DARK CORNERS - MEGAN GOLDIN

4⭐

PLOT -
Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison, but just before his release he gets a surprise visit from Madison Logan a big shot influencer. But hours later Madison disappears and police suspect Bailey's hand in it .after hitting a wall FBI asks Rachel Krall for help who is a famous true crime podcaster. As Rachel pursues her own investigation she somehow finds herself a target and is forced to confront the real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

MY THOUGHTS
This was a very interesting thriller which features alternative POV and mix media..podcast episodes intermingled with the current investigations. It moves very smoothly and the influencer field as a plot has been highlighted quite well.
So if you are looking for a fast paced , thriller with short chapters check this one out and go in blind for a full enjoyment.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A influencer goes missing outside of a prison before a murderer is released? The only thing the two have in common is Rachel Krall, a true crime podcaster, who has helped to free the wrongly accused. When Rachel is called to come visit the murderer to get info on why the influencer would come to see him, she soon finds herself embroiled in a mystery she can't help but investigate. A good mystery with some interesting twists this next in the series book kept my interest. Not quite as interesting as the first book in the series yet still keeps me wanting to read more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-book for an honest review.

The FBI has asked for Rachel Krall's help. Terrence Bailey is a suspected (but never convicted) serial killer and about to be released from jail. But that's not the only problem... Maddison Logan, a social media influencer, recently visited Terrence in prison and mysteriously disappeared after their visit. This is where Rachel comes in. The FBI wants the famous podcaster to try and get any information she can out of Terrence in order to find Maddison. In the meantime, a woman's body is found and the death seems linked to Terrence. Since Terrance can't kill while he's in prison, the FBI are thinking that he has an accomplice on the outside. Is Rachel safe? Can she help find the accomplice before Terrence is released from jail?

Rachel Krall is also a character in Megan Goldin's Night Swim, which I also enjoyed. Dark Corners takes the reader on a wild ride and things are not always as they seem. As a bookstagrammer, I enjoyed the piece of the story that included the social media influencer's conference. One of the bad guys was great - pretty terrifying with a unique medical condition. This was a solid read with some cools twists.

A generous two stars.

Jeezus. How does this stuff get published?

Admittedly, I hated Goldin's previous Rachel Krall novel The Night Swim, but I wanted to give this one a chance. And honestly, for the first 50% of the book, I was into it. But the plot just got out of control with unbelievable coincidences, plot holes inconsistencies, and convenient coincidences. In short = lazy plotting.

Rachel Krall is called by the FBI to take a plane down to Florida because she has been implicated in the case of a missing woman. The FBI asks Rachel to talk to a man they suspect is a killer in hopes of learning something new. Why would the FBI ask a civilian to fly to them instead of going to see her first? Why would the FBI send a civilian to interview a dangerous criminal who is days from being released from prison? This is just a taste of the nonsensical plotting of Dark Corners.

I love a good thriller, but plot holes and nonsense just spoil the fun.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a complimentary advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, however it is not very memorable. I also read the Night Swim several years ago however I didn’t recall the plot or characters and was able to follow along and enjoy this book without that background fresh in my mind!

Have you ever been having a completely normal average day when everything suddenly gets turned upside down? That’s exactly what happened to Rachel when she ended up on a plane to visit a prison in Florida. She got thrusted head first into a murder investigation and an influencer gathering at the same time. With all the new people coming into her life, it leaves her questioning- Is she befriending a murder? Who can she trust?

If the most addictive podcast and an incredibly fast paced mystery had a baby, it would be this book.

True crime podcaster Rachel Krall is unexpectedly called to Florida by FBI agent, Joe Martinez. Prisoner Terence Bailey, who is suspected of killing six women, has asked for Rachel by name after receiving a visit from a trendy social media influencer named Madison Logan. Rachel soon finds herself involved in the case as Madison has disappeared and the FBI believes that Bailey may have something to do with it, by having help on the outside. As Rachel digs deeper into the disappearance of Madison she finds herself involved in an influencer conference where she investigates what happened to Madsion, as well as finds out more information about Terence Bailey.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first in the series. I love the podcast elements and how they are incorporated in every few chapters. Goldin’s writing style is just perfect, each chapter gives just enough information to keep you interested and fully immersed in the story. I enjoyed all the twisty turns this book gave me, I was along for the ride.

Interesting story with a few plot lines but all wrapped up well in the end. Kept me on my toes until the end.

I was really glad to see Rachel Krall return from Night Swim in this new book. But seriously, what the hell happened with her personality? She went from bad-ass to annoying moron. Disappointing. I agree with someone else's harsh and very honest review, this book needs some serious editing. I am learning to be proofreader and some of this was painful.

I usually like books by Megan Goldin but Rachel Krall was not at her finest and I was looking forward to her return. Disappointing. I hope Megan Goldin's next novel is better than this one.

I cannot recommend this one. I hope book 3 for Rachel Krall is redeemed in the personality department. I can see why other readers will enjoy this more than me but it was a miss.

Thanks to NetGalley, Megan Goldin and St Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ALready available

Megan Goldin's books have never disappointed me and this one is no exception.

This story follows main character Rahcel Krall, a successful podcaster, as she attempts to assist the FBI in solving the disappearance of influencer Maddison Logan. Logan disappeared hours after visiting inmate Terrance Bailey in prison.

Krall uses a fake social media profile to attend BuzzCon, an influencer conference that Logan was scheduled to attend, where she encounters the cutthroat world of influencers in the wild.

As Krall and the FBI try to uncover the connection between Maddison and Terrance Bailey, there are many twists and turns. Bailey's release from prison is imminent and there is a rush to find out what Bailey may be hiding and if he is involved somehow in Maddison's disappearance.

This thriller is fast moving and an easy read. While I did read the first Rachel Krall book, The Night Swim, you would not need to do so in order to engage with this story.

Read if you liked: The Night Swim or None of This is True

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison, though investigators suspect him in the murders of six women. When Maddison Logan, a popular influencer, visits him and goes missing soon after everyone raises an eyebrow - is this connected to her visit with Bailey? Investigators quickly hit a wall and ask for Rachel Krall’s help to go undercover to find out more about Maddison Logan and to help them connect the pieces together. More and more things come to light as she’s investigating and suddenly this is much bigger than it seems… is Rachel Krall suddenly a target too?

After devouring The Night Swim last year I couldn’t wait to see what Rachel Krall was up to in this book. She is a fantastic main character who is strong, well-developed, and certainly carries her own during investigations. The format of this book is really captivating - if you’re a true crime podcast fan I think you will really enjoy this because it gives podcast episodes, special reports, and “behind the scenes” investigative information. It felt like I was listening to it unfold in real time! I thoroughly enjoyed how each of these cases came together and the different twists that came with it. It did feel a bit slow in the middle, but as a true crime fan (and ex-full-time influencer), I was enthralled the whole time! I can’t wait to see what Megan Goldin writes next! P.s. although this is technically a series, both The Night Swim and Dark Corners can be read as standalone books. It’s nice to have some of the inner knowledge from the first book, but it’s not 100% necessary!

Sequel to NIGHT SWIM, I liked the newest Rachel Krall installment a little more than the first in the series. You do not have to read Night Swim to understand what’s going on in the one. Rachel Krall is the only character that is back and she’s tackling a new investigation for her true crime podcast in Dark Corners.

Rachel is brought into a missing persons case by FBI agent, Joe Martinez. Is the missing girl case related to Terence Bailey’s upcoming release from prison or connected to murders in the recent years?

I liked the different POV chapters in this book intermixed with Rachel’s podcast chapters. My biggest complaint was the repetitiveness of Rachel and Joe’s interactions and comparing of notes with the cases. There were also some red herrings that really didn’t feel like red herrings and were explained away rather quickly when one or more could’ve been skipped altogether in my opinion.

Many thanks to @stmartinspress for an ARC! This one is out now and if you loved Night Swim, I think you’ll enjoy this one too!

As a fan of NIGHT SWIM, I was very excited to get access to Rachel Krall's next story, DARK CORNERS. This one seemed different than NIGHT SWIM --I think due to the fact that the story wasn't necessarily centered around her podcast. As a true crime podcast lover myself, that was one thing that I particularly loved from Goldin's other novel. While I wished that DARK CORNERS would've included more of the podcast element, it still was an intriguing read that I couldn't put down! So many twists and turns!

This audio was absolutely fantastic! Loved Goldins previous book, this is second in the series (can be read as standalone). I loved the podcast format and the twists and turns. Even when I’d figured pieces out, I still had no idea what else was coming and what to expect.

Okay so I adored the night swim and when I saw there was another Rachel Krall coming out, I was stoked.

Though this book was full of so many amazing things (hence my 4stars), I can’t help but compare to the night swim which had everything AND more. I felt like the ending was missing just a little something in Dark Corners.

The setting was really interesting, being at an influencer conference. I liked that Goldin talked about the dangers and unflattering parts of being an influencer.

Thank you Netgalley, Megan Goldin, and St. Martins Press for the eARC.

I love The Night Swim so was very excited to read Dark Corners. Dark Corners was a little harder to get into because there are so many characters that it was slightly overwhelming. I felt I needed to take notes to remember the characters.

I tandem read the ebook while listening to the audio book and I much preferred the audio book due to the podcasts.

Overall, I really liked this book. It keep me guessing as to what was really happening.

Rachel Krall is a great character to follow. She's a journalist turned podcaster who is thrown in the midst of a missing person investigation when asked by the FBI to meet with an inmate in a Florida correctional facility. After finding out she'd been contacted by the missing young woman she can't extricate herself from the investigation. This unfolds at a great pace right up to the end.

An amazing follow up to the Night Swim. Rachel Krall, true crime podcaster extraordinaire, is thrown into the middle of an unfolding investigation when she gets a call from the FBI to fly down to Florida. I absolutely love the multimedia element of the audiobook so I recommend listening to this one. Megan Goldin’s writing is so captivating. You won’t know what to believe.

I love megan goldin and this book was absolutely no disappointment! I read in nearly one sitting and highly recommend.

▪️ This is my third Megan Goldin book and I continue to love her awesome thrillers!

▪️ This book is a standalone read in the Rachel Krall series. I’m a huge fan of Rachel Krall! She is so relatable! She’s smart, observant, brave (maybe to a fault), and I really like her.

▪️ I love the social media tie-in. Sadly, social media influencer deaths aren’t fiction. I see headlines at least a few times a year about influencers found dead or murdered or missing.

▪️ I thought the plot was very current and compelling. There was a lot going on - influencer conventions, prison visits, murdered women, and more. The plot lines felt pretty random until suddenly they weren’t… and everything came together quite well in the end.

▪️ I loved the true crime podcast interludes between chapters.

▪️ I really loved the introduction of Special Agent Martinez! I’m hoping he might be a regular character in future installments!!

▪️ I’ve been a fan of Goldin since I read The Escape Room back in 2018 (it was one of my very first ARCs!) and I’ll continue to read everything else she writes.

Thank you @NetGalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Rachel Krall is back! Her true crime podcast is a hit and the FBI wants her help tracking down a missing influencer, Maddison Logan. The social media star met with Terence Bailey, a convicted criminal, days before he was to be released from prison and she went missing hours later. Terence hadn't been released yet, so it couldn't have been him, but the timing seems too coincidental. Can Rachel help put the pieces together to find Maddison? Is she putting herself in danger by getting in the middle of this situation?

If you liked The Night Swim, definitely pick this one up. I really enjoyed this thriller. Rachel is a great character with a good head on her shoulders, which I really appreciate for the protagonist in a suspense novel. I found the story to be interesting, well-written, and truly suspenseful - highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.