Rachel Krall returns in Dark Corners by Megan Goldin for another gripping novel. I will admit it took me a little bit to get into this book but after about the halfway mark I found myself unable to put this book down.

Rachel Krall is the host of a true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, and this time instead of trying to catch a serial killer it turns out that the serial killer is trying to catch her.

I definitely likes the storyline of this novel better than The Night Swim, which introduces us to Rachel and her podcast but it does feel a little like Rachel became a different person in Dark Corners. She is more aggressive and confrontational in this novel which I actually prefer for her character. Although I was able to predict who our serial killer was I thought that this novel did a great job at keeping my interest with its plot alone.

It is also not necessary to read Night Swim prior to this novel to understand and appreciate it, it was just my personal preference to.

This is the sequel to the Night Swim in which true crime podcaster Rachel Krall returns to action in investigating the case of a popular influencer’s disappearance after randomly visiting a suspected serial killer who is scheduled to be released from prison in just a matter of days. Rachel has to figure out why the visit would happen and how they are even connected and then is the influencer’s disappearance connected to the visit to the prison? Rachel gets involved after the FBI call her in when her name appears on some papers in the prisoners room. Apparently he is a fan. Or is there more to it than that? Soon after Rachel meets with the prisoner at the request of the FBI, another body is discovered nearby. Is it the missing woman? The prisoner will be released unless they can tie him to this murder and finally tie him to murders they’ve suspected him of for many years, but there’s so much more to the story once Rachel starts her digging, but Rachel is much less likeable character than in the Night Swim. That being said, you don’t have to read the first to be be able to read this one without any issues.
Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

A very strong procedural thriller. I enjoy this author’s writing style and the way she uses short chapters to propel the story forward. It kept me guessing for a large chunk of the story, which is my favorite part of a mystery/thriller. The blog/influencer angle felt fresh and I like that I didn’t need to remember the first story in depth to enjoy this.

I really dug The Night Swim, which wasn’t labeled as a book 1 when it first released. Though I liked Rachel a ton, I hoped for more from her. So I’m especially pleased that not only is there a book 2, but that I have an ARC of it.

Rachel is the kind of investigative reporter that will stop at nothing to get to the truth. Though some of her decisions feel reckless, she gets results that the FBI and local police do not get.

I love the storytelling style of breaking up the story with snippets of the podcast Rachel produces. I like that she stays objective and goes after aspects that other podcasters might not.

The influencer aspect wasn’t a draw for me, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book. If there was anything I didn’t love, it was the procedure of police telling mothers with missing daughters to give it a day or 2. That’s not a thing. It hasn’t been a thing for decades, yet authors still write that into their stories.

This book has a different feel from The Night Swim. The single perspective could be why, but I don’t think that’s an issue. Every book shouldn’t sound the same, and I think that’s what makes this as strong a story as it is. This one was a lot of fun. It felt like a true mystery, and as the book progressed, it became a thriller. I am definitely looking forward to more Rachel Krall investigations down the road.

Thank you to #NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Megan Goldin for the opportunity to read an advance copy of DARK CORNERS, to be published 8 August 2023. 5/5 Stars for this well written police procedural/ psychological thriller. Rachel is a Podcaster turned influencer who becomes involved in solving the crimes committed. The book details her Podcast of the events of the case intermittently with the storyline. It was a fast-paced novel that highlighted Rachel’s interaction with the FBI Special Agent Joe Martinez, who initially got her involved in an ongoing case. Great read! #NetGalley. #MeganGoldin. #St.Martin’sPress #DARKCORNERS

Dark Corners

4.25 ⭐️

Megan Goldin writes a really solid thriller. Dark Corners is the second book in her Rachel Krall series, and I honestly think I liked it more than the first!

Rachel is summoned by the FBI to visit a prisoner who is requesting to meet with her. She finds herself in the midst of an influencer conference where several people have disappeared mysteriously.

Even though you know more than the main character throughout, I still found it interesting to watch how it unfolded. The podcast inserts were a little confusing in the first book, but I was expecting them in this one. Definitely a good summer thriller to add to your tbr!

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let me start by saying that I loved the Night Swim! So when I received an ARC that continued the story of Rachel Krall, I was thrilled. I could not wait to jump back into her podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" and solve another mystery.

Maybe this is why I didn't love the book.

Sure, the mystery is there, but the things that drew me into the first book were not.
The podcast chapters gave insight but seemed to be filler to tell the background story. A lot of the characters fell flat for me, and although the story ends with all the loops closed, I still was left wanting more of an ending.

Now, don't get me wrong. I liked the book. It is a quick read full of mysteries and red herrings and a couple of interesting characters. I just wish the podcast was more center stage and that the chapters with alternating characters weaved the story like the first book.

Maybe you will love this book, or maybe you will be a little let down like me. But I still think it's worth a read if you are into thrillers and enjoyed the Night Swim.

Happy Reading!

I was very excited to read this follow-up to The Night Swim because I really liked Rachel as a main character (and obviously loved that book and gave it 5 stars). I still liked Rachel as a main character in this one but I didn’t like this follow-up as much as I wanted to. In general, this just felt SO different from The Night Swim to me and just felt more like a typical mystery/thriller. I wasn’t pulled into the story and felt really disconnected for most of it. I had no excitement while reading this/no motivation to pick it up until about 70% in. Overall, I was moderately satisfied with the way everything came together in the end and I didn’t think this book was bad, just a lot more average than it’s predecessor.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Megan Goldin for this ARC ebook. Dark Corners (Rachel Krall #2) will be published August 8, 2023 (already available through BOTM).

4⭐️ 📖 Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the anticipated sequel to The Night Swim. I really enjoyed this quick read. Rachel finds herself twisted up in a race against the clock as the FBI races against the clock to prove that an inmate really did murder all the women they think he did—before he is released from prison on a lesser charge. I really enjoy the mix of “story” vs podcast narration. Ready for Rachel #3!

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 stars

I liked Dark Corners more than The Night Swim! There were differences in formatting between the two. In The Night Swim, we get chapters of Rachel’s podcast which I really enjoyed, but we don’t get that here. This story has a lot more POVs, but doesn’t distinctly say at the beginning of each chapter who it is. I did find that this drew me into the story more. I also loved the addition of the FBI Special Agent Joe Martinez. Overall I just liked the plot a lot more here!

Definitely recommend!!

I have been provided with a review copy of Dark Corners from NetGalley for an impartial review. This book was just so easy to get lost in. I completely got lost in the story and I just loved getting to see these new characters come together. I just absolutely love this story and I just didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

A solid thriller with an enjoyable main character. True crime podcaster Rachel Krall is asked by the FBI to come to Daytona Beach and speak to a prisoner in the hopes that Rachel might be able to help find a missing social media influencer. The story comes together nicely, following Rachel, a killer with an unusual physical ailment, and some unsolved murders and disappearances in the area. As the past and present weave together, Rachel ends up getting drawn into the world of influencers and the investigation until she eventually and inevitably becomes a target. Some of the dialogue felt really stilted and unnatural to me, and there was a bit of romance thrown in that was a little cringey, but I still enjoyed this fast-paced thriller, and I hope Goldin writes more books featuring the character of Rachel. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital review copy.

4 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! First off, I know this book is being marketed as Rachel Krall #2, but reading Night Swim isn’t necessary before reading this (though it’s also a good book!) I actually enjoyed Dark Corners better, I thought it was a bit less chaotic than Night Swim, and I appreciated that there was only one POV. There wasn’t any sort of huge twist, but more of a slow burn mystery that resolved itself nicely. I definitely recommend for a nice little mystery that’s light on gore/horror.

I will never not want this series on audio. The production that went into this book and the Night Swim is beyond! So good! I feel like not only am I following the story I am there listening to a podcast. This is every true crime podcast lovers dream! Definitely recommend this one! Thank you so much to Macmillan audio and Macmillan publishers for the ALC and ARC in exchange for my honest review!

If Megan wants to continue with Rachel’s story it will be an automatic buy for me!

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

Terrence Bailey is scheduled to be released from prison in a few days. The FBI have long suspected him of six murders but couldn’t tie him to it. Now, social media influencer Maddison Long visits Terrence in prison. He writes her a chilling message: “Bring Rachel Krall to me”. Hours later, Maddison disappears. Could Terrence have an accomplice on the outside? And what does podcaster Rachel Krall have to do it with any of it? FBI Agent Joe Martinez is about to find out. Though initially reluctant, once Rachel is involved she will stop at nothing to find Maddison. She goes undercover at Buzzcon, an influencer conference, and is forced to confront very real dangers lurking around the corner.

“Dark Corners” features the return of Rachel Krall from Megan Goldin’s previous book “Night Swim”. I loved “Night Swim” and was eager to be in Rachel’s world again. Through technically #2 in the Rachel Krall series, “Dark Corners” can definitely be read as a standalone. I enjoyed seeing Rachel still working on her true crime podcast, and got a kick out of the Influencer aspect - I feel seen! LOL Though initially slow to start, once this story got going I couldn’t put it down!! Told from dual viewpoints, readers see Rachel and Joe working the case while the killer is plotting a chilling revenge. I couldn’t figure out just how there people fit together and when it was revealed, I was so surprised! This book was just as great as its predecessor and I am really hoping for more Rachel Krall in the future! Thank you to Netgalley, Megan Goldin and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! “Dark Corners” releases August 8, 2023!

This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

St. Martin's and MacMillan audiobook, thank you for Megan Goldin's amazing thriller. I am such a fan of this writer and this might be one of my favorites from her. I love the true crime podcast format and that readers get to return to Rachel Krall (Night Swim main character); Rachel is smart, empathetic, and strong, the perfect main character to drive this suspenseful examination of social influencer lives, murder, and the darkness of being "internet/influencer famous". I love stories that examine social media and influencer themes and in the hands of a kind of behind the scenes true crime podcast trope... oh yes please!

Goldin understands how to make a thriller work: she uses pacing well, brings in effective changes in tone/style for the podcast chapters, and drops in twists and reveals that keep the plot moving without ever feeling like the twists and reveals are out of left field (which I hate in a thriller). Part of the fun of this book is also seeing how the story comes together, how seemingly unexpected connections make sense and how reveals bring the reader into the story.

I want to say that the audiobook production, from MacMillan, is outstanding for this book. The podcast chapters sound like a true crime podcast and the narration from André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz is excellent (this book really benefits from the different narrators to really bring the podcast and thriller plot together).

I am never bored reading Megan Goldin's books and I really love that we got more of Rachel Krall. Recommended for fans of the author and for thriller fans in general. A strong recommendation for mystery and suspense fans and book clubs, I am thinking of adding this to one of my own book clubs for a change up from the usual historical and contemporary fiction reads.

NOTE, I would recommend reading Night Swim first but there are no spoilers in this book (I am just a traditionalist, I read in order as I like to see character growth, etc etc).

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: Crime podcasts, missing person, influencers

I honestly think that this one moved a lot slower than the first one. I also liked Rachel more in the first book. She seemed pretty combative for no reason in this one. That stuff aside, I did enjoy this. I thought the story was interesting. I liked trying to figure out what happened to the missing influencer and how it ties to the prisoner. I mostly just expected more action. I do recommend it!

Was a decent follow up to the first. I just couldn't get into this one. The first was the same, I'm not sure if it was the characters or the plot

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC of Dark Corners in exchange for my honest review.

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

In Megan's second book featuring main character Rachel Kroll, a well known true-crime podcaster, Rachel gets lured to Florida by the FBI under false pretense. The FBI made it sound as if they were giving her an inside scoop into a case for the podcast. Instead, she's drawn into an active case- she needs to be questioned because her name came up during the investigation. Maddison Logan (#vanlife) goes missing just after visiting a prison inmate named Terrance Bailey. Right before her disappearance, Maddison leaves a voicemail for Rachel asking for her help and sounding scared. Unfortunately, Rachel's correspondence gets screened by her producers and the voicemail isn't found until after Maddison is gone. Rachel is determined to find out why Maddison reached out to her and where she went. Rachel gets caught up looking into multiple missing people and deaths throughout this story.

Looking back at this book as a whole, I did really like the overall plot and storyline. I thought that the twists were good and I liked finding out surprises about who the reader believed to be the bad guy. I enjoyed the wrap up in the end that explains what happened in the past- the night two young girls went missing- and how those girls and another main character are linked together. I thought the conclusion was satisfying and gave me the answers I needed, despite me questioning how realistic some of the aspects of the conclusion were.

The lengths Rachel went through as an investigative reporter (and not a law enforcement official) were super risky and at times, I expected her actions to compromise the case. Overall, Rachel Kroll was much less likeable in this book than she was in The Night Swim. In Dark Corners, she was constantly defensive, hard-headed, and seemed to have a chip on her shoulder towards everyone.

There were a few deaths mentioned in this book that had nothing to do with the cases the FBI were investigating. These red herrings kind of threw me off of the storyline until the causes of death were completely explained in the ending. Also, the character that smells so awful that everyone remembers meeting him and can identify him? Obviously I understand medical conditions like this exist, but I felt like for a thriller storyline it made things a bit too obvious. In my opinion, the romance that went on in this storyline was also unnecessary. Lastly, I thought there was some extra filler in the book (like a romance) that really didn't matter to the storyline.

Also, maybe it was because it was an ARC that I read on my Kindle, but it was difficult to tell which chapters are podcast episodes (or possible notes for podcast episodes) because there was no header clarifying this to the reader. I figured out the smaller font chapters are either the podcast or her personal notes, but initially I was really confused.

Dark Corners will be published on August 8th, 2023!

After loving the Night Swim, Dark Corners was one of my most anticipated summer thrillers. Unfortunately it was a bit of a let down for me.

The podcast in this isn’t seamlessly integrated to the story, I guess it’s supposed to be something recorded after the story took place and just randomly dropped in between chapters 🤷🏼‍♀️ It was hard to know that it was a podcast in the ebook bc it wasn’t marked with any information or font change and it wasn’t until I switched to audio that I understood.

I don’t know what happened to Rachel Krall from the Night Swim but Dark Corners Rachel is arrogant, stubborn and kinda rude. Her “I do what I want” attitude was annoying. I found the plot to be pretty far fetched and the POV of Thomas McCoy felt unnecessary for the majority of the book. There was an unnecessary romance that felt super forced. The dialog felt clunky and unnatural. There was too much use of names in it and no one talks like this, it’s just so awkward sounding and completely pulled me out of the story. The book also uses the full names of characters sporadically throughout, like “Joe Martinez was relieved when Rachel Krall agreed to meet with Terence Bailey.” I can only assume was a style choice by the author, but it was super distracting to me.

There is also repetitive info and phrases throughout, included the same descriptions used by two different characters a few pages apart. There were some minor plot holes and perplexing choices made by a professional journalist. The ending didn’t fully add up for me. I was invested enough to want to finish it, but was a bit let down because of how much I loved The Night Swim. I’d definitely read more by the author, but this wasn’t the book for me.

Thanks to St. Martins Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC/DRC.