Book of the Month Club (BOTM) describes this read as “a thriller for those who eat, sleep, and breathe true crime.” I have to agree that is an excellent choice of words. I loved how the structure includes first-person narration, letter, and podcast.
Okay, so maybe in my very first blog post I may have said that I wasn’t interested in true crime novels, that they just aren’t for me. Am I allowed to take that back? After reading about true crime podcasts in Megan Goldin’s The Night Swim, I stumbled upon a podcast called Crime Junkie that I just adore. The hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat are super fun and engaging and definitely do their research on all of the cases they cover. I highly recommend checking them out on iTunes (or wherever you listen to podcasts). They can also be found at crimejunkiepodcast.com. You won’t be disappointed!
Title: The Night Swim
Author: Megan Goldin
Rating: An Interesting Read & Format
Genre: Thriller
Page Count: 352
Published: 2020
Rachel Krall is a big-time true crime podcaster. She’s traveled to a small town that’s been rocked by a rape trial involving two higher-profile residents – the granddaughter of the police chief versus an Olympic hopeful swimmer.
Hannah Stills wants justice for her sister who tragically died 25 years ago. Jenny’s death was ruled an accidental drowning, but Hannah believes there’s more to it – her beautiful sister was an excellent swimmer.
The lives of Rachel and Hannah will cross paths in this captive new thriller, and the past and present will converge as information buried is suddenly brought to life.
Will justice in the rape trial be served? And what really happened to Jenny Stills all those years ago? The secrets and lies this town holds spans more than two decades, but the truth always comes out – eventually.
TL;DR
A great read for both true crime and crime fiction lovers alike. The book is broken up by first-person narration, letter, and podcast, which makes for interesting perspectives and characterizations. Overall, it’s clever, interesting, and entertaining. And you might just fall head over heels for a very real true crime podcast. (P.S. check out crimejunkiepodcast.com!)
Little Book Bites 