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

The first Megan Goldin book I read was The Night Swim. I've read every book of hers I can get my hands on since. So I was very excited when I heard she was brining Rachel Krall back for another book. I hope Megan continues the series in the future. Social media influencers and true crime podcasts have been popular elements in thrillers recently to the point where they're almost overdone, but Dark Corners wasn't overly focused on either topic. The audiobook in particular is incredibly engaging and I strongly recommend it.

This book was fun and had a great podcast element which worked really well on audio. the mystery was great, the creep factor was great, the main character was smart and made good choices that I could back! The stakes may have been a bit lowered due to some things that I can't really get into without spoiling it, but I was in this book the whole time. It was fast paced and intriguing and super entertaining.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dark Corners
By Megan Goldin
Pub Date: 8/8/23
Publisher: Macmillan Audio

This is book 2 in the Rachel Krall series.

Rachel was suddenly awoken to a call from a FBI Agent telling her she needs to travel to Florida to meet with them at a prison. Her name has come up in conjunction with a prisoner who is set to be released in 2 days that they believe has some involvement with a missing person. Maddison has been missing since her visit to the prison to meet with Terry.
Rachel who hosts a popular podcast meets with Terry at the FBI's request to see if she can find out if he knows where Maddison is, only he thinks he’s being set up.
Rachel ends up signing up for an influencer event to try to track down information on Maddison and see if she can work out where she is.

Needless to say there are lots of twists and turns before the whole story takes shape.
This series has become a favorite quickly. Can’t wait for the next installment.

Rachel Krall is at it again, investigating a new mysterious circumstance surrounding a disappearance and dead body.

I loved the first book on audio and this one is just as good. The podcast elements are fun. I was entertained the entire time. Now, that being said, this book is so predictable. There's not really much suspense because the read is clued on pretty much everything. So this is less of a mystery, at least in my opinion.

Megan Goldin returns following The Night Swim (5 stars) with the second installment in her popular Rachel Krall series, DARK CORNERS —a crime podcaster gets caught up in the search and mystery surrounding a famous social media influencer who disappears after visiting a suspected serial killer in this riveting 'thrills by the minute' electrifying masterful suspense!

Rachel Krall is back better than ever—My Top Thrillers of 2023!

Terence (Terry) Bailey is about to be released from prison; however, investigators have suspected him in the murders of six women.

However, right before his release, he gets a visit from Maddison Logan, a young popular social media influencer. Hours later, she disappears. Was she kidnapped, and what went down with her visit with Bailey? Are the two events connected? Do they know one another? What is going on at the gas station?

After the FBI does not turn up anything, they turn to Rachel for help. Who is Maddison? She is only known by her social media. Is she for real? Rachel realizes too late Maddison left her a voicemail. Rachel is determined to find Maddison.

Rachel goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference in Daytona Beach, FL. (so good). What a world of highly competitive rivals. Here she learns a lot!

The cops find a woman's body with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail. Does Bailey have an accomplice on the outside? Is there a monster hiding in plain sight and the dark corners of the internet? Or is it someone else?

Who receives the most oxygen (voice) in the media— Killers or victims? Are we so obsessed with the likes of monsters we forget about the victims? Not just those they kill but those they leave behind. Eleven victims.

Nothing is as it appears! Twisty, Gripping, Unputdownable!

Gosh, I LOVED this book! Brilliant! Oh, and the audiobook was dynamite! Narrated by André Santana, January LaVoy (fav), and Samantha Desz for a highly entertaining listening experience. I was glued to my iPhone.

I loved The Night Swim, and DARK CORNERS is even better. Complex and multi-layered, I love the way everything unraveled. I adore Rachel and hope we see her again for #3! She is too good to end. She is sharp and tenacious, and a pro.

Goldin is ON FIRE and at the TOP of her game! Her best yet. I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan for an ARC and ALC via NetGalley for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars ++
Pub Date: Aug 8, 2023
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THE ESCAPE ROOM
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#AuthorElevatorSeries Interview:
Q&A with Megan THE ESCAPE ROOM