Dark Corners by Megan Goldin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dark Corners is the second novel Megan Goldin has written featuring True Crime Podcaster, Rachel Krall. Even though this is the second book with Rachel as a main character, in my opinion, this can be enjoyed as a standalone.
I would recommend the first novel though, The Night Swim, because it is such a great story. Additionally, I would recommend the audiobooks for both of these titles, as the podcasting elements translate so well to that format.
This story begins shortly after Rachel finishes up her investigation that was covered in the first book. She has just returned home and is ready for a little R&R. It’s at that time, of course, that she receives an intriguing call from an FBI Agent located in Florida.
He’s working an active missing person case. It’s a bit of an odd case and he is seeking Rachel’s help. Unable to resist temptation to learn more about the case, Rachel agrees to meet with him. She packs her bag and heads out.
The missing person in question is Maddison Logan, a young influencer with a huge social media following. She had recently been to visit a man, Terence Bailey, imprisoned on a B&E charge, but long suspected of actually having been responsible for the deaths of six women.
Shortly after leaving the prison, Maddison disappears. The FBI have hit a dead end. Maddison’s life is a complete mystery. She doesn’t even use her real name. How are they ever going to find out more about her?
Thus, Rachel gets shoved into the world of high-profile influencers. Creating a fake Instagram account, Rachel is able to infiltrate BuzzCon, a popular influence conference, which happens to be underway in the local area.
There Rachel learns more about the influencer culture, Maddison and the people she associates with online. Per usual, Rachel is like a dog with a bone when it comes to investigating crimes. She won’t give up until she gets answers. The FBI definitely called on the right girl.
I really enjoyed this one. I was a bit nervous going in, because I had read some less than stellar early reviews, but luckily, for me, this was a hit rather than a miss.
I became invested in the mystery early and felt the audiobook was an incredible way to experience it. I liked the examination of influencer culture and the convention was a great way for Rachel to immerse herself in that community.
I also found the mystery involving Terence Bailey and Maddison’s disappearance so interesting. There were a lot of moving pieces and it wasn’t always as easy to make out who was who, but I feel like it had a way of working itself out.
There were moments where I would start to get confused amongst the characters, but overall, I feel like Goldin pulled it together as the reveals were starting to happen.
There was a romance subplot, which I’m on the fence about. I could have taken it, or left it far behind. I ended up really liking the love interest, so I’m ultimately okay with it and actually hope they are in future books.
With this being said, at no time during The Night Swim did I ever think, you know what would make this better? If Rachel had a man? Never once.
Of course, if that is my biggest meh-moment with this story, I would say that’s pretty good. I’m not sure what the plans are for Rachel Krall. If there are going to be more books in this series, or not. I certainly hope so.
I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys taut and compelling mysteries, with a True Crime podcast element. I think these mysteries are well plotted and there are exciting twists and turns along the way.
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I look forward to more from Megan Goldin!