“The scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight.”

“Killers receive so much oxygen in the media. It’s time to give a voice to the victims.”

How funny that as I’m listening to this one I’m like ahhhh this is so reminiscent of The Night Swim which I LOVED!! And look at that, this is Rachel Krall #2 😂👏🏻🙌🏻!! This is what happens when you buy books based off of covers or titles or authors or a small blurb and don’t really know what you’re in for. What a happy surprise for me!! 🥰

This book was like watching an ID episode but with the intense feeling of true crime. Just fabulous! It is dark and devious with some serious twists and it could have kept going for one hundred more pages and I would not have been mad.

January Lavoy narrates the podcast portions and, as always, she is *chefs kiss*. This audiobook was just as amazing as The Night Swim, which I gave 5 stars to! With multiple narrators and podcast music intro and outros it is SO realistic. Highly, highly recommend.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Dark Corners
By: Megan Goldin

Maddison Logan is a social media influencer and she wants to interview a newly paroled Terrance Bailey. He was suspected of killing several woman. After they met and he is paroled she comes up missing.

Did Bailey kidnap her? The FBI hire Rachel to locate her but she seems to not have any connections other than online.

Rachel goes undercover online. Things really heat up and there is more than meets the eye. Did Bailey have an accomplice?

This is the 2nd in the series of Rachel Krall. I highly recommend Night Swim as well.

Thank you St. Martins Press, MacMillion audio and Netgalley for this advance copy o our August 8, 2023.
#darkcorners, #megangoldin, #stmaetinspress, #netgalley,#bookreview, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50

I read this book on audio and I found it to be a compelling reading of the story.

This is the second book in the Rachel Krall series, but you don't need to read the first book to read this one. It's a standalone and doesn't contain spoilers. I loved the first Rachel Krall story, The Night Swim, so I was super excited for this one. While I enjoyed this one, it didn't quite compare to the first one for me.

The story was more generic than the last book - this made it less traumatic and dark, but it also made it less compelling. The characters weren't as well fleshed out as the last book, which made it harder to feel strongly about their fates. I found the lack of character development especially frustrating since many sections of the book are from the killer's perspective. That being said, I was definitely engaged with the story and didn't want it to end. I had to know what happened next!

This was a solid thriller and it kept me reading which was exactly what I needed on a long road trip. I think I would have loved it more if I hadn't read The Night Swim first.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I don't normally like cop stories at all. I worked for the police station and 90% of the day is being annoyed by the public (so annoying) and paperwork. I do, however, love this author and these narrators. I love influencer stories too. They're so fake and yet so interesting.
It is better to be interesting than to be liked, after all.
This one was so good. Rachel is doing her best to help with an investigation involving a missing influencer and the drama and danger keeps getting more intense.
If your into cop stories this is a win.

Rachel Krall hosts the popular true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. Based on her success in finding new evidence in other criminal cases, the FBI reaches out to Rachel for help in finding Maddison Logan, a missing social media influencer who disappeared shortly after visiting a soon-to-be released prison inmate. Rachel infiltrates the BuzzCon social media convention in an effort to get closer to other influencers who may have known Maddison and help find a girl who doesn’t seem to exist anywhere except Instagram.

Megan Goldin sure knows how to capture my attention with her twisty thrillers! I’m loving social media thrillers at the moment, and this novel really delivers on that angle, giving the reader a glimpse at the cutthroat underbelly of a vapid industry where image is everything. I enjoyed the heck out of this dual POV story that gives us Rachel’s perspective along with insight into a potential serial killer with a very distinctive personal characteristic. As a true crime lover, I really liked how episodes of the podcast were woven into the story. Although Rachel has a bit of an abrasive exterior in her real life, the episodes show her compassion and commitment to getting justice for crime victims.

This is Megan Goldin’s second book about Rachel Krall, but they are basically stand-alones and you don’t need to read The Night Swim in order to enjoy Dark Corners. The continuity of the two audiobooks is fabulous though, with the same narrators (including the incomparable January LaVoy giving Rachel her smoky sexy voice) and the same podcast music. Just like The Night Swim, the narration is absolutely outstanding and without a doubt the best way to experience this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing me an advance copy of this book.

This sequel to The Night Swim was absolutely fantastic! Megan Goldin brilliantly crafted a unique storyline that didn't rely on replicating the success of the first book. The buzz of an influencer-centric plot combined with the exciting disappearance/murder mystery made this an excellent read.

The sections exploring the world of influencers were incredibly entertaining and were realistic (and a bit over-the-top which was fun). Additionally, the chilling perspective from the serial killer added a creepy and distinct element.

While there was a touch of romance, it was tastefully integrated, and personally, I found it enjoyable. Despite some complaints about Rachel's snarky personality, I adored her sass, which felt necessary in many scenes. I would have been sassy too!

The unexpected twists in this book truly caught me off guard, and the fast-paced narratives made it a captivating and engrossing read. It felt like solving a thrilling puzzle, and the inclusion of criminal procedure added another layer of excitement.

I must mention that the podcast element in both books is simply the best, especially as audiobooks. I highly recommend giving them a listen! The pacing, flow, and extra sound effects make these audiobooks so fantastic.

Overall, the pace of the story was excellent, and from the very first page, I was hooked. This true crime psychological thriller was an absolute delight to read!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan audio and Megan Goldin for this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance review copy of this audio book.

I am a new fan of Megan Goldin! I listened to The Night Swim and this one back to back. I couldn't put either down! And the narration was great! While the main character is the same in both books, you do not have to read in order. They can both be complete standalones.

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison on a breaking and entering charge - but the FBI have long believed him to be responsible for the murders of several women. Rachel Krall, a true crime podcaster, is pulled into the investigation by the FBI to try and get evidence to keep Terence behind bars. Maddison Logan, a popular social media influencer disappears - days after visiting Terence in prison. How did she know him? And why did she visit him out of the blue? Is her disappearance related?

📚Review: Dark Corners 🌿
I was so happy when I received this as ALC from @netgalley. I started it right away. I really liked this one and was finished in like two days. I couldn’t stop listening. This book is from the same author who wrote The Night Swim. The main character is the same, Rachel Krall. (She is a true crime podcaster who helps the police solve crimes) This is the second book with her as the MC, so perhaps there will be even more, with her character, in the future. Just as in The Night Swim, Rachel (who has her own podcast show) helps the detectives, try to solve a certain case. In The Night Swim, it was a rape case. This time around it’s a missing persons case. A famous influencer has gone missing and Rachel helps the police try and solve the case. I listened to this one and I loved the narrators. They too, were the same from The Night Swim. They were January LaVoy and Samantha Desz. I loved them the first time around and it was no exception this time. They both did an amazing job again. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Loved them.
Even though this is the second book in a series, you do not have to read the first one before you read this one. They may have the same MC, but they are stand alone cases (books). If you have read The Night Swim already, and you enjoyed it, you will definitely enjoy this one as well. If you haven’t read The Night Swim yet, give this a try and then check out The Night Swim, both were really good.
This book was a BOTM choice for July and so hopefully many people chose this one and will see what I’m talking about. It was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!! I say definitively check this one out. The audiobook made this so great, so if you are into them, like me, I say listen to the audio on this one. Like I said, they both do a fantastic job! I would listen to any book January LaVoy narrated. 🙌🏻♥️

I received this ALC from @netgalley and @macmillanaudio in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: August 8th, 2023

This was a great audiobook production. However, the book itself fell a little flat. I was really enjoying most of it, then we added unnecessary romantic entanglements and the ending left MUCH to be desired. There was no closure or explanation, which baffled me. I loved THE NIGHT SWIM and this was similar in a lot of ways but didn't quite have the same magic.

I listened to The Night Swim and really enjoyed it, so when I saw another Rachel Krall audiobook, I was excited to jump on it and get approved. The narrator is amazing and really gives life to the story. I have to say that this is another solid story. It has mystery that is entertaining while being sometimes predictable. But this is more of what I think ppl call popcorn thrillers? They are fun to listen to even if you must suspend disbelief a little more than other thrillers. If you enjoyed The Night Swim I def recommend this one as a follow up. If you haven’t read this author before, you can listen to this as it does serve as a stand alone, but I think The Night Swim would be a better place to start. My only annoyance was the short scene of romance. It just didn’t seem to fit in the story. But it wasn’t long and I could easily overlook it.

3.5 stars rounded up

I want to thank MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review.

Having just read/ listened to The Night Swim and Dark Corners back-to-back, I am a new Megan Goldin fan! What a great concept for a recurring character series.

Rachel Krall is a journalist turned true crime podcaster who seeks justice for the wrongfully accused. It’s been a trend in books lately to have a podcast element and I am enjoying it. Goldin weaves it in as a POV, which works even better in the audiobook. Krall’s sexy podcaster drawl is voiced gorgeously by January LaVoy. Multiple narrators are used to help differentiate the POVs which I appreciate, and Samantha Desz narrates the text flawlessly.

I enjoyed the way the story unraveled. Solid thriller!

Note: You don’t need to have read The Night Swim to enjoy this but I highly recommend it. It sets up Rachel’s character and is also a great story.

This book solidified Megan Goldin being an auto-buy author for me! I 100% would have finished this book in one sitting had I not had real life responsibilities to attend to because the mystery was super compelling. It did get a tiny bit slow for me in the middle of the book and some of the mystery was easy to figure out, but I love books that don’t have super out there twists and are more realistic, and are just plain good mysteries. Very much recommend this one!

Initially, I was unimpressed. It felt like there was too much going on, a lot of characters being introduced… but hear me out… all of it is relevant! Once things start to get revealed I was shocked! Shocked in a good way. Everything clicks together eventually.

This has the same sort of flow as book 1 of the series. The podcast format is excellent. Definitely recommend to anyone who loved the first book.

The audiobook narrator is great. I loved the range of emotions I could feel through the audio reading. I usually hate multiple POV but here it was written and read very well. Easy to follow.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the second book of a series, however this book can be read without reading the first.

Rachel Krall returns as a true crime podcaster, this time she heads to Florida to meet with an inmate, Terrence Bailey. Terrence is about to be released from prison when an influencer, Madison Logan goes missing. Madison had visited with Terrence not long before she went missing. Is he connected to her disappearance.

I listened to the audio of this book and enjoyed the narrators. I thought they really helped with the story and recommend listening if you like audio books!

This book has suspense, twists and turns and different storylines going on the somehow wove together nicely. I recommend this book if you like a good suspense read!

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin is the sequel to 2020's The Night Swim, featuring Rachel Krall as the series protagonist. Rachel is a crime podcaster with a history of getting convicted felons retried in court, and being set free thanks to her in depth journalism. In Dark Corners, Rachel is investigating the disappearance of a social media influencer who went missing shortly after visiting an inmate who is soon to be released from prison. This inmate is suspected in the disappearances of six women but no evidence was found to charge him of the crimes. With very little evidence to go on, and more people disappearing in the Daytona area who have connections to Maddison, the social media influencer, the CIA and Rachel are quickly running out of time.

Megan Goldin is a great writer who knows how to pace her stories well and intersperse her chapters with dialogue from the supposed podcast Rachel hosts. I enjoyed this novel quite a bit, but the social media aspect of the story didn't gel with me quite like The Night Swim's overall story did. Much of this storyline has Rachel hanging out with social media influencers at a convention, and it is filled to the brim with the most narcissistic of individuals, and while Rachel is just about as disgusted by their behavior as I was, it didn't make the reading experience any easier. Add to that, a few red herrings that went on a little too long and didn't get wrapped up until the epilogue and you have a sequel that doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, but this is only a matter of opinion as I have a particular distaste for social media influencers.

As always, the audio version of this is the best way to experience this novel. The narrator does a fantastic job with reading and has a lovely, almost smokey quality to her voice. The editing is superb as it adds music between chapters and a "phone quality" sound when Rachel is talking to someone over the phone. These phone conversations suddenly dip in volume though, so that is the one negative to the audiobook as I missed out on some dialogue at times during these scenes.

Overall, the tone is quite dark and the eventual perpetrator is caught, but they are a little bit of a cliche in terms of personality. Some might argue they have reasons for why they do what they did, but more nuance into their character and motivations would have been nice. I won't remark further on the characters as I don't want to spoil the ending. A solid novel, and I look forward to the next one in the series!

Like most books by Megan Goldin this books draws you in from the start. I was sucked in by the unique plot and story line. I really enjoyed the subject and insanity of what it would be like to be an influencer. What an insight to that madness! This book takes you for a spin into the dark corners of your thinking to help you wonder how it will shake out! I enjoyed every minute of this book. It dabbled in suspense, thriller and a touch of romance too. I really enjoyed this book!

I read Dark Corners immediately following The Night Swim. I loved how this book picked up right where The Night Swim left off. I do however think that this could be read as a standalone.
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Rachel Krall has a popular podcast where she brings light to cases, both old and new, and puts the listener in the juror box.
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This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I was never quite sure who was the guilty one.
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🤳2nd in the series
🤳suspenseful
🤳a dash of romance
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I think the audiobook is a great way to go with this book. Fantastic narrator and I loved the podcast chapters. I can’t wait for the series to continue and to see what Rachel Krall gets up to next!
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Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to read this book!

Megan Goldin did not come to play when she wrote Dark Corners. This book had me on the edge on my seat the whole damn time. I didn't want the book to end but the ending was chef's kiss.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This was such a fun audiobook. Part book/part podcast. I feel like it was a little predictable but it still made me keep reading and wanting more.

I did not know that was second in a series surrounding Rachel Krall. However, that did not impact my ability to remain engaged! This was so great! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The way the characters and POVs intersected was flawless. The narration was excellent as well. I especially enjoyed how they
included Rachel’s podcast and made it an “authentic podcast experience”