Dark Corners

BY Megan Goldin

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In Dark Corners, Rachel goes undercover at Buzzcon, a conference for mega-influencers. As she digs into her delicious grilled shrimp appetizer, she realizes that everyone else is photographing their food instead of eating it. Some even send it away without taking a single bite. I’m not one to send grilled shrimp away, so join Rachel in enjoying your food by making this spicy shrimp appetizer with a cilantro dipping sauce courtesy of the Certified Pastry Aficionado.

** Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the chance to read Dark Corners in exchange for my honest review. **

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

Megan Goldin, Dark Corners

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What do paroled prisoners, mega-influencers, and body odor have in common?

Together, they create the backdrop for a special addition to Rachel Krall’s award-winning podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty.  Rachel is the fictional podcaster featured in Megan Goldin’s first book, The Night Swim.  Dark Corners picks up a couple of weeks after the events of The Night Swim, when Rachel is supposed to be relaxing after her trip to Neapolis.  One day, however, she gets a call from Special Agent Martinez from the FBI, where her name has come up in a missing persons investigation.  A hot Instagram star by the name of Maddison Logan was in town for Buzzcon, a conference that serves as the mecca for mega-influencers.  During that time, Maddison goes to see a convicted murderer by the name of Terrance Bailey in jail.  Now, Maddison is missing, and the only lead the FBI has is a note Bailey scrawled to Maddison asking her to find Rachel Krall.  With time running out, Agent Martinez hopes to find Maddison before it’s too late.  Can Rachel infiltrate the world of picture-perfect yoga poses and insufferable mealtime photographers in order to find out what happened to Maddison?

Like The Night Swim, Goldin does an amazing job laying out the puzzle pieces for her readers so that they can start solving the mystery little by little.  It’s not hard to connect a few of the pieces, but the story doesn’t weave together until the end.  If I had one criticism, I would say that the connection the story had to Buzzcon seemed shallow.  That part of the ending felt rushed, like the author grew tired and decided to mop up the loose ends as quickly as possible.  So much detail went into describing the mega-influencers that anything but a juicy ending for them seemed like a letdown. 

A few friends have asked me whether I preferred The Night Swim or Dark Corners.  One glance at Goodreads tells me that this is a highly-debated topic.  The Night Swim was more detailed and realistic.  The mystery was well thought-out, and I found myself wrapped in the trial.  It definitely felt like it was ripped from the headlines.  I was half expecting Guilty or Not Guilty to appear on my podcast recommendations right next to NPR’s Serial.  Meanwhile, Dark Corners was more salacious.  It was realistic in its own way, but part of the fun was how UNREALISTIC the life of an influencer actually is.  All the characters were unlikeable, but in a gossip magazine sort of way that makes you want to find out what happens next.  Unlike The Night Swim, which covers the topic of rape, Dark Corners has far fewer trigger warnings.  However, Rachel Krall seems almost TOO invincible in Dark Corners.  Journalists have mad research skills, but it’s hard to believe that Rachel could discover more information in one day than a whole team of FBI agents with unreleased details at hand.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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My Rating System Explained

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:  This was an amazing book, and I can't stop thinking about it.   It impacted me emotionally or changed my perspective.  My thoughts keep flickering back to it at random times throughout the day.  I will absolutely recommend it to my friends or to one of my book clubs.

4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️:  This was a really good book.  Parts of it stuck with me, and I might mention it in a conversation.  There is a high likelihood that I will recommend it to my friends or to one of my book clubs.

3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️:  I liked this book.  It allowed me to escape from reality for a while.  While I might tell somebody about it if I think it will interest them, I will probably not suggest it to one of my book clubs.

2 Stars ⭐️⭐️:  There's something about this book that I didn't like.  I wasn't willing to go all the way down to a one-star rating, but I'm definitely not digging it.  I may recognize that this book is not for me, but it might be for other people.  I will not recommend it to my friends or one of my book clubs.

1 Star ⭐️:  My rarest rating.  I really didn't like this book.  Something in the story line upset me, and I probably "hate-read" the majority of the book.  Not only will I not recommend it, but I will actively tell people that I did not like it.