Member Reviews
This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023, so thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the early copy! I loved The Night Swim and was so excited to see another book about Rachel Krall, the host of a popular true-crime podcast known for solving cases. This time she's on the case of a missing social media influencer, who disappeared just after visiting a suspected serial killer. When the FBI hits a wall in the investigation, they call on Rachel, who they know was mentioned in the exchange between the two, to see if she can help crack the case.
Megan Goldin's writing always pulls me in. Her books are so interesting and fast-paced, and I love how everything she writes throws readers into a totally different world. This time she pulls us into the world of social media fame, where things just aren't always what they seem but image - often at the expense of identity - is everything. There were so many little twists along the way in this, and I loved how I never could fully figure it out.
I saw a few other reviews critique the main character in this one and say she was "rude" or less likable than in The Night Swim, but I didn't see that. While maybe sometime a bit reckless, I found her to be a strong and interesting lead and a woman who rightfully stuck up for herself, her profession, and her ideas. My shortcomings with this were that I missed the heavy podcast element of the first book. Something about the podcast sections felt unfinished to me or less flushed out. I'd love to see them stronger if there's another book in this series (and hopefully there will be). I also didn't love the changing POVs in this. I'd prefer to stick just to Rachel and the podcast. The other POVs, while interesting, weren't as strong or interesting for me.
I couldn't put this down though and loved so much of it! I can't wait to see what comes next from this author.
*There may be spoilers *
I love Megan Goldin's books. I enjoyed Dark Corners and it was a good sequel to The Nigh Swim. I liked the character development and the plot. About 75% through I guessed one of the twists but still loved the book! It was a great 4 star thriller.
Megan Goldin has done it again! I think Dark Corners may be my favorite book yet. In this story, we once again catch up with true crime podcaster Rachel Krall. The book begins with her being summoned by the FBI to help them with case involving Maddison Logan, a #vanlife social media influencer. She is to visit the incarcerated Terrance Bailey who is about to be released from prison after serving time for breaking and entering. In reality, the FBI think he is a serial killer who may have had something to do with Maddison's disappearance - since she visited Terrance just before she disappeared. And thus the reader is thrown into the world of influencers, murderers and victims. What a wild ride it is. While there are some areas that require the reader to suspend disbelief, (would the FBI REALLY release information to a "civilian") the story flows well. The characters, while over the top, are believable though some are more likable that others. I love how Goldin gives her characters backstories to flesh them out. It makes reading her books even more enjoyable. I was hooked within the first chapter and absolutely could not put it down until the end. I will recommend this book and will likely read it again.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this incredible book.
When I saw Dark Corners available for pre-release review, I clicked on it so fast. Then I got nervous. The Night Swim was only a 3-star book for me. Did I commit myself to trying to tactfully say this was disappointing, too? Thankfully, it was not.
The Rachel Krall books have focused on buzzy topics with a little preachiness thrown in and I thought it worked much better for the topic of influencers. Both aspects are sometimes heavy handed. Did she write about a missing-possibly-murdered #vanlife influencer before or after Gabby Petito? Is it too much? Do we need the preachiness about the drawbacks of influencer life? The last two words in the book are "digital detox." It's probably supposed to be funny, but read as smug.
There are chapters in this book from several different perspectives and I'm not sure all of them were needed. FBI Agent Martinez, especially. I'm just nitpicking now, though, because I loved this book. The writing was great. The characters felt three-dimensional and as if they were standing in front of me. The plot ticked along, instead of being withholding, and wrapped up in a nice bow, which is what I prefer. Goldin nails podcast scripts, too, and I wish Rachel Krall's podcast was real.
I enjoyed this book! It was a quick read and kept me interested. Some of the twists I saw coming, but the major one I didn’t, so that made me round up to 4 stars. I would otherwise have given it 3.5.
What I didn’t like: I personally hate when the verb tenses change, though the different tense was confined to only one of the POVs, so that made it slightly more tolerable. But still annoyed me.
Also, I didn’t really feel like there was chemistry between Rachel and her love interest. And it seemed kind of rushed.
**Full disclosure: I listened to Night Swim, so I never saw a physical copy. So that might influence this section.** I didn’t feel like the podcast portions were well denoted in this book. Yes, the font changed and it was no longer Rachel’s POV, but I seem to remember more introduction for the podcast portions in Night Swim, though that may have been since it was an audio book.
What I did like: Like I noted above, I didn’t see the main twist coming, so that was refreshing. I read a lot and tend to figure most twists out eventually. This one I did not, and it was well done.
It was interesting to see the other side of the influencer life. Makes it seem a lot less glamorous.
Overall, the story is compelling and not overdone. It’s well written and the pacing is good.
This is the third book I’ve read of Megan Goldin’s, and I was very excited to get an ARC. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.
Dark Corners is a well-paced thriller with both empathetic characters and self-absorbed insufferable ones… welcome to the not-so-charming world of influencers. Maybe that’s what tînted it for me, because I didn’t like this book as much as I did the first installment—though, tbh, I didn’t reread it. Then again, I have a serious aversion for influencers in the real world, too. That point aside, I really liked how the story unfolded and came together.
Thank you to NetGalley and author and publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Another great Megan Goldin thriller! This one definitely sucked me in and didn’t let me go. Would recommend to most!
My first-five star read of 2023!!!!!!
Megan Goldin is a powerhouse author in the Thriller category!
Rachel Krall, a true crimp podcaster is one of my favorite characters and Goldin should, or maybe I should say, needs to keep writing her!
In DARK CORNERS, Rachel goes undercover in the social-media influencer world to help the FBI investigate the disappearance of Maddison Logan, a popular influencer who likely has been murdered.
Terence Bailey, a suspected murderer of six women but convicted only of breaking and entering is about to be released from prison. Maddison Logan visited Terence Bailey just before she disappeared. What is the connection?
Then, a body of a woman is found submerged in quicksand close to the prison, the FBI and Rachel need to work quickly to find Maddison, identify the body, find a killer or accomplice to Terence Bailey, all before he is released from prison in 48 hours.
I devoured this book with it's twists and turns, the very likable characters and the inside peek at the influencer world.
This is a must read for all Thriller genre fans!
Megan Goldin once again delivers a fast paced book that sucks you in fast and catapults you along the story devouring it all. The sometime vacuous lives of influencers, the prisoner just getting ready to be paroled and the fbi and law enforcement agents trying to piece together violence in the area. It’s it an elaborate ruse emanating from the prison or is there an accomplice involved in some way. Altogether this was a fun ride to take.
Thank you Netgalley for this arc
This was not my first book by Megan Goldin and it will by no means be my last. Rachel Krall is a successful true crime podcaster lured to Florida by FBI Agent Joe Martinez to help him find out what convict and accused killer Terrence Bailey knows about a missing woman. Soon the two of them are peeling back layers of mystery upon mystery. Whole schools of red herrings abound!
Cultural tropes lie at the center of the story. Madison Logan, the missing woman, is an online "Influencer" who left a message requesting help from Rachel, She went to see Bailey in prison where Bailey also mentions Krall's name. Logan then goes missing and Bailey is about to go free from prison.
In the mean time a convention of "Influencers" is taking place locally adding even more drama. Influencers are people who, by dint of their podcasts, drive public opinion and make a great deal of money doing it. Goldin paints wonderful scenes at this convention with the attendees too busy taking selfies and pictures of their food to actually enjoy themselves. In this world, "Influencer" is apparently a synonym for "Frenemy".
Dark Corners has a great plot, lots of twists and even some romance. Goldin finishes up with an adrenaline charged finish. Kudos. Thanks to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC. I had a blast.
4.5 ⭐️ (rounded down). Another great book by Megan Goldin. This is my third book by this author and I love her writing. Other things I really like about this author is the way she develops the characters. Even when you are annoyed (ex. a character described by his “rotting smell” lol), she works it into the story so that you’re thinking “ohhh okay so that’s why the author is obsessed with this guy’s smell 😂). I also like how she doesn’t drag things out. It was suspenseful from beginning to end and never bored me. Another plus is the short chapters in different perspectives.
As far as characters go, the only one who absolutely creeped me out was Thomas…but yet it’s like a train wreck and you can’t look away when reading the chapters that included him.
I did figure out part of the ending but had no clue on the big twist! Great ending!!
The reason for 4.5 (but rounded DOWN) is strictly because I was beginning to get annoyed with all the social influencer stuff. I know that’s what the story is based on, so it might seem unfair to knock an author because of content that I don’t like to read about BUT sometimes it was just too much. Examples: describing how they work, their lifestyles and BuzzCon…those were the only parts of the book that I could do without.
I definitely recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released August 8, 2023.
To see other reviews I’ve left, check out my Instagram and Goodreads pages:
*Instagram - bookworm_traveler808
*Goodreads - Cherihy808
Clutched from page 1.
Told from multiple POV’s, one being Rachel Krall. Another, The Psychopath w/ severe mommy issues & a legitimate case of Trimethylaminuria🙊 & another, a true crime podcast….
The misdirection was spot on & the creep factor was high!
🤌🏼 This one will make you look at “influencers” differently…
Cheeseball moments? Yes.
Clever? Hell yes!
This was a good book & I totally recommend!
Big thanks to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was given a advanced copy for a honest review. I have loved Megan Goldin since I read the Night Swim and receiving her lastest one was a treat. In Dark Corners we return to Podcast reporter Rachel Krall who is called to help found a serial killer who has already killed 6 women. In my opinion this is her best yet. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Goldin in the future.
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The Night Swim was a 5-star read for me, so when I saw there was a new Rachel Krall book coming it was immediately a highly anticipated read for me. I can now say it absolutely delivered.
Dark Corners brings Rachel into an active case that, as it unravels, reveals its ties to the past. There are twists and turns, and I felt like one of the detectives trying to follow the threads. You can feel that they tie together somehow, and the answer feels just out of reach. The end result is the culmination of an excellently woven story. I have mixed feelings on social media elements being part of books I read, but the influencer scene leant itself so well to representing a different kind of darkness against the evil in this one.
Another thing I want to compliment here is the sensory elements written into this book. It was easy visualize and imagine, and the smells…oh, the smells. Let’s just say, it’s a good thing they don’t actually come off the page. (Also, I may never be completely comfortable in a rideshare vehicle again.)
I’m hopeful that this is not the last we’ll see of Rachel Krall from Megan Goldin.
I am loving the Rachel Krall series!! She’s smart, witty, and easy to relate to.
Megan Goldin is quickly becoming my go-to author in the genre. Everything she writes is gold. And this series (thus far) is my favorite work.
This story was intense. And definitely kept you guessing as to whodunnit. I guessed Maddison’s true identity once the backstory was mentioned, but didn’t understand what made her run…until nearly the end.
I also liked the bit of love interest present here. I don’t require romance in my books, but it did work here.
I only hope there are plans for several more books in this series, but look forward to Goldin’s upcoming works in general!
Thrilling follow-up from author's previous book Night swim. Personally I enjoyed this one better than the previous one without a doubt! It follows the investigation of a missing podcaster both by the FBI and our favorite podcaster Rachel Krall. Is she dead or has she just run away? How is she connected to the inmate whom she met just before vanishing? How is the inmate connected?
It had a dual timeline, serial killings, multiple twists, also some chemistry and romance! My main issue was that few twists were very much predictable and almost a cliche. But it maintains a good pace throughout and the whole conference with all the influencers was so current. The romance between Rachel and FBI Agent Martinez can be a distraction for some readers but I liked that part as well between the killings and suspense. Overall, an entertaining and engaging thriller that I definitely recommend!
I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Amazing! I loved this story! The characters are flawed - and so interesting. This behind-the-scenes view of the world of influencers while hunting a serial killer is loaded with twists and turns and is fascinating. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories with high creep factor and plenty of adventure and action.
Great continuation from The Night Swim. Loved the intensity and I couldn't stop reading to find out what would happen next. While it does feature a MC from the first book, it's not totally necessary IMO to read The Night Swim first!
Great book!! This book had such a twisted story, it went so many different ways than I thought it would! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, serial killer, A great who done it and great police work! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!
3.5 stars rounded up because I enjoyed the book to be honest. I have mixed feelings though. It was fast paced and page turning which I like. The plot twists were good even though some were a bit predictable. The main issue was that some events and conversations were not that realistic and circumstantial. But overall it was a good book!