The story follows Rachel Krall, a podcaster who has made quite a name for herself in the true crime genre, much like the real-life Serial. The latest season of her hit podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" centers around a violent rape case very reminiscent of the Brock Turner scandal that was in the news a few years ago. A rich, talented college kid is accused of brutally raping a high school girl. He claims that the sex was consensual and she's made up the rape story because she was angry when she found out he rated her sexual performance poorly to his friends. His family has money and pays everyone and anyone they can to portray their son as this angelic, kind-hearted young man on his way to earning a spot on the Olympic swim team.
Rachel attends the trial and records her podcast episodes in real time as a way of putting her listeners "in the jury box." The chapters in the book alternate between Rachel in real time, her podcast episodes, and letters from Hannah (more on her later). The rape trial itself is very interesting. Goldin does a great job making the trial experience seem authentic and suspenseful. She shows how rape accusations divide people. Defendants of the accused claim that women can be vengeful and falsely cry rape whenever they get their feelings hurt and want to destroy a man's life. Defendants of the accuser cry out against the unfair treatment victims often undergo after they've summoned the courage to come forward. Some would say that victims are violated all over again by the justice system when they go through the painstaking process of testifying in court only to see their rapists set free because of reasonable doubt.
Rachel attends the trial and records her podcast episodes in real time as a way of putting her listeners "in the jury box." The chapters in the book alternate between Rachel in real time, her podcast episodes, and letters from Hannah (more on her later). The rape trial itself is very interesting. Goldin does a great job making the trial experience seem authentic and suspenseful. She shows how rape accusations divide people. Defendants of the accused claim that women can be vengeful and falsely cry rape whenever they get their feelings hurt and want to destroy a man's life. Defendants of the accuser cry out against the unfair treatment victims often undergo after they've summoned the courage to come forward. Some would say that victims are violated all over again by the justice system when they go through the painstaking process of testifying in court only to see their rapists set free because of reasonable doubt.
I was very invested in the court case and loved how Goldin was able to tie it into a second mystery within the same novel. While she is attending the trial and recording her podcast episodes, Rachel is sent several messages asking for her help in finding out the truth behind a murder decades earlier. This subplot revolves around Jenny, a young girl who supposedly drowned while swimming in the sea at night. Her sister, Hannah, knows that her sister was murdered, but needs Rachel's help to figure out who was responsible. Rachel divides her time between the rape trial and this murder mystery from the past. It turns out the two cases are connected, but in a way that I wasn't expecting.
Overall, I couldn't put this book down. I loved every bit of it. Goldin did a wonderful job weaving the two storylines together seamlessly. The story was fast-paced and kept me reading late into the night. There are some scenes that were hard to get through because they were so heartbreaking and unsettling, but Goldin handled the sensitive material in a way that kept it from crossing a line for me. I will absolutely be checking out what this author comes up with next!
My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on August 4th, 2020.
*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on August 4th, 2020.
*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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