“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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Really good!
Slow. Could’t hold my interest. I didn’t finish it.
Main character was great! Loved the dual storyline/time-line. Both stories are tragic, and though, it was a page-turner, was so sad what these two young women went through. It was interesting that times haven’t changed much, rape victims can be traumatized and worse whether they speak out or not!
A blistering plot and crisp writing make The Night Swim an unputdownable read.
I could hardly put this book down! It is so relevant to the sexual harassment/abuse reckoning that has come to the forefront of the news in the past few years.
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is a hauntingly tragic detailing of two murders separated by 25 years, a podcaster, the victim’s relatives and friends, and the criminal who hides in plain sight. This one left me with a terrible need to change how women/girls are treated by the US justice system. The best read so far of 2021.
Reading this while also reading Know My Name by Chanel Miller made this a very interesting read, but also made me have more criticism than usual! I think an important lesson from both books is the impact of the media and those in the community have on the victim and the one being accused. It sort of touched on it in this book, but I thought it could be represented better.
I thought the ending was rushed too much with the reveal of the flowers and the truth with Jenny. The ending just seemed to tie up loose ends as quickly as possible without a whole lot of details. Kelly especially deserved a chapter of her own at the end.
I enjoyed the different ways this story was told whether through the podcast or the letters from Hannah. I wish the podcast was a little bit longer than what was shown and maybe had guest speakers on or something. It just didn’t quite come across as an actual podcast to me! I wish we found out more about Hannah and got to understand her and how she has been dealing over the years. I would have liked to see her initial thoughts after finding out about Kelly’s case and what made her start her quest for finding justice for Jenny.
Overall a great book, but it just left me wanting more out of it and questions unanswered!
This is a great book as long as you don’t take offense to something you might or might not believe in. Just as in Verity you think you have it all figured out then Colleen throws in everything totally unexpected. That is why I love her books. She hasn’t disappointed me yet!
The Night Swim is a suspenseful and riveting thriller.
The setting takes place in the small beach town of Neapolis. Rachel a popular true crimes podcaster decides to follow a current rape case for her third season. At the same time Rachel begins to receive letters about a young girl name Jenny who died 25 years ago.
It doesn’t shy away from what victims and accuser of rape faces. I liked that it wasn’t one sided and it explored the emotions of both sides.
I loved the way Megan laid out the story. You felt as if you were a listener of Rachel’s podcast and adventuring with her on her investigating process. The characters all have a sense of mystery surrounding them; they all have a secret that they are hiding. Megan entwines the characters lives effortless between past and present.
Overall The Night Swim is suspenseful, gripping, mysterious, emotional, scary, riveting, surprising and unexpected.
I loved this book.
This is not an easy read but especially not for people who’re triggered by sexual assault and rape. It’s infuriating but I think it does an incredible job at conveying the myriad emotions victims of rape experience and the reasons the majority don’t report the crime… It details How they’re victimized over and over again when they do, from the hours long exam they must endur, where every inch of their body’s are probed and photographed after the crime and how they’re then slut shamed in court by the rapist’s lawyers and made to feel like it’s their fault. I applaud the author for showing a side of rape/sexual assault that’s not often written about, as well as how much our justice system fails the victims of them. So even though it’s not an easy novel to read, these topics shouldn’t be and I think everyone should read it just to get an idea of what rape victims go through.
This book was so emotional, so full of controversy with topics such as rape, abuse, murder… He said she said… Choosing sides on what you believe is innocent or guilty. There’s two cases going on, and the older murder case of Jenny is what really tugged at my heart, even though the recent rape trial was sad as well… I kind of predicted who was guilty mid way but still had questions and they were answered though nothing ever makes it okay. I loved this. Probably will be a favorite of the year and it’s just started
I really loved this thriller! I was invested constantly of what happened to Jenny, what happened to Kate. I had a feeling their sexual assaults were related in some way. Rachel investigated to figure out with the help of Jenny’s sister, Hannah. I had suspicions of what may have happened. I was exceptionally surprised and happy that I had never guessed what the outcome was. I love when an author has a surprise twist that I couldn’t already guess. I enjoy so much how Goldin kept the mystery intense throughout and the way she wrote while having Hannah & Rachel each have chapters with their stories, but also chapters of Rachel’s podcast throughout. Absolutely five stars for this one from me. H
4/5 stars for this adult mystery read. Great for fans of Sadie! I loved the podcast aspect of this book. Great cover. Great narration. I didn’t love the characters in this one, but still kept me entertained and wanting to read more! Definitely recommend if you enjoy mysteries!
5 stars
I am fast becoming a #fangirl of Megan Goldin. Last year, I read Escape Room and was immediately hooked. So when I saw she had a new book out, The Night Swim, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
While, written in a completely different vein than Escape Room, The Night Swim is equally compelling and a total page turner. Exploring the shades of gray of rape is nothing new in the literary world, but Goldin puts a new, current twist on it by telling the story partially through a podcast.
The story explores the present day rape trial of Kelly Moore and a 25 year old suspected rape and murder of Jenny Stills. Told in alternating viewpoints of the podcast journalist covering the present day rape trial and the memories of Jenny’s sister, this story weaves together the past and present bringing the ending to a crescendo that will leave you speechless.
I don’t want to say anything more because well, this book is just one of those books that you just keep thinking about even after you finish it. And might I say that there is definitely a tee up for this to become a “Rachel” series, which I really, really, really am hoping happens.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my copy of this book via Edelweiss
Oh what a great read about a sad and often hidden subject. You read the title and might think it could be about that very romantic moonlight swim! Read this great book to find out if the moon is shining or not. Thank you for writing such a great book!
: Sexual Assault & Rape
This book is by far one of my favorite reads of 2020. Not because it’s a nail biting, intense, and shocking read (all of which is true), but because the author turned an emotionally heartbreaking subject into something that readers can not only learn from but sympathize with. Any book that deals with rape and sexual assault must be handled with precision and care. If not, the author could potentially alienate her readers and leave them feeling disturbed and disgusted. I’ve read books that dealt with the subject in ways that really turned my stomach because it wasn’t handled well, and it truly upset me. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case here and I applaud Megan Goldin for treating this book with the respect the subject deserves.
Now on to the book…
The Night Swim is told in dual point of views- one in the view of Rachel who is a podcaster that’s covering a rape trial in Neapolis and the other is a woman whose sister died 25 years prior. The stories are interconnected and extremely shocking when we found out how CLOSE the two cases were to one another; I wasn’t expecting it at all!
The Night Swim is also a character driven read, one that is intense and satisfying for those who enjoy these types of novels. I went into not necessarily expecting it to be so character driven but found myself to be delighted that it was because I think it’s the only way this novel could work. Why? Because it allows us to connect to the characters AND the trial on such a deep level.
This is a book about a woman delivering a podcase about a rape trial and finding herself embroiled in another mystery that’s a lot closer than she thinks…
I don’t want to go into the specifics of the novel because once again, this is a book that is better read without preconceived notions (I went in blind and am so glad that I did). However, I will give some tidbits about the things I loved about this book so you can get a sense of whether or not it’ll be something you may love too.
The author has done her work in regard to rape culture. She uses precision and care when writing about it and incorporating it into her story and handles it delicately as it should be. I don’t necessarily think I’m triggered by sexual assault within novels, but I know many readers COULD be, so I want you all to know that this book handles it WELL and fair. I loved this and once again, the author should be applauded for being so eloquent on the subject.
I’m a huge fan of podcasts especially when they are written about in books and this one was PERFECT! I felt like I was not only listening to a podcast when reading the transcriptions, but I also WANTED more from the podcast when the story was finished. Perhaps the author will write another book within this world? She does leave the option open at the end of this one **crosses fingers **
The characters were amazing in every sense. Rachel is insightful, bold, quick-witted, and just plain smart. Hannah was written how I would picture a woman who lost her sister to violence years earlier (I could feel her pain).
Lastly, the book is just plain good! I could sit here and spew each and everything I loved but then it would spoil the novel for potential readers so I’ll just leave it here.
There was NOTHING I disliked about this book. NOTHING.
While readers should heed the trigger warnings of The Night Swim, I highly recommend it to those who enjoy a unique and heart wrenching thriller. This is by far my favorite book of 2020 and I can’t help but recommend it to everyone who enjoys the genre. There are jaw dropping moments and a big twist you won’t see coming!
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I wish Bookbub had half stars because this story is a 4.5. There were parallel stories of rape happening which were hard to read but the ending had some twists I didn’t see coming. It was such a great story with strong women characters!
Megan Goldin’s debut psychological thriller, The Escape Room, established her as a clever and creative suspense writer. Her second novel, The Night Swim, is equally compelling and, indeed, haunting.
The Night Swim focuses on two crimes committed twenty-five years apart. Both female victims, Kelly and Jenny, were just teenagers when they were targets of heinous behavior. The story focuses on them, along with Rachel and Hannah. Jenny’s sister, who insists that Jenny did not drown after jumping off a jetty and hitting the rocks below, but was, rather, murdered.
Goldin relates that her goal in writing The Night Swim was to illustrate the “many parallels between these types of cases, and they repeat themselves over and over again throughout history, effectively.” At its core, The Night Swim is an indictment of a justice system that treats victims differently, depending upon their socioeconomic status and connections to power.
Jenny and Hannah were the daughters of a single mother struggling to raise her daughters in a small town where everyone knows everybody else, and money equates with the power to dictate who will succeed and who will fail. who will be given opportunities, and who will continue struggling and dreaming about a better life. At sixteen, Jenny becomes the target of local rough boys, initially due to their mother’s reputation but earning her own, as Hannah, six years younger and powerless to help, watches. They claimed that Jenny went night swimming, joined by local boys. And one night she got drunk, jumped off the jetty, and hit her head. Accidentally drowned. Case closed.
In present-day Neopolis, Kelly left a party, opting to walk home alone. But she never made it there. Were it not for her grandfather’s stature in the small town, her case would probably have been given as little attention as Jenny’s. Instead, Scott Blair, the son of the wealthiest family in town is about to stand trial. His college scholarship has been revoked and he is suspended from the state swim team, prohibited from participating in the national competition that could lead him to a shot at Olympic gold. Scott will always be known as the boy who was accused from rape, whether or not he is convicted.
Goldin says she sought to explore how both girls were “marginalized due to sexual assault. They were marginalized socially . . .” Goldin effectively depicts how the citizens form alliances, as Kelly is subjected to victim-shaming and her parents are ostracized. She demonstrates just how much has changed in the past twenty-five years, as well as how much things have remained the same. In Jenny’s case, her family’s status and reputation ensured that the case was never properly investigated. In Kelly’s case, a thorough investigation can’t protect her and her family from suffering because she came forward.
At the heart of it all is Rachel, the reporter who knows she should be focused on the trial that is taking place, but cannot turn her attention away from Jenny’s case. “Curiosity was Rachel’s kryptonite. Always had been. Always would be.” She is determined to learn whether the elusive Hannah, who continues pushing her to look into the case, but refuses to meet in person, is just a grieving sister who cannot come to terms with the truth about Jenny died or if she is right when she insists that Jenny was denied justice.
How the story plays out is far less important than the themes Goldin explores. But she delivers a fast-paced, engrossing, and disturbing narrative that seamlessly alternates between two time periods. Goldin never flinches as she explores the two crimes with sometimes brutal frankness and raw honesty. Rachel proves herself a competent investigator and reporter, dedicated to finding the truth and determined to help Hannah, herself a victim of what actually happened on the night twenty-five years ago when Jenny’s life ended. As Rachel inches closer to discovering what really happened and the manner in which the two crimes are connected, she and Hannah find themselves in grave danger. Goldin ramps up the dramatic tension until the story’s explosive conclusion. And leaves the door open for possible sequels featuring Rachel.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
This was a great, thrilling read. When you start this one, you can’t help but want to keep reading. I loved the true crime and podcast aspects of the story. You’re essentially figuring out the mystery of Jenny’s murder at the same time you’re figuring out where you stand with Kelly’s rape.
The way this author tackles the stigma and psychological trauma of rape is simply amazing. It makes you dig deep and internalize what you’re reading.
The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is simply because I figured out who the main players involved were with about 1/3 of the book left. I guess I read too many books like this
This is a definite recommend.
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.