Rachel Krall is the host of a successful true crime podcast, 'Guilty or Not Guilty'. Her first two seasons have uncovered new evidence that overturned a conviction of murder and solved a cold case. Now her third season takes her to the small North Carolina coastal town of Neapolis where she will be following the trial of Scott Blair, a college student arrested for raping a sixteen year old girl.
The case has divided the small town. Scott was an outstanding swimming star of the local high school and is almost certainly on his way to the Olympic swim team ..... unless he is convicted of rape. However, his wealthy parents can afford a top lawyer and publicity to put Scott in a good light. Unfortunately the girl he allegedly raped has been forbidden by the court to speak about the case and so is unable to defend herself publicly. Despite being called only 'K' to protect her anonymity, everyone knows who she is and she has been vilified and bullied at school and on social media.
The novel is written in two voices. That of Rachel as she attends the trail and records her daily thoughts for her podcast and that of Hannah, a woman looking for Rachel's help in finding the truth about her sister Jenny's death 25 years before. Hannah contacts Rachel via notes left for her to find, that will draw her in until she becomes obsessed with finding out more about Jenny's death with it's obvious parallels to the trial she is attending. Rachel's pursuit of the truth behind Jenny's death befor and after her days in court serves to provide most of the tension in the book as she uncovers long held secrets that have been buried deep by the town.
Rachel is well written by Goldin as a journalist who is acting as an impartial observer to the trial, reporting the facts but also discussing the ethics and difficulties of such a trial where it basically comes down to his word against hers and who the jury can most be persuaded to believe. Through Rachel's voice Goldin also highlights how traumatic it is for a woman to have to relive every detail of her rape on the witness stand and to then have the Defence lawyer try to prove her a liar. She asks why any woman would want to go through that unless she had been raped. Whatever the outcome, K's life will never be the same happy and carefree one she had before the meeting Scott.
There is a hint that Goldin might be back with another season of Rachel's podcast and I for one would welcome that.
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From the Publisher
About the author
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin 5/5 ⭐️
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin 5/5 ⭐️ Rachel Krall became famous when her true-crime podcast set an innocent man free. Although hiding behind the microphone, her voice is recognizable not her face. So when she comes to a small town to report on a new trial, she is troubled to find a note on her car asking for help. Rachel is taking a different approach with her new season and recording in real-time as the trial progresses. A local, athletic superstar has been accused of raping the granddaughter of the town’s police chief. The town is divided and filled with tension. Trying to stay focused and make her podcast a success. Rachel works date and night. Although the notes keep popping up and distracting her. Someone wants her attention and is following her. The notes are from Hannah Stills, insisting her sister’s drowning was not an accident. Hannah has been mourning Jenny for 25 years and believes Jenny was murdered. Rachel begins to ask questions around town but nobody wants to dig up the past. Rachel confronts the past and discovers it is closely related to the present. Rachel’s findings change the course of the trial and the town. This book grabbed my attention from the first line. You get two riveting mysteries intertwined in one book! The author’s dual POV was terrific! Rachel and Hannah’s narrations are equally captivating. I switched back and forth between the physical and the audiobook. I loved the narration of the podcast scenes on audio! I read this series about Rachel Krall backward but that did not spoil anything in this story. The Night Swim is gripping and mind-blowing. I highly recommend this book!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020
- Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2023
- Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023
The Night Swim
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin 5/5 ⭐️
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023
by Megan Goldin
5/5 ⭐️
Rachel Krall became famous when her true-crime podcast set an innocent man free. Although hiding behind the microphone, her voice is recognizable not her face. So when she comes to a small town to report on a new trial, she is troubled to find a note on her car asking for help.
Rachel is taking a different approach with her new season and recording in real-time as the trial progresses. A local, athletic superstar has been accused of raping the granddaughter of the town’s police chief. The town is divided and filled with tension.
Trying to stay focused and make her podcast a success. Rachel works date and night. Although the notes keep popping up and distracting her. Someone wants her attention and is following her. The notes are from Hannah Stills, insisting her sister’s drowning was not an accident. Hannah has been mourning Jenny for 25 years and believes Jenny was murdered. Rachel begins to ask questions around town but nobody wants to dig up the past. Rachel confronts the past and discovers it is closely related to the present. Rachel’s findings change the course of the trial and the town.
This book grabbed my attention from the first line. You get two riveting mysteries intertwined in one book! The author’s dual POV was terrific! Rachel and Hannah’s narrations are equally captivating. I switched back and forth between the physical and the audiobook. I loved the narration of the podcast scenes on audio! I read this series about Rachel Krall backward but that did not spoil anything in this story. The Night Swim is gripping and mind-blowing. I highly recommend this book!
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Top reviews from other countries
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- Ziad AlaqrabawiReviewed in the United Arab Emirates on November 23, 2024
Good mystery
