Dark Corners by Megan Goldin follows Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer. Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place? When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

I absolutely loved, Night Swim, the first installment in this new Rachel Krall series. However, while this book was fun, I sadly didn't enjoy it as much as Night Swim. I found the love interest in this novel unnecessary and I didn't connect to the characters as much in this book. However, I did enjoy the Miami scene in this novel as well as the BuzzCon location for this book.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An incredible sequel to Night Swim about a missing vlogger that turns into more missing/murdered girls that are connected to a killer. I really enjoyed this because in this Rachel Krall mystery we don’t have her reading from her podcast but her narrative in real time as she’s involved in the case. Don’t get me wrong, the podcast chapters in the Night Swim were awesome, but this one was a fresh take on the podcaster as we see her in real time in immediate danger! I highly recommend!

Missing Instagram influencer who seemingly has no presence offline. No one knows where she could be and very few clues lead the investigators in the right direction. They turn to a podcaster who may have enough insight to figure out where she could be. This was twisty and fun, even though sometimes the back and forth between characters and scenes could get confusing when I put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 3.5 stars

4.5 Stars

Not quite as fleshed out as The Night Swim but still a fun and thrilling ride.

In this one, true crime podcaster Rachel Krall is called upon by the FBI to help in solving the case of the missing social media influencer, Maddison Logan. As it turns out Maddison disappears very shortly after visiting an inmate, Terence Bailey who has never had a visitor before in the six years he's been incarcerated. Although Terence has long been a suspected serial killer, no charges have ever been filled and his prison stay was the result of breaking and entering and theft as well as getting in a fight with a fellow prisoner. When a young woman is found dead in a mud pit the race is on to find if A) the girl is Maddison and B) who Terence's accomplice might be. After a brief visit with Terence herself and seemingly getting nowhere, Rachel checks into an Influencers convention to start investigating the case herself. When people from the convention start going missing the stakes get higher and with Terence getting out of prison soon Rachel might just be the next on the list.

Like in The Night Swim the writing here is impeccable. The twists and turns get more interesting with each missing person. Written from the POV's of Rachel and a smelly rideshare driver in relatively short chapters, I found myself totally captivated while racing through the pages to find out if my suspicions were correct. They were and they weren't. While I was correct with some I was still surprised by the highly satisfying conclusion. I loved how the author tied up all the loose ends and still had me wanting more. I look forward to continuing Rachel's story in upcoming additions to this series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me a digital ARC to read, review and enjoy.

Rachel Kroll is a true crime podcaster. She is brought down to Florida by the FBI to offer them information about a missing influencer. She is also brought to a State Prison to talk with a convict who is soon to be released. The FBI Agent on the case doesn’t believe she does not know the influencer or the convict. Rachel continues to stay in the area and investigate what is going on. She attends a conference for influencers and learns more about the missing woman and about the convict. Telling more about the plot will only lead to spoilers. The plot and characters are remarkably well developed and not all are what they seem. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of Dark Corners by Megan Goldin! WOW! Okay. Goldin’s an auto-buy author for me, but as soon as I saw that this book was a follow-up to The Night Swim (One of my favorites of all time), I had to push this up to the very top of my list as soon as the approval came into my inbox.

This story picks up with Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster that we met in Night Swim. This time, she’s searching for a popular social media influencer who disappeared just after visiting a suspected serial killer in prison. Is her disappearance connected to her visit? And why was she there in the first place?

Rachel Krall finds herself going undercover to BuzzCon, an influencer conference, to uncover the truth when the FBI hits a wall. What if Rachel isn’t safe, either?

I devoured this book (as expected) and it quickly became one of my favorite reads of 2022. Being a famous influencer may seem like fun and games, but this book will definitely make you rethink your presence online. The plot is unique - hard to find with thrillers these days in my opinion - and quite twisty. There’s a romance element to this book that was perfect and I actually want (need) more of it. Different perspectives, the podcast angle...ah. Chef’s kiss Goldin on another 5-star read! This can be read as a stand-alone but why on earth wouldn’t you want to pick up Night Swim while you wait for this beauty to pub?

Megan Goldin writes another great novel. I have read a couple of her previous books and have enjoyed them all. This story centers around true crime podcaster Rachel Krall. There are missing women and the police believe the man responsible, Terence Bailey, is due to be released from prison in two days on other charges. They have to find proof that he is involved so he can be put away permanently. Krall meets with Bailey in the prison and begins to help the FBI in the disappearance of a prominent social media influencer who had just visited Bailey in prison and disappeared. Rachel attends a convention for influencers to try to find out info on her disappearance.
Although I don’t like or agree with the whole influencer lifestyle, the writing of Megan Goldin made the subject matter and the accompanying mystery riveting. This was a quick read and I look forward to more stories involving Rachel Krall.

This book is definitely made my mind work. The story was a bit slow moving, although very interesting. What turned me off, so-to-speak, were all the different formats. Some chapters were written in first person, some in third. Multiple points of view. I wasn't confused, just frustrated. Eventually, I just gave up.

I think that most people who have any sort of an attention span and don't mind the alternating formats will love this story and plot!

This book provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of influencers and their self-engrossed lives as well as introduces an engaging heroine in the character of Rachel Krall, a gutsy and determined podcaster. There's a twisty mystery at the heart of the story involving the discovery of a dead woman, a string of murders from the past, a missing influencer and an imprisoned man suspected of being a serial killer who is coming to the end of his sentence. Rachel, who is called in by the FBI to meet with the imprisoned man, proves herself up to the task of untangling the mess of clues and leads.
This was a well-paced story, marred only by the use of several chapters spaced throughout the story, that seemed to be retelling what we already knew or "infodumping" facts about various characters. There was no specific heading to these chapters indicating who was "telling" us all this information, but I assumed these to be excerpts from Rachel's podcast. I did find them jarring and for the most part, unnecessary. Much of the info could have been woven in along the way.
The ending was satisfactory. Overall a decently engaging book.

I loved this book so much that I went to the library and got the night swim since the ”detective”, aka the true crime podcasters first appears there. This was a quick and suspense filled read for me. I was on the edge of my seat pretty much the whole time. I usually am pretty hard on characters and character development so when I say these characters, especially Rachel and Terrance. I thought the ending was done so well and the descriptions were amazing. I felt like I could smell how terrible the perpetrator smelled. It was disturbing, suspenseful and so brilliantly written. Also loved the trail it sent you on with Terrance and linking him to everything so you really think he’s the bad guy the whole time

I’m a huge fan of Megan Goldin (especially Night Swim) and was so excited to receive an ARC of Dark Corners and it did not dissapoint. This book has everything I love in a thriller. It had a presumed serial killer in jail, a podcast host turned investigator, a smidge of romance and a glimpse into the influencer life (which I think we all agree is fascinating). I did not see the ending coming and can’t wait for my friends who also loved the Night Swim to pick this one up!

UM WHAT. Excuse me for being unable to be eloquent with this review, because this book was so unbelievably good that I am at a complete loss of words. I couldn’t get enough. This is one of the best follow ups I’ve read. If you loved The Night Swim, you need to read Dark Corners. Megan Goldin has a unique talent. There have been few authors who have held my attention and adoration quite as well as she has. Her books get better and better.

True crime podcaster, Rachel Krall, is in need of some down time after her last case but the FBI has other ideas. Prisoner, Terence Bailey, is about to be released from prison. Prior to his release he receives a visit from Maddison Logan a trending social media influencer in which Bailey tells her to contact Rachel. Hours later Maddison appears to have been kidnapped and Rachel finds herself in the middle of the investigation. Rachel must go undercover at BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, to find out more about Maddison's disappearance but her questions make her the target of a monster out for revenge.

Dark Corners is the exciting new novel featuring the spunky protagonist Rachel Krall. I absolutely loved The Night Swim so I was excited to see a follow up novel featuring her character. I really enjoy this character and I hope the author continues to feature her in future crime-solving thrillers. This time Rachel assists the FBI with an investigation involving the disappearance of Maddison, a popular social media influencer. As Rachel begins to dig into Maddison's past she uncovers a web of lies which also makes her a target for a very unusual serial killer. There were lots of twists and turns in this one that kept me flipping pages to find out what was going to happen next. A must read for 2023!

The Night Swim is one of my all time favorite books. Having the honor to read the second Rachel Krall book Dark Corners was amazing. I hope we continue to see upcoming sequels! I could not put it down and every time I picked it up I jumped right back into the story. Bravo!!!
Bookstagram linked below @booksonbabcock
ttps://www.instagram.com/p/CndagZ4r94r/?igshid=Zjc2ZTc4Nzk

I LOVED this book! I was scared out of my mind reading it as it was so real! Love Megan's writing and really hope we see more stories from Rachel in the future! I need to know what happens between her and the hunky FBI agent!

Pre-booksta I read and loved THE NIGHT SWIM so I was excited to see there would be a second book in the Rachel Krall series: DARK CORNERS.

My thoughts:
-easy, quick read
-little bit of a police procedural
-always up for a true crime podcast aspect
-could’ve done without the romance storyline
-a lot going on to keep up with and a lot of characters
-kept me guessing

I might not have enjoyed this one as much as the first but I feel like that’s typical when it comes to a series. I was still satisfied with the ending & am looking forward to more books by Megan Goldin!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

I absolutely loved the first book in the Rachel Krall series, The Night Swim, so when I saw an email that I was given an arc for Dark Corners I was very excited!

The story is a definite page turner with a little bit of a slow start. But once it got going I flew through it and really enjoyed it! The influencer angle was a fun angle to the plot and I loved the suspense that each chapter brought.

Dark Corners is definitely not as dark and emotional as the first book. Even if you haven’t read The Night Swim, it’s okay as the series acts as a stand alone.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this review copy in exchange for my honest
review!

This was a decent thriller- the writing was engaging and the pace was not too fast or too slow! I didn’t really connect with the main character (and there’s a romance side plot that felt totally unnecessary) or the side characters, and that took away from my enjoyment. Overall, I wouldn’t call this especially twisty or surprising, but it also wasn’t all totally predictable. The things that happened just made sense as they were revealed. The chapters are from multiple POVs, which definitely helped raise the suspense.
This wasn’t my favorite thriller ever, but it wasn’t all bad. I’d recommend if you like the author or thrillers that focus on influencer culture, but otherwise this might be one you’re okay skipping.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This is a wild ride for sure! Rachel is a podcaster. Joe is an FBI guy. Owen is a park ranger. Tommy is a ride-share driver. Bailey is soon to be released from jail, and Maddison is a social media influencer who is concerned with her "likes". How all their lives become inter-connected is a whirlwind that is this novel! There are deaths, abductions, and assaults; my favorite is the Ouroboros (the snake eating its own tail) tattoo. How are these all connected? I raced through this one as I couldn't put it down! I've loved Goldin's others and this one was just as awesome. Don't make other plans. Just read it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I was very excited to be granted an ARC of this follow-up to The Night Swim by Megan Goldin! Books about podcasters investigating murders/mysteries have become very popular and it’s easy to see why – ever since Serial came out in 2014 podcasters have become a new form of “investigator” in many cases, civilians using their skills and passion to examine cases along with the general public.

In Dark Corners, Rachel Krall is drawn into a murder mystery involving the release of a suspected serial killer and the disappearance of a social media influencer. The combination of a podcast and an influencer makes for very timely and current topics as the story unfolds. (I have to wonder in 20 years, will we still have social media influencers the way they operate now? Will it look totally different?)

Overall, this was a very serviceable and easily read thriller that I finished in just one day. There were only mild surprises in my opinion, but it didn’t take away from my interest. I did get a little confused at times with keeping straight the various characters being referenced and coming in and out of the story, and I didn’t fully comprehend some of the perpetrator’s motivations for his actions in the climax of the book. Still, I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed Megan Goldin’s previous books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.