3.5 Stars.

I think it's hard for a sequel to live up to the original and this was no different. I loved Night Swim and it felt so unique at the time. The podcaster angle isn't quite as innovative years later and I'm not sure that I connected enough with the main character to follow her throughout multiple stories. I did like the story and the characters but didn't love it as much as Night Swim

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I was unable to get into the story and did not finish it. I encourage others to give it a try for themselves!

“I’ve been looking for a predator. It turns out that a predator has also been looking for me.”

“Always know what you’re walking into. Dark corners can be danger points.”


I read Goldin’s book The Night Swim, which is when we are first introduced to Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster and main character of this series.

This second book is quite a bit different than The Night Swim in terms of content. The Night Swim is a hard book to read because it’s about two rapes and a trial revolving around them. The mood in that one is darker and more emotional and could be a trigger for some.

Not so with this one.

This one still has murder and such, but it’s overall not such an emotional or controversial mood.

Goldin is becoming one of my automatic read authors because she is good at writing suspenseful plots without a lot of swearing or graphic content.

This book is formatted somewhat similarly to The Night Swim in that the chapters are broken up by snippets of her podcast. So there are Rachel POV chapters, podcast sections, and then chapters told from other characters’ PsOV.

At one point something happens to Rachel. But the podcast parts sound like she is telling them after the whole thing is over implying that you know she ends up okay. Perhaps they are a spoiler, but I think it’s pretty obvious as a reader that the main character isn’t going to die in most books, especially series.


One thing that is a big part of this book is the world of social media influencers. I’ve seen a lot of reviewers recommending this book to social media influencers as if it’s mainly written for them, but I would disagree.

I wouldn’t say Goldin writes them in the most positive light. I think it’s written more for readers with a skeptical and annoyed perspective of influencers.


The Plot

Dark Corners is a book about a prisoner— Terence Bailey— about to be released after his two-year-turned-six-year sentence. Police had speculated he was working with an accomplice in a series of unsolved disappearances/murders of young women, but could never prove it.

The FBI brings in Rachel Krall, under false pretenses, because after six years in prison Bailey gets his first visitor—Maddison Logan, a young girl, and a social media influencer— who then goes missing just days later. During her visit with Bailey he writes down Rachel Krall’s name for a reason unknown.

Rachel’s commitment to finding the truth and helping find Maddison before they find her body in the swamps of Daytona Beach keeps her in the area working with one of the FBI agents, instead of keeping herself safely away from someone who may have the motive and means to come for her too.

She goes so far as to attend the social media influencer conference happening in town that Maddison had been a part of in order to see if anyone had information that would be helpful to who she knew and where she went. (Maddison was a #vanlife travel lifestyle vlogger, etc).

[Reminded me of the Gabby Petito disappearance.]

So it’s these parts that open a curtain to behind-the-scenes of a highly curated influencer life and the cutthroat environment for those competing in the same markets.


Comments

I’m not sure if Rachel is more or less likeable in this book.

She has a romantic interest in this book and I felt myself being happy for her.

However, she does seem to have a sense of entitlement and a chip on her shoulder when it comes to working with law enforcement.

At one point in the book she was the last person to see a victim alive. They bring her in for questioning. By the time she is walking out of there she is muttering ‘Bite me.’ to one of them.

Whether or not you think police are competent at their jobs, to say that is pretty disrespectful and says a lot about how you view people in authority.

I, personally, am not a fan of journalists or ‘media’ people and think this sense of entitlement is a feature, not a bug, to the whole lot of them. Their belief that they are entitled to do whatever they want for the case of a story or ‘the truth.’ That they are somehow superior to the law or those who deal with the law and are not required to play by the rules.

At least Krall does seem to care about the truth instead of just a story.

It’s possible that my sensitivity to this thought trail is because I’m also reading Prince Harry’s book, Spare, where he talks about the paparazzi’s role in his mom’s death and the fact that they were taking pictures of her body after the crash instead of actually helping.

Anyway, Rachel Krall saying bite me to a police officer when it makes perfect sense that they would question her for being the last to see someone alive makes me like her less.



Let’s talk a minute about the social media thing since that’s such a big aspect of the book.

My husband works a normal job as a financial advisor, but, surprise, he is also a content creator:

“Chad had warned her earlier that influencers preferred to be called content creators.” (Haha)

He doesn’t make fitness videos or try to make people live their best life, he makes fun trickshot videos (@Thatll.Work) on YouTube, TikTok, etc.

He’s told me a lot about what it’s like to create content and try to get views or followers. And it’s easy to see how chasing those numbers can consume people. We’ve put healthy boundaries in place so even though he has millions of followers, he can live a normal life where we can eat our meals without taking photos of them or go on an actual vacation that isn’t a series of photo sessions.

It was both a little comical, but also a good reminder, reading about the influencers and their curated and mostly fake lives. The shine of the ‘fame’ and the pull of the ‘fortune’ are deceitful.

For those who question whether you can actually make money, it is possible.

“‘Being an influencer is the twenty-first-century American dream… It’s a lifelong vacation funded by brands paying big dollars for influencers to promote products to their social media followers.”

Even as a ‘trickshot artist,’ as we sometimes call my husband, he can be sponsored and paid by brands to use products in his videos. He has done trick shots with Body Armour, Nerf, and right now Lego, to name a few.

It can be fun and it can be lucrative, but I think the book does a good job of taking off the rose-colored glasses for people who think it’s just cake.

“What people don’t realize is that being an influencer is like feeding a monster. An insatiable monster. Nothing is ever enough. No matter how much you give, there’s always someone giving more. Eventually you have to give your soul. Even that’s not enough. People self-destruct all the time.”

There isn’t really a way to ‘win.’ Or to stop. In the book, the influencer pod’s insignia and pod name was called The Infinity Project. Which is fitting because creating content is infinite. Nothing lasts, there is always a demand for more, and bigger, and better.

You may make a lot of money in certain months here or there, or one year as a whole, but it’s a pretty fickle place to earn money when a lot of it depends on algorithms for your videos that are out of your control.

I know a lot of kids are growing up now wanting that career but what it takes to become successful is probably not worth it. The ‘success’ they think they’ll find is most likely elusive.

And like the book shows, it really affects your relationship with your family and friends. It becomes harder and harder to prioritize them above your content.


So maybe this book could be a little bit of a wake-up call to social media influencers to step back from their life and see what messages they’re sending and what person it’s turned them into.

But it also acts as a reminder to the rest of us that we’re not missing out on anything by living normal lives. Stay the course!



As for the ‘mystery’ of it, I wouldn’t say that the twist was out of left-field. I had it mostly figured out pretty early on, but there were some extra pieces that I wasn’t sure how they fit so I liked that.

And of course, even though I thought I knew what was going on, I still had to finish reading to see if I was right!


Daytona Beach is a new setting for me. Can’t say this book made me want to visit there, especially the whole rat-infested trailer with snakes climbing through the windows part. Hard pass on that one.


Trimethylaminuria is the very rare condition one of the characters has where you smell like rotten eggs or fish and it’s incurable. I think I’m personally in the clear, but it’s now added to my list of fears for my kids or grandkids because wow that is not something you want to be diagnosed with and apparently it can present at the time of puberty. There’s not a whole lot you can do for it and the implications of that for someone’s life is really sad!


Ouroboros is the symbol of a snake eating its tail which is referenced in the book a lot. It said that snakes really do that in real life so I obviously looked up a video of it and it was low key disturbing.


I learned a fun bee fact:

“A bee flaps its wings more than 200 times a minute to stay airborne… also bees remember faces. Every human face is like a different flower to a honeybee.”

Which led me to look up the fact to confirm it because it was really interesting, and then I found out ANOTHER fun bee fact: Criminologists use bees to study serial killers because bees’ feeding patterns are similar to serial killers’ killing patterns as far as geographical profiling goes.

So that’s crazy.

I also learned a new phrase in this book: “Cottoning on.” It means to begin to understand.

As in: I’m cottoning on to bees.



I would definitely recommend this book. It’s a suspenseful, clean read with a good and unique plot.


[Content Advisory: 0 f-words, 7 s-words; no sexual content]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

Rachel Krall is a famous true crime podcast in the world of anyone who loves to listen to podcasts and is working on a new case when she unexpectedly is contacted by the FBI to come to Florida on official business unrelated to any work she had previously tackled. A hardened criminal named Terrence Bailey has just served six extra long years for attacking another inmate and is scheduled to be released in forty-eight hours. Through Bailey's entire sentence he never received any visitors until a week ago when a young, beautiful and popular travel influencer came to visit him under an assumed name and the only link the FBI have was Bailey told this woman that he wanted to see Rachel Krall immediately. Rachel.had become very popular with many inmates all over the country due to her helping free a couple of innocent men that had been convicted of horrible crimes and never would have stood a chance of another trial without her help with her crime podcast work. The feds can't figure out the connection between the previous visitor and Bailey so they need Rachel's help immediately since the young woman has disappeared from her camper and signs of violence was left all over the scene. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Bailey had been a major suspect in several horrific murders which occurred over eight years ago but the police never came up with any tangible hard evidence in which to arrest him for these crimes although they thought maybe he had worked with an accomplice at the time. Now, with this missing woman and Bailey's release in two days the FBI are hoping to find relevant information to keep the guy locked up until they find this woman hoping that she will still be alive.

Rachel doesn't like being strong armed or played by the cops but she is intrigued by this case and of course wants the young woman to be found alive but she has no knowledge or information that could be.helpful to police but when they inform her that her safety is at risk she knows trouble and danger have found her once again and she will never run away or hide when innocent lives are on the line. While over in the Daytona Beach area where Rachel was staying at a five star hotel where a week long influencer conference was being held another influencer appears to be missing. Is it possibility that the cases are connected in any way? Especially when Rachel heard some rumors that both missing people had more in common than a business relationship.

As Rachel digs deeper she finds herself at a false bottom where she can't seem to climb out by herself and since she let her independence and self righteousness get carried away she now finds her own life is on the line and she might not live long enough to host any more podcasts and her story just might become the new subject for another true crime podcast of one of her own competitors!


Another great mystery/thriller from author "Megan Goldin" whose extremely suspenseful novels never fail to pull me in each and every time I begin reading from the very first chapter. This book had a little bit of everything including a possible romance that was subtle yet promising but didn't get in the way of the hard core crimes that powered through the different storylines. The Florida atmosphere was spot-on and I felt as if I was right there with the characters experiencing the oppressive heat along with the beauty of the state itself. This was an intriguing and complex storyline with quite a few main characters yet their stories weren't difficult to follow since the writing was so good and entertaining. A fast page-turner to be sure and very enjoyable with the current trend of social media being a main focus and priority so that the book will have an appeal to a youthful as well as an older audience since the author's writing style was clever and captivating throughout the book. I highly recommend this novel for any reader who enjoys current topics along with plenty of crime drama. I can't wait to find out what new thriller "Megan Goldin" will once again write in the near future!

I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have give a rating of 4 CLEVER AND ENTERTAINING 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

Book Review: Dark Corners ✨

⁉️: What do you think of social media platforms? Do you watch YouTube shows made by influencers?

This underlying theme is at the heart of Megan Goldin’s Dark Corners - one of the most anticipated novels, and her second on the Rachel Krall series.

The story begins when the FBI fly out true crime podcaster Rachel Krall to find out why serial killer Terence Bailey has been calling her name as his release dates from the prison nears. At the same time, van life influencer Maddison Logan, suddenly goes missing. As the plot unfolds, we follow Rachel going undercover at Buzzcon, a social media conference and soirée where we Goldin paints a competitive world of influencers who make their daily decisions based on how each moment in their life - from breakfast to dinner - would be represented on the social media platform, and there are a few of them who are bloodthirsty for the Influencer of the Year award.

While this was a sub-plot, the entire discourse on social media was perhaps the most fun to read in the novel. I have seen influencers on YouTube who have either been strategic and business-like like Mark Weins and Mikey Chen who have shaped successful and lucrative businesses from their brand names, and I have seen a lot of the people I enjoy slowly invest too much of their time and money only to fizzle out or even sacrifice their family for the fame and monetary success that these spaces can potentially provide. But, ultimately, it’s like the entertainment industry and requires a lot in the beginning and in case, one is lucky and strategic, your channel might get picked up.

Although I could see the twist in the novel, I enjoyed it a lot as a thriller that addressed not just solving a murder mystery, but I adored the author’s writing style. It’s been a while since I saw a good episode of Law and Order: SVU, and original, and this novel fulfilled this desire, A solid 5 stars ✨ from me, and is out!

Thank you @megangoldinauthor and @stmartinspress for the gifted copy of the e-arc, and my bookish friends for the physical arc.

This was my first Megan Goldin novel that I read for #2023NetgalleyChallenge hosted by @bookstasamm, @readingwithjon, and @bookbybethw.

#MeganGoldin #DarkCorners #StMartinsPress #SMPinfluencers #SMPinfluencerprogram #RachelKrall

I’ll admit that I kept putting off reading this, as I didn’t love the night swim. But I’m really glad I picked it up. Dark Corners is the second book in the Rachel Krall series, however it could definitely be read on its own. This grabbed my attention right from the beginning. I loved the short chapters, and the pacing was perfect. It made me race through this in one day. I was fully invested in piecing together this mystery.

The influencer aspect of the story was a bit cringe and I didn’t love the romance bit that was thrown in- it felt rushed/forced and not authentic.

The story wraps up nicely with a satisfying ending. Overall solid thriller, very entertaining.

If you love crime podcasts and social media influencers behaving badly, then this one is for you!

Much like The Night Swim, I was absolutely hooked on this “true crime” thriller right from the start. The jumping perspectives + the actual podcast really made me fly through this book! The touch of romance definitely didn’t hurt at all!

I absolutely hope we get more from Rachel Krall in the future!!

I read and loved THE NIGHT SWIM by this author. It was the first book in this series buy you do not have to read it first to enjoy this one. They can each definitely be a standalone. This author is very good at weaving a thriller that keeps you turning the pages.

There are quite a few characters in this book. Not in a confusing way but as main and secondary characters. I enjoyed getting to know five or six of them. Rachel and Maddison the two influencers/podcasters. Thomas McCoy the ride share guy. Terrance Bailey the prisoner. And Joe Martinez the FBI agent. While I disliked some there were some that I really loved. Like Joe. I think he was a good guy even though he's law enforcement. I even like Terrance. I didn't much like Thomas at all. He just got on my last nerve so to speak.

I guessed a lot of things in this book. Figured out fairly early on who the killer/killers was. I figured out who Maddison was and where she most likely was. I was correct. Now that did not take away from this book at all. I think it's because I read so many thrillers like this that I figure out who did what to whom. Or I'm just that perceptive. I don't know for sure. I do know that this is one good story. It contains quite a few things to keep you wanting more. Keeps you wondering if this killer is ever going to be caught or if some other innocent person might pay for the killers crimes. Maybe the two are working together. I can't tell you that.

This book is very good. I won't tell you what it's about because the synopsis does that for you. I will say that it has some crazy things going on. The people that are at the convention for influencers are a bit out there for sure. I don't think it sounds very fun to be an influencer if you have to do all they do. Some of them are nice but most seem very stuck up. At least to other influencers.

There are a couple of abductions and a few murders in this book. Only a couple of the murders are described and those not in to much detail. A burial place where they are kept. A dark basement. A few suspects. All the makings for a good serial killer story.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MeganGoldin, #StMartinsPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book. It was also my BOTM choice.

Five big stars and a high recommendation if you like a good dark thriller.

I could not have been more excited when I found out that we would be getting even more of Rachel Krall, but Dark Corners fell so flat for me especially compared to The Night Swim. The storyline seems far fetched, Rachel's character is very arrogant, and the little romance bit just felt weird? Some of the story regarding social media and influencers was too much and so stereotypical that i found myself just skimming through it.

Overall, definitely not my favorite, but i am willing to give Megan Goldin another chance!

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery/thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I enjoyed this one more than Night Swim, it was entertaining and I was hooked on solving the mystery.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Twisty thrillers
True crime podcasts
Social media influences
Unlikable FMC
Entertaining and suspenseful reads

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The side of romance
The little “distractions”

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
It was receptive at times
I found influence aspect a little annoying after awhile

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ “The scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight.”

When I saw that Megan Goldin had a sequel to The Night Swim, I knew that I needed to get my hands on a copy! I loved the first novel featuring true crime podcaster Rachel Krall -- it was one of my Top 5 books of 2020.

At the FBI's request, Krall returns to search for a popular van life influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer in prison, Terence Bailey.
 Though Bailey is a few days away from being released for breaking and entering, local authorities have suspected him in the murders of six women. Hours after visiting Bailey for reasons unknown to the FBI, Maddison disappears without a trace. Is her disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? And is Krall putting herself in danger by investigating the circumstances around Maddison's disappearance?

While the beginning starts off a bit slow for me, I stuck with it and was glad I did. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the influencer aspect, but it ties together solidly at the end. This was a great follow-up to the first book, and I hope we'll see more featuring Krall in the future (as well as the FBI lead, Joe Martinez).

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book for my honest review.

True crime podcaster Rachel Krall is back again, but not by her choice. When she is tricked into flying to Florida by the FBI, she gets entangled in a case regarding a serial killer. The cops are pointing to Terrance Bailey and haven't really looked at any other suspects. But did he commit the crimes they are trying to pin on him? Rachel will find the truth even if it puts her in harm's way. Another fun mystery by Goldin. I did figure it out long before the end of the book, but that did not make it any less enjoyable. 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC.

I really loved Megan Goldin's first story about Rachel Krall, a true crime podcaster. This one was good, too-but still loved the first one better. This one took me a while to get into, but about 40% in, I could not put it down. Rachel is asked by the FBI to talk to a prisoner about a missing woman. The prisoner is just about to be released, and the FBI and police believe he had a hand in some murders that occurred before he went to jail. They are trying to pin him down and keep him from being released. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story--I could not guess some of the connections and twists, so that made for a fun ride. I will continue reading about Rachel Krall if the author writes more!

really good book and kept me on my on my toes of what would happen. really enjoyed the characters and their journey and would read this author again.

When podcast host Rachel Krall is asked by the FBI to fly to Florida, she's immediately on the next flight. With seemingly no connection to the case, the FBI is ready to let her go until another young girl disappears. When convicted criminal, Terance Bailey, mentions Rachel's name during a visit with a famous influencer, everyone is puzzled at the connection. An influencer, felon, and true crime podcast host? With seemingly no connections? When said influencer disappears, the FBI has no choice but to ask Rachel to step in and help. Working together, the pieces of the crime start to fall into place and reveal a history no one saw coming.

Another win by Megan Goldin. I LOVE Rachel's character. She's raw, real, and honest and I love that she has a love interest in the book. I can't wait for another story with her as the lead!

"Dark Corners" by Megan Goldin takes the suspenseful world of investigative podcaster Rachel Krall to a new level. Goldin's exploration of the influencer culture is a timely and thought-provoking aspect of the book. Goldin keeps her cards close to her chest and strategically lays out red herrings to keep readers in a perpetual state of confusion. When she finally throws all her cards onto the table, you'll find yourself appreciating the expertly crafted suspense that leaves no room for error. Special Agent Joe Martinez's inclusion adds a compelling dynamic to the investigative team. Martinez's character adds depth to the story, both in terms of romance and investigative prowess, and I genuinely hope he becomes a permanent fixture in the series.

Megan Goldin has proven herself to be a master of suspense, and I can't wait to see where she takes Rachel Krall next. If you're looking for a suspense novel that keeps you guessing and delves into the dark corners of both the internet and the human psyche, "Dark Corners" is a must-read that promises a thrilling and thought-provoking experience.

I LOVED this book! I listened to it on audio nonstop for a day and couldn’t bring myself to pause.

I love the podcast clips intertwined with the storyline and I appreciated how they all became connected!

Five stars from me!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Dark Corners" by Megan Goldin and would give it a solid 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating. This gripping mystery/suspense/thriller had me hooked from the very beginning. The combination of a podcaster, a serial killer, and a missing social media influencer made for a compelling storyline that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

One of the standout features of the book was its well-crafted and complex characters, with Rachel being a particular favorite. Goldin's writing is impeccable, and the narrative flows seamlessly, making it hard to put the book down. I especially appreciated the interspersed podcast chapters, which added an intriguing layer to the story.

I would wholeheartedly recommend "Dark Corners" to fellow suspense and mystery enthusiasts. Special thanks to #NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Megan Goldin for providing me with an ARC of this book. My opinions are entirely my own and given voluntarily.

I absolutely loved The Night Swim when I read it a few years ago and had no idea a sequel was in the works! Dark Corners can be read as a standalone, but I wouldn’t pass up reading The Night Swim first. As a big fan of true crime, I loved the podcast element featured in the books but definitely wish more of the transcripts had been included in Dark Corners! Also I don’t know what it is about books with short chapters but it always makes me read so much faster. Loved the fast pace of this book and the twists were so good! Rachel Krall is probably one of my all time favorite characters. She’s so intelligent, strong, and incredibly clever! If you’re looking for a twisty thriller, add this one to your TBR immediately. Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press, Megan Goldin, and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC!

I hope it won't be as long for the next adventure of Rachael Krall and new possibilities. I enjoyed the book and her previous books but all those influencers and their shenanigans were not my favorite part of the story. The story is intricately woven around the influencers, Rachael-a podcaster, the FBI agent Martinez, a soon to be released from jail man with a questionable criminal history along with snatches from the real killer and other affected parties. A lot of people to keep up with and all the events happen over a few days time. It will keep you reading into the night. Keep pushing through the detail, you'll finally make it to an ending. Good read. I was provided an advanced reader copy of this book but was under no obligation to provide a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.