I was surprised by how much I really liked this audiobook! It's been a while since I've been hooked into a thriller and the audio was fantastic! It's darker but not crazy dark like some thrillers. Tho I was a little anxious, unsure if I should be listening to it while I was running. 🫣😂🙈 It even has a podcast section in it which I would have loved even more of but the story was great. I was hooked and found the narrator so easy to listen to! Plus it has a TINY bit of romance which made me happy. The ending especially had me on the edge of my seat! Definitely a thriller you'll wanna check out and I HIGHLY recommend the audio format!

This book would have been better if there were less victims. There were to many names to remember of the missing and or murdered victims. I listened to the audiobook and the best part was the podcast episodes. This gave a clear outline of what was happening in the story. Otherwise, I would have been lost.

I really enjoy the audiobooks of the Rachel Krall series because they’re so well produced! The podcast portions feature a full cast and background noises. I didn’t enjoy this installment quite as much as book 1 because I really liked letters/dual timeline from book one. The romance seemed forced and unnecessary but overall it was an enjoyable read

5⭐️ Dark Corners was Megan Goldin best book yet! I loved it. She wrote a thrilling suspenseful story that held me captive. I loved The Night Swim and I was glad to see Rachel again.
True Crime is my jam and I thought MG did a really good job. Mystery and fear drove this and I was surprised a few times. It was creepy and cleverly told. I didn’t want it to end and I can’t wait for the next one. I highly recommend it. I listened to most of this and loved the audio version. The narrators were a perfect fit.
Thanks Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

Influencers. Podcast hosts. Incarceration. Beat the clock. This fast paced thriller has it all!

The main character, Rachel, is a likable podcast host who gets dragged into an FBI investigation involving a missing influencer, Madison, and the man that might be responsible who is slated to be released from prison in two days, Terry. I love how Rachel was smart and successful, as well as how the book blended narration with episodes of her podcast.

The book also does a great job of getting the reader invested into the characters and their backstories. Why is Rachel so work driven and relationship avoidant? Why did Madison visit Terry in prison and did he mastermind what happened to her? Is Terry really as dangerous as he seems or is he harboring a deep secret? I couldn't put this book down because I was so excited to see what happened next.

The ending was also a part of this book earning five stars. I love when a surprise ending pops up, and I did not see this one coming. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves thrillers that keep you guessing right until the very end!

This was such an addictive read I literally listened to it in a few hours because I couldn’t put it down. I loved the format of podcast updates/episodes interwoven onto the rest of the story. I also enjoyed being back in Rachel Krall’s world and watching her help solve the case. The story kept me intrigued and guessing the whole time. I really hope there are more books coming in this series! I listened to the audiobook and the narration was so good!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a free copy of this AUDIOBOOK in exchange for an honest review.

I am so excited that Netgalley has audiobooks now and this was the PERFECT book to test it out on. I have read the first book in the series, <I>The Night Swim</I>, but you don’t have to have read it to read this book. I was SO excited to be approved for a copy of this audiobook. January LaVoy is one of my favorite narrators AND different segments of this story feel like you are listening to an actual podcast.

I HIGHLY recommend this series if you are looking for a good audiobook. The main character, Rachel, has a true-crime podcast and in this book, she goes undercover to find a popular influencer who has disappeared. Right before she disappeared, Maddison had visited a suspected serial killer in prison. Is her disappearance connected to the visit, Rachel Krall aims to find out what happened.

In this story, I felt very engaged and invested in the characters. Where this story lacked for me was the resolution. There wasn’t anything inherently bad about the ending, but it wrapped up <I>too</I> nicely and perfectly. I like to read thrillers that are messier and leave you wondering. However, that’s a personal preference. I think many people would enjoy this story, especially if you enjoy the recent popularity of thrillers having a podcast element.

Thank you so so much MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me this fantastic audiobook to preview. I’m adding Megan Goldin to my favorites list now. This book utilized one of my favorite tropes—that of using a true crime podcast as a way to move the story. This was the second book in the Rachel Krall series and it is even better than the first one. Rachel is pulled in by the FBI to help determine whether a man in prison is a killer while a man on the outside is tracking her every move ready to grab her. If you loved The Night Swim by Megan Goldin, don’t miss out on this one!

4.25⭐️

Social media influencers, a podcaster, a serial killer, missing or murdered women. This could either be really good, or, as I’ve more frequently found, painfully derivative and full of plot holes and cliches. Thankfully, Dark Corners fell squarely into the former category. Well-written, with a fully fleshed out FMC, just enough twists to keep you guessing, but not just twists for twists sake. Good stuff.

This is the second book featuring true crime podcaster Rachel Krall, but it works well as a stand-alone. A good choice to add to your summer thriller queue.

Narrators André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz did a good job breathing life into the characters.

Thank you Megan Goldin, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

A great, quick thriller! I didn't love Night Swim but did like Rachel, glad to see her back in this story! I didn't love the influencer filler and stereotypes but they were easy enough to breeze through.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Megan Goldin for the ARC!

This is the second book in the Rachel Krall series and I actually enjoyed it more than the first. Rachel, a journalist turned true crime podcaster/crime solver is called upon to meet an inmate who is scheduled to be released from prison in the next 48 hours. Unfortunately, it appears he has his sight set on her.

I love the strong female character that is Rachel. And I thoroughly enjoyed the influencer life as a subplot. But one of my favorite things about this series is that the books are formatted into a true crime podcast, so I strongly recommend listening to the audiobook (which has great narration, BTW) so that those parts don't get lost in translation.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

While I did enjoy this I did find that the first half felt really drawn out. The second half did make up for it though and overall I didn’t see anything coming in the end. It was really fantastic!

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

Read this book if you like:
-True crime podcasts
-Social media influencers
-Murder mysteries
-"Only Murders in the Building"

Terrence Bailey is 48 hours away from being released from prison for breaking and entering, but he is a suspect in the unsolved murders of six women. Before his release, Bailey gets a surprise visit in prison from Maddison Logan, a popular social media influencer. Hours after their meeting, Maddison disappears. While investigating the suspected kidnapping, the FBI finds a connection to a famous true crime podcaster, Rachel Krall, and reluctantly asks for her help. Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel goes undercover at a popular influencer conference where she discovers the fierce—and possibly deadly—rivalries of social media influencers. Then, police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail, identical to one Bailey has. The FBI must consider the possibility that Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and an obsession with social media influencers, including Rachel. Finding herself the target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in dark corners.

"Dark Corners" is told mainly from Rachel's perspective and artfully weaves together multiple storylines that finally merge in a shocking turn. It is a gripping story that takes on the true crime trope in an intriguing way. This twisty thriller kept me on my toes from the very first page until the surprise conclusion. My only complaint is that I thought the story could have been condensed a bit. There was a lot of filler and repetition, and there was an entire storyline that, in my opinion, could have been written out entirely. This is the second book in the Rachel Krall series, but you do not need to read the first book to understand the storyline. Hopefully there is a third Rachel Krall novel in our future!

After reading an eARC of this book, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Samantha Desz, January LaVoy, and André Santana. I LOVED IT! Excellent narration, and I especially loved the special report podcasts. One of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to, and it made me like the book even more. I highly recommend this audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded up from 3.5
Only hours after visiting Bailey, who is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering even if he is suspected to be a serial killer, Maddison, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following disappears. Rachel is called in by the FBI to help find Maddison and figure out if her disappearance is related to Bailey in any way, going undercover as an influencer.
This is a mystery/investigation, book 2 in the Rachel Krall Series (book 1 was The Night Swim). I preferred this one to the first book in the series, but it was not a home run. I have read a few of Megan Goldin books now, and I prefer her thrillers to her mysteries. My favorite so far wear The Escape Room and Stay Awake, two page turners that will both keep you at the edge of your seat from the first page. I did like to have an insight into the influencer's world. The narration was great, and I loved the sound effects.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a really really good book. I finished it quickly in both the written version and also this audio version.
The plot was interesting without being over the top with the Hickory Man.
Several surprises I did not see coming until the very end.
Well written. Author did a great job
Narrator also did a great job.

The first Rachel Krall book, The Night Swim, was one of the first audiobooks I ever read and LOVED it.

This one was no different, with the podcast mixed in with the story plus the way the story is told is just so good that it sucks you in.

This was maybe better than the first book!! I loved the stories and how they intertwined and the ending was not what I expected at all!

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for advance copies!

4.5 Stars
This was a compulsive audiobook. As soon I pressed play I was hooked. Rachel Krall is back with a new mystery to solve that wasn't under her radar until being pulled in by the FBI to help with a prisoner scheduled to be out of prison. You are then following her as she tries to solve a new case. I didn't like the romance element but this was such a gripping and suspenseful story. If you like detective-type stories you will like this book.

True crime podcaster Rachel Krall returns in this underwhelming sequel to Megan Goldin’s "The Night Swim".

The book's premise was intriguing:
A popular influencer disappears after visiting a soon-to-be-released suspected serial killer in prison.

Why was the influencer visiting the prison inmate?

Was the influencer's disappearance connected to this visit?

Can Rachel Kroll help the FBI find answers?

When listening to Megan Goldin's "The Night Swim", it was difficult to put the book down.

When listening to "Dark Corners", it was a struggle to pick the book up, after hitting my pause button.

WHY?

The book suffered from waaay too many threads and a far-fetched plot that required a HUGE suspension of disbelief.

Even though this book is the second book in a series, it's a stand-alone read.

I listened to the full-cast audiobook read by André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz.

I always love full-cast audios, especially when January LaVoy (one of my favorite narrators) is one of the narrators.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

A note before I get into my review: while this is technically the second in a series, this can absolutely be read as a standalone. There are a few references to The Night Swim, and both stories feature Rachel Krall, but the stories themselves are separate. Honestly, I didn’t even realize this was technically a sequel until after I read it.

THE NIGHT SWIM REVIEW
An investigation into the missing influencer Maddison Logan, has the FBI calling Rachel Krall to help the investigation. When current prisoner Terrance Bailey claims he’ll only talk to Rachel about the murders he’s suspected of committing, Rachel finds herself at the certain of a story much bigger than she ever anticipated.

While I enjoyed The Night Swim, I liked this story more but liked Rachel Krall less. I felt that she had a much stronger and forceful personality here. Normally I like that in a female lead, but Rachel seemed to just come off aggressive and slightly rude. I just remember her being much nicer and emphatic in the last book, but it has been a while since I read it. Regardless, while we get mutiple POVs, Rachel’s narration is the dominate voice and I was certainly hooked on the story.

The podcast format is different in this book compared to The Night Swim. While I read this one, I think the way each of the sections are delivered, it would make a great audiobook.

I could have used less from the Influencer conference and found those portions to run a bit long. They seemed to take away from the greater mystery at play and I could have done without a few of those red herrings.

This was definitely an enjoyable thriller. It’s perfect for summer since it’s set primarily in and around Daytona Beach. Even though I felt Rachel had a different personality, I’ll certainly be reading more future books.


Dark Corners comes out August 8, 2023. Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

Rachel Krall from Megan Goldin’s The Night Swim is back! In book two of the series, the story begins with an unsettling mystery. After visiting Terence Bailey, an inmate who is thought to be the murderer of six women, social media influencer Maddison Logan has disappeared without a trace. When the FBI hit a wall in their investigation, they contact podcast host Rachel Krall for help.

Rachel accepts and flies down to Florida to help. Soon after the police discover a woman with an ouroboros tattooed on her, the police learn that Terence Bailey has an accomplice on the outside that has an obsession with influencers- including Rachel. Rachel is forced to examine the dangers in the dark corners of the internet.

Dark Corners is another solid and twisty thriller from Megan Goldin! There are several things I liked about this one, the fast pacing, cleverly planted red herrings. and the ending was very satisfying. I also liked the fact that we learned more about Rachel in this one. I can always count on her to deliver a suspenseful and highly entertaining thriller.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book