Write what you know. It seems crime novelist Jason Starr has taken this classic bit of advice to heart. A New York native, Starr sets many of his novels in the Big Apple. Starrย’s first novel, Cold Caller, drew on his experience as a telemarketer to weave a tale of urban psychosis. Starrย’s most recent novel, The Follower, offers a glimpse into the obsessive mind of a stalker. Katie Porter thinks sheย’s having a rough time finding Mr. Right in New Yorkย’s fast-paced dating scene, but Peter is dying (and maybe killing) to fill that role. Heย’s followed Katie from her small-town childhood to the big city, and he has plans. Whether or not Katie knows it, sheย’s the woman of his dreamsย…and heย’s the man of her nightmares. Publishers Weekly called The Follower Starrย’s ย“most crowd-pleasing novel to date,ย” while Ken Bruen said, ย“The Follower does for dating what Jaws did for swimming.ย”

Fri., Aug. 24, 6:30 p.m.

This article appears in Aug 23-29, 2007.

Nicholas L. Hall is a husband and father who earns his keep playing a video game that controls the U.S. power grid. He also writes for the Houston Press about food, booze and music, in an attempt to keep...