Book Review: Dark Corners by Megan Goldin (Rachel Krall #2)

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Always know what you’re walking into. Dark corners can be danger points.”

After a brief meeting with an inmate in a correctional facility in Florida, famous influencer Maddison Logan disappears without a trace. The name Rachel Krall (true crime podcast host who we met in The Night Swim) comes up in their conversation which prompts the FBI to fly her in, not quite revealing all the relevant details. The soon-to-be-released inmate, Terence Bailey, though incarcerated for B&E, is a suspect in the murders of six women, though the FBI is yet to prove their case. When a meeting between Bailey and Rachel ends with Bailey’s veiled threats directed towards Rachel, the FBI, sensing that Bailey might target Rachel requests her to fly back home.

“The scariest monster is the one that hides in plain sight.”

Rachel decides to do some investigating of her own and joins the social influencer conference being held nearby, which Maddison was supposed to be attending. As an insider, she is privy to a lot more information on the attendees as compared to the investigators in charge of the case. As the narrative progresses, we find Rachel doggedly pursuing every lead possible in unearthing the truth behind Maddison's disappearance and her connection to Terence Bailey, while also gathering more information about the other victims of the serial killer. Will Rachel be able to help the FBI find Maddison before she becomes the next victim?

I was intrigued from the very beginning and enjoyed how the mystery unfolded as the story progressed. The author’s depiction of the world of social media influencers - narcissism, cliques, rivalries and politics – was quite detailed. I won’t say that I enjoyed reading those parts much, but I do understand that those segments were vital to the story, though I wish they had been shorter. We see Rachel evolving both as a professional and as a person. She is depicted as more gritty, stubborn and outspoken as compared to The Night Swim. Though  this case does not feature on her podcast as a series unlike in the previous book, we do get to read the transcript for her Special Report on the case  in chapters interspersed throughout the narrative. With its suspenseful and engaging narrative and multiple twists and red herrings that lead to a satisfying ending, I quite enjoyed Dark Corners by Megan Goldin.

Many thanks to the author Megan Goldin, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the much-appreciated digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The book is due to be released on August 08, 2023.