The Night Swim (Rachel Krall, #1) in Reading with Style

Oct 06, 2024 Connie G rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club, mystery, crime, north-carolina, thriller

Rachel Krall is a true-crime podcast host who is covering a rape trial in a small North Carolina town where everyone has an opinion. The defendant is a champion swimmer who had the Olympic trials in his plans. The accusation comes from a teenage girl who is so devastated that it's questionable whether she will be emotionally able to testify in court.

Rachel finds a letter on her windshield asking her to look into another crime that happened 25 years ago. Her correspondent thinks her older sister ...more

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Aug 04, 2020 Krista rated it really liked it

Shelves: setting-usa, 2020-netgalley-reviewed, myst-crime, setting-usa-nc, 2020-books-read, alternating-pov-narration, kindle-netgalley, dual-timelines, mystery, fiction

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars

Trigger Warning: Rape, Sexual Assault

This is the second book in a row that I have read that has featured a true-crime podcast. One of these days I鈥檓 going to listen to an actual true-crime podcast! In 鈥淭he Night Swim鈥�, Rachel Krall is riding the wave of popularity for her podcast, 鈥淕uilty not Guilty鈥� which got an innocent man cleared of a murder conviction in its first season. For this season鈥檚 podcast, she has come to the small town of Neapolis, NC. She Rating: 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars

Trigger Warning: Rape, Sexual Assault

This is the second book in a row that I have read that has featured a true-crime podcast. One of these days I鈥檓 going to listen to an actual true-crime podcast! In 鈥淭he Night Swim鈥�, Rachel Krall is riding the wave of popularity for her podcast, 鈥淕uilty not Guilty鈥� which got an innocent man cleared of a murder conviction in its first season. For this season鈥檚 podcast, she has come to the small town of Neapolis, NC. She is covering the rape trial of a local 鈥榞olden boy鈥� swimmer who has Olympic aspirations. He has been accused of raping the sixteen year-old granddaughter of the local Chief of Police.

However, someone in town has another idea of what Rachel should be focusing on while she is in town. Hannah keeps leaving notes all over the place for Rachel. Twenty-five years ago Hannah鈥檚 sister died by drowning. However, Hannah is convinced that she was murdered, and she finally convinces Rachel to help her investigate the circumstances of Hannah鈥檚 death.

This dual-timeline story is masterfully crafted, and contains gut-wrenching scenes of sexual assault. The inclusion of the assaults were not gratuitous. They moved the plot along its path. However, they were not easy to read. Fair warning, I had to take a break occasionally and come up for some fresh air. This extremely compelling book sucked me in, and made me hold my breath as it moved to an outstanding conclusion.

I would recommend it to readers who like fast-paced thrillers, and courtroom dramas. The chapters were short enough to keep me turning the pages. The writing is creative. It shed more much needed light on sexual assaults, and the ramifications it has on its victims. While this is much different from Ms. Goldin鈥檚 earlier work, 鈥淭he Escape Room鈥�, it is just as compelling in a completely new way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.
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Jun 30, 2021 Sandra rated it really liked it

Shelves: female-author, netgalley-arc, audiobooks, books-read-in-2021

I absolutely loved 'The Escape Room' so when the new novel from Megan Goldin appeared on my radar I was very excited and knew I had to get it!

Rachel Krall, a popular true crime podcaster, travels to Neopolis, North Carolina to cover a rape trial in which the accused is the town's golden boy and local hero. Soon Rachel starts receiving letters from Hannah, asking for Rachel's help look into a crime her sister was a victim of 25 years earlier.

Told through 3 points of view (Rachel, Hannah and the ...more

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