'Trust your eyes' is the gripping new thriller from Canadian author, Linwood Barclay.  The novel centres around two brothers, Ray Kilbride and Thomas, who suffers from Schizophrenia.  Thomas spends his time obsessively checking a website called Whirl360 which maps out the whole world which he is able to memorise.  One day, he spots what looks like a murder in a window of a New York department and Thomas becomes determined to solve this mystery - but at what cost?

This is a fantastic page-turner, filled with twists and turns which are hard to second guess.   I am a fan of Linwood Barclay but feel this is as good as the Richard and Judy read: "No Time for Goodbye" which like many, introduced me to this author.  There is also an interesting sub-plot surrounding the death of their father and the characters are well-developed and believable.  It also dealt sensitively to the issue of mental health and Thomas was an intriguing, if vulnerable, character throughout.  

I would highly recommend this to any fans of thrillers - but make sure you read it when you have a free day as it is hard to put this one down!

Many thanks to Realreaders who sent me this.

Thanks for the review Sarah - I also have a review copy to read.

I recieved this one too and also highly recommend it. However I can't download my review onto RealReaders because it asks for URL and I dont know what it means. Can anyone help ?

I have enjoyed all Linwoods books and look forward to reading this one.

I managed to do it and this was my review.

This latest Linwood Barclay book is a feast of conspiracy that had me eating
 the pages hungrily. The original plot and its ingredient characters is a
 recipe for success.
Thomas Kilbride is gifted but flawed. He spends his life in the attic
memorizing city street plans on the Whirl 360 website believing that he
is working for the CIA. When his brother Ray comes home after their
father's death, both have adjustments to make, and when Thomas tells Ray
 he has seen a murder on the internet, Ray has no reason to believe that
 it is anything other than another delusion. Then things start to
trouble Ray and it seems that there may be others who are interested in
the apparent murder on the geographic website.
The characters, Ray and Thomas, bounce off each other in a charming way
throughout the story and they are pivotal in successfully binding it all
 together. Thomas's quirks are perfectly pitched and described and Ray's
 frustrations have a real feel. There were some amusing light moments in
 the fast moving plot that made me chuckle and allowed me to draw breath
 before setting off again into the melee.
With each passing chapter a small element of the plot melted into place
so that it rolled toward a crescendo that I though I had figured out. I
should have known better. An accomplished author like Barclay was not
going to make it that simple - the icing on the cake was still to come !
Trust your eyes and tickle your thriller taste buds with this one. Its a
 tasty, satisfying treat.

I e-mailed realreaders about the URL and you just need to add the link to the page you have posted your review on,  so although you can't add it on Amazon yet, you can do so here, on goodreads etc.  Hope that helps! 

I've loved all his books so far and can't wait for this one to get to the shops so us 'normal people' can read it!!

I have this one on the review pile too.  Goodness knows when I'll get around to it though!  

Really love Linwood Barclay's books, definitely a wishlister! 

I have loved every one of his books that I have read, find them such page turners! I will definitely be looking out for this one, thanks for the review!

(PS I signed up to real readers months ago but not heard anything yet - does it take a long time for them to send anything?)

littlereader:

(PS I signed up to real readers months ago but not heard anything yet - does it take a long time for them to send anything?)

The books come in fits and starts Lindsey.  I've been reviewing for them for a couple of years now and sometimes months go by with no books and then 3 arrive within 2 weeks.

annecater:

littlereader:

(PS I signed up to real readers months ago but not heard anything yet - does it take a long time for them to send anything?)

The books come in fits and starts Lindsey.  I've been reviewing for them for a couple of years now and sometimes months go by with no books and then 3 arrive within 2 weeks.

Thanks Anne  

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Trust Your Eyes – Linwood Barclay

Hmmm, I think I might annoy a few people here; but if ever I were to find out that Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben were the same person it wouldn’t surprise me. My response to their work is the same. Initially I am ambivalent towards them and seldom seek their work out. However when circumstances thrust their books my way I usually enjoy them.

But I didn’t like Trust Your Eyes. I loved it!! I appreciated the character of Thomas although to me he presented as autistic. More Aspergers than schizophrenic but there were elements of both. And the relationship between Thomas and Ray wasn’t quite Rain Man but that thought came in my head and I was amused towards the latter stages of the book when Howard referenced that albeit in a less than affectionate manner. There were times, too, in respect of Thomas’s enlistment by the CIA when I was reminded of A Beautiful Mind.

The twists and turns of a thriller can often become so complex and interwoven that the reader becomes lost and the final dénouement is almost meaningless because the real clues are so elusive. But this plot developed its complexities as we followed each ‘blunder’ by the ‘baddies’ thus it was always accessible and possible to keep abreast of it without the sense that the writer was trying to be too clever or outwit us.

I really enjoyed the fact that my various suspicions regarding Thomas and Len Prentice were lurking as undercurrents throughout the narrative but there was nothing definitive to go on. And I have to say I did suspect Harry Peyton of some misdemeanour but I was way off the mark.

I found the majority of female characters to be one-dimensional and I can’t make up my mind whether that was intentional or not. It seemed as if they were more as integral plot tools than characters. Even Julie seemed to pop up only when she was needed for story development. On reflection that might also be true of the male characters apart from Ray and Thomas.

And that is probably, for me, the novel’s crowning achievement. It went beyond a good old crime thriller to an exploration of a foundered family relationship and the potential for a greater understanding between brothers.

I just finished this and think it is Linwood Barclay's best so far...I was slightly disappointed with his last book The Accident but am pleased to say that he is backon track with a fast action thriller that grips from the beginning.