The Night Swim

I spend far too much time on screens, so when I was emailed an electronic copy of The Night Swim, I requested a paper copy to read instead. But by the time the novel landed in my mailbox—just a couple of days later—I'd already devoured the entire book, reading late into the night on my laptop.

The book is that good. No, it's that great.

The Night Swim weaves together the stories of two vicious crimes against young women: one woman who is accusing a star athlete of rape, and one woman whose bruised body was pulled from the ocean 20 years ago. Rachel Krall, host of the popular true crime podcast “Guilty or Not Guilty,” heads to the small town of Neapolis to cover the rape trial. But when she begins receiving letters from Hannah, the sister of the supposedly drowned girl, Rachel finds herself pulled into that old, unsolved mystery. As the dual narratives unspool, twisting like a double helix, they intersect in ingenious ways.

A blistering plot and crisp writing make The Night Swim an unputdownable read. But even more than that, it's the unflinching look at what sexual assault does to a young woman that makes this a vitally important book.

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name?and the last hope for thousands of 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 small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating?but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. 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 insists she was murdered?and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.