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
Aug 2023 Must-Read Books

My MG My Reviews:
STAY AWAKE
NIGHT SWIM
THE ESCAPE ROOM
THE GIRL IN KELLER'S WAY

#AuthorElevatorSeries Interview:
Q&A with Megan THE ESCAPE ROOM

Rachel Krall returns to assist the FBI in investigating a case. A true crime podcaster is missing & the main suspect is a suspected serial killer about to be released from prison. The victim was his last visitor and the FBI is confident he has help on the outside.

I really enjoyed this book! The twists, the suspense, bad ass characters, social media influencers, true crime podcasters & a bit of romance.

The audiobook version of this book was FANTASTIC! I loved the narrator & the podcast episodes. The music added in as well made this a full experience.

I was so excited when I found out the author turned The Night Swim into a series! Dark Corners is a sequel following the same main character, but it can be read as a standalone. Rachel Krall gets involved in a missing person's case of a famous influencer named Maddison Logan. Rachel goes undercover at an Influencer conference to dig for information. At the same time, she works with FBI Agent Joe Martinez as they race against the clock to find Maddison.

Dark Corners is very different from The Night Swim. I personally loved The Night Swim. I really liked the narrative structure and the story had a strong emotional impact on me. It was the kind of story that stayed with me even after I finished it. As for Dark Corners, we know the culprit's identity from the very beginning. So, as readers, we have to figure out how the characters are connected to the culprit. To be honest, this is not my favourite type of narrative structure in the mystery genre. I much prefer it when the culprit's identity is unknown and I have to figure out who it is. It was easy to figure out what was going on in Dark Corners, so the revelations weren't at all surprising to me.

Dark Corners was not a terrible book, but there was too much background noise. The story should have been tighter and more focused on the actual plot. There were many superfluous elements and characters in the background that didn't contribute to anything significant. They were just there as badly written red herrings lol.

Even though I was not impressed with the mystery, this book was a fast-paced and easy read. The audiobook production was solid, as expected. The podcast chapters are not actual episodes from Rachel's podcast. They're more like recordings and diction notes for future podcast episodes. These chapters are still recorded with music and voice actors, but to a lesser degree compared to The Night Swim. If we are getting more books in this series, I'm hoping the author sticks to the format of The Night Swim for the podcast chapters because they were a lot more immersive. And finally, I definitely want more Rachel and Joe books lol.

P.S. I pictured J.R. Ramirez as Joe Martinez 🥵

“The scariest monster hides in plain sight.” - Terrence Bailey
Rachel Krall is a true crime pod caster. Rachel became a sensation after helping to solve cold case crime cases. Rachel is called by FBI investigator Joe Martinez to assist with an inmate named Terrance Bailey. The FBI is looking to see if Rachel can help with finding out information on Terrance Bailey and his involvement in serial killings of young women and killings in the Florida region.
Maddison Logan is a social media influencer who has disappeared and her last appearance is visiting Terrance at the penitentiary. The FBI is trying to figure out his involvement since he requested for Maddison to find Rachel.
Rachel is brought into the world of social media influencers in hopes of finding clues to finding Maddison and the disappearance and killings of young women in that area. Rachel quickly discovers that the local police have dropped the ball in investigating the kidnapping and deaths in the area.
This story is fast paced as Rachel unknowing becomes involved in a serial killer case and unknowingly attracts the killer.
I highly recommend Dark Corners. I really enjoyed Dark Corners and The Night Swim the first book in the Rachel Krall series. You do not have to read the first book in the series but you will find yourself absorbed into the thoughts and true crime story podcast chats of Rachel.
I am a fan of true crime hosts so I was sucked into the world of Rachel Krall and I loved it,
I am so looking forward to the next Rachel Krall book and I hope that she collaborates with FBI investigator Joe Martinez because I love their chemistry.
If you like a good mystery this Rachel Krall is your book. I give this book 4.50 stars ⭐️ I also want to thank. Netgalley and MacmilliN audio for the opportunities to review their arc. I greatly appreciate this 😍

Great decision to turn this into a series. I enjoyed Rachel Krall in 'The Night Swim,’ so I was equally as excited for the second book in the series. However, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book.

I feel like Rachel came across as somewhat rude, and the romance came across as somewhat cheesy, and for me just not a relevant part of the storyline. I struggled connecting with the character of Rachel.

That aside, the pacing is fast and there are a lot of little twists weaved throughout the storyline to distract the reader & that made things a lot more fun!

Rating: 3/5
Expected publication date: 8/8/23

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio & Netgalley for allowing me an advanced copy of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, although this is the second of Goldin's books that features podcaster Rachel Krall, you definitely don't need to have read The Night Swim before reading this one as it completely stands alone.

This is a decent read, don't let my 3-stars sway you. It means that I liked it, I just didn't love it and want to gush about it. I listened to the audiobook and January LaVoy does an amazing job with her narration as usual. She kept me invested in the story more than I probably would have been otherwise.
This is a full cast audiobook with other narrators, but LaVoy was the prominent and best one. The podcast segments, while there weren't very many of them, were enhanced by listening to the audio version.

The main premise of this story is that Rachel is flown to Florida by the FBI because they want her to interview a prisoner about a missing woman who had come to visit him shortly before her disappearance. She is a social media influencer involved with a huge event called BuzzCon. Rachel decides to attend (she's really famous you know, they wanted her to come to the conference but until now she has refused) so she can investigate the disappearance and try to figure out what is going on.

Overall this book turned out to be okay, but there's nothing very surprising about what happens. The reader knows the identity of the villain throughout, we get his POV and backstory revealed as the tale progresses. I honestly didn't really like Rachel very much either. She comes across as a know-it-all daredevil who feels way above everyone else.

While I thought the parts about social media influencers (ahem, I mean content creators) was interesting and enlightening, it got old after a while. I don't think the general fans who fawn over these people will get the sarcasm and snark and eye rolling the author is trying to convey when talking about them, those of us who are reading the book already know what she's saying.

I'm glad I read this one, but I probably won't remember much about it after a while.

Good story that moves quickly. It was a little easy to figure out where the story was headed and who was really guilty.

This is the kind of book you want to bring to the beach with you. It’s a pop thriller that’s easily bingeable and keeps your interest throughout. With a Daytona Beach setting, you can feel the sand beneath your toes and the humid heat seep through the pages. I think this book really shines on audio, as there are multiple narrators and interesting musical stings to delineate the podcast Rachel from present Rachel’s internal monologue. January LaVoy I is one of my favourite narrators, so it’s always a pleasure to hear her do her thing.

While I liked this book, it wasn’t my favourite of Megan Goldin’s. So much of this book seems so unrealistic, so you really have to suspend your disbelief for some of the plot points, including the inciting incident. It’s also missing some of the journalistic intrigue that she brings to the earlier book in the series, The Night Swim. And I really didn’t like the parts about the content creators. I felt that the scenes came across as just moments to judge those who make a living on social media, which were shoehorned in without really adding much to the story.

I’d recommend this book to those who enjoy
- Books with podcast elements
- Thrillers filled with red herrings
- Beat the clock police procedural’s

Thanks Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an advanced listeners copy of this one. Overall, I liked it, and it kept my attention throughout, having read it in under a week!

I really enjoyed The Night Swim, so when I saw this I knew I had to get it. This one was a bit of a slow burn for me. I wanted to know what was going to happen but I wasn't fully invested in the story. I did enjoy the ending though. I highly suggest listening to the book if you want to read it. It helps with the podcast parts.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the copies of this book.

3 stars

After reading the night swim, I was so excited to see that there would be a sequel to that book. Although this book fell flat for me, I didn't enjoy Rachel's perspective or her podcast perspective as much as TNS, and also, I didn't enjoy how we follow the person who we think is the killer and how it ended. It felt too wrapped up too quickly.

Dark Corners is a thrilling and timely interpretation of when true crime podcast intersect with social media's ills. I highly recommend the audiobook, which features a compelling narrator and an immersive audio landscape that oscillates between "live" scenes and future episodes of the main character's podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. Rachel Krall recalls Sarah Koenig from Serial but builds on her archetype with charisma and confidence.

Another wonderful read from Goldin. I’m so glad she continued this series and the audiobook is just fantastic. I love how we get to hear the podcast portion of the book with a different narrator. The store is great minus one tiny thing, but it’s entertaining and well done.

A missing influencer, the prisoner she visited before she disappeared, and the social media conference she was attending take center stage in this second novel in the Rachel Krall series. Full disclosure: I haven’t read the first book in this series, but I had no trouble mentally hopping on the plane to Florida and joining true crime podcaster Rachel on the case.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. There are multiple points-of-view, twists and turns, an underlying creepiness factor, and some heart-pumping moments. There’s even a hint of attraction between Rachel and another character that was enough to satisfy my inner romance reader.

I devoured the audiobook; I did not want to put it down. I especially appreciated the sound effects and intro/outro music included in the podcast portions.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of the audiobook via NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
🎙️ Podcasts
🚫 True Crime
🔍 Playing Detective
🔀 Twists and Turns
#️⃣ Multiple POV

I just have to say, I really love the way the Rachel Krall books are written! I love how they jump back and forth between the ‘present day’ pov and the podcast pov to tell the stories. The way the two elements of present day with various perspectives and the podcast come together absolutely hooks me and makes me not want to stop reading the books in this series.

This one was extra fun to follow as this second installment is surrounding an influencer conference when one of them goes missing, old unsolved Murder cases, a suspect in jail, and a very creepy POV from a serial killer.

I personally am fascinated by the connections that big name influencer make with each other and the podding they do to build themselves up, so using that element for this book was juicy, fun, and just the right amount of drama filled to help along the plot.

All in all, this was another phenomenal thriller and I really hope we get more Rachel Krall because I’m obsessed and want to see where she goes next!

The narration of these books and production work are so spectacularly done and I love all the sound effects and the way the narrators voice makes me not want to stop listening because it’s just so smooth.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a fantastic book! I loved the podcast theme and the audiobook is so well done to make it a mix of a podcast and audiobook! The narrator is fantastic.
This is the second book in the Rachel Krall series but this can absolutely be read on its own. Both books only have the podcaster connection but each have their own storyline and mastery. I highly recommend the book! I couldn't stop listening and had to figure out if and how everyone was connected in this book.

Night Swim was such a stellar read and I was ecstatic to see Goldin had made it a series and continued Rachel's podcast/true crime journey.

Dark Corners is exciting and fresh and I loved that this was a complex story and so different from Night Swim.

This book really had it all - a bit of romance, bada$$ FBI agents, dangerous criminals behind bars, social media influencers, and plenty of suspicious deaths and missing persons. It was hard to see how everything would connect and it's safe to say, Goldin totally surprised me in more way than one!

I listened to this novel on audio and really enjoyed it. There were quite a few references to Rachel having an extremely sexy and husky voice and I didn't totally agree with the narrator choice in that regard, but ultimately, each narrator did a great job.

I really appreciate that this can be read as a standalone novel. While there were some passing references to the Night Swim plot, I'm not sure it substantively added to my experience or pleasure reading Dark Corners.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the copy.