t need anyone to be her savior. The story gave the reader an insider view of the life of an influencer who would do anything for more likes and views. Rachel had to infiltrate the world of the influencers to help the police catch a killer. An entertaining read that kept my interest long into the night.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc in return for an honest review.

When influencer Maddison Logan goes missing, the FBI turns to podcaster Rachel Krall for help. Maddison disappeared after she went to visit Terrance Bailey, who mentioned Rachel's name to Maddison. Terrance is convicted for aggravated robbery. The FBI would never connect him to a string of murders and if he's connected to Maddison's disappearance, they may be able to keep him behind bars longer, hoping to connect him to those murders.

Rachel goes to Buzzcon, the social media's get-together for the biggest names in the industry all the way down to micro influencers.. This allows networking amongst peers and is an opening for Rachel to gather additional information on Maddison.

As the story begins to develop, we as readers realize that there is way more than meets the eye. This book has sections of Rachels podcast incorporated in to weave the plot together. The twist!!!! I didn't see the big one coming at all. I've read tons of postcast based thrillers, and Megan does it right!

I was so glad to see this. Ever since the Night Swim I have been hooked on podcasts and murder mystery books. Heck I even got started listening to podcasts after that. It had me hooked from the beginning and I think this was just as good if not better than the first.
I just reviewed Dark Corners by Megan Goldin. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I love a book with short chapters. The characters draw the reader into this suspenseful mystery and it’s a joyride. Be ready for twists!

I wanted to love this but I didn't. I was a HUGE fan of The Night Swim and found it well written and unique in its presentation. This however seemed more of like a YA read. I didn't like the overexplaining of plot points or the frequent use of Rachel & Joe's full names. Their romance didn't feel natural to me and the climax at the end fell a bit flat for me. I will definitely be reading more RK books if the author reads them and hoping that this one gets love in the editing process.

What I loved about this book:

The podcasting. Those chapters were fantastic, you could almost hear her voice within them. Honestly, I wouldn't hate it if this author were to write an entire book via podcast a la Daisy Jones.

The plotting is top notch. This was clearly a very plot driven story vs. character driven story. The plot was fantastic and kept me intrigued even when some of the writing felt a teensy bit lacking.

[I loved the detail - the condition the killer had that linked everything together, the vinyl wrap on the car. (hide spoiler)] Top notch. TOP NOTCH.

I honestly really liked the influencer setting of this. Despite how vapid some of the characters were, the writing lent a certain depth and reality to them.

I did not expect all of the little plot points to tie up as cleanly as they did in the end. That was triumphant and hats off to you chica for making it happen because I honestly thought there was too much to make it all make sense.

What I didn't love about this book:

Some of the writing was a little repetitive. (Not exact quotes) There were kittens in the back. The kittens in the back were being weaned off their mother. THEN: He took clothes from the charity box. He wore the clothes the social worker gave him from the charity box.

Rachel felt a teensy bit flat to me in this book, which is fine since it's very much a plot driven story, but I could have done with just a little bit of personal detail.

Overall:

Solid read and I'm very much looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to St Martin's Press & Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rachel Krall is back in Megan Goldin’s follow up to her 2021 best seller The Night Swim. When we catch up with Rachel, she has just finished the second season of her true-crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, and she is summoned by the FBI to help with a case in Florida. Rachel meets with agents who tell her that an inmate in the Central Florida correctional facility, convicted felon Terence Bailey, nearly out of nowhere, receives a visit from a mega popular vlogger and social media influencer Maddison Logan. During this visit, Terence scribbles a cryptic message to Maddison telling her to bring Rachel to him. Then, within days of this visit, Maddison goes missing. In the course of their investigation into Maddison’s disappearance, they find that she literally does not exist outside of social media…the background stories she’s been telling her viewers are seemingly made up. Rachel gets completely wrapped up in investigating the disappearance of Maddison and even goes so far as to infiltrate the BuzzCon convention for social media influencers where Maddison was seen a few days ago. Throughout the book, there are 2 alternative POV’s, if you will. One of a creepy rideshare driver with an interesting medical condition and the other is what I can only assume will be the transcripts of Rachel’s next podcast season.

I enjoyed the overall storyline of Dark Corners a bit more than I did The Night Swim because it focused more heavily on the investigation and less on the courtroom aspect of the given case. Although I figured out some aspects of the mystery, the big “twist” still took me by surprise. What I didn’t love about this book, was the inclusion of a romantic relationship (just felt it was unnecessary) and the extraneous crimes/mysteries that came up along the way and had nothing to do with the central plot. Also, the podcast transcript felt a little disconnected and at times confusing. Perhaps would have translated better on audio. It was a 3.75 star read (rounded up to 4 stars) and I would pick up another installment of the Rachel Krall series, but most likely would try the audio format.

Thank you to the author, Net Galley and St. Martin’s press for the opportunity to advance read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Goldin continues Rachel Kralls story however this can be read stand alone. What captivated me was the perfect balance of intertwining suspenseful twists. Despite liking reading from different perspectives, it didn't feel well executed in Dark Corners. It took a few paragraphs or even a full page to understand who I was reading it as. 2.5 stars.

I was able to get a sneak read of Dark Corners. I really loved Night Swim and was happy to see the main character back for another book. I devoured this book. It was quick to read and held my attention. There were a few things I figured out fairly early on, but that actually worked to keep me wanting to read to find out the who, what, where, how.

I absolutely loved reading The Night Swim, and this being book #2, I had high expectations for it. However, I did not love this one as much as I did book #1.

I found that there was a lot going on in this book and it felt confusing at times. I found it a little difficult to connect to the characters which made it difficult to keep my interest. I was intrigued by the mystery but felt as though it was overshadowed by the emphasis on social media.

This was a good book, just not as great as the first.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Megan Goldin is an automatic read for me. I was excited when I found out there was a second book coming out starring true crime podcaster Rachel Krall from The Night Swim.

Rachel Krall has been invited by the FBI to Florida to help in the investigation of Maddison, a missing social media influencer. Terence Bailey was jailed for breaking and entering and thought to be a serial killer although the evidence was never able to prove so. Maddison visited Terence Bailey while he was in prison and went missing hours later.

Rachel goes undercover to BuzzCon which is a popular social media influencer conference to try to get answers, despite the FBI's insistence that she is in danger and should return home. She doesn't seem to give up until she finds answers...maybe they are hidden in dark corners.

This book is a little bit all over the place and at times can be hard to follow the storyline. It will all tie in at the end and make sense so thankfully the author does not leave any loose endings. I am not a huge fan of the social media influencer world and the author does delve into the details of that type of lifestyle. In addition, this book turns Rachel into more of a detective rather than a true crime podcaster. Overall a good read with twists and turns, but may not be as enjoyable if you are not into social media.

Special thanks to Netgalley and publisher for a digital ARC.

Ooh, this book does not disappoint! Fast paced, and twists and turns galore. This is the second book following Rachel , but you can enjoy this book even if you haven't read the first. With an ending that I didn't see coming, definitely read this if you enjoy smart thrillers.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

This was full of twists like the first. It was really great. My only issue was Rachel’s attitude toward the police/investigators was really off putting. The plot line was still good.