Neo-noirist Starr obviously thinks his books through carefully from the perspective of his characters. "The Follower" is another of his excellent novels in which the twists and turns of thought are as important as the action on the ground (see also "Hard Feelings").

The two main characters in this book are a stalker and the woman whose life as his wife he has all planned out--unbeknown to her. But Starr lays out this stygian tale for us through the perspectives of multiple players, major and minor. It may sound like a gimmick or an excuse to beef up the word count, but I for one found myself eventually anticipating finding out what other characters would have to say about a scene that another was currently narrating.

There are implausibilities here and there--Katie, for example, has inclinations that occasionally seem to serve a preordained plot rather than her own internal will. But in counterbalanced by the sheer inventiveness and insight that the author elsewhere shows, these foibles on his part seem forgivable. ( )