We dive back in with Rachel Krall as the FBI ask for her help to find an influencer who met with a prison inmate and then disappeared. Rachel realizes that the best way to learn more about the influencer is to become one herself. Not wanting to be recognized as Rachel Krall from her podcast, she brushes off her old running Instagram account and joins a large influencer event. The more she learns about the missing influencer and the lifestyle in general, the more things begin to smell bad.
I enjoyed spending time with Rachel Krall again. I love her go get 'em attitude and drive to speak for victims and find the truth. This book felt a little slower than the first one, and a bit more predictable too. With that said, I did still enjoy the story and Rachel Krall as a character - I hope that we get more from her in the future. Just like the Night Swim, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook as it captures that podcast element so well.
The narrator does an excellent job with this book.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for the gifted copy of this book.

I'm torn about this review because while this book had it's moments of drama, I found the overall story lackluster and missing that strong pull. I loved the special report sections featuring Rachel's podcast; on the audiobook they are fabulously done with sound affects and interviews that sound exactly like a podcast episode. However for the most part I found the story straight forward without any big surprises. A lot of obnoxious influencers are heavily featured, but peripheral to the plot and I personally found those parts slow and uninteresting. Also some of the plot points (for me) just seemed a little far fetched. I do really enjoy Rachel Krall's character and it was a quick read, but the story just didn't pull me in that much.

I mostly enjoyed Dark Corners. It was a pretty standard thriller and I liked the.podcast angle that was weaved throughout. There were no big surprise twists and was pretty predictable. None of the characters were really believable.

I have not read The Night Swim but think it might have been good to read that one first. I could not really connect with Rachel and maybe I would have if I read the first one? She really did have the annoying podcaster- influencer persona down.

The narrator did a great job. The differentiation between the main narrative and podcast narrative was clear, making the storyline easy to understand.

This was one of my highly anticipated books! I loved The Night Swim and when I found out that this was book 2, that excitement increased. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype for me. I really enjoyed book when compared to this. I felt like there were too many "holes" in this story. There was a lot going on and I felt disconnected and bit confused. I did not really enjoy the whole influencer POV. It was not exciting and left me a little bored. With that being said, I still love Goldin's writing, this book just wasn't the read for me.

Our favorite true crime podcaster Rachel Kroll is back! AND helping the FBI solve a serial killer mystery! This was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 and it did not disappoint! It was fast paced and full of twists. Kept me guessing til the end!
I highly recommend listening to the audiobook! It was fabulous 💚

This was a great follow up to The Night Swim, book one in the series! I hope this series continues 🤩

📖Read if you enjoy:
🎤True crime podcasts
📖Short chapters
👩🏼‍💻Social media influencers
🔄 Twists
🔪Crime thrillers
📍Florida setting
❤️A touch of romance

Very good thriller follow up to The Night Swim. There were several pieces to the puzzle, which I was not able to all put together before the end. Definitely enjoyed! Cast of narrators enhanced the story.

This was a fast paced thriller and a follow up to the popular true crime podcaster Rachel Krall from The Night Swim. If you were hoping to pick up where we left off with Rachel you might be disappointed.

Synopsis:

Terrence Bailey is days from being released from prison for breaking and entering, however was suspected of being involved in the murders of six women. Right before his release date he gets a visit from Madison Logan, a travel blog influencer, with a large social media presence. Madison disappears after her visit with Terrance.

The FBI start to wonder if her disappearance is connected to the visit and they bring Rachel Krall, true crime podcaster of Guilty or Not Guilty, to see if she can be of any use. Unable to find anything about Madison outside her influencer personna Rachel goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference. This is where she learns more about Madison and just how cutthroat the influencer game is.

The Night Swim was one of my top thrillers back in 2020 when it was released and I was excited to read more about true crime podcaster, Rachel Krall . Unfortunately, this book didn’t have the same feel for me that Night Swim did. The formatting of the book is different instead of the multiple POV we have third person omniscient. We see the story from Rachel, FBI agent Joe Martinez and Thomas Mcoy this way.

I think for me, that in Night Swim, it shined a light on the continued trauma a victim faces when pressing charges against her assailant. Where Dark Corners focuses on influencers and the life of a convict and it just didn’t carry the same weight for me. Rachel’s character seemed very different in this story. In The Night Swim she was used to her face not being recognized but in this one she had reached a new level of fame. I did enjoy the sparks between Martinez and Rachel. Thomas had a very unusual condition that was interesting to learn about that made him a unique character. Overall, I did enjoy the book but was just disappointed that it seemed like a different Rachel from the first book, The Night Swim. The problem with writing such a good first book it’s hard to carry that momentum in the second one sometimes.

Rachel Krall is back to be thrown into another mystery. This time involving a missing social media influencer, Madisson and a Florida prison inmate who is days away from being released. The FBI calls in Rachel to go meet with Terrence and try to figure out what he may know, as Madisson had just visited him days before she went missing. This was a very fast paced thriller, but my one complaint would be some of the chapters seemed to be a bit repetitive and I was somewhat confused if I was rereading at certain parts. Overall, a well done thriller and Rachel Krall is a great main character.

I’m a sucker for anything podcast related and I loved Night Swim so I was excited when I saw this was coming out. It does not disappoint! What a fascinating story Megan Goldin presents us, with so many twists and turns that will leave your head spinning. There were two little things that bothered me: 1) hotel employees are trained not to give out room numbers, and 2) the ending was rushed and anti-climactic. Other than that, this was a thrilling ride that kept me listening nonstop.


Narration was well done, no issues.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I liked how it brought back the main character from Night Swimming, but was also able to be read standalone. It was a fun, twisty thriller that kept me guessing until the end.

I found this book to be very exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. While some might complain that it is far fetched that a podcaster would be summoned to help solve an FBI case, I venture to say that times are changing and true crime podcasts and internet sleuths are going to become more and more important in solving crimes as times goes on. I found the story to be fast paced and I didn't want to put it down. I felt like in the audio, the narrators were fantastic, and the podcast elements were translated SO well. I was super impressed, and almost believe that the audiobook of this title is more compelling than just the physical copy. In the story, the romantic element did sort of come a shock in the eleventh hour of the book and did seem a bit forced. That being said, I truly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more about from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this edge of your seat thriller. All opinions within this review are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

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

I honestly was not expecting to love this book more than The Night Swim or Stay Awake, but I had the time of my life reading this one. I did a combo of the ebook and audio, and I would 100% recommend the audio because of the podcast experience.

Rachel Krall has gained my interest because of the first book and I enjoyed her character even more in this one. This book can definitely be read as a standalone as it follows a different crime story.

I was so excited when I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley… and even more excited when I got the audio too. I really loved this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was thrilling, engaging, and full of so much suspense.

I also loved the influencer lifestyle of the book. It kept me entertained from the very beginning and I actually really enjoyed the ending. There was an unexpected romantic subplot, I don’t think some will enjoy it, but I personally didn’t mind it.

I honestly really enjoyed this book, I would highly recommend the audiobook over anything else. The story itself was so interesting and I’m surprised by how much I loved it. I read it all in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. Megan Goldin is soon going to be a favorite author of mine!

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

We are back with true crime podcaster, Rachel Krall who we met in the night swim. This time its a case involving a bunch of influencers.

Influencer Maddison Logan met with an inmate in Florida, and then disappears. It is revealed that Rachel's name was discussed in their meeting, and FBI needs to talk with Rachel. They bring her in thinking she is discussing, when actually they interrogate her.

The said inmate, Terence Bailey, is serving time for breaking and entering, but remains a murder suspect. They think he has something to do with Logan's disappearance.

Rachel meets with Bailey and he doesn't give her much, but ends their meeting by saying “The scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight.”

FBI feels that is a threat to Rachel and want her to go home. But she is going to do some of her own investigating. She attends an influencer conference at a nearby resort while undercover. She gets a lot of info the detectives haven't been able to tap into. Can she help them solve the case? Or will be be another victim.

There's also a little romance between Rachel and one of the FBI agents.

I had both the ebook and audio and felt the audio was fantastic, especially with the podcast sections.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an ALC of this book. I should have known I wasn’t going to like this book. I DNF’d the first book in the series and every other book I’ve read by this author was just ok.

I felt like there was too much going on in this book. It could have just been a woman, Rachel, doing a podcast on a missing influencer Madison. And then bring in some people who knew Madison. But all this stuff about getting involved with the police investigation and the police having Rachel go in and speak with a guy who they believe is a serial killer two days before he gets out. She’s become famous due to her first serial killer podcast but just some things that done add up.

I was excited for some more Rachel Krall in Megan Goldin's latest Dark Corners. True crime podcast superstar Rachel is back, this time invited to Florida by the FBI to speak with prison inmate Terrence Bailey, who the police have long believed has been involved in a string of murders of young women in the area. Bailey, who is due to be released in days, had recently been visited by social media influencer, Maddison Logan, who went missing shortly after visiting Bailey in prison. Rachel sticks around to do her own digging around, which involves deep diving into the dark world of social media influencers, and combing through the murders of the women. Her interest in Bailey and these unsolved cases puts her directly in the crosshairs. This story had so many twists and turns, and kept me guessing right until the dramatic conclusion!

What I liked: The audiobook checked one of my holy grail boxes for me: multiple narrators. It was also fun to listen to episodes from Rachel's podcast, which broke the narration up nicely although I would have loved more podcast episodes like we saw in Goldin's previous novel Night Swim.

What I didn't care for: Rachel seemed to have had a major personality change between the two stories, and being as I read Night Swim just before diving into Dark Corners as a refresher, the contrast was stark! She seemed to have a lot of attitude and anger in this latest story, which at times didn't feel necessary for the storyline to be effective.

The audio performance was spot on, and I recommend this listen to anyone looking for a twisty psychological thriller with the element of social media influencers tossed in!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC. I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review.

The voices are on the audiobook are great! However, I did not feel like the story was as good. Dark Corners picks up after The Night Swim, which follows Rachel Krall, a true crime podcaster who tries to go deeper into cases that may have been overlooked. I felt this book was repetitive, slow and didn't have a solid payoff at the end. It was predictable. had a lot of moving parts that I didn't feel like were needed, like the body oder (used wayyy to much throughout the book) & the comments made about influencers. All in all this book is forgettable, and not close to the same level as The Night Swim.

DARK CORNERS
Megan Goldin

One famous podcaster, one missing social media influencer with a multicast narration…

It must mean RACHEL KRALL IS BACK!

I was so excited to read this follow-up to THE NIGHT SWIM featuring Rachel Krall. DARK CORNERS is one of my most anticipated thrillers of the year and it did not disappoint.

In DARK CORNERS we meet up with Rachel shortly after THE NIGHT SWIM, which was a national sensation. She is asked to help with the missing person's case of Maddison Logan, an influencer. Rachel is to go undercover acting as an influencer to get inside information as to the whereabouts of Maddison.

Rachel is one of my favorite fictional characters. She is a badass and it’s so much fun to follow her and root for her. I loved the plot of DARK CORNERS immediately. It has all the buzzwords I’m currently looking for. Podcasts are hot, social media is hotter.

When you combine those elements with Goldin’s fast-paced, bigger than life, writing you get a thrilling reading experience. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copies!

DARK CORNERS…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a review of an Advanced Readers Copy of Dark Corners by Megan Goldin! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! Out August 8th!

About: True crime podcast host Rachel Krall gets a call from the FBI, asking for help locating a missing social media influencer in connection with a prisoner that the influencer recently visited. The influencer is Maddison Logan and is in town for a conference for influencers. Rachel agrees to help and goes undercover at the conference to meet Maddison’s peers and dig into her past. Most importantly, the FBI asks Rachel to visit a prisoner that Maddison visited named Terence Bailey, right before she disappeared. After Rachel visits Bailey, she’s under the impression that she may be in potential danger, as he is possibly a suspect for a ring of suspicious deaths that no one definitively can link him to. As Rachel digs further, she decides to stay in town to figure out where Maddison has gone, which slowly puts her in real danger as she uncovers Maddison’s past.

My Thoughts: Just like The Night Swim, this audiobook was great! The chapters went back and forth between Rachel, her podcast, and a couple other POVs. The sound effects for the true crime podcast were great, making it seem like you were listening to a real podcast.

I’d highly recommend listening to this book as the audiobook version! I’d also recommend The Night Swim as an audiobook too, and I look forward to more of this authors books!

📚 I read this book as the July pick with @honeydukesbookclub !! 🤗

You will like this book if you like:
🎙️ True Crime Podcasts
🎙️ Social media influencer stories
🎙️ Strong female characters
🎙️ Unsolved mysteries

This would be a fun book club pick! I did have a hard time suspending my disbelief in the early part of this book- the FBI flying in a podcaster to solve a crime, plus some of the evidentiary issues with the guy behind bars, and the inexplicably rude and initially unlikeable main character Rachel who keeps doing risky stuff. Glad I kept going though because this turned out to be a quick and entertaining mystery with some great twists. The audio version was fun with the incorporation of segments of Rachel’s true crime podcast in this novel that feels like a true crime podcast itself. The downside of listening was that it was hard to keep track of the various murder victims the FBI is investigating- there were a lot of them and it bogged down for me in the middle. Overall I enjoyed this mystery and would read more of the Rachel Krall books.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the advance copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

DARK CORNERS BOOK REVIEW

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The second book in the series, following The Night Swim, we are back in the world of crime podcaster Rachel Krall. This book had me totally hooked in the first quarter with Rachel’s podcast, the social media influencer plot, and the serial killer on the prowl. The pacing slowed down a bit for me after that then picked back up right at the end and with some twists!

Pick this one up if you’re looking for:
🔎Police procedural
🎙️Crime podcaster
🔪Serial killer
📱Social media influencers
🌴Florida setting

I really like Rachel’s character and her investigative instincts are amazing- I hope that this series continues so we can get more of her story!