“Was it a poor decision for Kelly to walk home in the dark? Teenagers routinely make poor decisions. Does that justify them being hurt, or assaulted, or raped? No it does not. A person should be able to walk home, even in the dark, even through an isolated field, and arrive home safely.” – Megan Goldin, The Night Swim
For some time I’ve been looking for really good mystery/thrillers where the world of true crime podcasters plays a central role. I have read a few but by far The Night Swim (2020) by Megan Goldin is in a class by itself. It was everything I have hoped for.
The protagonist of the Night Swim is Rachel Krall who is a true crime podcaster beginning her third season of Guilty or Not Guilty: The Podcast That Puts You In The Jury Box. Rachel’s show is the top true crime podcast in the country but competition is fierce and Rachel is determined to make this season her best yet.
In season three she will be covering a rape trial in the small town of Neapolis, NC. The local town hero Scott Blair, an excellent swimmer headed for the Olympics, has been charged with raping 16 year old Kelly Moore. The town is divided and this trial has attracted national attention.
Rachel arrives in Neapolis to cover the trial and she is coming out of a coffee shop when she sees a letter attached to her car windshield. The letter is from a woman named Hannah Stills who is writing to Rachel because 25 years ago when Hannah was 10, her 15 year old sister, Jenny Stills, drowned. Hannah says Jenny was murdered and that the police and the town covered it up. Hannah is hoping Rachel will investigate.
Rachel is unnerved. She is a private person. People know her voice from her podcast but not her face. How did Hannah find her and know the exact car she was driving? But the letters keep arriving and Rachel becomes engrossed as she learns more about Jenny, a poor girl who was the subject of very cruel gossip in Neapolis.
As Rachel begins attending the trial of Scott Blair, she starts investigating Jenny’s drowning. Peter her producer is worried. Who is Hannah and why is she leaving these letters and not meeting with Rachel? Hannah is behaving like a stalker. But Rachel is hooked as I was. What really happened to Jenny Stills twenty-five years ago in this small town of Neapolis?
I thought the Night Swim was excellent, tough to read in parts because of the subject matter, but gripping. I also liked the way Megan Goldin set up the book. The chapters alternate between Hannah’s letters, Rachel’s present day thoughts as she spends her time covering the Blair trial and interviewing witnesses. And finally chapters from Rachel’s podcast where she talks to her listeners about what she is finding out. And Night Swim is the first book in a series involving Rachel Krall, podcaster/detective. I’ve thought it over and am rating Night Swim 5 stars.
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