Dark Corners starts with Terence Bailey about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have reasons to suspect him in the murders of six women. Bailey, who never gets visitors, gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Oddly after the visit, Maddison disappears, and police suspect foul play? Hmm… is her disappearance connected to her visit to this suspected serial killer and just why was she visiting him in the first place? He couldn’t have kidnapped Madison. because he’s locked up, right? Oh but could there be an accomplice on the outside?

The FBI is at a wall in the investigation and reluctantly asks Rachel Krall, the popular true crime podcaster for help. Maddison seems only to exist on social media, with no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of deadly rivalry.

Welcome to the dark corners of the Internet.,

Thus slow burn thriller was great as an audio. The different narrator voices added to the drama as did the music and background sounds, like the crickets and birds.

I recommend Megan Goldin’s well written book and particularly the audio version. Dark Corners is #2 in her Rache Krall series but reads fine as a stand-alone.

As Terence Bailey's release from prison draws near, investigators' suspicions about his involvement in six unsolved murders of women intensify. Things are further complicated when Madison Logan, a popular social media influencer, visits Bailey and then goes missing soon after her encounter with Baily. What has happened to the young woman?

Enter crime podcaster Rachel Krull. Layered in amongst this thrilling missing person case is a deeper look at the impact of social media on our everyday lives. The audiobook is narrated by a cast featuring a full cast lead by André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. This was a fun thriller with twists and turns I didn't see coming and recommended for anyone who loves thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s press for this ARC audiobook. I was really excited for Megan’s second novel. I read the night swim two years ago and loved! Maybe it was the format, maybe it was the multiple characters & type of thriller this was, but it was just okay for me. I never felt the “ I can’t wait to read more” but more excitement to finish it for my TBR. I’ll probably try more of hers, but change the format to a physical copy.

4.5 stars, rounded up

Kudos to Megan Goldin on another good thriller! Goldin has shown us that she can consistently write foreboding, twisty, creative but mostly believable, and very creepy thrillers. What more do we need, really??

Dark Corners is a second installment featuring podcaster / sleuth, Rachel Krall, though, I don’t think you have to have experienced book one to enjoy this novel. This story is just the right amount of twisty - no predictable, but the twists aren't so unexpected that we have wandered into downright unbelievable territory. I really enjoyed the flow of this story and felt like it went along at a great pace. Additionally, contrary to some other books, I felt like the the multiple points of view contributed well and that the various lenses helped to up the darkness and creep factor quite a bit.

I have some very minor grievances with this novel, including Rachel planting herself into Camp Risky Behavior quite firmly, and our getting into the Influencer culture weeds just a bit. BUT, all in all, I found both of these to be pretty fleeting and minor.

I would pretty broadly recommend this one. In particular, I think fans of the “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder…” series would like this - it has the same vibe but make it adult.

For audio listeners: the voice actors were fantastic! (To be fair, I could probably listen to January Lavoy read a phonebook and enjoy it immensely.)

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for this free review copy! #DarkCorners #netgalley

I highly enjoyed this suspenseful crime novel. I was unsure if I would be able to fully connect with the story and characters as this was my first book in the Rachel Krall series. Fortunately, the author included enough backstory to understand Rachel’s actions and motivations without having read the first book of the series (although now I am adding it to my TBR). I liked how the author weaved in the characters’ stories throughout causing the reader to reevaluate preconceived notions.

The influencer side of things was an interesting perspective. Using everyday activities such as posting on social media or booking a ride share made the story eerily relatable. My only critique would be that there was a lot of lead up to a quickly resolved action. Not that I would want any less for my characters, but I was expecting a little more in that department.

Thank you to Megan Goldin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the advanced audiobook! I enjoyed the production quality especially the podcast parts of the book which included music, different narrators, and background noises. This was a nice touch that made it feel like a real podcast and added to the heart of Rachel’s story.

I really enjoyed Dark Corners! I read the Night Swim awhile ago, so the details are a little fuzzy, but I didn't find it difficult to jump back into Rachel Krall's world. This story was unsettling, intriguing and I enjoyed the influencer aspect. I thought there was a great mix of characters, where I knew who was who, but everyone had their secrets so you weren't sure who to trust or what people's motives were. The ending twist actually surprised me, which I liked. I was a big fan of the original cast of the TV show Criminal Minds and I thought this was reminiscent of that so this felt nostalgic in a way, but also the story was new.
Listening to this on audio elevated the experience for me, especially Rachel Krall's Special Reports with the additional sound effects. The narration was easy to listen to and engaging.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Rachel Krall books. The only problem is that I may never read them as I love the audio. I have to hear the Rachel Krall Special Reports. I wish more audio books were like this with what sounds like actual footage. Great thriller, great audio book and loved the romance.

With how enthralled I was in the night swim I knew I needed to read the second book. It is an overall GREAT second book to the series and I was invested entirely. Rachel Krall could be the next Stephanie Plum for me at this rate.

Great book! I didn't love it quite as much to The Night Swim, but I still enjoyed it. The narration was superb, the story solid and original. Loved catching up with Rachel Krall, and secretly hope there are more stories lined up for her.

Dark Corners

Thank you netgalley, Macmillan audio, and St Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I’m sure by now you have seen this one all over bookstagram, but I cannot get over how much I loved this book! I know there have been so many mixed reviews with this one and it seems like people either really like it or didn’t like it as much as the first book in the series, The Night Swim. I actually haven’t read the n first book yet, so that could be the reason for why I enjoyed this book so much. I will say that you don’t necessarily have to read the first book, as I feel like you are still able to understand the characters and what all is going on in the book.

I really enjoyed the influencer aspect of this book and I feel like that has been a hot trope that is being used more and more and I am totally here for it! There were some parts that didn’t seem as believable, such as the lead detective sharing sensitive case information with Rachel (I.e. showing her pictures of one of the victims).

I really enjoyed the narrator of this book and felt like I would reach more for the audiobook than the ebook. I felt like the narrator kept the listeners engaged and added special touches to various parts of the book. I feel like if you can suspend some beliefs about how investigations work, then this is a quick read that you might enjoy!

I loved Night Swim so I was so excited for the return of true crime podcaster Rachel Krall in Dark Corners.

Rachel Krall is summoned to Florida by the FBI to talk to suspected serial killer Terence Bailey at his request. Soon she finds herself in the middle of an investigation into a missing social media influencer who has ties to Bailey and attending a convention she wants nothing to do with.

I enjoyed the influencer sub plot. The people at the convention were pretty cut throat and when another influencer ends up dead, things really start to get twisty.

This was definitely an interesting mystery and I was there for the added romance vibes but nothing happened that really wowed or surprised me. I also missed all the fun extras from the podcast we had in Night Swim. Overall, this was good, just not as amazing as Night Swim was for me.

"Dark Corners" by Megan Goldin is a modern-day thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish.

Goldin weaves a web of intrigue and suspense that revolves around a podcaster's quest for truth for a missing girl. And in the meantime, sheds light on the super-gross "influencer" industry (but still kind of fascinating)...

The trio of narrators, André Santana, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz, do an exceptional job in bringing the characters to life. Each bring a distinct voice that contributes to a dynamic and engaging experience.

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced listener copy via the NetGalley app.

This was a solid thriller with some good twists and turns. I like that the book followed the same podcast host as Night Swim while providing a complete fresh mystery. With the podcast aspect, I would highly recommend this one on audio. While Night Swim read more like a piece of contemporary fiction, this one had a solid thriller plot. As a content creator, I loved the influencer angles.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This story does not disappoint! The world of influencers and the world of us regular people don't overlap often, but when they do, its an entertaining story. The way Megan weaves this story together using news clips, interviews, posts, and narrative keeps the reader engaged and guessing until the end.

I enjoyed this one. I feel like I might of gone into this one with my hopes a little high after the first, but it was still enjoyable. I love podcast chapters just like before and this made this one really fun in audio.

I found this book to be a bit slow for my liking and I didn’t feel like the story really lived up to its potential.

I was really stressed out when I started reading this book, because I had not read the first Rachel Krall book. I didn't know if I would miss a lot of the story even though everything told me it could be read as a stand alone. Let me put your minds at ease, this can indeed be read as a stand alone. I liked that we jumped in kind of assuming you knew a little bit about Rachel's world but still giving a refresher in case you did not. So world building didn't take up a lot of the beginning of the book. The book eluded to events that occurred in book #1 but mostly in vague events that were not too relevant in this book, but it explained that Rachel was a very popular podcaster. After reading the second book will I go back and read #1? Yes ,absolutely.

Rachel is contacted by the FBI to look into a presumed serial killer that is behind bars asking for her by name. He gets out of jail in a few days and the FBI want to tie him to some murders. Terence, amongst other prisoners, want her to clear their names. Then the only person who has visited Terence in jail goes missing. Madison is a popular vlogger who happens to be in town for BuzzCon. Rachel will infiltrate BuzzCon to discover more information on Madison and if anyone knows what happened to her. In all of this a budding romance occurs, secrets are uncovered, and mysteries are solved.

The narration was great, I loved that they had different actors coming in to be interviewed in Rachel's podcast segments. It gave it so much more depth, and all of the actors did fantastic jobs! I loved the little intro music to her segments as well as we are given a clue that we have something different happening in the story.

With the two POVs everything was pretty interesting. It gave the reader more knowledge than the characters in the story, which can take out some of the shocking elements of a suspense or thriller. Mostly because we know who the bad guy is and when they are going down the wrong rabbit holes. I loved the health conditions of our bad guy, you don't see that everyday and gave the story a bit of a unique twist. I also loved the red herrings that were thrown in, because it gave some interesting information and threw a few wrenches into everyone's mindset. Overall, everything was really enjoyable, I didn't want to stop listening because I wanted to see how everything was tied together. I think that true crime is so popular as entertainment right now that Megan Goldin was able to put a fresh spin on a trend that you see quite often. Definitely worth the read.

This second book in the Rachel Krall series was another winner. I think if I HAD to compare, I liked the first one SLIGHTLY more than Dark Corners, but they were both solid 4-star reads for me. I enjoyed the plot being around the world of social media influencers and how followers' perception of who those influencers are differs so much from the reality.

Something I find as a common complaint for me when reading series is that character growth is not demonstrated like I would hope to see if they were real people....which makes me seem a little crazy, but that's ok. Rachel is not a character I really relate with in many ways, so maybe that is why she seems less emotionally intelligent to me than she would to someone who better relates with her. She just seems a little petulant and impulsive for her stage of life, which results in me not loving the book as much as I would if I really liked Rachel more. Again, that's a "me" issue, and I still think 4 stars is a great rating overall.

I got an advanced ecopy of this book and still went out and bought the hardback so I could influence friends to read it. I am looking forward to whatever Megan Goldin publishes next, and definitely will be adding it to my TBR list.

Novels about true crime podcasts can be so hit and miss. I think that this one was a hit in part because of the fact that I both read and listened to the book back and forth. I found myself especially enjoying the way the audiobook handled the podcast portions of the story. They were very well done. Without the narration, these were still my favorite part of the book. You are listening to the main characters take on what she experiences and it was interesting to see how she put together what she discovered.

Novels about influencers are also a hit and miss with me. I liked the balance of ridiculous and serious amongst the different podcasters. That's not to say there were equal amounts of each, just that there was a view of them that offered some variety.

The story itself took a lot of twists and turns and I was pretty satisfied by the outcome. The action was pretty evenly paced throughout. The only thing that made me slightly cringe was the love affair. It felt forced and unnecessary.

This book is a follow-up to the night swim, which absolutely blew me away. This one, while still good, was not as amazing.

The world that Rachel inhabits this time is the world of influencers. While Goldin last time showed us multiple perspectives and gave us multiple opinions to chose from, the narrative in this book did not reflect that same unbiased opinion. Goldin tells us how influencers are all fake, they are vain and self-absorbed, and incredibly willing to stab their friends in the back. Rachel is supposed to be a journalist- unbiased and reporting only the truth, but Goldin certainly does not write her like that this time.