The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
Thank you to John Karle from St. Martins Press for reaching out and offering a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.I was once again asked to join in on the blog tour for this amazing book which i leapt at the chance to read it. This book was on my radar for a while as id seen it compared to the true crime podcast 'Serial' which anyone who knows me knows i was utterly entranced by. It started off my love for true crime podcasts so when i saw this book was a fictional take on a true crime podcast story it immediately became one of my most anticipated reads of 2020.
The story follows Rachel Krall who is the creator and presenter of the popular true crime podcast 'Guilty or Not Guilty'. Rachel is in Neapolis, North Carolina investigating and reporting on a rape trial of Kelly and Scott that is at the centre of her third season. We also follow Hannah whose sister Jenny was murdered years previous in the same town. The killer was never found as it was deemed suicide and Hannah has been left with a sense of injustice and the burning desire to find out what really happened to Jenny. Hannah believes that Rachel is the only person who can help her discover the truth and begins sending Rachel messages in the form of letters to try and convince her to take on the case.
My first impressions are that the story has an interesting premise and i really like how theres a split story line with what really happened to Kelly but also what happened 25 years ago to Jenny. It has that small town vibe that it could have been literally anyone and the author does a really good job of weaving through suspects without saying as much. I must say its a little dry at points, as im writing this im currently on 66% and im still waiting for it to become a little more thrilling, so far there hasnt been any twists as you would expect with a thriller but i am enjoying the mystery side of it. I have so many unanswered questions which is making me constantly pick the book back up to find out.
The writing is good, its very to the point and not very descriptive which i like in thrillers. Ive already researched other books by Megan Goldin to pick up after this one as i do like her story telling technique. This is the first thriller ive read that has a focus on a trial and i really enjoyed that side of it, hearing the testimonies and cross examination, it really added to the story and made the reader believe that a crime had taken place. I found Kelly's testimony about the rape difficult to read but it really made me sympathise with her. It felt just like reading a true crime novel. I think the element enjoyed most was the podcast chapters and think the audiobook would really heighten the readers experience of this book. Overall, the chapter splits were well done and i loved how the chapters werent too long, i always find i read so much more when theres shorter chapters.
Final thoughts upon finishing: so i must say i didnt see that big reveal coming, i had my suspicions but i was wrong! It didnt feel very edge of your seat though is my only criticism, there was never any doubt in my mind that both Rachel and Hannah would be fine, i would have preferred there to have been a bit more at stake i guess. I liked the way it wrapped up and i did enjoy the story overall.
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