Review of "The Night Swim: A Novel of Suspense" by Megan Goldin

Warning: There are triggers in this book about sexual assault, physical violence, and bullying.

*****

A rape trial is galvanizing the coastal town of Neapolis, North Carolina. College swimming champion - and Olympic hopeful - Scott Blair.....



.....is accused of raping 16-year-old high school student Kelly Moore.



The Blairs are wealthy Neapolis blue bloods and Kelly's deceased grandfather was a former police chief, so both sides have pull. Thus ace prosecutor Mitchell Alkins.....



.....will face off against hotshot defense attorney Dale Quinn in the largely 'he-said, she-said' proceedings.



Crime journalist Rachel Krall has a popular podcast, called 'Guilty or Not Guilty', that presents the nitty-gritty of criminal trials.



Up until now Krall has covered trials that occurred in the past, but for the new season Rachel plans to stay in Neapolis and podcast about the Scott Blair proceedings in real time.

Even before Krall arrives in Neapolis she starts to find letters on her car's windshield.



The correspondent, Hannah Stills, says her older sister Jenny was murdered on a Neapolis beach 25 years ago, but the police called it an accidental drowning. Hannah wants Krall to investigate and uncover the truth.

Hannah avoids meeting Rachel in person, but sneakily delivers letter after letter, slowly unveiling Jenny's story. Hannah claims Jenny suffered a sexual assault, which is reminiscent of Scott Blair's accuser, Kelly Moore.

Krall is enticed into investigating Jenny's death, but must organize her inquiries around her REAL work in Neapolis, which is covering the Blair trial. Rachel interviews the families of Scott Blair and Kelly Moore; speaks to people in town; and attends all the trial proceedings.



On her broadcasts Rachel presents the testimony and the evidence, trying to be impartial so the listeners 'can be the jury.' Of course many fans think Krall is taking sides, and scathingly berate her for being on either Scott's side or Kelly's side.

As the story unfolds we learn the details of what (allegedly) happened to both Kelly and Jenny. We also observe the multiple traumas a female rape victim might endure - from the assault; to the rape kit (which is VERY intrusive); to her ongoing depression; to her withdrawal from society; to the humiliating testimony in court; to being hazed by the public; and so on. The 'blame the victim' mentality is especially disturbing and is something society needs to curb (in my opinion).



At the end of the book the connection between Jenny's situation and Kelly's situation is revealed, and - try as I might - I didn't guess it. 😏

I enjoyed this well-written suspense story and recommend the book to fans of the genre.

Rating: 3.5 stars