“A blistering plot and crisp writing make The Night Swim an unputdownable read.” –Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling author of The Wife Between UsIn The Night Swim, a new thriller from Megan Goldin, author of the “gripping and unforgettable” (Harlan Coben) The Escape Room, a true crime podcast host covering a controversial trial finds herself drawn deep into a small town’s dark past and a brutal crime … into a small town’s dark past and a brutal crime that took place there years before.
Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name—and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.
The new season of Rachel’s podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation—but the mysterious letters keep coming. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insist she was murdered—and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases—and a revelation that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.
Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?
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When I chose this book being offered by “Book of the Month,” I just trusted my instincts and once again I was not disappointed. ‘The Night Swim’ by Megan Goldin is a captivating saga of teenage innocence and ferocity, desperation and insanity combined with so-called fun at the expense of others. The rich and the mighty parents step in to offer crutches to erase their footsteps. The truths of societal norms, which have shackled and looked down upon women for ages, have been questioned brilliantly in this book. The symbol of a mute nightingale takes this book to another level, much beyond the imagination of human apathy.
The story is set in a small town of Neapolis being shaken by a rape trail and Rachel, a former news reporter comes in to collect information for her popular podcast – “Guilty or Not Guilty.” Megan unravels the layers slowly by throwing in another rape that happened 25 years ago but doesn’t waste a word in dragging out the trail. She enters into the minds of her characters to give a heart-wrenching account of the emotional trauma that Jenny and Hannah must have experienced and clearly hints that nothing has changed after 25 years. Hannah’s wounds are still festering. Who would heal them? Would Kelly get justice? But Scott’s dad had hired the best lawyer. The narrative tears into the loopholes that are exploited by the lawyers to defend the guilty. The theme may be old but this is an outstanding tale with a fresh perspective.
This is the second book from Megan Goldin. I loved her first book – The Escape Room and was looking forward to her second suspense novel. She didn’t disappoint and I really enjoyed The Night Swim and think that this author will become a major force in this genre. It was well written with believable characters and a plot that kept me turning pages to see how it would end.
Rachel Krall hosts a podcast on true crime. Her previous podcast had helped an innocent man go free and now she is working on season 3. She goes to a small town coastal town in North Carolina to follow a rape trial that has the town in turmoil. Scott Blair a beloved town athlete and on the way to becoming an Olympian in swimming has been accused of raping a high school student who is the 16 year old granddaughter of the former chief of police. As expected many of the people in the town don’t want to see Scott’s life ruined because she should have been wiser and not drinking at a party. It all came down to a he said – she said issue that had the town totally divided. This is the first podcast that Rachel has done that follows a trial in real time and she works very hard to get comments from families and lawyers regarding the crime. While she is in town, she starts to get letters from Hannah – someone that she doesn’t know who wants her help solving a murder in the same town twenty five years earlier.
Hannah’s story is the second point of view in the novel. During her letters to Rachel, she tells her about growing up poor and about her life with her sister and mother before her sister dies in what was determined to be a drowning accident. Hannah knows that her sister was an excellent swimmer and that she was murdered but she needs proof to have the person brought to justice and she is hoping that Hannah will help her.
Both points of view during different time periods twist together to make this a book that can’t be put down. It’s a terse story that connects both time periods and in both cases, the reader is eager to see justice done. It discusses the back last many women receive when reporting a rape and what they have to put up with to get their rapist convicted. It was an emotional story about justice and I highly recommend it.
This book will haunt me for a long time.
A tale of two rapes, 25 years apart, handled expertly and sensitively. This book so captivated me that I am at loss to describe my feelings.
I was bereft.
I was furious.
I was hopeless.
I found vindication.
I cannot recommend it enough.
I need to go lay down.
Thank you to the BRILLIANT Megan Goldin, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending me a widget for this book. I am honored and grateful.
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is a story that will make your blood boil! It’s about a true crime podcaster and her quest for capturing stories of justice being served. When she travels to cover a very divisive and heated case, she ends up getting in way over her head with a second case from the area.
TW: Rape, sexual assault
After stopping for breakfast on her way to the town where she will be staying to attend the trial for her next season, Rachel spots an envelop on her windshield. When she opens it up, she is deeply unsettled as the person writing to her knows exactly who she is- a famous true crime podcaster. Rachel is alarmed because she has been very careful and made sure that she is known for her voice, not her face.
She tries to brush it aside, but she’s also curious. As she settles into town and begins researching more on the current case, these letters keep popping up… Rachel knows that she needs to stay focused with the current case in order to properly record this podcast season, but she also can’t help but be drawn in to the case that her mysterious writer has brought to her attention.
My goodness, this story was organized so well. It was almost impossible to put down between chapters; I just wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen next.
I listen to various true crime podcasts, so I was curious to see how this would play out. I really enjoyed the focus of being right in the courtroom to witness everything unfolding as it happened. I loved just how much of the trial was brought in, from commenting on the jurors to commenting on the tricks each lawyer used, all the way to the testimonies made, and then finally, the ruling.
The main character was definitely intriguing. I loved that she kept her face private to try to avoid attracting the wrong attention, but it did make me wonder how long her privacy would last as she was also telling others her name and what she did. I also liked her bravery, but sometimes she made some really crazy decisions that worked out in her favor that could have gone very, very wrong that left me shaking my head.
This story covers some very serious elements and doesn’t shy away! I mentioned a trigger warning above for rape and sexual assault, and those scenes and the victims that were forced to discuss it was absolutely heartbreaking. But those were just two troubling topics. Other serious elements included the treatment from the public that sexual assault and rape victims receive, the treatment people who have been arrested receive before their day in court, the struggle with “innocent until proven guilty,” toxicity on social media with the keyboard warriors, and so much more.
While reading, I couldn’t help but get fired up for various reasons. Tread lightly if any of those elements are triggering for you.
This is an all around wonderful mystery centered around crimes, both past and present. You’ll want to have an alcoholic beverage nearby if you drink. If not, perhaps something nice and sugary. You’re going to need a little sweetness to carry you through this dark tale.
If you listen to true crime podcasts and love the mystery element, you definitely need to check this one out!
If you love true crime podcasts, you need to read this book. It was touted as a psychological thriller but it’s so much more. The content revolves entirely around two cases of rape in young women (TW) but the way Megan Goldin deals with such a tough subject should be applauded. You will be immersed in the story immediately, the same way you would listening to a real podcast, and the main character who hosts the program, Rachel, is a strong, curious heroine to get behind.
At first, I thought there would be too much to keep track of because the book cuts between two different crimes and the podcast, but it all weaves together and I never got lost. There are elements of social injustice that leave you questioning our judicial system once again in the US while taking a hard look at how we treat victims of violent crime in our media.
This is a topical read, perfect for a book club or buddy read, because it should be discussed after. I highly recommend picking it up. It was a BOTM pick for August 2020 so you can get the beautiful collector’s copy for your shelves.
I had the most amazing Live chat with the author on Instagram. Check it out!
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CE-fM5dAXev/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
#botm
I was pulled into this story from the very first chapter—actually it was probably that first sentence that did it. I just had to know the circumstances around Jenny’s death and why it was so devastating. Little did I know that there would be two complicated crimes that needed to be resolved.
Rachel’s journey to Neapolis to cover a rape trial for her popular podcast finds her unwillingly becoming involved in another crime that happened years ago in the same community. She reluctantly finds herself digging into both and trying to make sense of the information she uncovers.
The Night Swim is a story that will grab you from the start and keep you holding on, and guessing, until everything is resolved. And man, what a ride it was getting to the end. You should definitely add this to your reading list—I highly recommend it!
Emotional novel about a rape trial in a small tight knit community. Rachel decides to cover thIs trial for her podcast season. There’s two sides to the case and all of the locals have their own opinion. There’s the young man who everyone thinks is a model good guy. There’s the young woman who says he raped her. Both sets of parents want their own justice for their child. Both attorneys are the best. Running parallel to the case, Rachel learns about something that happened to another young woman years ago from her sister. It was said she died in a swimming accident, but her sister feels she was murdered. There are a lot of unknown relationships between the characters and there’s more about the past that people have kept hidden for years.
Wow. Just, wow. This was an unbelievably all-too-believable book that was so well-presented and emotionally charged that I couldn’t put it down… I was on vacation when I started reading. I had read The Escape Room and liked it as a fairly easy thriller – interesting and well-paced and a quick, easy read – and figured Goldin’s second would be more of the same. When I started reading, realized it was a book about rape and violence against women, I almost put it down. I didn’t see how it could be another “easy thriller” given the topic. I tend to avoid these as topics, and they certainly aren’t “vacation reads”… But from the opening paragraphs I was completely and utterly drawn into Goldin’s world and simply couldn’t stop reading until I knew what had happened – both to K and to Jenny (and Hannah, of course).
The choice of a true-crime podcaster as the protagonist gave the story an angle that I was less familiar with and I found Rachel to be a totally accessible, believable character who felt like a “regular” person thrust into an extraordinary series of events. It never felt forced, she never acted in ways that felt disingenuous or forced. She was a real person, uncovering unreal details about all too real events and worked beautifully as the source of those revelations. I have been raving about this one to everyone I know, and am exceptionally impressed at the way the author crafted a tight mysterious thriller out of the hot mess that is rape trials and rape investigations. Goldin was sensitive without being melodramatic, and her crisp prose was unflinching without feeling overdone or presented for shock value.
This was a difficult read but an exceptional one and I’m DEFINITELY a member of the Megan Goldin fan club as a result of it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy. The book releases in the U.S. tomorrow, August 4, 2020.
I read Megan Goldin’s first book, The Escape Room, and wondered if she would be able to hold a reader with the gripping turn of events that is laid out in The Night Swim. She did it and had me on the edge of my seat with my heart racing and in my throat at times.
This book covers a very controversial topic, rape. These two quotes from the book capture how rape is looked at as a crime.
“When school kids are shot by a random shooter, nobody asks whether the victims should have taken more precautions. Nobody suggests that maybe the victims should have skipped school that day. Nobody ever blames the victims.”
“I don’t get how we can almost unanimously agree that murder is wrong, yet when it comes to rape some people still see shades of gray.”
This story weaves together two tragic crimes, one from 25 years ago and one from the present. Both are rape crimes and the manner in which the victims are treated is appalling. The crazy part is how these stories are tied together in a remote manner. I can’t say much to not spoil the book, but what I thought had happened and who was involved from 25 years ago was off the mark. I was quite surprised at the turn of events.
The author tells relates this tale from two points of view – Rachel and Hannah. Rachel has a true crime podcast and has decided to take this next season in a slightly different direction, she is going to follow an actual trial vs following up on a case that has convicted an innocent person. What she doesn’t expect is to receive letters from Hannah who is the younger sister of a young woman that died 25 years ago, also a victim of rape and potentially murder. We don’t actually meet Hannah until the end except through letters to Rachel retelling what she remembers from that time. It is Rachel’s investigation that helps to uncover the truth. For two similar crimes to happen in this small coastal town seems extraordinary. As the truth comes to light, there is more at play than just some teenage boys hurting Hannah’s sister.
I think I read this book in a day and had it not been for work I would have probably read it straight through until I finished it within a few hours. I was amazed at the emotions the author was able to draw from me as I read about these young women and what they endured.
If you enjoy thrillers then definitely pick up this book. I think this will be another hit for the author. We give it 5 paws up.
This was one of the most riveting books I have listened to this year. The three narrators did an awesome job with this book. They brought the characters to life for me. I feel the need to put a warning here. If you are a survivor of rape, there are areas that might be intense for you. I did not know to expect that and was taken by surprise. It took me back and I’ll be dealing with that, at the least, tonight. I don’t know if it was hearing it that hit me so hard or if it would have anyway if I was reading an ebook or print. I think with E-book or print I could have skimmed ahead but I don’t really know. In case someone is thinking the author was unnecessarily graphic with the rape, it wasn’t that part. The author describes what happens after. I didn’t even realize how much that stayed with me until today. Even though it affected me so much, I think it was important for the story. I think it plays an educational role for those who haven’t gone through it and may help with understanding and helping survivors. It’s kind of double edged for me.
What is this book about? A popular podcaster, Rachel, is covering the trial for the rape of a teenage girl. In doing so she uncovers another rape and suicide, that may be a murder, of another girl from that town years earlier. No one was convicted in that case as the victim was deceased. Rachel is covering the recent rape while also trying to unravel what happened with Jenny 25 years prior. The story was riveting for me. I listened to it all day, only stopping when I was triggered. I took a breather and kept pushing through because I needed to know how it would all end. There were some surprises along the way.
I do think it’s an important book as it brings up just how difficult rape trials are. I don’t have an answer on how to address that while insuring the accused gets a fair trial. I am grateful for the advances in DNA. Perhaps we can move forward to a place where survivors have options on how to testify that won’t be so traumatic.
I was given an audio copy by MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for review purposes. My review is my honest feelings and thoughts about this book.
Goldin has accomplished what few others can. She has told in involving, engrossing, and thrilling story about not just one crime but two. The story slingshots between the current rape trial of a local teenager by a popular and talented swimmer and the rape-murder of another teenager many years ago. The story is told by Rachel who is the creator of a podcast that discusses and examines controversial crimes and their aftermath. The novel is told from the point of Rachel as she conducts her investigation into both crimes.
The Night Swim is a rapid and enthralling read about rape and how it is viewed. The narrative is well written and the characters are believable and realistic. The Night Swim is not only an entertaining story but a useful and informative treatise about rape and crime.
Wow! While this started a tiny bit slow for me, the stage(s) all had to be set and were quite intriguing. I got caught in that snare, getting deeper into the events all leading up to the pending rape trial. Rachel, a true crime podcast host, coincidentally gets mail addressed to her, begging her to investigate a suspicious suicide from a quarter of a century ago. The sender claimed it was murder, and it happened in the exact same small east coast town she was traveling to. What are the odds, right?
Rachel had a gut feeling, so was trying to dig up information on both cases. Not easy! Small towns tend to close up and take care of their own, well that, maybe along with some greased palms, and prominent families.
Very well written with freakishly good twists and information coming from left fields, this follows the trial of Scott Blair, aged 18, accused of raping K., aged 16, the prior year. The narration is very blunt about the court systems and though fiction, it actually runs parallel to some true crimes. Believable! The cold case she was digging into also realistic, gruesome, and so tragic, for so many.
I can’t say which one was more interesting, they both had the holy hell factors. In the end, no one really wins. Both made my heart break, and not just for the victims.
A great read, but rather unsettling for me, there are finalities to each.
I received an ARC thru Netgalley and this is my honest opinion, given voluntarily.
Many of the thrillers I’ve been reading lately include rape or sexual assault. I haven’t been seeking these out, but since #metoo and people talking more about rape, many more authors have been writing about it. Write what you know or write with the times.
Some of these books have been very good, while I’ve felt others wrote about this topic because it’s currently in the media, but they really should have looked for a different angle.
I don’t care why Megan Goldin decided to write The Night Swim, because it’s been the best recently written book I’ve read about rape. And I also want to mention that I read this book in one sitting, which I haven’t done in a long time. It was so good I needed to find out what was going to happen.
Goldin combines two stories into one, with a girl, Jenny, who drowned over 20 years ago and a rape trial that is happening now. The way they are weaved together is masterful. There is also a stalker involved who does some really creepy things to get Rachel’s attention.
Goldin leaves plenty of clues in the story so the reader feels as if they are part of the jury trying to discern what information is pertinent, and as a sleuth following Rachel around as she tries to find out what happened to Jenny all those years ago. Some things I saw coming, and you will too, if you pay attention. But there were still a few surprises, which made this book even better.
I highly recommend The Night Swim, as well as Goldin’s other book, The Escape Room.
After her crime podcast allows a man to go free, Rachel finds herself chasing the next trial for her show. The new season of her podcast finds her in a small town that is devastated by the rape and drowning of Jenny Stills. A local boy, a destined Olympic swimmer, is at the forefront of the trial – accused of the rape. Being pressured to make her podcast a continued success, Rachel finds herself thrown into the investigation after receiving mysterious letters. The letters state that Jenny was murdered, and not drowned, like the officials had stated. Rachel starts to dig up clues from 25 years ago, and the past comes back to haunt the town. She starts to piece together the connections between two different cases – causing the trial to take a different turn and change the lives of those involved.
I listened to the audiobook of this, and let me tell you, it was AWESOME. I loved how it incorporated Rachel’s podcast into it. It was like I was listening to an actual murder podcast in an audiobook. I got the best of both worlds. I wish justice would’ve been served for the boy accused of the rape! But, nonetheless, a really good edge of your seat thriller. A great read that brings the sad reality of rape culture in today’s society.
Megan Goldin has done it again. I really enjoyed her first book The Escape Room and I really believe I enjoyed this book even more.
I didn’t know if I’d like this story or not as it is about a subject that to this day is still very difficult for me but Megan Goldin handled the subject matter and the storyline beautifully that I personally didn’t take offense to it as I normally do when the subject is as sensitive as rape vs consensual sex.
The story centers around Rachel who has a podcast centered around crime and for the first time she is covering a live trial in a small town that is very divided over the defendant’s guilt or innocence. Especially when the accused is a very popular and athletic town hero with very wealthy parents. Rachel is also drawn into a story of something that happened in the same town 25 years before but nothing was ever done.
Definitely worth the read. I found it to be a page turner and wanted to know constantly what was going to happen next. This book was an easy and fast read and for those that enjoy a good story along with a mystery thrown in as a side story, this book is for you. I will definitely be reading more of Megan Goldin’s books.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I’d never read this author, but the subject of the book caught my attention. I didn’t know that this book would suck me in completely from the beginning. I love how the author jumps between Rachel, Hannah and the podcast that she does. You get glimpses of the past from Hannah in letters, and Rachel trying to focus on the case in front of her, but getting pulled into another case from decades earlier. If you haven’t thought about giving this book a chance, you should. It was really good!
This was an emotionally challenging book to read. However, no matter how heavy and trauma-absorbed the story, the author does a great job of addressing the difficult aspects of rape in a sensitive manner. The two thread of the two cases are woven together and ultimately affects the trial and the lives of the individuals involved. Twists and a great ending make for an interesting read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
The Night Swim is a look at rape and the tendency of many to shame the victim, especially in a small town. The story is told primarily through the eyes of Rachel Krall, a podcaster. Her quest to find the truth is told by her directly while the backstory and opinions are examined through her true crimes podcast.
The saga begins with Rachel coming to the small town of Neapolis riding high on her successful true crimes podcast. The previous year she helped free a man wrongfully accused and in prison. Now she wants to investigate the alleged rape of a young girl by the hometown sport’s hero. Her hope is that this season is bigger than last year.
My first thought after reading this book, is that it will not be for everyone. The rape, the bullying, and blaming the victim is hard to take sometimes. However, if you can manage, The Night Swim is an accurate look at the criminal justice system regarding rape cases.
While in Neapolis, Rachel is pulled into a cold case by a stalker, Hannah. The mystery of who Hannah is and how she connects to the current case, is curious. After many letters to the radio station begging Rachel to investigate the death of her sister, Hannah begins stalking Rachel with letters, notes on her car, and requests to meet in out of the way places. It is a little spooky and makes the reader tense and curious about who Hannah is and what is her end game.
The author’s descriptions of the area, the people, and the process will conjure up, the horrible details of what happened to these young girls whether you want to or not. You are reminded how the victims of rape are made to feel at fault. How the lawyers are allowed to verbally rape the victim on the stand. It was consensual. She was asking for it. Her dress was provocative everybody knows she puts out. She said no but I know she meant yes. You know all the justifications boys and men have used for centuries are allowed.
I’m not sure enjoy is the right word to use, but this is a good book that is well worth your time. This is a story that will stay with you long after you read the end. There is a big “I didn’t see that coming” moment that explains a lot and shocked the hell out of me.
I started reading the story then switched to the audio version after suggestions from members of my reading group. The audio is performed by January LaVoy, a new to me narrator who does an excellent job distinguishing the voices of the three points of view, Rachel, Hannah, and the podcast. I suggest getting both. I make notes on my Kindle and listen to the audio while driving or doing other things. A must read.
Rachel Krall is the host of a highly successful true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, and she’s on her way to Neapolis, North Carolina to cover a contentious rape trial for her second season. She’s taken extraordinary care to keep her physical identity secret and her audience has not seen her likeness. So, she’s unnerved when she finds a note addressed to her placed on the rental car outside a diner on the outskirts of Neapolis. The note, from Hannah Stills, asks for her help in examining the drowning death of her sister Jenny in the same town 25 years ago. She believes she was murdered.
The story is a chilling examination of our rape culture, both past and present. The trial serves as a microcosm of the issues surrounding how victims are treated, the unique nature of how the cases are tried in our court systems and how both the alleged victims and rapists are often characterized. It’s a difficult one to absorb from any perspective, extremely hard for me as I’ve been a longtime advocate of change in our system. The young woman at the center of this case typifies the victims who decide to take their assaults to trial. The town splits sides as the young man who is accused of raping her is also symbolic of many of those on trial in that he comes from an upstanding family, is viewed positively in the community and asserts that the sex was consensual. The situation is tough enough but made even more heartbreaking as Rachel investigates what happened to Jenny Stills a generation ago.
I’m so glad I opted to listen to this book as excerpts of Rachel’s podcast are included throughout the trial, making this more compelling as we get to see how the trial is capsulized in every episode (what better way to take in a podcast!). And, the main narrator is my most favorite, January LaVoy who delivered another great performance (they all did). While this is a difficult topic, it’s brilliant in its presentation of controversial issues that keep you riveted. The courtroom drama was palatable and the mystery of what happened to Jenny kept me hooked as I looked for connections and resolution. I’m deliberately not sharing anything related to the ending not only to avoid spoiling it for new readers/listeners but to emphasize that the journey getting there is even more important. This is a must read, but especially on audio.
The author successfully weaves two dramatic story lines and comes up with a great surprise at the end.