I really liked Night Swim and was excited to see a second book involving Rachel Krall.

Rachel, a true crime podcaster, goes undercover at an influencer convention to help find a missing influencer named Maddison. Maddison went missing after visiting Terrence Bailey in jail. Bailey was in prison for breaking and entering, but the police thing he could be involved in the murder of several women. Rachel hopes to help find out if Maddison’s disappearance is related to her visit to Bailey, and if he has help on the outside.

I loved the audiobook. I really liked how they played the podcast intro music, and there was background noise and other narrators to make it sound like an authentic podcast.

I really liked the dual POVs, especially with one being from the serial killer. Some of the dialogue seemed repetitive,

I didn’t like it quite as much as Night Swim, but am hoping there will be more in the Rachel Krall series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a story that features a lot of hot of moment themes: influencers, serial killers and podcasts. The book focuses on a Rachel, a true crime podcaster who is tapped by the cops to help them with a missing woman case. We rotate perspectives between Rachel and the killer who is super creepy and evading the cops while they think another guy is the killer. I thought this was an interesting story but like Stay awake I really struggle with this writers dialogue. She calls prison “the slammer” and it always feels like unresearched dialogue of how she thinks cops talk. The audio kept me paying attention because of the story but I didn’t love the narrator. 3.5 stars

I read Night Swim two years ago and according to Goodreads I really enjoyed it even though I remember absolutely nothing about it now. So even though Dark Corners has the same main character, I do feel that it can be a standalone. However, I cannot promise that if you read Dark Corners first and then read Night Swim that Dark Corners won’t spoil part of the first book.

The main character is a true crime podcaster that gets called in to help the FBI with a case that has very few leads. It pushes her into the world of influencers, a current murder, and a cold case that has always nagged at the FBI/police.

I did not predict how this one would end and I truly appreciated the direction the author took. It was somewhat fresh in the world of thrillers and I needed that after a couple pretty meh reads in the genre.

The narration was well done but the production of the audiobook was even better.

GET THE AUDIO! 🎧

The audiobook of this is so good and immersive. It was so well done that I bumped this solid 3 star story up to 3.5 and rounded to 4 for this review. The story has a true crime component and hearing the recording portions narrated made for a very fun listen.

If you were a fan of this author’s previous thriller novel, The Night Swim, you’ll wanna get this. The true crime podcaster MC of that book, Rachel Krall, is back! This time she is trying to solve the case of a popular online influencer who has gone missing under strange circumstances that involve a man suspected of the murder of 6 women…

There was a little aspect of this that I couldn’t take seriously and was sort of silly and took away from the scare factor for me…curious to discover what other readers think of it. 😆 I also didn’t feel attached to any of the characters, unfortunately. Despite that, I still enjoyed the crime solving aspect and the author’s writing style was solid.

Thank you @netgalley for the early audio and ebook of Dark Corners! I enjoyed this crime thriller and think it will be great for fans of Jennifer Hillier and Karin Slaughter (but less graphic than her books typically are).

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for the review

Rachel Krall, a true crime podcaster, gets asked by the FBI to meet with inmate Terrance Bailey who is set to be released from his prison sentence in the next few days. Terrance’s last visitor before Rachel was influencer Maddison Logan- who has just gone missing. As the FBI struggles to find leads, they begin to work more closely with Rachel as she goes undercover at a popular influencer convention that Maddison was attending. Rachel is on the hunt to uncover how everything is tied together.

I absolutely adored the narration in this audiobook. The way that the podcast interludes tied into the rest of the novel was done excellently. Megan Goldin did a fabulous job keeping me on the edge of my seat and unable to stop listening. Lots of twists and great characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC audiobook to review!

Highly recommend on audio - there are snippets from the main character's podcast which are a nice inclusion!

This is the second in the true crime podcaster Rachel Krall series. This can easily be read as a standalone.

Rachel receives an intriguing call from the FBI and drops everything to fly to Florida where she finds the FBI is trying to use her to get information from soon to be released prisoner, Terence Bailey, regarding the disappearance of popular influencer, Maddison Logan. Bailey is believed to be responsible for the murders of some women prior to be incarcerated but now it is wondered if he had an accomplice.

This is very influencer culture heavy - which is not really my jam. The mystery is very solid however I don't love the influencer world and this was a huge storyline in the book. There are a lot of storylines, clues spread throughout the book, and lots of good reveals throughout. Rachel's level of involvement with the FBI did feel a bit out there. I really didn't care for the romance storyline and it really made Rachel's strong perception and investigative skills start to feel sloppy and not typical to her usual character.

Recommend if you enjoy
True crime podcasts
Police procedura
lInfluencer trope
Solid mystery

DNF @ 16%

At first I thought I didn't like it because so much time was used "replaying" vlogs by a social media influencer. I loathe social media and influencers so I found all her posts annoying and not something I was interested in reading. I figured eventually the investigation team would stop reading/watching so I tried to push through but NOPE.

I also think the editor might be in the wrong line of work... eek!!

Rachel Krall, well know true crime podcaster, is front and center in this second book. She is called down to Florida by FBI agent Joe Martinez to visit Terrence Bailey in prison. Convicted of breaking and entering, and suspected and several murders (which the police are unable to prove) Terrence is mere days from being released.
From there Rachel is sucked into the world of online influencers, as the FBI is looking into the disappearance of Maddison Logan, who had also recently visited Terrance, as the FBI wonders if his possible accomplice had kidnapped her for him.
This books kept me intrigued right from the start, the different points of view were interesting and while some of the twists were a bit predictable there were still a lot of fun.
Definitely hoping for more installments in the series.
Narration was excellent.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

DARK CORNERS review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🌳I was soooooo excited when I found out there was another book being released in the same universe as The Night Swim! I couldn’t wait to read more about the adventures of Rachel Krall! However, I ended up preferring The Night Swim over Dark Corners.

🌳Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Rachel’s true crime podcast has exploded in popularity, which leads to her being called by the FBI to fly down to Florida as they work on an active case. One of the inmates in a Florida prison is about to be released but is requesting to meet with Rachel before his release. The last person to meet with this inmate is a popular social media influencer who is now missing. Does the inmate have to do with her disappearance? Is Rachel putting herself in danger but agreeing to meet with him?

🌳I tried to keep my plot summary intentionally vague! I made the mistake of reading the synopsis listed on Goodreads and I think that was what led to me predicting some of the twists. 🫠 I enjoyed this story overall, but thought the romance story/subplot wasn’t necessary. Imo it took away from the thriller aspect of the story.

🌳While this story takes place in the same universe as The Night Swim, it’s not a true sequel. Dark Corners can definitely be read as a stand-alone and there’s no spoilers for The Night Swim! The podcast theme seems to be popular in thrillers lately and I’m loooooving it! If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts you’ll probably enjoy this one!

🌳Thanks to @netgalley, @stmartinspress, and @macmillan.audio for my advanced copy of this one! It publishes on August 8, 2023!

Megan Goldin continues to be one of my favorite authors. I loved "Night Swim" and am so glad she wrote a follow up with Rachel and the "Guilty or Not Guilty" podcast. This is an awesome page turner with great characters (the goodies and the badies). While, for me, there was no great big twist the story is so well written it's just a pleasure to read. Already cannot wait for the next book, Rachel Krall or not, from Megan Goldin.

This series is extra special via audiobook with an excellent narrator and the extras added in to make parts really feel like you are listening to Rachels podcast at points.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

Dark Corners
(Rachel Krall, #2)
Megan Goldin
4.5⭐️

“Sometimes the scariest monster is the one hiding in plain sight”

I enjoyed the Escape Room and Night Swim, but this might be a new favorite by Goldin!

Dark Corners was a fast paced "page" turner. I loved seeing our true-crime podcaster Rachel Krall again and getting more development from her character. There are mysteries within mysteries that keep you fully engaged and I loved the podcast/influencer elements. I was so invested in solving the case I didn’t want to put it down. I couldn’t wait to see how everything played out and to say I was shocked and surprised by the ending tells you just how perfect the twists and turns are in this story! Hoping we get more of Rachel, and also that this isn’t the last we see of Joe Martinez.

What I loved;
True-Crime Podcast
Influencer Elements
Twisty Thriller/Mystery
Romantic Suspense
Alternating POV’s

The audio was amazing. Andre Santana, January Lavoy and Samantha Desz’s narration was fantastic! The podcast chapters are formatted as an actual podcast with intro music and everything. Listening to them was so entertaining for me. Would highly recommend listening to this one!

Readers of Night Swim will love this one! Don’t worry, though this is Rachel Krall’s sequel, you don’t need to go back and read Night Swim first, but add it to your TBR if you haven’t because it's good!.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed this! I remember liking Rachel Krall book #1 but not sure if I loved it. This (to me) was better; maybe because it is more fresh in my mind. Would recommend if you like police procedural, influencer trope, & an all around good mystery. This starts off as a missing person case and becomes so much MORE.

This has a police procedural aspect. Although Rachel isn't a police officer she is doing her asking around & digging as if she is. At times she finds out more information than the FBI working on the missing girl case. I liked when she would get together with Joe to share information (swoon -- wait, don't forget this isn't a romance novel, Dani LOL).

The audiobook narrator kept me immersed in the story and I didn't struggle to stay focused. I read this as a hybrid audio/ e-book: I listened to the audiobook for a while and then skimmed thru the e-book later to be sure I didn't miss any important details (or I'd simply have the audiobook playing as I was reading thru the ebook as well, probably super strange I know haha).

The relationship between Rachel & Joe was so surprising but made me HAPPY. I hope we haven't seen the last of Joe in this series (I hope there is more to this series too)!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for the widget to read & review the ARC!
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the approval to read & review the ALC!

This is my first Megan Goldin book and it did not disappoint. I wish I had read the first Rachel Krall book - but I still think this one can be read separately. I would highly recommend this as an audiobook. Listening to the changes between Podcast and the normal chapters really kept me engaged and helped keep the distinction.
I enjoyed the storyline and how we as the reader/listener are able to begin piecing items together - but there are still twist and turns along the way. I am excited to see where Rachel Krall may go next!

This is the sequel to the Night Swim in which true crime podcaster Rachel Krall returns to action in investigating the case of a popular influencer’s disappearance after randomly visiting a suspected serial killer who is scheduled to be released from prison in just a matter of days. Rachel has to figure out why the visit would happen and how they are even connected and then is the influencer’s disappearance connected to the visit to the prison? Rachel gets involved after the FBI call her in when her name appears on some papers in the prisoners room. Apparently he is a fan. Or is there more to it than that? Soon after Rachel meets with the prisoner at the request of the FBI, another body is discovered nearby. Is it the missing woman? The prisoner will be released unless they can tie him to this murder and finally tie him to murders they’ve suspected him of for many years, but there’s so much more to the story once Rachel starts her digging.
This was a full cast audio which I liked, but Rachel is much less likeable as a character in this book than the first. That being said, you don’t have to read the first to be be able to read this one without any issues.
Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Wow. This book kept me engaged the entire time. With the short chapters and multiple point of views, it was such a quick read. I was on the edge of my seat, desparately wanting to know how all the puzzle pieces fit together. I had some theories which turned out to be right, and others I had no idea what was happening. I loved the added aspect of Rachel and Joe and I really hope this series continues and we see more of them and how they grow. The narrators were absolutely perfect and brought this story to life.
Thanks to Macmillian, Netgalley and Megan Goldin for an early copy.

I was so excited to find out that this author's newest release was a sequel to Night Swim and I was not disappointed! I really loved this book and I'm thrilled to have been given an early release! Thank you to Megan Goldin, the publisher, and Netgalley! I appreciate the podcast format, which is embedded so well into the main story. It was really engaging and suspenseful. Great story! Also, for the audio, I very much appreciated the mix of voices and the way the podcast chapters are produced (as if really listening to a podcast).

Wow wow wow! This second Rachel Kroll book is excellent. There are mysteries within mysteries and so many hot, current topics throughout Dark Corners. I always enjoy a true-crime podcast storyline and I’m really digging these influencer main characters and this book is full of both.
I really enjoy Rachel as a character in general. She’s not an unrealistic sleuth putting herself in danger or getting herself into unnecessary pickles. She seems very level headed and genuine, considering she had a popular Instagram, she fit right in at this influencer conference and was able to do some easy investigating. Maybe the police work was a tad unbelievable- as an avid true-crime consumer, they don’t always seem to work so fast or care so much and especially may not open up to a podcaster IRL.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The audio was especially fantastic. And I definitely recommend to any fans of true-crime, influencer life, and an overall excellent mystery.

I loved The Night Swim. I was so excited for a second Rachel Krall book that I reread it in preparation and loved it even more!! Unfortunately, Dark Corners did not even feel like it was written by the same person and i didn't like this one AT ALL. Spoilers ahead.

There were just SO MANY examples of people behaving stupidly and plot points that seemed way over the top. The hotel receptionist wouldn’t give out Rachel’s hotel room number so quickly - especially when she was staying under an alias and he gave her real name. Rachel wouldn’t have been so dumb to just get into a random car when she KNEW someone was after her! If someone runs away to go into hiding, they don’t then become a social media influencer always showing their face to thousands of followers! Rachel’s “romance” felt so forced and fake - I loooooove a good romance and this one just made me roll my eyes.

What was the point of the podcast “special episode” bits that were interspersed? Just for some info dump opportunities? It also made it hard to feel truly anxious when Rachel was in danger because we know she gets out okay to make that special episode that just randomly stops.

I could keep going and going but will stop here. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading and listening copies. This one was a miss for me.

I’m giving a 4.5 I love the whole story line and the mystery and twist thru the whole book and the mfc having a love interest with the agent in charge of the investigation. The only thing that I’m torn on is I wasn’t a fan of the music that would play but at the same time I feel like it was needed to differentiate between story and her podcast. I can give out take the sound effects but it also helped tie it together I think. It’s definitely a story that I would recommend to friends and family

3.75 stars!

Loved the first book and so I requested this one from @netgalley thankful they granted me a copy! Thank you so much!

The narration was top tier! I loved it so much just like the first book it was full of effects that mimickes a real podcast.

The writing style did change a little for this one in my opinion and it might be the reason why I didn't enjoy the plotline as much as in the first book.

I usually steer clear from books that have to do with influencers, which I didn't know this book was going to be about. It work a little but I wouldn't say that I loved it.

It was a good book. Fast and fun.