while “night swim” was a deep look into how the law treats victims of sexual assault, this novel felt like it was not nearly as deep nor meaningful. the influencer clan were terribly annoying and felt like caricatures rather than actual people. yes, some influencers lack depth and only care about money, but come on. i understand that goldin wanted to move away from the court scenes and the podcasts, but this feels like a far cry from the first book.

it is a quick and easy read, a bit more suspenseful than the first. i just wish goldin prioritized characterization for rachel; i still feel that she is bland and could be anybody.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

After finishing The Night Swim a few years back, my immediate impression was OMG followed by the thought that I needed to read more of Rachel Krall.

Megan Goldin, thank you! I was so excited to see that Rachel would be back in Dark Corners and even more thrilled to receive an advanced copy.

While this one wasn’t as much of a gut punch as The Night Swim, it’s fast-paced, thrilling and kept me guessing right to the last page.

I absolutely loved this one. It’s an easy five-star recommendation for me. Add it to your TBR for sure.

My thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Normally sequels can’t compare to the original, but I actually liked this one better than the first. Yes there was less podcast interviewing, but it was just as suspenseful. I enjoy being surprised by endings, and this one didn’t let me down. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in return for an unbiased review.

Hallelujah, not one single courtroom scene! 🙌🏼
I was nervous about starting this one as I wasn’t a fan of The Night Swim (Book 1). I was hesitant to pick this up thinking it was going to be another book where 90% of it takes place in a courtroom. I get that a lot of people like those books, but I realllllly have to be in the mood for one of those. I liked this one more than the first and am happy I read it!! ☺️
This can be read as a stand-alone as references to the first book are usually briefly explained.
This book was very very similar to Carol Wyer’s A Life for a Life. I rated that one about the same as this one which isn’t too shabby! So if you read and enjoyed that book you will probably enjoy this one too.
Although I mostly enjoyed it, my biggest criticism would be the unnecessary length as I felt there was a ton of filler as well as predictability. A few of the ‘twists’ weren’t twists at all to me since I spotted them a mile away and I feel most readers probably would too.
Overall, fun and entertaining enough read.
A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advanced copy of this book. This book will be available on August 8th, 2023! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 ⭐️ rounding up!

Run, and I'm talking knees to chest sprint, don't walk...
This book was so well written. Not only was I hooked just from the cover, the title and the author, but most importantly because it was another Rachel Krall story.
Similar to the first book, Night Swim, that debuted Rachel Krall, a podcaster that talks all things true crime, this one followed Rachel's break down of serial abductions of girls throughout a span of well over 6 years. In Dark Corners, it was narrated in real time from multiple view points. Viewpoints ranging from Rachel's, the FBI detective, Joe, that she was working in tandem with, along with multiple suspects.
While desperately trying to solve a missing persons case, Rachel and Joe were also unearthing cold cases that were just bound to be connected to one another. Because, duh.
Without saying too much, just know that this book will surprise you in more ways than one.

If you have access to any sort of platform to get books/audiobooks prior to their release date, I highly suggest you do so for this one. You will not be disappointed.
If you don't, I suggest reading Night Swim by Megan Goldin to hold ya over until August 8, 2023 while preordering Dark Corners, stat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The Night Swim was a 5 star read for me, so I was pretty confident I would also love this, and I was correct. I absolutely adore Rachel’s character, she’s a strong and independent female character, and I love following her journey. I really enjoyed the mystery in this book, I had to keep reading to find out where things were going. I did not predict the twists at all, and was engrossed in the mystery the whole time. I highly recommend this one!

Goldin’s previous book THE NIGHT SWIM was a 5 star read for me, so when I saw that she wrote another thriller related to Rachel Krall’s podcast, I was excited to pick it up. When a social media star goes missing, the FBI calls Rachel for help. The premise of this book drew me in, and I really enjoyed how the influencer/social media aspects were woven into the story.

All in all, this was an engaging and exciting four star thriller from Goldin. This book has an expected publication date of August 8, 2023, and I recommend giving it a read! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.






g