Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Dark Corners

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Dark Corners by Megan Goldin

12 reviews

cassiereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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julierambaeck's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I had quite high expectations for this book, because I really enjoyed the first book in the series. BUT this book let me down quite a bit. I feel like it read younger than it was, it could almost have been a YA mystery. I also kind of saw the resolution from a mile away, and not gonna lie the characters were quite stupid they didn't see it...

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heather_harrison's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I was excited to pick this up after devouring The Night Swim. However it didn’t deliver.

The story only used Rachel’s POV, and as she wasn’t actively working on a podcast there are only sporadic inclusions of her transcripts (for what I assume is a future podcast that she alludes to at the end of this book).

I found the missing girls narrative and the prisoner Terrance Bailey’s story interesting. I was not a fan of the influencer infiltration storyline, the whole thing was shallow and a bit cliche. The romance also felt a bit tacked on.

I’m unsure if there will be another Rachel Krall installment, fingers crossed for a return to something closer to the first book.

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vereadsbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

The Night Swin is one of my favorite thrillers. I wasn’t expecting another book about Rachel Krall. So, I was very excited to listen to her podcast again. That’s why I immediately grabbed the book.

In this book, we follow our favorite crime podcaster to Daytona Beach. There, Rachel helps FBI agent Martínez investigate the disappearance of well-known influencer Madison Logan, who disappeared hours before visiting a serial killer in prison.

Dark Corners is an intriguing, fast-paced thriller that grabs you from the start. The story explores the world of influencers and adds some interesting social commentary on how influencers portray a perfect life on social media. And this is not always a faithful reflection of their reality. However, I didn’t like this part of the plot and found it boring.

Rachael is a likable character, intelligent, and easy to follow. Her role in this story is more active than in The Night Swin. Here, we discover the woman behind the popular true-crime podcast. In this book, we learn more about her and see a small romance between her and the FBI agent. Also, in this book, Rachel becomes the protagonist of her case.

The book has 3 different points of view (Rachael, The FBI agent, and the murderer) and the Podcast chapters. I didn’t like the killer’s POV. It would have worked better if the author introduced his POV later in the story.

Unlike The Night Swin, where the podcast integrated smoothly with the story, here the podcast feels detached from the initial events of the book. Then, as the plot progresses, it becomes integrated into the main story.

The book does not disappoint. I hope the author continues this series. She has in me a loyal fan of the podcast and Rachael Krall.

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mharris4074's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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astoriareader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

SYNOPSIS:

Shortly after meeting with Terence Bailey, an inmate in a Florida prison, Maddison Logan, a popular #vanlife influencer, disappears. In the meeting, Rachel Krall’s name came up, so the FBI flies Rachel to Florida.
Rachel is a popular true-crime podcaster, and she has made a name for herself in the podcasting world.
Terence Bailey will be released in a few days. He is a suspected serial killer, but there’s no evidence to tie him to any of the killings. He went to jail when he was twenty-one years old, and now, he’s twenty-seven years old.

MY THOUGHTS

I hadn’t read book 1 (Night Swim) before, but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. It was good as a stand-alone book.
I read this one in less than 24 hours, and I found myself thinking about it in the moments I put the book down.
Really enjoyed the character development. Rachel is a capable, strong-willed, smart character.
Multiple POVs, including Rachel’s, one scary dude, & a podcast transcript.
Loved the ending and the many twists throughout that kept me in suspense
I liked the romantic aspect in the book, but felt the chemistry between the characters.
Excellent writing. Complex plot, but well-plotted and easy to follow.
Short chapters, which I love.
The commentary on influencers throughout was timely, observant, and interesting.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5 stars rounded to 5, as I finished in less than 24 hours. Solid thriller with a well-written, capable woman as the MC.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on August 8, 2023.

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foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the kind of book you want to bring to the beach with you. It’s a pop thriller that’s easily bingeable and keeps your interest throughout. With a Daytona Beach setting, you can feel the sand beneath your toes and the humid heat seep through the pages. I think this book really shines on audio, as there are multiple narrators and interesting musical stings to delineate the podcast Rachel from present Rachel’s internal monologue. January LaVoy I is one of my favourite narrators, so it’s always a pleasure to hear her do her thing.

While I liked this book, it wasn’t my favourite of Megan Goldin’s. So much of this book seems so unrealistic, so you really have to suspend your disbelief for some of the plot points, including the inciting incident. It’s also missing some of the journalistic intrigue that she brings to the earlier book in the series, The Night Swim. And I really didn’t like the parts about the content creators. I felt that the scenes came across as just moments to judge those who make a living on social media, which were shoehorned in without really adding much to the story.

I’d recommend this book to those who enjoy

Books with podcast elements
Thrillers filled with red herrings
Beat the clock police procedural’s

Thanks Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an advanced listeners copy of this one. Overall, I liked it, and it kept my attention throughout, having read it in under a week!

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kimveach's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This thriller combined serial killers with an Influencer conference and a true-crime podcast. I enjoyed the combination of serious crime with the absurdity of influencers.

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ktdakotareads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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nrogers_1030's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Rachel Krall is back again! Dark Corners is a crime fiction thriller set in Florida. The audiobook is interestingly formatted - multiple narrators, background music, etc. Those extra features made it a bit more realistic. The pace felt pretty slow until the last hour. That being said, the story was intriguing and it was hard to put down. I liked the additional drama that came with the influencers. Nice twists and turns. I recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review. Any quote(s) used in my review have been uncorrected.

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