I was excited about this book since I enjoyed the Night Swim. Definitely a fast pace and some twists. Overall I enjoyed it.

Dark Corners is the second in the series featuring Rachel Krell. The first book in the series is The Night Swim but I feel Dark Corners could be read as a stand alone book. I did enjoy both books.

Terence Bailey is suspected of killing 6 women. Maddison Logan visits Terence in prison and shortly after disappears. We do not know if Maddison has been killed or kidnapped. The FBI gets involved and Rachel Krell is called in to talk with Terence to see if she can get any information on what happened to Maddison. Rachel ends up at an influencers convention. I enjoyed the authors description of the influencers world and what they do to make a great post.

There are several twists in this book that keep the reader guessing. There is a bit of a love story that is introduced in this book and hopefully will develop more in future Rachel Krell books. I would recommend this book. It will be released on August 8th and will be a great way to end summer reading.

Thanks NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review. #NetGalley, #DarkCorners #MeganGoldin

Dark Corners (arc review)

Who here enjoyed Night Swim by Megan Goldin? I really liked that one and was excited to see Rachel Krall in action again!

Initially, I was vibing with where the story was going and I happen to really like Goldin's writing style, (which still holds here) however the story fell flat for me.

In Night Swim we have Rachel and her podcast in conjunction with a trial that turns into helping the FBI solve a crime. (Fantastic on audio) Dark Corners has a lot of different aspects going on, that in a way almost worked against it. Midway I found I zoned out, it was a bit much. I also found Rachel to be unlikeable in book two, whereas in book one I didn't feel that way.

With all that said, I think opinions will sway and I'm curious how others will feel! I am sitting on a 3-star rating.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc! Expected Publication, August 8.

This is a follow-up to The Night Swim by Goldin that features Rachel Krall, a true-crime podcaster. For me, this book didn't have the "wow factor" that the first one did--too much of this story focused on podcasters and social media influencers. I do hope the author keeps the series going, however.

Another great entry into the Rachel Krall saga. I love how this series combines the podcast craze with a thrilling mystery. Great pace, great characters, and a self-contained story. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Rachel Krall, podcaster extraordinaire from Miss Goldin's previous novel Night Swim, examines a series of abducted and murdered young women (mostly other influencers and podcasters) in Dark Corners. More a "reporter" for her show Guilty or Not Guilty in Night Swim, Rachel becomes an active and important part of the Dark Corners plot. And Rachel has grown in confidence since we last saw her-she is much more forceful (sometimes downright belligerent!) in getting what she wants both personally and professionally. But the star of Dark Corners is Terrence Bailey. Incarcerated for breaking and entering, his "MO" mimics that of a serial killer preying on prostitutes, addicts, and other "fringe members" of society less likely to be missed. Terrence is a true enigma-because he is implicated in crimes far more serious than petty theft, every little thing he says and does (some of them truly cryptic) seems to cement the police's suspicions about his guilt. But this is where Dark Corners excels-the case Miss Goldin builds against Terrence is genius and does exactly what she intended-makes you blind to any chance he could be innocent. It's a conundrum that lasts the entire novel. Dark Corners is easy to read even with the bleak subject-there's no courtroom scenes with "legalese" to bog down the plot. There's also a romantic spark between Rachel and Joe Martinez, the lead FBI agent investigating the murders. The unraveling of the truth in Dark Corners is quick and intense, but you'll kick yourself for not seeing it all along. As Terrence says "the scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight."

I have so many thoughts.

Ultimately, this book was much more compelling than THE NIGHT SWIM. The structure is interesting and there are lots of red herrings to keep you guessing. However, I think the author tries to have it both ways. She clearly wants to critique influencer culture, yet her protagonist has made a career out of the same economy and audience that supports the people she has such disdain for. Rachel Krall is absolutely an influencer...she just outsources all the labor for her social media to someone else. And the romance? And the fact that this whole book took place in like two days? Maybe it's three stars after all...

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for this review.

Okay ya'll, this was an excellent follow-up to The Night Swim! In most cases I'd be like, "Okay, Rachel, it's so realistic that you'd keep getting swept up in these cases." But in this case, it was! And I was there for it!

Things I liked:
I liked that, even though it wasn't a ton, you were able to see this story from multiple points of view. The police detective, the podcaster, and the murderer. So while there wasn't really a true "whodunnit," because Goldin tells you right up front, you still get to watch as the police get closer and closer to catching him!
I love being able to see this as the podcast transcript. It really helps highlight where Rachel is in her investigation and what the readers should be paying attention to.
The whole influencer convention was kind of hilarious. If I was planning that event, I wouldn't actually plan anything because they were on their phones the entire time.

Things I didn't like:
Why do thrillers feel the need to add romance? That's not what we're here for!
We need more Pete! Honestly, I feel like he's an untapped resource in these books for some true hilarity.
The defining characteristic of the villain was a little...off-putting, but ultimately worked in the novel.

Can you read this if you didn't read The Night Swim? Absolutely! The only carryover is Rachel herself, and the novel does a good job of "reintroducing" her to the audience.

Super quick read! Pretty sure I read this in a day. Highly recommend!

At this point, Megan Goldin is a must read author for me. ESPECIALLY since Dark Corners was a second installment to continue on the Rachel Krall series. It’s everything I wanted for a psychological thriller. There are so many characters and moving parts that the storyline holds your attention while forcing you to guess what’s next. One of my favorite elements is the multiple viewpoints/non-linear narrations.
I don’t want to spoil the story so just go read this book. Highly recommend.

Thank you St Martin’s Publishing Group for reaching out to me and giving me an ARC of Dark Corners via Netgalley and for the opportunity write a review for this book.

Love that the author brought back Rachel Krall in this book. I was a big fan of The Night Swim, so to get to read another book with Rachel in it was great. Dark Corners seem to have so much going on in the book, which actually work very well to keep me on my toes with what could be happening next. Between the plot and some side story to a red herring or two. This book will not disappoint.

Thanks again for a chance at reading it first.

Rachel Krall is back in this thriller about a missing influencer and the connection she has to a suspected serial killer. Problem is, he’s been in prison for the last 6 years.
Influencer Maddison visits Terrance Bailey in prison and comes up missing. A mysterious message leads FBI to Rachel Krall. Bailey knows her but she doesn’t know him. Can they figure out where the missing woman is before it’s too late?
This was a great thriller and I love that it kept me wondering what was going to happen next.
Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read/review this novel!

Not sure if it was me or the book, but I found this a little slow at first. Once I got into it though, I was excited to see where it was going and who I should blame. I really enjoyed this story and found the end, off my seat exciting. I couldn’t stop reading as I needed to know what was going to happen. I enjoyed that all the loose ends tied together and there were no outstanding questions. Probably my favorite book by Megan to date!!

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publish date: August 8, 2023

I was intrigued from the very beginning and enjoyed how the mystery unfolded as the story progressed. The author’s depiction of the world of social media influencers - narcissism, cliques, rivalries and politics – was quite detailed. We see Rachel evolving both as a professional and as a person. She is depicted as more gritty, stubborn and outspoken as compared to The Night Swim. Though this case does not feature as a series on her podcast unlike in the previous book , we do get to read the transcript for her Special Report on the case in chapters interspersed throughout the narrative. With its suspenseful and engaging narrative and multiple twists and red herrings that lead to a satisfying ending, I quite enjoyed Dark Corners by Megan Goldin.

This was overall a good thriller that, just when I thought I had it figured out, would pivot again. It’s also a not-so-subtle critique of the social media age and the vanity of influencers. One particular romantic plot line felt rushed and out of left field, but overall, an enjoyable read for fans of true crime podcasts and current timelines.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

I always do enjoy Goldin's books. Her writing is super addicting for me and I like the characters. But unfortunately I do feel like this is my least favourite that I've read so far, simply because I found it rather predictable. We know who the killer is practically from the start. I also didn't love some of the plot regarding the social media influencers. Some others may enjoy what she did there more. I do look forward to reading more from her though!

Rachel Krall is back! When I first read The Night Swim I had no idea that it would have a follow-up, and hopefully there will be more books in the future about my favorite fictional podcaster.

We begin Dark Corners with a mysterious late-night phone call from the FBI; Rachel is half-asleep but her curiosity is piqued & she agrees to hastily pack a bag, get to the airport, & fly down to Florida in order to meet an inmate. Upon her arrival, she’s given a rental car that she then uses to make her way through the humid swamps near Daytona out to the blistering parking lot of the prison. She meets with FBI agents who ask her if she’s ever heard of Terence Bailey. She hasn’t, & she has her producer check all correspondence to the podcast: he’s never reached out. However, further digging reveals that a social media influencer named Maddison (Terence’s only visitor his entire six-year-stint of incarceration) did leave a voicemail begging for Rachel’s help - only now Maddison isn’t answering any of her calls & she’s missing from the social media convention that she was attending in Daytona, BuzzCon.

After a scary yet largely uninformative meeting with Terence, the FBI thank Rachel for her help & say they’ll update her when they have anything new. Rachel decides to stay & go undercover at BuzzCon as an influencer with an old Instagram account she used to use when she did marathons - as she wades deeper & deeper into the world of content creators, she discovers the harsh realities behind the filtered images & staged videos. The clock is ticking for Maddison, & there are two bodies found in the days before Terence’s release that both have his same infinity symbol snake tattoo - does he have an accomplice on the outside murdering people?

This was another solid thriller from Megan Goldin (I have also enjoyed The Escape Room & Stay Awake). There was some romance, short chapters that kept the pace quick, & the recurring theme of the title was threaded throughout the book. I also liked that I didn’t really have to have any details from The Night Swim memorized in order to enjoy this second book about Rachel Krall.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read two other books by Megan Goldin and she always knows how to deliver a compelling thriller--this one was no exception. I was hooked from the beginning and loved the alternating chapters between the podcast, and two of the characters. I really love when thriller books do that because you are getting essentially a few different storylines and it intrigues me to know how they will connect. I had a hard time knowing how to rate it, however, for a few reasons. First, it is very hard to write about social media and do it in a way that doesn't give me the ick. The way it was written here was kind of cheesy and read like they didn't know a lot about social media. Second was the romance that felt very out of the blue (at least for me). I was caught a bit off guard and didn't feel like it really added a whole lot to the story. Overall I really enjoyed my experience reading this book, but there were a few areas that felt lacking.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my gifted advance reader copy!

Fresh off of her latest podcast season, Rachel Krall needs a break. What she doesn’t expect is to be whisked off to spring break in Florida, not for R&R, but because she’s been summoned by the FBI to aid in a missing persons investigation. How and why Rachel is connected to the case is not readily apparent, and she quickly gets sucked into the case and stays on for the long haul.

Is Megan Goldin now an auto-buy author for me?? She sure as frick is! I thoroughly enjoyed The Night Swim and couldn’t wait to dive into this one. This installment gave me grown up Nancy Drew vibes: we follow Rachel as she searches for clues and finds out way more than the police or FBI can. It’s definitely more sleuth oriented than TNS, which I think was a little bit more of a legal procedural. I really can’t think of anything bad to say about this one, and I know I will be eagerly hoping for a third installment!

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book! This is apparently the second in a series, however, this did not impact my understanding of the characters. A podcaster? A missing influencer? A convicted killer? I am enthralled. I really enjoyed this twisty mystery. It was not too dark. I was able to connect with the main character and I was rooting for her. Overall, I would recommend this book for a light and enjoyable mystery!

Dark Corners is a top-notch thriller! I have loved Megan Goldin’s previous books and this one—featuring podcaster Rachel Krall from “Night Swim”—is just as captivating. Rachel gets brought into a case by the FBI, and just as her interest grows, they try to cut her off. But she refuses to let go. Her tenacity results in a deep involvement in a variety of possibly-connected cases (disappearances and murders) and a fantastic story. The deep dive into the world of social media influencers is fascinating, and readers of crime thrillers will love this book. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!