I thought this book was relevant with the social media influencer/podcast angle. I love Megan Goldin so I might be a bit biased but this was another enjoyable read. Twisty and fun, although the romance felt a little cringy.

Dark corners is the second book in the Rachel Krall series. Rachel is a true crime podcaster who is requested by the FBI to speak with a notorious inmate. While there she is somewhat forced to go to an influencer conference in the area as there are no other hotel rooms. While there she digs up information on the case the fbi is working on. Joe the FBI agent isn’t please that she has stayed in Florida where she is in danger. However the information she is digging up is helping more than the other agents or the local police. Soon Rachel finds herself in deep trouble that she may not be able to get out of.

I enjoyed this book and it was a very quick read. It had a totally different feel from the first book and the main character seemed different as well. That being said, I enjoyed both books and look forward to reading more from this author.

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

This book brings us back into the world of true crime podcaster Rachel Krall. Instead of taking place in a court room like the previous Rachel Krall book ‘Night Swim’, this one has us following Rachel as she goes undercover to assist the FBI on a case.

Terence Bailey was arrested for breaking and entering. However, police also suspect him of multiple murders even though they have never been able to dig up enough evidence to charge him. These suspicions become stronger after a prominent social media influencer, Madison Logan, goes missing right after visiting Bailey in prison. Now Terence Bailey is set to be released in just a few days, Maddison Logan is still missing and since Maddison is a ghost outside of her social media persona, the FBI is lacking leads. The FBI doesn’t want to see Bailey released so they reluctantly call in Rachel Krall to help with the investigation. Now it’s a race against the clock to find Maddison and to also try to find proof that Bailey was connected to the murders that took place prior to his jail sentence. One more thing the investigators need to find out: who is working with Bailey because he definitely isn’t working alone.

Rachel uses an old Instagram account to imbed herself in the heart of an influencer conference to learn more about Maddison Logan’s world and the people who had contact with her last. Things are definitely darker when the cameras aren’t on. Rachel discovers rivalry, betrayal and secrets lurk in this world of influencers. Who is telling the truth? Who can she trust?

Rachels acuity, attention to detail and keen sense of intuition her helps her uncover truths and facts that many others were unable to discover. The fact that she has this uncanny ability to engage people in conversation and make them want to spill their guts to her certainly doesn’t hurt her investigation.

Rachel seems to be a bit spicier in this one, often having clipped answers when someone puts her in a position that makes her uncomfortable. Even with that, I still found her to be a lovable character. Her overall kind nature and want to help is endearing and her inquisitiveness and demeaner just makes her likeable. She is smart and sees things that most others don’t. And she is very brave-maybe to a fault in this one!

I liked the addition of the FBI agent Joe Martinez. He was a great supporting character and I really enjoyed what he brought to the story. The chemistry between him and Rachel was great. I hope to see Joe in future Rachel Krall stories!

Critiques- I don’t really have many!

There were some duplicative statements throughout the book that I felt was unnecessary. One example of that is Fringe… ‘a man with a floppy fringe and horn-rimmed glasses’; a few pages later ‘her boyfriend with the floppy fringe and eyeglasses’; one page later ‘her boyfriend, sporting a floppy fringe and Clark Kent style glasses’; and yet again a handful of pages later the fringe is mentioned once again. Very repetitive and definitely not needed on back-to-back pages. We get it…. He has floppy fringe and glasses! =]

There was a spot where it appears the wrong pronoun was used. ‘Another had photographed herself sipping a whiskey in a snifter glass as he floated in the lagoon-sized pool’. I would think it should be himself/he or herself/she or themself/they.

Praise- Overall-another great book by Megan Goldin.

I was hooked from chapter one. “I’ve been looking for a predator. It turns out that a predator has also been looking for me”. Powerful statement and really drew me into the story. I just wanted to know what happened next. I am not super big into influencers personally, but even with that said I found the world of influencers in the book a great location for betrayal and deadly competition.

I loved night swim. I thought being in the court room was a fun way to amplify the drama. But I also loved the new perspective of Dark corners. Having Rachel involved in the investigation was a different approach that added excitement in totally different way! Megan has a way of making you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.
“The scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight.” If you truly think about this statement and what it means- it’s truly horrifying. Monsters can be anywhere. They can be anyone. You might cross paths with them and not even know how close you were to danger. A brilliant depiction of how ‘unseen’ monsters can be-at first glance.
Rating

5 stars-I absolutely would recommend Dark Corners. It’s a great, fast read that keeps you engaged from the first chapter. Hope we get the privilege of more Rachel Krall books in the future!

~Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this fantastic book!~

3.5 stars, rounded down.

I loved the Night Swim so I was super excited to read the second book in the series! Which side note, I'm super pumped Rachel Krall has a series and I hope there are more books to come for her!

With this said though, I was kind of let down by this installment of the series. Please note though, this is due to the personal preference that I don't understand the whole point of influencers and am honestly turned off by the whole idea. As this mystery was set around influencers, that was kind of a downer for me. Especially as Rachel spends a good portion of the book exploring the world of influencers. With that said though, if you are a fan of thrillers and influencers, this is probably the book for you! It just wasn't for me.

Excluding the influencer aspect, the mystery was good! I wasn't expecting the ending at all which is always a plus! Megan Goldin does twists and surprise endings like no other.

I will always, ALWAYS recommend anything by Megan Goldin because she's amazing. Even if I wasn't a fan of the storyline surrounding the mystery, that doesn't meant that someone who doesn't dislike influencers won't like it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I was a huge fan of Megan Goldin's first book in the Rachel Krall series, The Night Swim. This one was even better! Influencers are such a huge thing in the world right now and Megan killed it with this thriller.
Giving an inside look into their world and what they will do for fame. If you are a fan of any of the true crime podcasts out there you will instantly love this book!

'5 stars from me and will be recommending this book (and The Night Swim) to everyone!

Your favorite little chatter box went silent for a bit . I was still reading but if it’s not a 4 or better, I won’t post it (no room for negativity up in here) I had 5 back to back stinkers.

All good, they might not be for me but they might be for you, heck, maybe it was my mood and my mood has been quite sour.

Any who, I put off one of most favorite authors. I did this on purpose for this exact moment . I needed to get out of this slump and back to the magical land of words that steal my ever loving murderous soul.

Dark Corners

Megan Goldin, does it again! She sweeped me right off my feet and threw me into a mischievous tale of murder, mystery and buried secrets.

The whole podcast thing gets me going. I lovedddd The Night Swim and seeing Rachel back at it again in Dark Corners was just the icing on this book cake.

Megan Goldin sets the bar high with this banger. You don’t want to miss it!

Teaser :

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 release date 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? And why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel Krall’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems to only 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 goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail―identical to a tattoo Rachel had seen on Bailey’s hand―the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krall herself. Suddenly the target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Megan Goldin has outdone herself! I have enjoyed all of her books, but this may be my favorite of her work so far.

Rachel Krall, the crime podcaster introduced in The Night Swim, returns in Dark Corners, called in by the FBI after a popular influencer goes missing after visiting a suspected serial killer in prison. Terrence Bailey was convicted of breaking and entering, and many on the force believe that he is also responsible for a string of murders. Maddison Logan, a popular influencer with what seems like a non-exisitent past, visits him and goes missing immediately after. Rachel goes undercover at BuzzCon, a conference where social media influencers are vying for a big money prize, searching for any information about Maddison and her ties to Terrence. The police find a new victim with a tattoo similar to one on Terrence's hand, leading them to believe that he is working with someone on the outside.

Joe Martinez is the lead detective on the case, and he struggles with needing Rachel's help and not wanting to put her directly in harm's way. I really liked his character and the way that he and Rachel worked together. I hope to see the two of them team up on other cases!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for giving me the ability to read #DarkCorners by#MeganGoldin. This book was astonishing and very intense to read. I now have another favorite author. I need to go back and read #TheNightSwim.

This is Goldin’s follow up to Night Swim and it’s set In Daytona at an Influencer Convention (which sounds awful). A true crime podcaster, Rachel, is investigating a serial killer that has targeted on of the influencers. This book is coming out in August 2023.

I read this in 24 hours and could not put it down. While I did eventually figure out what direction things were going in it took the entire story to get to that point. Creepy, relevant, and just good thriller story telling.

I am a big fan of Megan Goldin and the character of Rachel Trill. She has grit, spunk and I was glad to have another story with her. Rachel is now investigating a missing influencer who is missing after being with a potential serial killer. This story has lots of exciting twists and turns and kept me guessing, which not every thriller these days does. It was a fun ride!

Another unique and original thriller by Megan Goldin! I've been a devoted reader of Goldin's since the release of The Escape Room and I'm so happy that I was able to read an advanced copy of this one, too. I don't want to give too many spoilers, so I'll keep this brief. Rachel, who owns/runs a true-crime podcast, is contacted by the FBI for their help on the case of a missing girl, Maddison Logan, who had just visited an accused murdered in prison (who is supposed to be released in a couple of days). Dark Corners takes you through multiple people's perspectives as you're trying to read the pages as fast as you can to figure out what is going on in this book! The only thing that I wish was different about this book was that it was longer. The ending felt a bit rushed by the time we hit the climax of the story, and I would've liked to spend more time in the tension of not knowing if everything was going to be okay. Overall, great book and would definitely recommend to my friends, family, colleagues, etc!

Truthfully after enjoying the night swim I had high hopes for this new novel. I’ve always been rooting for Rachel Krall but this time the book fell flat. I’m not sure why I couldn’t get into the other bloggers persona but it wouldn’t let in indulge as much as I liked. Over all it was a good book and I’m glad I had the chance to read it.

I finished Dark Corners last night by Megan Goldin and immediately looked up other books she has written because I needed more.

I read the first in the series, The Night Swim which also follows Rachel Krall and was geeked to read the second in the series, Dark Corners which releases in August 2023. Sigh, I know it's far so posting this now is a bit of a tease, but put this on your TBR if you enjoyed The Night Swim.

Rachel Krall's name is found associated with a current inmate. Duped by the FBI to come get an exclusive for her podcast, Rachel shows up and is thrust into the world of social media influencers and murder. Rachel may be working on a famous podcast, but she really isn't into social media. She's seen the downside of fame with her serial podcast which had led to some stalkers, threats, and weird fan mail.

Dark Corners has a bit of romance and a lot of missing people. I found the book interesting with its commentary on social media and influencers. At times, I found the book was dragging on, but I had to know what happened and I think my impatience came with the fact that I read this as a hardcopy as opposed to as an audiobook, which is how I listened to The Night Swim. I loved the podcast episodes mixed into the book and Dark Corners follows that same pattern, which leads me to think I would have enjoyed this even more as an audiobook. However, that's a personal preference and completely on me!

I am hopeful for a third book in the Rachel Krall series. I am going to be starting another Megan Goldin book today. I've already downloaded Stay Awake which released in 2022!

Thank you very much to St. Martin's Press for granting me access to the ARC!

I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this book, and it did not disappoint. Dark Corners is well written, clever and full of twists and turns. I couldn't put it down once I started.

I loved The Night Swim so I was super excited to see that main character Rachel Krall was returning. I've read a lot of books in this genre and many of the main characters are either unreliable or unlikable, so she quickly became a favorite of mine. I hope there will be many more to come in the Rachel Krall series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It checked all my boxes for a good thriller and kept me guessing until the end. It's well paced and being told from multiple perspectives does a great job of building suspense. I very much looking forward to the next Megan Goldin novel.

A huge thank you to Megan Goldin, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel Krall is at it again! In DARK CORNERS we get to see Rachel doing what she does best. Solving crime! There’s a suspected killer about to be released, and the girl that just came to visit him is now missing. There’s also the business of the unsolved murders.

This was a great story that weaved all these aspects together. As usual MEGAN GOLDIN is a great storyteller who does not miss a beat.

The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is because you’re introduced early on to Thomas McCoy. By the end of the book I was expecting some kind of link to someone else. Some kind of reveal and there wasn’t one. It lost the a huge part of the suspense early on because you already know who the villain is. It made the ending fall flat. It’s still a solid 4 stars because it was a great story.

I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 - I loved how it was told both in the past and the present, interspersed with Rachel's podcast. It felt so creative and different, which made me excited to read this one. This story is set differently where you have Rachel thrown into the action of an ongoing investigation and then she writes the podcast after. I didn't love this change - it felt very similar to so many other books. It wasn't bad, but book 1 felt unique whereas this felt like a standard thriller.

I struggled with Rachel throughout the book. She was so "I do what I want" which got frustrating. Maybe listen to the FBI guy? Maybe stop being a lone wolf? She was so defensive when interacting with everyone and as another reviewer put - it was like she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. But we keep getting reminded of how beautiful she is and how great she is and how athletic she is - I was over it by the end.

Rachel infiltrates an Influencer convention to get to the truth of what happened to Maddison who disappeared. The influencers were so vapid and shallow. The author did a great job of describing the scenes and the characters, but I wanted to poke my eyes out because I couldn't deal with them anymore. I mean this as a compliment since it felt like they were real (horribly self obsessed) people but it made the reading tough since all I wanted was to not be around them.

The mystery was decent and kept me guessing. I figured out one part but not another. It also took them way too long to figure out a clue that Terrence gave them in the prison meeting very early on in the book.

Overall, it's not a bad book but also not one I'm jumping to recommend to people. If you read book 1 and are expecting something similar - you will be disappointed. If you're looking for a general thriller with a decent mystery - give this a read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

Megan Goldin’s Rachel Krall series is *chefs kiss*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy of DARK CORNERS set to be release in the summer!

I LOVED her previous book in the series, THE NIGHT SWIM. Similarly, this thriller is dark and super twisty. I love Rachel as a main character and was excited to see her back. You really don’t have to read them in order to enjoy them.

DARK CORNERS follows multiple perspectives, including Rachel, Joe (FBI agent), creepy Thomas McCord and a few more perspectives. The chapters are very short and quick to read. I had SUCH a hard time putting it down and stayed up to find out the ending.

I hope this series continues and Rachel keeps uncovering murder mysteries! This is a must read for your summer TBR so I highly recommend picking up her other thrillers while your wait.

Wow! Another great book by Megan Goldin! I have read almost all of her books and they are all great and unputdownable.

I honestly think I loved everything about this book. It was engaging, fast paced, great characters (smart female MC which I feel like is abnormal in books), there wasn’t a long drawn out love/hate relationship, interesting mystery on who dunnit, and pretty much anything else you can name in a book.

I will definitely be reading her next book!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Megan Goldin writes consistently good thrillers, and this one is no exception. It’s set in the world of social media influencers, but the main characters are not part of that world.

I enjoyed the working relationship that the MCs had. Their romance was much less interesting (why oh why must every single woman in these books fall for someone in authority?). I wish they’d just stayed friends.

As always, this book has a twist. I guessed it before it happened, but it’s still a good one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.