redjoy53
Written on Feb 2, 2015
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?
- ISBN10 0553807161
- ISBN13 9780553807165
- Publish Date 19 August 2009 (first published 1 January 2009)
- Publish Status Remaindered
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Random House USA Inc
- Imprint Random House Inc
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 399
- Language English
Reviews
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Jan 14, 2012
The first half of the book moved slowly for me, although it held my interest. At times I felt Barclay was too wordy, and a lot of the story could have been trimmed. The second half had me quickly turning the pages as more information came to light and Blake found himself the primary suspect by the police. While Blake is a pretty mundane chap, I found myself impressed by his ability to deal with his ex-wife, his crappy job and back-stabbing associates. Blake becomes an amateur detective unearthing every lead, and slowly putting the pieces together in his daughter’s disappearance. He also finds himself in serious trouble when he discoveries he is not the only one looking for his daughter. I found myself laughing at the exchanges between Blake and his ex-wife’s new boyfriend Bob.
I applaud the way Barclay fed us the pieces of this mystery and slowly tied them together as we discover what events led to Sydney’s disappearance. I loved the twists and shocking revelations. The events that occurred with Sydney were downright scary and I breathe a little easier living in the burbs. The novel had a few action scenes and a climactic conclusion that are sure to please.
I recommend this to fans of mystery, suspense and crime novels. Fear the Worst is available in both paper and digital formats. Barclay has over nineteen published works and I will be picking up a few. His most recent release is entitled The Accident.