A review by ncrabb
Into the Dark by Alison Gaylin

4.0

When I reviewed the first book in this trilogy back in January, I said I would read the second one, but that the first book wasn’t all that dazzling. I’m thrilled to report that Gaylin seems to have found her stride and done well in this second book. I found it more powerful and more compelling than the first, and the previews of the third book, which I’ll probably read in late May or early June, look even better than the second one.

A performance artist is missing, and a sleazy detective for whom Brenna Spector once worked wants her to take the case. So does her sex-crazed assistant, Trent. He wants Brenna’s involvement so he has excuses to look at the almost-pornographic antics of the online artist. Initially, Brenna refuses to take the case, but when the woman references stories from Brenna’s childhood as if they were the artist’s experiences, Brenna takes the case. She’s compelled to do it in case the mysterious YouTube artist is indeed her long-missing sister.

The search forces Brenna to brush up against Russian mafia figures, pornographic filmmakers, and at least one individual who desperately wants Brenna and her perfect memory recall dead.

This second book was excellent, and I had no problem staying engaged with it.