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The Night Swim    by Megan Goldin Amazon.com order for
Night Swim
by Megan Goldin
Order:  USA  Can
St. Martin's, 2020 (2020)
Hardcover, CD, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Megan Goldin's The Night Swim is a me-too mystery. Rachel Krall has gained celebrity status from her true crime podcast. A note on her car windshield, begging for her help, prompts her to head to Neapolis, where a controversial rape trial is underway.

The story moves back and forth in time, revealing the heartrending back story of the note writer, and of her older sister Jenny, who ended up reviled by her community before she died at the age of sixteen. Twenty-five years later, the same community is divided over a teen girl's charge that Scott Blair (a potential Olympian swimmer) raped her.

As the trial proceeds, Rachel reports on it for her blog (shared with readers). She also tries to make contact with the note writer (who seems to be stalking her, but remains elusive) and researches Jenny's case. The victim's mother had demanded a murder investigation but police ruled it and accidental death.

Eventually the truth does come out - for both the cold case and the modern one - as well as disturbing links between events a quarter of a century apart. The Night Swim is a harrowing, thought provoking read that covers all the ground from victim blaming to the trauma of testifying and community division.

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