Tim Blake’s teenaged daughter Sydney has vanished. Her supposed co-workers claim never to have heard of her. The police begin to turn their investigation toward Blake. As the days stretch into weeks, the lack of answers begins to drive Blake to desperate acts of recklessness. In Fear the Worst, author Linwood Barclay milks this scenario for every ounce of suspense he can.

Barclay has earned favourable comparisons with American novelist Harlan Coben, a well-regarded purveyor of domestic terrors. Although both authors traverse the same thematic territory, employing admirably lean prose and rich character development, Barclay neatly sidesteps the third-act woes that often plague Coben.

Like the best suspense novels, Fear the Worst expertly navigates an increasingly jumbled plot with clarity and precision. It is a given that such novels include red herrings galore, but Barclay keeps the story moving at such a terrific clip that the 400+ pages fly by.

Barclay never sacrifices character development for action. Fear the Worst would not work half as well if Blake were anything less than a full-blooded individual who commands empathy from the reader.

If there is a quibble, it’s that as exceptional a ride as Fear the Worst is, it evaporates quickly after the last page is turned. Unlike the novels of Andrew Pyper (arguably Canada’s most criminally underrated thriller writer), which resonate long after completion, Barclay’s tale is like a Hollywood blockbuster, providing popcorn thrills and chills but not affecting the reader beyond an immediate visceral impact. Despite this minor complaint, Fear the Worst is excellent entertainment, smart and satisfying.