I really enjoyed this story of a serial killer who was somehow tangled up with a bunch of internet “influencers.” It was good to read about Rachel Krall & her podcast again & the mystery kept me guessing! It was a quick, interesting read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Megan Goldin has crafted another multilayered thriller with Dark Corners, this one continuing the mystery-solving adventures of Rachel Krall, the protagonist The Night Swim. And while I don’t know that I felt this one hit as hard as that book, I still enjoyed it overall.
I love how Megan Goldin takes advantage of having a true-crime podcaster unraveling the case, including excerpts from the podcast along with the unfolding narrative. And they never feel like we’re just getting the same information twice, but it’s actually a game of figuring out how the pieces from the backstory of the crime fit with the present.
I was also deeply invested in figuring out how the incarcerated/soon-to-be-released Terence Bailey and the missing Maddison were connected. There’s a lot of questions about him, but there’s also suspicions about her too. When all was revealed, I was blown away.
And while I was initially a bit thrown off by this additional perspective to the ones involved investigating the crime, there was a purpose to their perspective too in contributing to the disconcerting nature of the case.
The one minor drawback for me was Rachel herself. I feel like she had so much more personal investment in the sexual assault case of the prior book, whereas she was roped into this one based on her acclaim for that case. She didn’t develop much, and were it not for the fact that both the main victim and the main person of interest were drawn to her reputation, I don’t know if it made a difference being a Rachel Krall adventure or just another standalone with a new protagonist.
However, this more or less fulfilled my expectations for what I want out of a good thriller. If you’re a fan of the genre, I recommend checking it out!

I received an advanced reader’s copy of Dark Corners by Megan Goldin from the publisher via NetGalley.

The plot in this story kept me engaged because I was curious how it would all be resolved at the end. I didn’t connect with Rachel Krall as much in this story but I was able to understand why she made the choices she made and why she continued her investigation even if it put her life at risk. But, I felt she was a bit of a contradictory character because she’d taken precautions after having been threatened in the past and she was careless at times in her pursuit of the truth.

Overall I found this story to be engaging and picked it up whenever I had free time to finish reading it.

This was one of my highly anticipated books! I loved The Night Swim and when I found out that this was book 2, that excitement increased. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype for me. I really enjoyed book when compared to this. I felt like there were too many "holes" in this story. There was a lot going on and I felt disconnected and bit confused. I did not really enjoy the whole influencer POV. It was not exciting and left me a little bored. With that being said, I still love Goldin's writing, this book just wasn't the read for me.

🌟Book Review🌟

🌿Dark Corners
by Megan Goldin

Release date: August 8, 2023

Read if you like....

Investigations
Social Influencers
True-Crime
Serial Killer
Mystery
Missing Person

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster from The Night Swim is back! This time she's been asked to assist the FBI in a missing person case by visiting a suspected serial killer in prison. The mystery takes her into the world of social media influencers where she secretly searches for clues to the disappearances.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read with loads of excitement. There was plenty of action to keep me turning pages.

4 star read for me.

Really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing what was going to happen next. If you like her other books you’ll enjoy this one.

Interesting inclusion of social media influencers in the midst of a thriller. Megan Goldin has hit the ball out of the park with this thriller. Rachel Krall, who has recently caused an innocent man to be released from jail after her podcast, is asked by the FBI to travel to Florida to help on a case. There she meets agent Joe Martinez, and the sparks fly. She becomes embroiled in a convoluted case with many tentacles dangling. Given her investigative nature she begins to make connections, even before the FBI agents do. As she shares some of her observations with Joe the mystery deepens. The auxiliary characters added a great deal to the story, Maddison, a social influencer, Terence, a prisoner, and Zoe, another social influencer and her photographer/boyfriend Eric, and most especially smelly Thomas.
BuzzCon seemed so insipid and silly to me, although I am sure the depiction was very accurate. It seemed to me that Rachel’s incredible investigative skills are sorely needed by the FBI.
As the plot with all its twists and turns thickens the reader is constantly changing their predictions and gathering more information, tidbit by tidbit. It was very difficult to put this book down as I wanted to solve what happened. So enjoyed the rocky ride on the way to the satisfactory ending.
Dark corners can indeed be danger points. I am looking forward to another story that has Rachel and Joe working together once again.
Many many thanks to Megan Goldin, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this engaging read to be published on August 8th.

I loved the second installment in the Rachel Krall series. I flew right through it getting hooked from the get go. Some of the way Agent Martinez (who I really enjoyed as a character) and Rachel address each other by their names when speaking was redundant and slightly annoying. However, it was easy to overlook because the plot and the pacing were so on point. This is the first book with an influencers trope that I've loved. Goldin did it really well.

Very good thriller follow up to The Night Swim. There were several pieces to the puzzle, which I was not able to all put together before the end. Definitely enjoyed!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. This is your typical, predictable podcaster thriller (why are there so many of those now?!?!) I figured out most of the twists very early on and had to suspend a whole bunch of disbelief in the last 15% of the book. (All of the modifications the killer had on his Ford? LOL! And what happened to Aysh's kitten???) I don't think I would recommend this book., but I'm also not mad at it since it moved quickly and I didn't waste days reading it.

This was a fast paced thriller and a follow up to the popular true crime podcaster Rachel Krall from The Night Swim. If you were hoping to pick up where we left off with Rachel you might be disappointed.

Synopsis:

Terrence Bailey is days from being released from prison for breaking and entering, however was suspected of being involved in the murders of six women. Right before his release date he gets a visit from Madison Logan, a travel blog influencer, with a large social media presence. Madison disappears after her visit with Terrance.

The FBI start to wonder if her disappearance is connected to the visit and they bring Rachel Krall, true crime podcaster of Guilty or Not Guilty, to see if she can be of any use. Unable to find anything about Madison outside her influencer personna Rachel goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference. This is where she learns more about Madison and just how cutthroat the influencer game is.

The Night Swim was one of my top thrillers back in 2020 when it was released and I was excited to read more about true crime podcaster, Rachel Krall . Unfortunately, this book didn’t have the same feel for me that Night Swim did. The formatting of the book is different instead of the multiple POV we have third person omniscient. We see the story from Rachel, FBI agent Joe Martinez and Thomas Mcoy this way.

I think for me, that in Night Swim, it shined a light on the continued trauma a victim faces when pressing charges against her assailant. Where Dark Corners focuses on influencers and the life of a convict and it just didn’t carry the same weight for me. Rachel’s character seemed very different in this story. In The Night Swim she was used to her face not being recognized but in this one she had reached a new level of fame. I did enjoy the sparks between Martinez and Rachel. Thomas had a very unusual condition that was interesting to learn about that made him a unique character. Overall, I did enjoy the book but was just disappointed that it seemed like a different Rachel from the first book, The Night Swim. The problem with writing such a good first book it’s hard to carry that momentum in the second one sometimes.

Rachel Krall is back to be thrown into another mystery. This time involving a missing social media influencer, Madisson and a Florida prison inmate who is days away from being released. The FBI calls in Rachel to go meet with Terrence and try to figure out what he may know, as Madisson had just visited him days before she went missing. This was a very fast paced thriller, but my one complaint would be some of the chapters seemed to be a bit repetitive and I was somewhat confused if I was rereading at certain parts. Overall, a well done thriller and Rachel Krall is a great main character.

I’m a sucker for anything podcast related and I loved Night Swim so I was excited when I saw this was coming out. It does not disappoint! What a fascinating story Megan Goldin presents us, with so many twists and turns that will leave your head spinning. There were two little things that bothered me: 1) hotel employees are trained not to give out room numbers, and 2) the ending was rushed and anti-climactic. Other than that, this was a thrilling ride that kept me reading nonstop.

WHAT.

Megan Goldin has become an auto read author for me. I’ve read 3 of her books, and all 3 were 5 star reads. I love her writing style, short chapters, and Rachel is such a likeable character.
This was book two of the Rachel Krall series and i actually enjoyed it more than Night Swim. Night Swim felt a lot more podcast-like than this one. I enjoyed the use of instagram influencers and the setting surrounding “buzz con”. Influencers lives have always interested me and getting insight into what their day to day is like, the competition to fame and their unlikable personalities kept me entertained and hooked throughout the entire book. Throw in some kidnapping, murder and a little bit of a love story and you have yourself a 5 star read.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how it brought back the main character from Night Swimming, but was also able to be read standalone. It was a fun, twisty thriller that kept me guessing until the end.

I can't believe I did not realize this was a follow-up to The Night Swim! I was so happy to discover that because I love Rachel Krall as a character. I really hope Megan Goldin continues on with this series. I think it's great. I love that her stories are realistic and not totally out there. The endings are tidy and wrapped up and there are no deus ex machinas, that's my thriller pet peeve. I loved the influencer plot line in this and the setting of the influencer convention. It was rooted in modern life without being too cheesy. There were just enough twists in this one to keep me on my toes and, overall, I found this to be very enjoyable. My only two downsides were that I didn't feel like we understood our culprit enough or his motivations, as well as noxious odor. I also didn't like the budding romance aspect. I didn't find it necessary and it also felt a touch unrealistic to me. Other than that, I thought it was a great addition to the series and I look forward to more!

Megan Goldin always has my heart. This was such a fun one that I read in one sitting. You know I love an influencer book and this was a great take on the new thriller trend. I loved getting back with Rachel and seeing what nonsense she could involve herself in now. The FBI side story was excellent and I enjoyed seeing Rachel start her own investigation. My biggest gripe? No five star hotel is giving out room numbers. But I am ready for Rachel Krall #3 whenever Goldin wants to write it!

I found this book to be very exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. While some might complain that it is far fetched that a podcaster would be summoned to help solve an FBI case, I venture to say that times are changing and true crime podcasts and internet sleuths are going to become more and more important in solving crimes as times goes on. I found the story to be fast paced and I didn't want to put it down. The romantic element did sort of come a shock in the eleventh hour of the book and did seem a bit forced. That being said, I truly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more about from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this edge of your seat thriller. All opinions within this review are my own.

I really liked how the characters in this book carried over from Night Swim! Rachel Krall is a great heroine and I loved how her podcast was woven throughout the story, similar to Night Swim. I hope we see Rachel again!

I loved Rachel's character in Night Swim and was happy to dive into another mystery with her as the star. Although I have seen people saying the true crime podcast angle is overdone, I really think Night Swim was the first book where I saw it done (and loved it!). I am also a sucker for the plotline of the character solving the crime also *maybe* in trouble themselves, and this was great.

Overall, I thought this was the perfect fun summer thriller, and it was also my July Book of the Month pick! I definitely will continue reading this author, and thanks to the publisher for sharing. I will be posting a full review on Amazon next Tuesday. Happy almost pub day!