The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

From Amazon:

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. 

My Take:

There are 2 crimes , 25 years apart that involves almost all of the characters at the present time. 25 Years ago, a teenager of ill repute supposedly drowns. It was ruled an accidental death but her younger sister refuses to believe it was an accident. She starts hounding Rachel to help solve her sister's murder.

25 years later the granddaughter of the police chief is raped and both her mother and father demand justice. The Prosecuting lawyer of the rape victim finds an eye witness, a severely scarred homeless guy who just got out of jail. They found out that he was inprissoned for being the driver of the car that hit the tree causing the demise of 2 of his friends 25 years ago.

What really happened:

There were 4 of them. 2 raped the girl while the others watched. However, one of them, the badly scarred homeless guy 25 years earlier was enraged and put up a fight. The other 3 beat him up and decides to kill him. They put him in the truck and can't decide whether to bring him to the hospital or just dispose his body. In the meantime, the 3rd guy, who happens to be the police chief's son, decides to get rid of the evidence and throw the girl's body in the lake. He is the father of the victim raped 25 years later. 

When he catches up with the others, he sees that the truck hits the tree and kills both boys. The 3rd one , the boy they beat up is barely alive. So he calls his father, the police chief, and they place the unconscious boy in the driver's seat and burns the truck. 

Unbeknownst to them the unconscious boy wakes up and is badly burned. He is then blamed for the death of the other 2 and incarcerated after undergoing several operations. When released, he goes back to the town he came from but under a different name. He then became the witness for the prosecution. After solving the crimes, the father of the raped girl escapes and kills himself. The Raped girl and her mother leaves town to start all over again.

The swimmer is aquited for the crime of rape but is still found guilty on 2 other crimes related to the rape. The homeless guy is told he never caused the death of the other 2 boys and cries.

Shutter by Ramona Emerson

 

From Amazon:

Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer working for the Albuquerque police force. Her excellent photography skills have cracked many cases—she is almost supernaturally good at capturing details. In fact, Rita has been hiding a secret: she sees the ghosts of crime victims who point her toward the clues that other investigators overlook. 

My Take:

I loved the idea of a forensic photographer seeing ghosts at the crime scene. What I didn't like was a particular ghost from the start of the story who ended up being annoying, irritating and very self-centered that she always puts Rita in very precarius situations. 

Instead of trying to ingratiate Rita to her side by being more amiable ,she constantly harasses the poor girl and brings her to unsafe situations. I just want to bring her back from the dead and throw her over the bridge again and again until she becomes more tranquil and appreciative of what Rita can do her her. She's just like a raging banshee that you would like to burn in a stake.

Anyway, everything turns out well with the bad guy getting what he deserved,