Dark Corners
Megan Goldin
4.5/5 ⭐

Rachel Krall is a true-crime podcaster. The FBI asks for Rachel’s help in finding a beautiful, young influencer that has disappeared. The last time Maddison Logan was seen was visiting a suspected murderer in a state prison. Terence Bailey has never been convicted of six unsolved murders and is about to be released. The police need Rachel’s help to figure out the connection between Terence and Maddison and make sure she is not in danger.

The discovery that Maddison seems only to exist on social media brings the investigation to a halt. She has no family and no real friends. Using her old Instagram account, Rachel goes undercover at BuzzCon, a trendy influencer conference. Rachel learns a lot about Maddison but also discovers that the social media world is brutal and cutthroat.

With Terence Bailey still in jail, the police are determined that he must have an accomplice. Rachel puts her own life at risk to solve these murders once and for all. Her biggest threat may just be in plain sight driving her into dark corners.

This was my first Megan Goldin book. I loved the organized chaos of all the characters and pieces and parts. The alternating chapters of the story switching to Rachel’s podcast were very engaging. The graphic audio during the podcasts was a new experience for me. It definitely brought the characters more to life. The scenes at BuzzCon dragged on for me but as things were explained in the end I saw the relevance. I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you to @Macmillan.Audio and @netgalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. All my opinions are my own.
Publication Date: August 8, 2023

I will preface my thoughts by saying I did not read the first book in the collection (Night Swim, which introduces the podcaster Rachel Krall). I believed these were standalone books, so critiques might be unfounded simply because I did not read the prior novel.

This book was not a huge win for me. I listened to the entire thing, and found the narrator to be great. The story itself was fairly predictable - you knew who the villain was going to end up being very early on. That in and of itself does not necessarily make a book uninteresting, because often the motives and finding out why the villain is killing is fascinating. This however, just felt uninspired, and writing this review a few days after finishing the book, I'm already struggling to remember much about the killer, aside from one specific idiosyncrasy.

The character of Rachel Krall is somewhat compelling, and the world of influencers / content creators was an good setting. A relationship Rachel has with someone comes out of nowhere and felt shoehorned in; every thriller doesn't need to have a novice detective and a seasoned person of law enforcement become entangled romantically, especially when it's just haphazardly included without much emotion.

Overall, I would try other books written by this author, but this particular one was underwhelming.

My first read by this author and I really enjoyed this one!! The audiobook version is the way to go on this one!! It really immerses you into the story! This book is told in three pov one of those being the main characters podcast on the case. I loved that these parts had a short musical intro and background sounds at appropriate times, ie: water and forest sounds when she was in the woods ect. I wish the digital/print version had a small heading to know the chapter was a Special Report Podcast chapter. I think knowing that would help make the print version as immersive as the audio felt. The chapters are super short which I find helps move the story along faster. The pacing was good and with the number of different characters I found the ending to be a complete surprise! I was a little weary at police/fbi involvement at first, I find I’m just not a fan of police procedural type reads. I'm glad this wasn't!! The main character is an investigative researcher of sorts and although another main character is FBI it didn’t feel the way most police procedurals do! The different pov were very well written and blended the timeline perfectly! I like the recurring clues that kept you guessing as to what they truly are/mean right until the end! After the wrap up of the case the actual book ending seemed so sudden but left it open for these characters to return on perhaps another case!? Will definitely be looking at the authors' other books!

So. Good.

A thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced audio copy of this book, which officially releases on 8/8/23.

Just as Megan Goldin’s first Rachel Krall story, “Night Swim,” this book kept me captivated from start to finish. I highly recommend this audio version, which captured the switch back and forth between podcast and main story with various narrators and sound effects quite well. The book is chunked into small chapters, which I like because it keeps the story alive at all times and it’s easier to digest. The ending was quite satisfying as well. Count me in for the next Rachel Krall book.

Gripped me right from the get go. There were several twists and turns that kept me glued to the story. I will definitely be reaching for The Night Swim to continue my journey with podcaster Rachel Krall. Thanks to NetGalley for the audio eArc.

Rachel is a true crime podcaster who's found great success. Always on the hunt for the next story, she answers a call from an FBI agent who wants her to talk to a prisoner who is a person of interest in a missing persons case. Without much information and ever the curious reporter, Rachel decides to fly to Florida to meet the FBI agent and the prisoner. She doesn't get much information from the prisoner, but the missing person investigation lands her right in the middle of a popular influencer conference where just about everyone is a suspect.

First thing of note is that this is the second book in a series, but fret not if you haven't read the first book, you can read this one without missing a beat (although the first book is just as good as this one, so I do recommend reading it). It grabbed my interest from the very beginning. In the interest of full disclosure, if you drop the word "FBI" in the first few minutes of anything you've automatically peaked my interest. This book was no exception and I was honestly 100% invested in the first ten minutes. It was nonstop from beginning to end. I'll just be over here waiting to see if there's a third book, I need more Rachel and Joe.

I was unaware that this was a sequel in a series. The cover is what drew me in and honestly I didn't read the synopsis. With that being said I enjoyed this book. I was lucky enough to receive both the E-ARC and the Audiobook. I chose to listen to the audio. I really enjoyed the audiobook. Especially the podcast chapters. It was an intriguing story and I enjoyed it. I did think the ending was a little rushed. Overall a good read.

Book Releases August 8, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

I found this to be a very interesting novel that kept me engaged throughout. Even though I hadn't read the first book in the series, I didn't feel lost.

One aspect that captured my attention was the rare condition of one of the characters. The author's exploration of this unique aspect added depth to the story and provided an unexpected layer of interest.

The narration, performed by Andre Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz, was top-notch, bringing the story to life with distinct voices and compelling performances. Their narration kept me engaged till the very end and I really enjoyed the mystery and how everything came together nicely.

True crime podcaster Rachel Krall returns to help the FBI in investigating the case of a missing social media influencer.
Dark Corners never really fully engaged me and I just didn't connect with it. I found myself completely disconnected from both the characters and the story. Rachel apparently underwent a complete personality transformation from the first book and became completely unlikeable in this one. The plot itself was overly convoluted and the details of the influencer plotline just dragged on. Also, some of the writing is just a little overdone and heavy-handed. I don't think I'll return for a third installment in this series.
As for the audio, the narrator was great. They also did a stellar job of incorporating the podcast episodes in a very natural way.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St Martin's Press/Macmillan Audio for sharing this advance listener copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

The Narrators alone sell this book. I love this story line and the main character always seems to step right in the middle of it. The weaving of the story line is fantastic and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

An inmate about to be paroled. An influencer gone missing. A podcaster with a link to both of them.

Generally speaking, I think the Podcast thing has been done. A lot. So my expectations weren't that high, even though I like this author. Once I got into the book I really appreciated how the present-day storyline was the meat of the book and the interspersed Podcast clips were clearly secondary. It kept the book moving much faster than the books that are written in podcast format.

The main character, the Podcaster, was interesting and believable, as was the FBI agent. The storyline moved, the ending was surprising. I really liked this one! Probably my favorite so far from this author!

A tight, clever, modern thriller about a podcaster and her investigation into a missing influencer and a serial killer.

This was a fast-moving, believable story, with consistent twists, likeable characters and a really evil dude. I really like MC, Rachel Krall, the journalist/true crime podcaster. This is her 2nd book, her first being Night Swim, which I have not read, but now I will!

My only negative feedback is that Goldin tends to repeat details. You know when you watch Dateline, and after every commercial, they spend the first two minutes repeating what happened in the 10 minutes before the commercial? Goldin sometimes does this. I felt that this repetitiveness can take away the joy of reading a thriller and gathering details on your own. I prefer more subtle hints.

3.5 Rachel has a true crime podcast, very well known especially after her program is responsible to the release of a few previously convicted men. When a popular influencer goes missing after meeting with a prisoner who.mentions Rachels.name, she is asked by the FBI to meet with the prisoner. Has her overconfidence put her in extreme danger?

I'm not a podcast fan, only bed listened to one but I have read that true crime.podcasts have become very popular. This book also introduced me to the competitive world of influencers. I had no clue how competitive, dog eat dog, taking over lives, these people are. Despite the many perks, i say, no.thanks. I've never been a follower.

While the character of Rachel was interesting and likable, she often did things that I found didn't make much sense. Almost seemed like she courted danger. A good story, better in some.places than other but on the whole a pretty good read.

Narration was terrific.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the new book by Megan Goldin, wonderfully narrated by André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Rachel Krall, who has a podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty, and has been called upon by the FBI to go to Florida to assist on a case. The search is on for a missing social media influencer, Maddison, who disappeared hours after visiting Terence Bailey, convicted for breaking and entering, but suspected of murdering multiple women. When Maddison goes missing, authorities wonder if he is working with someone on the outside and why Maddison even went to visit him. Rachel goes undercover at BuzzCon, a convention for social media influencers, to try and find out more about Maddison. But suddenly Rachel may be in serious trouble.

This is the second in the Rachel Krall series and while it can definitely be read as a stand alone, it's a great series to start from the beginning! This was an interesting look into the dark side of social media influencers and a peek into that surreal world. Rachel is a great character and this is at its heart a good police procedural, with lots of tension and twists. A must read series and I can't wait for more to come!

This was a great thriller. Talk about twists and turns! I really enjoyed it. If you like true crime podcasts you’ll love this. The audio performance was AWESOME.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the audio ARC.

I didn't realize that this was a sequel to the first book and now I'm definitely going to go back and read the first one. I found this book engaging and fast paced. The underbelly of the influencer lifestyle combined with serial killers and a murder mystery captured my attention the entire way through. I'm not sure the title fit the description or plot of the story, but I would recommend this one to anyone wanting a entertaining thriller with a strong female lead. 5 stars!

Thanks to Negalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to this on Audio. Im not a big Audio listener but I think this book had to be listened on Audio it made all the difference. My rating is for the Audio it was on point. I loved how the podcast section had different voices. No complaints here

I’m going to preface this review by saying that I didn’t love “Night Swim” which was the first book in the Rachel Krall series, not because it was bad but because I don’t really like investigative/podcast type themes or series. I’m typically gravitate toward stand alone books, but in this case, I absolutely loved Megan’s first book “The Escape Room” and therefore am tied to reading all her books for life. I am so glad that I decided to continue the Rachel Krall series. This book was so good and has changed my views on the podcast/series themes. I really liked the social media influencer angle and also how Rachel got tied into the story. The background themes at play were so well developed. I needed to keep listening to see how the case unfolded and who the guilty party really was.

The narration was excellent – the voice fit the story. I very much enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next Rachel Krall installment!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this ARC audiobook. It was awesome!

Book Title: Dark Corners
Author: Megan Goldin
Genre: Thriller
Release Day: August 8, 2023
Format: Audio Book
Rating: Storyline 4⭐️ Narration 5⭐️

Synopsis: 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 freedom 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? Why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to 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 Krall 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, the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krell herself. Suddenly a 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.

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer.

My Thoughts: This one fell a little short for me compared to the first in this series, The Nigh Swim. There were some far-fetched, even for me moments that threw me a tad bit. However, with that said, it was still a solid 4 on a thriller journey. Rachel returns but not to the same format as last, with a different plot line, with its own unique plot twists.

I absolutely adored this narrator and also the format for the podcast moments. She brought the characters to life and had such a different voice for each. It was so entertaining and reminded me of The Good Girls Guide to Murder format. This also really hit on influencers of today and how huge social media is.

This was a fun thriller read/listen, and I will definitely be looking for the third installment of Rachel Krall!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my advanced listening copy.

I think I would follow Rachel Krall anywhere. This book felt fast paced and engaging. The multiple perspectives between the detective, podcaster and accomplice was well done. The creepiness of the accomplice really came out clearly in the text for me. The plot was really engaging and I found myself flying through this!

Also, dabbling in the “influencer” business phenomena? Nice touch, Megan!

Give me another Rachel Krall podcasting book!

The audio was fantastic! Especially the podcast scenes with the musical undertones