Follow Me

by Kathleen Barber

Gallery Books

Publication Date : February 25, 2020

Pages : 336

Synopsis From Publisher :

Audrey Miller has an enviable new job at the Smithsonian, a body by reformer Pilates, an apartment door with a broken lock, and hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers to bear witness to it all. Having just moved to Washington, DC, Audrey busies herself impressing her new boss, interacting with her online fan base, and staving off a creepy upstairs neighbor with the help of the only two people she knows in town: an ex-boyfriend she can’t stay away from and a sorority sister with a high-powered job and a mysterious past.

But Audrey’s faulty door may be the least of her security concerns. Unbeknownst to her, her move has brought her within striking distance of someone who’s obsessively followed her social media presence for years—from her first WordPress blog to her most recent Instagram Story. No longer content to simply follow her carefully curated life from a distance, he consults the dark web for advice on how to make Audrey his and his alone. In his quest to win her heart, nothing is off-limits—and nothing is private.

We are inundated with warnings about the internet and social media - limit personal info shared on social media. Do not conduct certain transactions on a shared Wi-Fi. Never use the same password twice. Do not open attachments from unknown senders. Everyday there is a new suggestion to make us less susceptible to internet scams, identity theft, and privacy invasion. In Follow Me, we meet a young woman who disregarded most of these warnings. As a result making herself vulnerable to a very troubled person.

Audrey is wild and vivacious, with millions of followers on Instagram. A lifestyle Instagrammer, her feed is filled with perfectly filtered pictures of her exercising, shopping, having dinner. In stark contrast Cat, Audrey’s best friend, is introverted and studious. Cat has her eye on the prize of partner within her prestigious D. C. law firm.  Despite their differences Cat and Audrey have been friends for years. Pretty early on, it becomes clear to me that their friendship is a bit one sided. One person constantly giving, while the other constantly takes. With this type of dynamic, Barber gives readers someone to like and someone to dislike (although readers should reserve judgement until the end of the book). While Follow Me is a story of suspense, it is also a relationship study. For me solving the mystery (identifying the stalker) took a back seat at times. The mystery is compelling but Cat’s and Audrey’s complex friendship was equally intriguing. 

In addition to Audrey’s lifestyle Instagram feed, she also has a day job. She is the Social Media Manger for a museum in D. C. Through the use of Instagram and other social media platforms, Audrey must promote the museum’s upcoming exhibit The Life and Death of Rosalind Rose. Using dioramas - the artist tells the story of Rosalind arriving in L.A., her search for fame, achieving fame, and finally her death at the hand of a mentally disturbed fan. The dolls featured in the dioramas are described as vivid and creepy. Causing some who view the exhibit to turn away and shudder, Audrey included. The exhibit is a small part of Follow Me but while reading it stuck with me. Since finishing Follow Me, I have been trying to figure out why The Life and Death of Rosalind Rose was so fascinating to me. As I am writing this review, I still have no idea. However The Life and Death of Rosalind Rose played out in the background of the story like a wonderfully creepy detail. 

Follow Me is not what I expected. Since the book is about social media, I assumed there would be a technical element to the book. I was expecting pages filled with technical jargon I would find taxing. I was wrong. The technical portions of the story are minimal and comprehensive. Readers looking for a tense and entertaining read should look no further than Follow Me. 

Murder and Moore Rating: 

4.5 out of 5 Stars