Trust Your Eyes

A 5 star most excellent read!This book was fantastic! I was turning pages as fast as I could, burning dinner, ignoring the phone….what a ride! The ending smacked me sideways…. oh no he didn’t! I love the prologue as I also was fascinated by “Whirl 360.com” when it first came out, I scoped out my Sons driveway in Oregon and told him I liked his new truck, but I live in Mn, he freaked out! Oh, I digress…..Ray Kilbride comes home for the funeral of his father Adam after a seemingly accidental death by lawn tractor. His younger brother Thomas who is a map obsessed autistic man lives at home with their father and now with no adult to look after him, Ray will have to deal with and decide what to do with his brother and the home they have now inherited. Upon arriving home Ray tries to talk to Thomas about his future but Thomas says he can not stop his “work” which he says is helping the President of the United States in mapping the world in case of some kind of invasion or disaster that might be coming very soon. Thomas spends his days on ‘Whirl 360.com” memorizing every country, street, road, alley and address in the world waiting for the day all the maps disappear, he gets help with this from phone calls he receives from who he thinks is President Bill Clinton. Ray gets very frustrated until Thomas discovers what looks like a murder caught on the “whirl 360.com” street view in New York, it is someone hanging out a window and being suffocated by a plastic bag. Thomas gets obsessed with this image and can not think or do anything and Ray who remembers Thomas and his moods all through their childhood knows he has to go check this out or Thomas will eventually implode so, he promises him he will go and look into this suposed murder caught on camera. Meanwhile the person being murdered and the why and how of it get mixed up with Thomas and Ray and what ensues is scary and comical and in some ways very touching & believable. There are sleazy congressman, hit men, child molesters, old girlfriends, creepy neighbors. This book is a wonderful story from a guy with one hell of an imagination and quite a tender heart…

Barclay does it again! Double whammy at the end left me speechless. Truth be told this was a slow starter. I enjoyed the story but was wondering when the "thriller' part would start and pick up the pace, then things got going and I was along for the ride but really only felt Barclay was dishing out a reasonable three star story here. Loved the characters and he told of a very empathetic caring family with one grown son having serious but manageable mental issues. These were characters I truly liked. The mystery/thriller plot was good, but I felt one step ahead of things, nodding my head, knowing where this was going ... until the end. When Wham! it's not who I thought it was or even who I thought it might be! And again, Wham! Last page, get ready for the uneasy final answer just when you thought it had all been solved. I just love it when he does that!

Thomas is convinced he has witnessed a murder. The problem is that he was never really there and it was months ago. Thomas may not be the best witness so he has to trust his eyes. Brother Ray is on hand to help but things quickly get out of control.My Thoughts:I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than what I thought I would. Many reviews say that they felt that the first half of the book was a bit slow but second half picked up. I have to disagree because I was totally hooked. Linwood Barclay’s novels always have plenty going on and enough to keep the interest.I liked the idea of the Whirl 360 ( a Google type street view) and that Thomas sees something which could be a murder. I felt that this book had something different to offer and was glad that the book didn’t get too technical. I really liked Thomas and just wanted to put my arms around him and give him a hug.What I did find was that there was maybe just a little too much going on. I don’t think the story needed the extra small sub plot of the matter with dad’s friend and Thomas when he was a teen. There was plenty in the story to keep the readers interest without that little extra.Linwood Barclay for me is a very good thriller writer and somebody who I would always seek out. I would highly recommend him and this book to anybody who wants a good thriller with a difference. The book did remind me of Hitchcock's ‘Rear Window’ only the window in the story was Whirl 360.

A slow starter but another enjoyable read from a highly accomplished author.

Ray’s father has died in an accident. He father lived with and took care of Ray’s adult schizophrenic brother, Thomas. Thomas spends all his time online, memorizing city maps/streets – all cities around the world. He thinks he is helping the CIA. When Thomas thinks he sees a murder in one of the windows from the street map/view he is memorizing, he insists Ray go check out what happened. In the meantime, Allison has had an affair with a politician’s wife and is now blackmailing her. It doesn’t take long for this to go horribly wrong. It took a little while to set this one up, but about 1/3 of the way in, it really got going and with 1/3 of the book left, it cranked up another notch. There were an additional couple of surprises at the very end.

One of the best thrillers I've read to date, the plot is masterfully written, just couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

This is a typical Linwood Barclay thriller.Two brothers Ray and Tom are coming to terms with the death of their father.Tom has issues and spends all day looking at online maps he thinks he witnesses a murder asks Ray to check it out, nothing turns up but the bad guys close in on the brothers. Well worth a read lots of twists and surprises along the way. Good book

Really liked this. Plenty of intrigue in the beginning, with lots of plot twists. The pace really picks up in the last part of the book, to the point where its hard to put down.

The audio was GREAT!! What a wonderful storyteller Barclay is! I was sorry the disks were disappearing so fast because the story moves right along, And surprises---perfect!

Many readers think of thrillers as the wham, bam, thank you ma'am genre, with everything sacrificed to an adrenaline-charged plot. That's not the type of thriller that Linwood Barclay writes. Trust Your Eyes is filled with wonderful, nuanced characters and a thick, meaty plot that knows when to take it nice and easy.Thomas's illness is sympathetically and realistically drawn. His memory is prodigious, his routines are set in stone, he can be charming, frightening, infuriating, and endearing. No less real is his older brother Ray, who's made a home and a career for himself away from his father and brother. When he finally loses patience with his brother, it's all right, because we've lost patience, too. When he feels shame for giving in to his anger and feeling of hopelessness, we do, too. Barclay has drawn us completely into the lives of these two brothers.And these two (basically) ordinary men are rapidly drawn into an extraordinary, life-threatening situtation. The author has created a tightly woven mesh of subplots. There's the worry about Thomas and his obsession with Whirl360 and talking to people who aren't there. Did he really see a murder? Who was murdered? Who are the killers? Is there something wrong with that riding lawnmower at the bottom of the slope? So many questions unfold themselves and spread their wings that you'd think I'd get hopelessly lost. But no, I didn't because I was so immersed in the story that I remembered every character, every plot twist, and I read faster and faster to see how Barclay would bring all these elements back into some sort of resolution.The mood in Trust Your Eyes gets increasingly tense, and it was good to see the flashes of Barclay's humor that I enjoyed so much in his Zack Walker book, Bad Move. The author knew to place his hilarity in just the right spots so it would surprise a laugh out of the reader and relieve the almost unbearable tension.I don't know what kept me away from Linwood Barclay's books for so long, but I do know one thing: I've got a lot of good reading ahead of me as I catch up.

This book blew me away at the end...... and it makes me laugh at Linwood Barclay's sheer delight in knowing he blows his readers' minds. I love Mr. Barclay's books and have been reading them in the order they were published, although it seems unnecessary since one never seems related to the next. This man is a genius at writing suspense novels. Keep them coming, please!

This was a great, fast paced thriller. It had a few unnecessary plot points but overall was really enjoyable.

I love all Linwood Barclay books. A "Canadian Harlan Coben". Every single one is an exciting, intense thriller. Recommended for all suspense readers.

Thomas, semi-autistic spends his days on his computer memorizing the streets around the world. One day he spots what looks like a murder at a window and implores his brother Ray to investigate.

The first section of the book was very difficult tofollow. It kept going from one person's story to anotherperson's story...It eventually connected.The last part of the novel was quite good though slightlysurreal...that is if one wasn't too distracted by theprofound amount of profanity. There were a few typos but the writing style was, mostly, OK. The ending was quite good yet there were missing pieces one would have liked filled in to give the novel a feeling of completeness.The story includes a man with mental illness -his hobby iscartography, a man who, successfully, did character drawings for a living, a wannabe reporter, and several other people - most all were unhappy with themselves and their inability to be more successful. They were mostly all dysfunctional people.Their were a few good morals to the story if one searches for them. It was understandable why the author felt the need to use such despicable language to emphasize this point.Key points were sibling relationships & rivalry, politicalaggression, friendships, deceit, some romance, death & grieving,violence, corruption, schizophrenia, kidnapping.I am grateful to the author for their generosity in donatingthis book for an honest review of which I have given.

"Trust Your Eyes" is another solid read from Linwood Barclay who really ought to be more well known. Probably one of the reasons he isn't is that he doesn't currently use a series character (he did in his early days) and there isn't quite the same compulsion to pick up the next one when you're not following a longer character arc. For instance, here I am in 2013 only now catching up on 2011's "Trust Your Eyes", even though I read and enjoyed 4 earlier Barclay novels in a fast discovery sweep back in early 2011.The setup here is that there are two brothers. Ray is an illustrator for print and web journalism and Thomas is a recluse with issues that are described and treated as a type of schizophrenia but who otherwise seems to be very high on the functioning autism spectrum and is on a compulsive quest to memorize all the houses and streets of the cities of the world by using a web interface called Whirl360 which is used as the proxy name for what most of us would know as Google Streetview.With a modern-day twist on Hitchcock's "Rear Window", the plot driver is that Thomas sees what appears to be a murder captured through a chance streetview photo capture and he asks his brother to check into it with an actual site visit. This kicks off a conspiracy that endangers the brothers in unexpected ways.Barclay has a knack for writing a compulsive read as he is constantly leaving unanswered questions (which are thankfully resolved by the end) and dropping in unexpected twists at the end of chapters. You just have to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. "Trust Your Eyes" is yet one more guaranteed must-read-right-to-the-end thriller. I don't think I'll wait quite so long to pick up the next one or two (the one good thing about being a lazy author-fan is that you know there are always a few good books waiting for you in the pipeline ;)

Barclay is a former newspaper columnist and the author of several internationally best selling thrillers. This author was recently chosen by my crime writing book group and I selected this book to read based on the interesting blurb.Praise on the back of the book comes from the Financial Times, The Daily Mail, The Mirror and Stephen King, although, slightly irritatingly, it is not clear whether the praise is for this book, another book of Barclay's, or just the author generally. Regardless, the contributors may help to give you some idea of whether or not you are likely to enjoy a book by this author.The blurb in briefWhile moving down a street one day Thomas spots a murder happening in a window. Should he tell anyone? The trouble is, he wasn't actually  there. And it's unlikely anyone will believe him since he's not the most reliable witness...I was hooked.My initial thoughtsThe first few chapters felt awkward as Barclay tried to reveal and hide relevant background through rather clunky dialogue and irritating obfuscations. The blurb on the inside cover makes it clear that either Thomas thinks he's psychic or he's using something like Google street view so the comment that "He meandered down the center of the street, not particularly worried about traffic" felt pointless and clumsy. I quickly found myself getting a little irritated by the awkwardness of it all.Initially, everything felt similarly clumsy. Characters have discussions they must logically have had before, which seem to happen purely in order to allow a gradual revealing of relevant information about Thomas, his brother Ray and the death of their father. The first time one particular new character, Allison, is introduced there are all kinds of points driven home for the reader in preparation for later events. On a first reading these points were already clunky. I felt sure that on a second reading they would be unbearable.Of course, everything jars once a reader is predisposed to be critical. Suddenly the whole narrative seemed to consist of daft statements like "all someone had to do was wander through [the hallway] with a lit candle" to cause a fire. A lit candle? Have we suddenly gone back to the 1800s? Even in a power outage most people would reach for a torch. Niggles abounded and I wondered whether I would find the whole book just too irritating to finish.Picking up paceAs I read past the first few chapters these minor irritations dropped away and I realised I was gripped by the threads in this crime thriller, especially as Thomas and Ray waded unknowingly deeper into danger.It quickly transpires that Thomas is a schizophrenic who has an astonishingly powerful memory. He believes there will soon be a catastrophic world event that will render his photographic memory of vital use to the CIA, and in the meantime he might be able to rescue a trapped agent or two. Utterly convinced of the importance of his future role, Thomas spends his days using Whirl360 (Google Streetview with a different name) to memorise tracts of various major cities and communicates regularly with the CIA and former US president Bill Clinton to keep them informed of his progress. As you do.Meanwhile, his father has recently died in a slightly odd accident and his brother Ray has come home to organise the funeral and decide what to do about Thomas. Ray tries to be patient as he learns more about his brother's beliefs but struggles to cope and adopts a generally patronising attitude which means that he initially dismisses his brother's concerns about the scene in the window out of hand. One of the nicer aspects of the story is the way that local journalist (and obligatory love interest),  Julie, encourages Ray to stop being so patronising and realise Thomas' strengths. The relationship between the brothers helps to make this more than just a standard thriller and I liked seeing Ray begin to really consider his brother's value. (After all, unsurprisingly for a crime thriller, Thomas is right: someone has been murdered.)Once the story gets going there are some interesting twists, some minor, some major. I enjoyed this because it made the story gripping, especially as there are initially two different time periods some six months apart and it was interesting moving between them and seeing how the events in the past were affecting those in the present. Chapters often ended on dramatic revelations but, unlike James Patterson style thrillers or Point Horror writers, these were dramatic without being over-the-top shocking. I found that they interested me but didn't feel overly staged or cliffhangery, which can annoy me. I thought the final twist was particularly bold and effective as it was impossible to put the book down without thinking through the possible consequences but the book still felt 'finished' by ending where it did.A gripping readDespite the main character being obsessed with maps and spending a lot of time on his computer, the narrative and dialogue is mercifully free of technical details and unnecessary geography. Often writers seem to feel the need to show off all the careful research they have been doing; there is none of that here and so the plot can continue to move at a good pace. There are some nice touches of humour along the way too as the criminals reflect on their past and on their career choices.Barclay uses Ray as a first person narrator for most of the chapters which helps to add a sense of immediacy to the action. Chapters focusing solely on Thomas or characters involved in the murder are narrated by an omniscient voice. I found the switches between narrators easy to follow and felt that this approach worked well to allow the reader an insight into developments surrounding the murder.I also liked the way the crime develops. It snowballs in a manner that is slightly farcical and new players are introduced gradually. I liked the mix of naive opportunists and hardened criminals and the way that one problem spirals out of control. It made the events seem more believable.In the prologue there is a mysterious reference to a boy in a window. I liked the way that this rather odd comment gradually gained in significance as the narrative progressed and became quite significant. The denouement contains few surprises and is quite talky as characters try to explain their actions to other characters. Despite this I felt that the ending worked well to tie up the various plot elements in a satisfactory way. There is a brief final chapter that works as an epilogue and gives an effective coda to the whole story.Conclusions:After a rocky start I really enjoyed this crime thriller and will be keeping an eye out for other books by Barclay. I liked the depth added to the basic plot by the relationships between the brothers, although the obligatory blossoming romantic relationship left me cold. I enjoyed the touches of humour sprinkled throughout and felt that the plot was suitably dramatic without becoming ridiculous. Although the beginning was clumsily constructed the ending was well-handled. Chapters short and pacey, appropriate for the genre without being ridiculously short (or indeed irritatingly long). The same can be said for the length of the book itself which runs to 498 pages of approximately size 14 font: enough length to develop the story, not enough to send a reader to sleep. The criminal proceedings are easy to follow while still being engaging and the topic (political manoeuvrings and corruption) is very relevant and therefore likely to have a wide appeal for contemporary readers of crime fiction.The RRP is a rather eye-watering £18.99 which I personally feel is rather expensive for a work of fiction, even if it is in hardback. On the plus side, most retailers are selling it for rather less (currently £12 from some online sellers) and due to the nature of story you could happily re-read this after a decent interval without feeling like it was a complete waste of time. Still, I would be tempted to wait for this to come out in paperback unless you are a big fan of Barclay's. Even the kindle version is currently retailing at £9.99. Recommended - but shop around.Read this if:- you enjoy crime thrillers which follow the investigations of complete amateurs who happen to become involved in the crime;- you have enough patience to disregard a slightly awkward beginning and remain interested during a rather talky conclusion;- you like books in which all the threads are carefully prepared and neatly drawn together the end.Avoid this if:- you prefer your crime thrillers to follow the investigations of professionals and focus on clues / forensics / mysteries;- you like to discover who-dunnit at the end, rather than observing the criminals throughout and simply waiting for the main characters to work out who and what they are dealing with;- you like crime thrillers with high stakes (there's no danger of the world ending here)...or don't like crime thrillers at all!

Very good. Will be looking for more of his books.

Some books just slip down like jelly despite their length.Seemingly disconnected plot threads come together in breathtaking fashion. This is a read that just keeps you reading.A quote on the front cover from Stephen King says 'The best Barclay so far ... riveting', and I have to agree.The synopses will give you enough idea of the plot, so you don't need me to say anything more about it.It is a stand-alone, so you don't need to have read any of Linwood Barclay before. This is one not to be missed.

Could not put it down. Thought I had it figured out several times and was I wrong. Can't wait to read more.

Whirl-360 is Google Maps on steroids, and Thomas Killbride has a special ability to view and retain every map he’s seen with perfect recall. Spending every free moment studying the larger cities, he claims to be working for the CIA in the eventuality terrorists destroy satellite communications leaving his brain the sole archive of maps. His brother Ray has ignored these eccentricities, read mental issues, until the unexpected death of their father forces him into guardianship and to confront Thomas and his own misgivings about the past. Conspiracy theory plot, or a mentally challenged individual’s rantings? Either way Ray must discover the truth and decide just whom he should trust.Linwood Barclay takes somewhat normal characters and throws them in the deep end of the pool without a lifeguard, tosses in a group of sharks just to spice things up, then turns out the lights. A satisfying read that keeps you turning the pages until the end.

3.5 stars – Very GoodWhen Ray Kilbride’s father dies unexpectedly, the family home isn’t the only thing he inherits. He also must care for his schizophrenic brother Thomas. The obsessive Thomas would prefer to stay in his room with his photographic memory of maps and stare at the computer program Whirl360. At least that is the case until he stumbles upon a grainy image in a window that looks like a murder victim. Ray suddenly finds that taking care of Thomas isn’t just about keeping him fed and clothed. Now their very lives may depend on the answers he is able to unearth about a deadly conspiracy.Trust Your Eyes is an intriguing thriller by veteran writer Linwood Barclay. The premise of a dysfunctional, but gifted Thomas gives the story a unique quality. Barclay does a prodigious job developing not only Thomas, but also his loving yet contentious relationships with both his deceased father and his brother Ray. Much of the story is told from Ray’s point-of-view. Barclay reveals the internal conflict Ray goes through regarding his brother’s condition in a striking, human way. The portrayal of their relationship is the highpoint of the book.As for the plot, it is a pretty straightforward thriller, although it takes a long time to get going. It has the requisite chases, deaths and bad guys, but it is pretty standard fair. Unfortunately, the other characters – particularly the villains – are pretty cookie-cutter and the conclusion of the story is a bit too convenient. As thrillers go, it is pretty average.Still, the strength of Trust Your Eyes is in the portrayal of Thomas and his obsessive nature. Barclay’s writing really brings out the relationship between Thomas and Ray in a convincing way. As a result, Trust Your Eyes is a solid thriller with a really well developed personal relationship.

Enjoyed it, pacing was good mostly, a bit slow at times. Didn't really connect with the characters and found the plot a bit far-fetched, but was easy to read. Barclay does good thrillers - I'll gladly try the next one.

another great thriller by Barclay. what if your schizophrenic brother witness a murder on the web. Lots of interesting twists and turns with several points of views going on at once.

There are parts of this story that I liked better than others. Loved the two brothers and the modern day take on Rear Window, this was a very clever device on the part of Barclay. Using a schizophrenic really added to this story and I enjoyed the map meanderings by this brother. I think in art the author added to many elements to this story, too many different plots, which made some of them not very believable to me. Do love this author and his writing style and look forward to his next book.

Ray Kilbride comes home to attend his father's funeral, take care of his father's house, and to move his brother into a group home. Ray's brother, Thomas, had lived with their father because he was schizophrenic, compulvsive, and rarely left the house. Ray wants to sell the house and move Thomas into a group home. Thomas has a serious thing for maps and spends his days visiting the world though a website called "whirl360.com". On one of his online trips, Thomas sees a woman with a plastic bag over her head in a window in New York City. He begs Ray to go investigate and this is where the story really begins...I really enjoyed this book. It is a great story with lots of twists. I liked the characters and especially liked Ray and Thomas. It keeps you engaged and the ending is great!

Ray Kilbride returns to his hometown for his father’s funeral. His father, a widower, had been taking care of Ray’s brother, Thomas. Thomas is a bit obsessive compulsive, rarely leaves the house, and has a thing for maps. With the use of a program called “whirl360.com” he visits any city and country he wants and memorizes streets, buildings, details of various businesses. But in viewing one particular building in New York, he sees what looks like a woman with a plastic bag over her head. Thomas speaks to President Bill Clinton and sends emails to the CIA. It is Thomas’s belief that some catastrophe will destroy every map so the government will have to rely on Thomas’s memory to let their agents know where they are.Ray is skeptical of this alleged murder but Thomas convinces him to go to New York and visit the building. It doesn’t help that two FBI agents have showed up on his doorstep questioning why Thomas is sending emails to the CIA. This is a non-stop thriller involving an attorney general, his wife whose girlfriend wants to blackmail her, the attorney general’s “handler” and the steps the handler takes to fix these problems before the AG runs for election. In order to “fix” these problems, more bodies pile up and soon the handler and the ex-cop discover who found out about the woman in the apartment. They are good at what they do and soon locate Ray and Thomas. A clever twist at the end adds to this compelling mystery.

A 5 star most excellent read!This book was fantastic! I was turning pages as fast as I could, burning dinner, ignoring the phone….what a ride! The ending smacked me sideways…. oh no he didn’t! I love the prologue as I also was fascinated by “Whirl 360.com” when it first came out, I scoped out my Sons driveway in Oregon and told him I liked his new truck, but I live in Mn, he freaked out! Oh, I digress…..Ray Kilbride comes home for the funeral of his father Adam after a seemingly accidental death by lawn tractor. His younger brother Thomas who is a map obsessed autistic man lives at home with their father and now with no adult to look after him, Ray will have to deal with and decide what to do with his brother and the home they have now inherited. Upon arriving home Ray tries to talk to Thomas about his future but Thomas says he can not stop his “work” which he says is helping the President of the United States in mapping the world in case of some kind of invasion or disaster that might be coming very soon. Thomas spends his days on ‘Whirl 360.com” memorizing every country, street, road, alley and address in the world waiting for the day all the maps disappear, he gets help with this from phone calls he receives from who he thinks is President Bill Clinton. Ray gets very frustrated until Thomas discovers what looks like a murder caught on the “whirl 360.com” street view in New York, it is someone hanging out a window and being suffocated by a plastic bag. Thomas gets obsessed with this image and can not think or do anything and Ray who remembers Thomas and his moods all through their childhood knows he has to go check this out or Thomas will eventually implode so, he promises him he will go and look into this suposed murder caught on camera. Meanwhile the person being murdered and the why and how of it get mixed up with Thomas and Ray and what ensues is scary and comical and in some ways very touching & believable. There are sleazy congressman, hit men, child molesters, old girlfriends, creepy neighbors. This book is a wonderful story from a guy with one hell of an imagination and quite a tender heart…

The premise for this book fascinated me, and the opening pages sucked me right in. Barclay is, no doubt, a talented author and knows how to weave a good story. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite measure up to its promise. The problems I had:The pace is slow. The entire middle of the book drags, with information repeated and dwelled on so often that I had almost all of the plot figured out long before we got there. Thomas, while an interesting character, struck me more as someone with high-functioning autism than schizophrenia. In fact, he reminded me of Gary on the show Alphas. The schizophrenia diagnosis felt like a convenient label to explain the need for this character occasionally hearing voices and didn't quite fit his personality.The biggest problems I had were the timeline of the story and the POV choices. The journey took us through many transitions back and forth in time. They were unclear and left me trying to figure out where we were in the story. Also, during the first half of the book, certain characters' POV sections were written in third person present tense, while others were written in third person past. Then there was Ray's POV, which was always first person past. The transition didn't flow well and didn't seem to have anything at all to do with the time frame for events. Then, suddenly, all the third person present tense went to past tense. I couldn't understand the need for the present tense POV and found it jolting each time.The big twist at the end didn't have the impact it could have. All the hints and rehashing of facts throughout the book had already led me to the same conclusion. In the end, this book had enough substance to keep me reading, but didn't live up to its potential.

Wow what a ride! A father dies, leaving behind two adult sons- Thomas a schizophrenic obsessed with maps and Ray an illustrator living on his own out of state. Ray comes home to put things in order and Thomas shows him a picture of someone being murdered in NYC. At least that is what the picture seems to be portraying. The plots thicken and twist and jump at you from out of nowhere. Just when you think you have figured out what is going on, sucker punch! Lots of fun.