The Night Swim, by Megan Goldin ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

"Rape Culture", Adult Fiction, Mystery, Rape, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

352 Pages

Release Date: August 4th, 2020

Synopsis: After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnighting sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name—and the last hope for thousands of 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 small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating—but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. 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 seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases 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?

I thorough enjoyed Megan Goldin’s previous book The Escape Room, and I’m thrilled to be part of this blog tour for The Night Swim, especially as I found it one of the most exciting and suspenseful mysteries I’ve read this year. Two rapes, twenty-five years apart, yet connected in what turns out to be a shocking twist. There are scenes in the book that are difficult to read and I actually had to take a few breaks from some of the dark emotional scenes. The characters are believable and relatable and the storyline is something that could have been pulled from the headlines. Without giving away any spoilers, let me just say that Goldin has struck a perfect balance between a thrilling and intriguing mystery, and a thoughtful examination of how rape victims are treated by society and the court system. The Night Swim is the type of book that will stay with you long after you’ve finished. It’s already out so I highly recommend you either buy it from your favorite retailer or borrow it at your library. 

Megan Goldin 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 the foster mum to Labrador puppies learning to be guide dogs. The Escape Room was her debut novel.

Author Links:

Website ~ https://www.megangoldin.com

Twitter: ~ https://twitter.com/megangoldin/

Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/megangoldinauthor/

Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/megangoldinauthor/

Goodreads ~ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16718134.Megan_Goldin

Buy Links:

Macmillan ~ https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250219701

Barnes and Noble ~ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-swimmer-megan-goldin/113327/;jsessionid=02BCD25359FECED4C1EA5775FB8E2645.prodny_store02-atgap10?ean=9781250219688

Amazon ~ https://www.amazon.com/dp/125021968X/ref=nodl_?tag=macmillan-20