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Fear the Worst cover art

Fear the Worst

By: Linwood Barclay
Narrated by: Buck Schirner
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Summary

The worst day of Tim Blake's life started out with him making breakfast for his seventeen-year-old daughter Sydney. Syd was staying with him while she worked a summer job - even if he wasn't entirely sure what her job at the Just Inn Time motel actually was - and Tim hoped this quality father-daughter time would somehow help her deal with his divorce.

When she didn't arrive home at her usual time, he thought she'd probably gone to the mall to hang with her friends. When she didn't answer her phone he began to worry. When she didn't come home at all, he began to panic. And when the people at the Just Inn Time said they had no Sydney Blake working at the motel and never had, he began to see his life going into freefall.

If she hadn't been working at the Just Inn Time every day, what had she been doing? Something she couldn't - or wouldn't - tell her own father about? Only one thing has him convinced the worst hasn't already happened: the fact that some very scary people seem just as eager as he is to find her. The question is: who's going to find her first?

©2010 Linwood Barclay (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group Limited

What listeners say about Fear the Worst

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A nightmare journey to find a missing daughter

Early on in the book Tim Blake's teenage daughter Sydney goes missing and thereafter he's thrown into a nightmare of false leads as he tries to track her down not knowing whether she's alive or dead. The police even suspect that he's murdered her. The book veers from one crisis to another for Tim and the bodies pile up. Preposterous in many ways but gripping and enjoyable nevertheless. There's some humour to leaven the grimness in the foibles and interactions between Tim and his girlrfriend, and with his ex-wife and her new husband.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed!

Would you try another book written by Linwood Barclay or narrated by Buck Schirner?

I loved 'No Time for Goodbye'. It is a solid 5* read/listen, so yes, I will try others. The narrator is technically very good, but his voice grated here. I wouldn't rule out others narrated by him. It would depend on the book.

What was most disappointing about Linwood Barclay’s story?

It frequently got bogged down, going nowhere. I was interested enough to want to know what had happened to continue, but I had to wind forward 30 minutes on 3 seperate occasions in frustration to make it to the end.

Did Buck Schirner do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

He was technically very good indeed. Sadly, his 1960s old American guy voice didn't work for me. After all, the main character in this book was 36-years-old and most of the others were younger still.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Fear the Worst?

Where do I start? It needs to lose plenty.

Any additional comments?

I tend to return books if I am not enjoying them, but there is something so pleasing about Linwood Barclay's prose that, despite my frustration with this book, I just couldn't.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

OK story poor narration

I found the narration of this book rather irritating, some of the voices are awful and off putting. The story was OK, a different narrator could have made it so much better.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly good!

Lots of suspicion, mystery and confusion; all wrapped into this book. The narrator within, made this, extremely compelling. Worth listening to!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

One trick pony..?

I'm new to this author and somewhat enjoyed the first book I listened to so got another. This one is basically the same as the first with a few small differences. After reading the synopsis for another book I was considering don't think I'll bother. The book is not bad but it's so similar to the first I got confused when I mixed the characters since I listened to them one after the other.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heart pounding read!!!

Brilliant, so many twists and turns, amazing writer. 😀😀😀 recommended have all his books, want to get them on audiobook. Happy

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Original, gripping and eventful !!

Any additional comments?

Another unexpected chain of events. Easy to feel sympathy for the leading character. Very very good again by Linwood Barclay.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

OK ish

this is my 3rd Linwood book, the other 2 were much better and the narration in this book did not come up to the standard of the others. there is very odd incidental music playing at times during this book, twice at least in the middle of a scene. a bit weird. this story could have been hours shorter, it went on a bit then the end happened suddenly with little wind down and no aftermath. I persevered

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.

really enjoyed this book, great story and well read.
this is the first book by this author I have read but will definitely not be the last. I love how the book appears to be linked to another of his novels by a brief comment made and going by the description of the other book. definitely worth the read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not the best Linwood Barclay

Took me a while to get used to the narrators voice, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying this story. Not the best Linwood Barclay I’ve read (listened to) but it’s worth your time.

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