Dark Corners: A Novel

Written by Megan Goldin

Narrated by André Santana, January LaVoy and Samantha Desz

This program features multicast narration.

"Samantha Desz and January LaVoy take this novel to new heights by giving a realistic voice to every emotion and scene. Brava!"- The Reading Frenzy

"Narrators ... Samantha Desz and January LaVoy are ... perfect [in] Megan Goldin's latest thriller involving a true-crime podcaster and her coverage of a rape trial in a North Carolina town. Desz and LaVoy ensure that Rachel Krall and her podcast unfold in an authentic manner that depicts her as powerful and tenacious." —AudioFile on The Night Swim

"A gripping story that is equal parts shocking, unnerving, and thrilling. Goldin takes the ‘true crime’ trope to new and unexpected territory.” —Karin Slaughter, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of Girl, Forgotten

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed The Night Swim, returns to search for a popular influencer who disappears after visiting a suspected serial killer.

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his release date approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? And why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel Krall’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems to only exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail—identical to a tattoo Rachel had seen on Bailey’s hand—the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krall herself. Suddenly the target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Aug 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781250898609

Megan Goldin

Megan Goldin, author of novels including THE ESCAPE ROOM and THE NIGHT SWIM, worked as a correspondent for Reuters and other media outlets where she covered war, peace, international terrorism and financial meltdowns in the Middle East and Asia. She is now based in Melbourne, Australia where she raises three sons and is a foster mum to Labrador puppies learning to be guide dogs.

Reviews for Dark Corners

[Christine Airey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars. I liked it except the ending. Otherwise, it was good.

[Stacey Teixeira · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the different twists to the story. Another hit for me by Megan Goldin.

[Jessica · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5 star ✨ I don't want to give too much away but this book pulled you in from the first line. I couldn't help but to suspect everyone. The twists and turns do not disappoint. I can't wait for the next installment in this series and I will be picking up her other books.

[Jessie Gadz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the story. I thought the romance subplot felt out of place (which is saying something because I'm a romance author).

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I picked this one up, I didn't realize it was the second in a series, the first being The Night Swim. I listened to a few minutes, and quickly realized I'd enjoy it more if I'd read the first one. So I found The Night Swim and listened to it, then jumped right on into Dark Corners (something I rarely do with books in a series, but it was right there all cued up, so I rolled with it). I'm actually glad I did it that way, especially when I see some of the reviews of Dark Corners. I enjoyed both books, despite the fact that they're different in many ways. Maybe the differences were less jarring for me since I didn't have a fair amount of time and fond old memories of the first - in fact it worked in my favor because had the formats been too similar I'd have been bored. Instead I enjoyed the fact that this was quite different, in their settings, in the type of crimes Rachel was investigating, even in the fact that she didn't do an actual podcast this time around. I liked the different points of view and having a heinous villain giving us his twisted point of view. And I liked the insight into the world of "influencers" and just how ridiculous that world can be. (People who love following influencers on social media might want to steer clear lest they have their bubbles burst.) I really enjoyed listening to both books - the narration is excellent, and the production of the podcasts and special reports is a nice touch.
One small quibble - this book is set in Florida, where I live. At one point it's mentioned that a victim was left out in the open where it could've been devoured by jackals and other scavengers. That stopped my reading in my tracks - jackals? In Florida? I googled to be sure -the only jackals here (or anywhere in the US) would be escapees from the zoo. There were a couple of other phrases that I'm familiar with because I read a lot of British mysteries/thrillers. "Sleeping rough" isn't a phrase used here. I do wish editors would catch these things - a simple change from jackals to coyotes or buzzards or heck, even gators in this instance, could've worked.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.