Marked as DNF on 6/30/23 @ 28% |

Other Megan Goldin ratings:
THE ESCAPE ROOM | 3.5 stars
THE NIGHT SWIM | Did not read
STAY AWAKE | 4.25 stars

I was excited to pick up DARK CORNERS after really, really enjoying STAY AWAKE. I previously read THE ESCAPE ROOM and didn't love it but did like the energy. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy THE NIGHT SWIM so I didn't read it, and it sounded like DARK CORNERS could have been read as a stand-alone even though it had the same main character.

Not reading THE NIGHT SWIM wasn't the problem here, though. I just didn't connect to anything. I don't know anything about Rachel, didn't like her personality (seems like people said she changed a lot from TNS too?), and just didn't feel like she even needed to be the main character at this point in the book (though that obviously could change). The plots were kind of all over the place and a little disconnected for me to be invested in it. I also didn't really want another serial killer vibe type book and was expecting a different feel, so maybe that was my fault thinking it was going to be more domestic, less procedural.

Overall, this just wasn't what I wanted or expected. Partially my fault for my expectations, partially just not connecting to the book no matter what, and I just decided not to push through it just to give it a three star rating or lower. From other reviews, it looks like I had the same struggles as some other people and I just don't think I'd come back from it.

It was a ton of fun being back with Rachel Krell in the second book of the Rachel Krell series. I love the mixed media /podcast style, and it made for a very fun and easily digestible thriller. I wasn’t expecting a romance sub-plot at all, but it was really well done and I loved their chemistry. Overall the twists and turns along the way made for a fun ride and I didn’t see the big reveal coming.

The reason I had trouble giving this one 5 stars was because the pacing was too slow. There were parts that I felt were unnecessary and didn’t add much to the overall story except cause the reveal to be dragged out.

I listened to this and the audiobook was 10/10. The narrators were enjoyable and I loved the added music during the podcast chapters. If you’re looking for a good audiobook to pickup I would recommend this one.

This was my first book by Megan Goldin - and I'll definitely be back for more. I was wishing that the author will bring back Rachel Krall in her next book, when I realized that this is actually the second book featuring the true crime broadcaster.
In Dark Corners Rachel Krall is helping the FBI with a missing persons case. She's infiltrating the cut throat world of influencers and YouTubers, through the twists and turns of the story. Its highly entertaining, and as I said, left me wanting for more.

Thank you NEtGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

First of all, you do not need to read The Night Swim before opening up this book. I read The Night Swim years ago, forgot what happened and was still able to enjoy this book.

Second of all, I loveddddd the influencer aspect of this book. As a book influencer myself it made me appreciate our little corner of the Internet more because this can be a wild and competitive field to be in when you really look at it. I thought it was all really well written as well as eye opening.

Next, I enjoyed this book! The mystery wasn’t exactly a mystery for me and I wish we got more clarity on the “why” aspect, but I still enjoyed learning about what was happening towards the end. I don’t feel the romance was necessary, but it was sweet at the end of the book.

I did the audio of this one and I enjoyed the theatrical aspect of the podcast parts of the book. I actually preferred listening to this one rather than reading it!

#AudiobookReview 🎧📖
Dark Corners | Megan Goldin
My sincere thanks to: Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for the complimentary copy
✨✨✨✨

Dark Corners is the second book to feature podcaster Rachel Krall (The Night Swim) and again we were treated to a podcast within an audiobook here. The production and narration upped my star rating for sure.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series or the excellent YA thriller Sadie, you’ll definitely want to go the audiobook route with this one.

I have an issue with the concept of “online personas”. I’m autistic AF and I don’t do fronts (and I firmly believe friends are friends online or off) but all the same, I *did* rather enjoy the storyline that satirically sends up social media fakery and exploitative “wellness” culture etc.

That said, I wished for a bit more story with Terry and a lil less of the influencer storyline. There was a LOT happening here between the cold cases, the driver’s POV, the new murder(s?), the budding romance with the grieving widow lawman, Rachel’s podcast, cat and mouse games…

On the one hand all these plot-lines keep you engaged, on the other hand, it’s a bit too much to juggle at times. The balance (for me) could have been adjusted to really flesh out Terry’s character so we were a bit more invested in him, instead of so much attention being paid to the social media sycophants.

That being said if there’s a third book featuring Ms. Krall? Sign me right up! I’ll be there with eager ears…


⚠️ TWs/CWs: Drug addiction, kidnapping, violence, stalking, murder, misogyny, grief, infidelity, alcohol…

Rachel, who is a wildly successful true crime podcast host, receives a call from the FBI that gives her just enough information that she can’t resist flying down to Florida to assist with a case. While she’s there, several mysterious things unfold that will leave readers guessing until nearly the end!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I am a little disappointed that it left me hanging in the last chapter. It didn’t feel like it was quite complete. However, I did enjoy the book and the narrator! It was an interesting story and plot line.

This is the Mystery Suspense, and this is the second book in the Rachel Krall series. I have read the first book in this series before picking up this book, but I think you could read this book as a standalone. If you do read this book as a standalone you will miss the backstory of the main character in this series Rachel. The mystery in this book had me pulled into. I really loved getting to know Rachel better. I also loved how this book shows how influencer are fake. I listening to the audiobook of this book, and I really liked the narrator. I was kindly provided an e-copy and an e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (Megan Goldin) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I generally don't love the "podcaster solves a murder" setup, but this one was good, thanks in large part to the storytelling abilities of author Megan Goldin. Goldin brings us inside the sketchy and vacuous world of social media influencers and throws a podcast and a serial killer into the mix. The result is a very interesting, well-narrated audiobook which makes the time fly as you listen. Megan Goldin is already a must-read author for me and now I know her audiobooks are great too. Recommended!

4.5 out of 5 stars



I love the books that have podcast segments so this was right up my alley. I have read the first book in this series and I really enjoyed this so I was glad to read this.

As I said I enjoyed Rachel Krall in Night Swim and this was just as good as that. I enjoyed learning more about Rachel and the influencer story was very engaging. I also enjoyed seeing Rachel involved in the beginning of a relationship with someone that was very well suited for her.

The narration by Andre Santana, January Lavoy and Samantha Dez was fantastic.

was so happy to delve back into the world of Rachel Krall after loving Night Swim (IMO, you do NOT need to read Night Swim to enjoy Dark Corners). While I enjoyed this story, I felt like it was a bit repetitive at time and overall predictable. I had a hunch of what was going on from very early on in the story and I was right. While it was enjoyable, it took away some of the mystery.

I really liked the idea of BuzzCon and Influencers being a main storyline. It was interesting to hear about their groups, ideas, and views on social media. I enjoyed that aspect and the fact that Maddison created a persona that was not her true self which is what we see a lot of in today's society.

I listened to the audiobook and I loved the different narrators for each POV. I also LOVED the added effect of the podcast music and background noises during the *Rachel Krall Special Reports*. The addition of footsteps crunching dirt and breathing during the podcast chapters was very immersive and added to the audio experience. I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook for this story.

I didn't really like the romance between Rachel and Martinez. It felt very forced and added into the story for no real reason. The flirting and romance scenes were a bit cringe to me and I just didn't understand the point of it in the story. (view spoiler)

Overall, this didn't wow me, but I did enjoy listening to it. It's set in Daytona Beach which is close to where I'm from so that was also a really cool aspect because Daytona was mentioned quite a bit. A fun little detail for me.

Read if you like:
- Multiple POV
- Podcast aspects
- Influencer lifestyles
- Immersive Audiobooks
- Social Media storylines
- Daytona Beach
- Investigations

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, the author, the narrators, and Netgalley for the ARC and ALC of this book before it's publishing date. All opinions are my own.
17 likes

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for letting me have an advanced audiobook of Dark Corners! I enjoyed it so much that I decided to get it in my @bookofthemonth box. I honestly enjoyed this one more than The Night Swim. Dark Corners was a novel with a bonus podcast inside of it. I loved this aspect and liked seeing both sides of the plot line. So much was going on in this book and I couldn’t predict a whole lot with who is guilty, who killed who, and why.

When I picked this one up, I didn't realize it was the second in a series, the first being The Night Swim. I listened to a few minutes, and quickly realized I'd enjoy it more if I'd read the first one. So I found The Night Swim and listened to it, then jumped right on into Dark Corners (something I rarely do with books in a series, but it was right there all cued up, so I rolled with it). I'm actually glad I did it that way, especially when I see some of the reviews of Dark Corners. I enjoyed both books, despite the fact that they're different in many ways. Maybe the differences were less jarring for me since I didn't have a fair amount of time and fond old memories of the first - in fact it worked in my favor because had the formats been too similar I'd have been bored. Instead I enjoyed the fact that this was quite different, in their settings, in the type of crimes Rachel was investigating, even in the fact that she didn't do an actual podcast this time around. I liked the different points of view and having a heinous villain giving us his twisted point of view. And I liked the insight into the world of "influencers" and just how ridiculous that world can be. (People who love following influencers on social media might want to steer clear lest they have their bubbles burst.) I really enjoyed listening to both books - the narration is excellent, and the production of the podcasts and special reports is a nice touch.
One small quibble - this book is set in Florida, where I live. At one point it's mentioned that a victim was left out in the open where it could've been devoured by jackals and other scavengers. That stopped my reading in my tracks - jackals? In Florida? I googled to be sure -the only jackals here (or anywhere in the US) would be escapees from the zoo. There were a couple of other phrases that I'm familiar with because I read a lot of British mysteries/thrillers. "Sleeping rough" isn't a phrase used here. I do wish editors would catch these things - a simple change from jackals to coyotes or buzzards or heck, even gators in this instance, could've worked.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Unfortunately, I DNF'd this. The audio was great and well narrated. I enjoyed how they went between her podcast to what was happening in real time. The story just took forever to pick up. I was around 30% in when I gave up.

Many thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

Looking for a totally easy pool read? That’s exactly what this book provided as I lounged in the heat, drenched in sunscreen.

When a popular infuencer goes missing, podcaster Rachel Krall joins investigators to uncover the truth.

🎧 I queued this one up on audio and found the fast-paced storyline and full cast narration an easy escape. With podcast episodes interspersed and the addition of extra sound effects (chairs scraping, doors opening), this format worked well for me.

While I was drawn into the storyline, it’s important to note that there’s little to no mystery found here. The killer is identified from the very beginning. The slow unfolding focuses on the connection between the characters and the serial killer. And as such, the plotline loses its primary capacity for tension and thrill. And yet, it still entertained.

Much of the story revolves around the world of mega-influencers. Snobbery and fakeness are on full display. I found this interesting, but much like the BuzzCon scene, I also found it lacking depth.

But the biggest drawback to this storyline for me was the impulsive relationship between Krall and the FBI agent. It didn’t feel organic, nor did it add to the overall premise of the storyline.

This wasn’t exactly what I expected of my first read by Goldin. But even with those qualms, the audiobook’s added features kept me hanging on and easily entertained.

Knowing how widely Goldin is loved in the community; I will be anticipating her next read.

Rachel Krall, the podcaster from Megan Goldin's book Night Swim is back! I really loved this book, and I actually was not a huge fan of Night Swim. But this book kept the pages turning for me!

Ms. Krall returns to help the FBI the search for a missing social media influencer who had just reached out to her for help prior to her disappearance. The first suspect is suspected serial killer, Terrance Bailey, who is just about to be released from prison! After meeting with Mr. Bailey in prison and not learning much, Rachel decides to attend BuzzCon, the social media influencer conference going on that weekend, where the missing girl was actually last seen. Rachel discovers that the world of social media influencers may not be as innocent as they seem, and some will stop at nothing to get what they want.

I loved this book, the twists and turns, and all the different characters. I thought the social media part was done well and kept the book very entertaining and engaging. If you like Night Swim, then you will definitely love this book. I read this book in a couple of days and was kept riveted until the very end. I listened to the audiobook version, and the narrators were fantastic. I love that there are multiple readers, it really feels like you are listening to a play! This was one of my top 5 favorite books of the year so far!

Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, MacMillan Audio, for this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

《3.75☆》

Story wise, this kept my attention fairly well. This was a first for me from this author. I enjoy the premise behind a true crime podcaster becoming involved in actual cases. I really enjoyed the little snippets of her actual podcast being thrown in the mix. I like that we're getting a POV from the killer as we go throughout the story as well. Audiobook wise, I'm a little disappointed that there isn't more of a back and forth with the other narrators. The majority of the story is told by just the main narrator. It definitely would've created more dimension to the story if the other narrators were utilized more. As far as thrillers go, it was an okay story.

This is the second book in the Rachel Krall series, a true crime podcaster who looks into unsolved mysteries and missing persons.

Rachel is contacted by the FBI when a young influencer goes missing after visiting a murderer in prison right before he is released. We follow Rachel in her attempt to help the FBI find Maddison and learn the truth about Terence Bailey.

I enjoyed this story. I like the back and forth between current events and her podcast episodes that explain more behind the scenes parts of the investigation. The multiple narrators made this story more intriguing.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of this book.

Thank you St Martins press for the complimentary ARC and Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC

I was expecting exciting twists and turns and got some but they kinda fell flat to me. Characters made some decisions i thoughts were kinda dumb. Some things happened that just wouldn’t in real life. And a lot was left to happened in the final 30-40 pages.

Really well done on audio, actually preferred it. Feels like it’s set up for a book 3 and maybe more. If there are others I would probably just get the audio

I really enjoy mystery/thrillers with a true crime podcast. This one was really good. This is more about discovering WHY vs WHO as the reader knows pretty quickly who the killer is and we are along for the ride. I hope the author does more with this character because I really enjoy it and the audiobook with the podcast format

As a fan of The Night Swim I was very much looking forward to Megan Goldin's new novel! I am happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it. I thought the audio was wonderful thanks to the various narrators who did a great job and the production that made the "podcast" episodes feel like a legitimate podcast. I found the mystery to be original thanks to the influencer element, which created a great whoddunit environment due to the superficiality and lies within that population. My main complaint was that the ending was wrapped up a little too quickly for my taste and left me wanting more, this may be due to more books coming in the series but aspects of it felt unsatisfying. Overall I found it to be a solid mystery and I did not see some of the twists coming, which is always so exciting, and I will gladly pick up any follow up books in the Rachel Krall series!