Dark Corners

by Megan Goldin

• ISBN10: 1250280680
• ISBN13: 9781250280688
• Publish Date: 8 August 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

Dark Corners follows The Night Swim in the Rachel Krall series. I love the premise of this series, that the main narrator is a podcast host who becomes deeply embroiled in the cases she investigates. In this one, Rachel is thrust into the middle of the influencer world after a famous influencer disappears, one who has a connection to a soon-to-be released convict who is also suspected of being a serial killer.

This book had a bit of a different feel to it. As a character, Rachel often seemed to lack the warmth she had in the first book without any real reason why, other than perhaps an alluded to level of stress connected to hosting a wildly successful podcast. More than that, the style was different, with only Rachel’s POV, as opposed to the dual perspectives in The Night Swim. Instead of the second perspective, there were inserts of the podcast as it was told after the fact. It wasn’t a bad style change, but different.

All in all, this was a great read, with lots of twists and turns. I’m not big into the influencer world, but it was an interesting behind-the-scenes-esque look at it.

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Rachel Krall recently grew in popularity thanks to her recent local crime coverage. Now, her podcast is more popular than ever, yet she's doing everything possible to keep her face offline.

That can be a bit difficult when the FBI asks for help finding a missing influencer. As we all know, the media coverage is strong when that happens. Yet this influencer seems to be a vapor trail – with no real-life footprints to follow. How can Rachel possibly help?

My Review:

I am so happy that Rachel's story continued in Dark Corners. I enjoyed the first novel (The Night Swim) but hadn't expected it to turn into a series. That said, I'm crossing my fingers that there will be more!

This time around, the novel dives into the world of missing persons and social media influencers. It was an interesting choice, but the mixture works well here, especially when combined with the podcast/investigator elements.

That said, these elements did make Dark Corners feel very different from The Night Swim. For example, there's no court case to cover. Instead, it's an active investigation, so time is of the essence. Likewise, there are a few other subplots to contend with (such as a potential romantic interest). So, if you're hoping for the sequel to feel exactly like the original, you'll probably be disappointed.

All things said and done, I enjoyed Dark Corners. I hope that Rachel's story will continue into more books, as I would be curious to see how that plays out. Only time will tell, I suppose.

Highlights:
Second in the series
Suspense/Thriller
Podcast-based thriller

Trigger Warnings:
Missing Persons

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[chymerra]

Rachel is summoned to Florida by the FBI. Meeting in a correctional facility outside Daytona Beach, she is told that her name came up when a well-known influencer visited an inmate. Shortly after, the influencer disappears, and the police and FBI believe the inmate is somehow responsible. Rachel is soon undercover at Buzzcon, an influencer conference, and learns how cutthroat influencers can be. With their suspect released within 72 hours and the body count increasing, Rachel and the FBI must join forces to track down a killer’s possible accomplice. Will Rachel be able to crack the case? Or will she end up a victim?

I am a big fan of Megan Goldin and try to read any of her books that come out. She is one of the few authors that are on my auto-approve list. No matter what book, I will get it and fan girl over it (no shame here!)

Dark Corners main storyline centered around Rachel, the FBI investigation into Maddison’s disappearance, and Terry’s supposed involvement. It was a well-written, twisty plotline that had me guessing and double-guessing everything. And when I mean everything, I mean everything.

A few secondary storylines help flesh out the book’s storyline. The main secondary storylines are Buzzcon, the bodies being found (past and present), and the rideshare driver. Each secondary story is vital to the main storyline, so if you start wondering why the author chose to include it, stop wondering and keep reading. Trust me, everything is brought together and explained at the end of the book.

I liked Rachel. She was just as sharp and on top of things as in the first book. I didn’t agree with her going undercover, not with everything pointing at her being on the killer’s radar. But, I did like the look into the influencers’ lives. What I liked the most about Rachel was that she was human and didn’t catch on to things. That made the end of the book believable to me.

The mystery angle of Dark Corners was well written, and I did believe what the author initially wanted me to think for a while. There was a twist to the mystery angle that took me by surprise.

There was a brief romance angle in Dark Corners that I was a little meh about. I could have done without it. It added no context to the book besides setting up the scene where Rachel was rescued.

The author did have the killer have a fascinating medical disorder. Until this book, I had never heard about it. I did some research after I finished the book.

The end of Dark Corners was interesting. I liked how the author wrapped up the storylines and explained everything. I did wonder if there is going to be a book 3. I hope there is!!

I would recommend Dark Corners to anyone over 21. There is violence, language, and sexual situations.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Megan Goldin for allowing me to read and review Dark Corners. All opinions stated in this review are mine.