Megan Goldin’s The Night Swim is part true-crime, part-thriller and hands-down an INCREDIBLE book! True-crime isn’t my normal cup of tea. I prefer to get the slightly watered down version in my weekly People magazine (tucked between fluff pieces and the do-good stories). But you better believe that I’ll be reading more of this author’s work. And soon!
The low-down
Rachel Krall is an investigator and true-crime podcaster. She’s built a following and has one staff member to help with her admin and behind-the-scenes media work.
She hopes season 3 will be her best yet. And it all hedges on an upcoming rape trial in Neapolis.
She is used to fan mail and sometimes some slightly unhinged fan ‘support.’ But she started getting cryptic, pleading notes from someone in Neapolis asking to help solve a crime from 25 years ago. Rachel cannot afford to get derailed from her work covering the rape case. But an unsolved crime seems too unbearable to leave alone.
The rape trial
The first story is about the town’s golden boy. A college student with hopes to qualify for the Olympics one day. He’s charged with raping Kelly Moore, a high school student in town.
Rape is divisive and it’s often left to ‘he said, she said’ to land a verdict. Sadly, when someone shares there has been an attack (or sadly, a rape), the onus lands on the women – not the men charged with the crime.
The court of public opinion is a fickle place. Rachel knows this. And the town has already taken sides before the trial has started.
The unsolved crime
25 years ago, Jenny Stills was found dead. There was no investigation or autopsy. She was from the wrong side of the road and it appeared to be an accidental drowning. Yet, she was a talented swimmer.
Sister Hannah knows her only shot at a real investigation is with Rachel. Sure, she’s wrapped up in the rape trial, but it’s Hannah’s only chance at the truth. She has to do this for her sister.
What does Hannah know from so long ago? Why didn’t she share what she knew? Some of the individuals named in her recollection are still in town. And connected to the current rape trial.
How are the two crimes enmeshed beyond occurring in the same town?
Verdict
This book had me SO hooked! There were so many important truths here:
- It’s often more convenient to claim something was an accident.
- Victim-blaming is easier than blaming the crime on the defendant.
- Convenience vs. safety is always a question many women face daily.
- The court of public opinion is present and plugged in inside and outside of the court system.
- Where you come from, what your status is often determines your place within a crime – defendant or not.
LOVED this! Consider giving the audio a whirl! I listened to this on my training runs and kept speeding up because I was SO into it!