Please note: I read this book in 2006 from a copy I purchased for myself.My Reading Experience: I read this book in an afternoon - about 4 hours. I literally could not stop turning the pages. This was an absolutely riveting chapter in Stone Barrington's life; suspenseful, horrifying and at the same time it sets up a lot of the ground floor for his future as well (the house in CT, his car, etc.). My only complaint (and boy is it a doozy) is that for some strange reason between the end of the last book (Swimming to Catalina) and the beginning of this book, Stuart Woods apparently got a bug up his butt and decided to change the gender of Vance and Arrington's child for some reason - at the end of the previous book, Arrington called Stone and said she had just had a baby girl, and suddenly in this book, they have a boy. It annoys me when a writer changes continuity like that for no reason. My Synopsis: At any rate, when the book opens, Stone is pining for Arrington and Dino is trying to cheer him up by taking him to a party, where he meets a lovely young woman, who takes him to her place - and they order Chinese food. Unfortunately, the Chinese place cannot deliver, so he must go pick up the food. When he returns, he finds her dead, her throat slit wide open. Things spiral down from there as people first he knows, then Dino knows, are murdered or attacked. Stone and Dino find themselves racing against the clock to try to figure out who is behind this before the next killing - or before Stone himself is fingered for the first murder. My Thoughts: Although the killer (for most of the murders) becomes quite obvious about half-way through the book, it still remains taut as they try to catch him and still remain out of his reach, and there still remains the matter of the first murder and who did that. This is a pleasing work from a great writer. I look forward to the next installment - LA Dead.
This Stone Barrington series is nothing short of amusing, with simple plot lines, and a formula followed perfectly by Woods each time. "Worst Fears Realized" is no different than the previous 4 in the series, with our hero caught in the middle of a murder mystery, being chased by beautiful women that he beds down without great effort, and solving the crime with his good buddy, and NYPD Detective Dino. This time however, the murders hit close to home as someone Stone and Dino put behind bars years ago has been released and is now systematically killing anyone close to them. There really isn't much motive here, and the plot is unfortunately weak at best. I can't but laugh at the situations Woods puts Stone in - especially the love scenes. This is "candy writing" at its best, and although I've probably said it before, I'll say it again...it's better than a James Patterson novel, but not near as smart as Michael Connelly, Daniel Silva or any of the modern contemporary thriller writers. This is a simple book that is fun, and fast to read - nothing more, nothing less.
What do You think about Worst Fears Realized (2007)?
Have just started reading Stuart woods books and have started with the stone barrington series first, i have became addicted they are a good read. However the only thing i have to say is when an author writing a series of books then they have to be consistent with the characters etc.... for example in the end of swimming to Catalina arrington calls stone to inform him that she has had the baby and it is a daughter but from the start of worst fears realized it has been changed to a son that she has...????
—kerry
like all but the ending!!!---no finale to the book---I am sure this is because it leads more easily to the next oneWorst Fears Realized (Stone Barrington #5)by Stuart Woods3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 3,674 ratings · 115 reviewsNot a man to dwell on the past, Stone Barrington has no choice but to rattle old skeletons when the people closest to him start dying, and he has little to go on but the suspicion that the killer may be someone he once knew. The trip down memory lane isn't all
—John Koshak
Probably my own fault for jumping into book 5 without a refresher course, funny thing was though half the book was probably taken up with characters back-stories so i didn't miss much. This book just didn't work for me on a lot of levels. I think it came from not being able to identify with the main character, a smarmy retired cop turned lawyer who pulls mad chicks at the drop of a hat. He also seems to be the only cop in New York because everyone knows him (maybe explained in the previous novels.) The premise is he easily picks up a woman to take her home, then she gets killed, turns out it was a chick he had had relations with years earlier but he didn't remember her because she was fat at that time. And that's just one of the myriad of characters who make an appearance--there's an old case, a couple of exes, a new car, a house in the hamptons--bleech. I assume the guy is 50ish but he bones chicks like a twenty-year old (or so I have heard.) At the end he even snuggles up to a mafioso's daughter. These things just don't happen in real life right? Didn't work for me--maybe one day I'll start with book number one and find out how Stone Barrington falls from such a lofty character--god I hope he was lofty in the beginning.
—Jeff
