cover image Follow Me

Follow Me

Kathleen Barber. Gallery, $27 (352p) ISBN 978-1-9821-0198-5

Social media star Audrey, the vivacious narrator of Barber’s so-so sophomore outing (after 2017’s Are You Sleeping), revels in the attention she receives from her stream of Instagram updates to her legion of followers. Though most admirers simply offer their thoughts about Audrey’s photos, one fan wants far more from her. When Audrey posts that she’s leaving New York City for an exciting job in Washington, D.C., as a social media manager, her stalker is delighted: Audrey is now within his reach. Audrey dazzles everyone she encounters in D.C., including her boss and Cat, the socially awkward college friend she reconnects with. The drawbacks of her new life—a dark basement apartment and a creepy upstairs neighbor—are small irritants, but they make good fodder for her posts. But when her apartment is trashed and she finds frightening photos of herself on a friend’s computer, Audrey’s nightmare has just begun, because her stalker knows every move she makes. The outcome will surprise no one. The fast-paced and au courant plot compensates in part for the stock characters and unlikely coincidences. As Barber’s first thriller showed, she’s capable of better. Agent: Lisa Grubka, Fletcher & Co. (Feb.)