Books › The Night Swim
The Night Swim
368 pages
A gripping, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that captures the obsessive, late-night bingeability of a hit true-crime podcast.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels exactly like binge-listening to a premium true-crime podcast on a long, dark drive. The narrative moves with a propulsive, addictive rhythm, seamlessly blending sharp, journalistic podcast transcripts with a tense, unfolding present-day investigation. The mood is distinctly claustrophobic, capturing the suffocating atmosphere of a small town desperate to protect its golden boy and bury its darkest secrets. It is a heavy, unsettling read that doesn't shy away from the grim realities of the justice system, yet it remains intensely gripping throughout. Perfect for readers who are fascinated by the ethics of true crime and the long shadows cast by unresolved trauma, this is a sharp, immersive thriller that demands to be consumed in a single sitting.
- Mood
- tense
- claustrophobic
- unsettling
- shadowy
- Tone
- urgent
- journalistic
- probing
- serious
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- small-town secrets · ethics of true crime · trauma and memory · justice vs. the legal system · the weight of reputation
- The writing
- Sharp, accessible, and media-savvy, seamlessly weaving traditional narrative with immersive podcast transcripts.
- The arc
- Moves from the detached, analytical curiosity of an outsider to a deeply invested, high-stakes confrontation with buried trauma.
- Who it's for
- True-crime junkies and thriller fans who love a dual-timeline mystery anchored by a relentless, sharp-witted investigator.
Content notes
- sexual assault
- rape trial
- drowning
- murder
- misogyny
About the book
Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name―and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.
The new season of Rachel's podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation―but the mysterious letters keep coming. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insist she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases―and a revelation that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.
Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?
Description from Open Library.
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