"It's strange how the law seems to be completely asleep...and then suddenly one day it just opens its eyes and grabs you."

That's a line from late in "Man in the Woods," when readers might be wondering if Paul Phillips will pay any consequence for his actions. The mid-section of the book will make you squirm. There's a sensation that Phillips might walk away. He's certainly found the perfect companion in Kate Ellis, who knows a thing or two about life-changing moments and forgiveness. She's a recovered alcoholic and increasingly famous author and radio talk show host. Spencer uses her fame in clever, key fashion to help draw events to a close. (I don't think I'm giving too much away.)

I liked "Man in the Woods" but it's not my favorite Spencer novel. I haven't read them all, but "Rich Man's Table" and "Men in Black" were more satisfying to me. There is something bitingly real about Spencer's style. It's a bit ungainly and awkward in spots but his present-tense prose makes us feel like we are inside the heads of real people. As opposed to say, Ian McEwan or Richard Ford, Spencer's style has a few more splinters and hasn't been sanded-down to a smooth finish. But they give Spencer's characters a powerful point of view. In this book, the style helps add to Phillips' struggles with his feelings of internal isolation.

The problems with "Man in the Woods" start with plausibility. The reason Phillips is able to evade police suspicion for so long relies on many conveniences. I had a hard time with Kate's reaction when Phillips finally reveals what he's done. I thought Phillips would squirm and worry even more than he does, in thinking about whether he will (or should) pay a price. In fact, for us to like Phillips we have to think it's okay to walk away from his act of violence and not ultimately take responsibility for it. I didn't care for the chapters from the cops' point of view; they didn't lead anywhere. And the conversations between Phillips and his friend Lawson felt a bit too contrived. One chat even flashes the main theme of the book like a marquee on Broadway:

"Is that all?" Lawson says. He puts his arm over Paul's shoulders. "Welcome to the world. And, by the way, welcome to America. I was just last night reading this story by D.H. Lawrence where he says the typical American is private, independent, and sort of a killer, in his heart."

I wonder if Spencer saw that line from Lawrence and dreamed up a novel on the spot. It's a worthwhile theme, of course, and Spencer is an engaging writer. There will no doubt be controversy over the abrupt final moment, which would work well in one of those cut-to-black finishes of a film. I liked it.

"Man in the Woods" is thought-provoking and it carries weight, but it doesn't quite have the impact could.