Helpful Score: 5
Linwood Barclay is one of my favorite suspense writers. He never disappoints. A lot of thrillers have the hero as a cop, P.I., lawyer etc that gets involved with the story because it is their job. Not so with Barclay's heroes. They are for the most part average American family men who get tossed into a unique situation that they didn't see coming. Barclay knows how to write riveting suspense but along the way he tosses in a bit of humor and even a dash of tenderness from time to time to make a great read. The twists and turns in the plot will keep you turning pages way into the night.
Helpful Score: 2
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 situation. 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.
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 situation. 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.
Helpful Score: 2
4.0 out of 5 stars - Most people don't look up...
This is a suspenseful thriller that grabs the reader immediately and propels you along in a story that requires a bit of suspension of disbelief but is nevertheless compelling to finish quickly to see how this author pulls it all together.
From the onset, Barclay introduces some interesting characters that come to life slowly as the narrative progresses. Thomas thinks that he sees something suspicious in an upstairs window on a nondescript street in New York, and his brother, Ray, is talked into doing an investigation. Someone finds out that the brothers have happened upon a mistake that they thought they had covered up. What follows is a roller coaster of reactions as the novel flips from one character's viewpoint to another and gives the reader a picture of the complex machinations behind the vision in the window - a frozen moment in time that produces fallout beyond what the brothers (and the others) ever imagined.
I read this in one day as I found it just too hard to put aside. Although my favorite Barclay novel is No Time For Goodbye, I rank this one close to that. I do think that sometimes the author gets a little carried away with the number of deaths per book, and the endings are always pretty neatly tied up, but you'll need to read it for yourself as there might be a few surprises that even a savvy reader might not predict.
I recommend it!
This is a suspenseful thriller that grabs the reader immediately and propels you along in a story that requires a bit of suspension of disbelief but is nevertheless compelling to finish quickly to see how this author pulls it all together.
From the onset, Barclay introduces some interesting characters that come to life slowly as the narrative progresses. Thomas thinks that he sees something suspicious in an upstairs window on a nondescript street in New York, and his brother, Ray, is talked into doing an investigation. Someone finds out that the brothers have happened upon a mistake that they thought they had covered up. What follows is a roller coaster of reactions as the novel flips from one character's viewpoint to another and gives the reader a picture of the complex machinations behind the vision in the window - a frozen moment in time that produces fallout beyond what the brothers (and the others) ever imagined.
I read this in one day as I found it just too hard to put aside. Although my favorite Barclay novel is No Time For Goodbye, I rank this one close to that. I do think that sometimes the author gets a little carried away with the number of deaths per book, and the endings are always pretty neatly tied up, but you'll need to read it for yourself as there might be a few surprises that even a savvy reader might not predict.
I recommend it!
Helpful Score: 1
Amazing story, many twists and unexpected turns. One of those books I was sorry when it ended. This was my favorite Barclay book so far!!
OMG! You'd better read this in the light of day people! This is my first Linwood Barclay - and it will certainly not be my last - He is the Stephen King of Thriller........
I have read all of this author's books and finished this one in 3 days. Lots of twists and did not disappoint.
When I started this I wasn't sure I was going to like it but the plot twists ended up keeping me up one night to finish it. Good read.
Very interesting book! Really fits in with all the computer/tech stuff going on today. Barclay created a
very good story that will keep you turning the pages!
very good story that will keep you turning the pages!
A good thriller, not Barclay's best, but I like this one better than "The Accident" and "Never Look Away". It is a unique and clever plot with some very distinctive characters. Kept me turning the pages and even when the answers became clear toward the end, there was just one more twist I didn't see coming. Left me a bit unsettled, but well done!
Wow, just when you think you know how the story is going to play out, you reach the end of a chapter and a new twist comes and knocks you for a loop! The story goes along at an exciting clip, page after page. Couldn't put it down - I just had to know what happened next.
I don't usually enjoy slow books but this one was too interesting to put down. That ending had me shocked too.
I have read most of Linwood Barclay's books and this is the best one yet! A lot of twists and turns and unexpected surprises. Could not stop reading. A good premise and can't wait to read the next one!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was the first for me by this author but definitely not the last!
Another intricate and well layered story from LB!
The characters are as well developed as the narrative, and I found myself really caring about Ray and Thomas and how things would turn out for them.
The side plots and twists and turns were very well executed, and the ending was sufficiently unexpected, even though I'd had my suspicions!
I highly recommend Trust Your Eyes - it's clever Linwood Barclay at his skillful best and will keep you on the edge of your seat right through to the end! B+
The characters are as well developed as the narrative, and I found myself really caring about Ray and Thomas and how things would turn out for them.
The side plots and twists and turns were very well executed, and the ending was sufficiently unexpected, even though I'd had my suspicions!
I highly recommend Trust Your Eyes - it's clever Linwood Barclay at his skillful best and will keep you on the edge of your seat right through to the end! B+
This is typical Linwood Barcaly, an author I thoroughly enjoy. I would highly recommend it to all who like this author.
This was not my favorite Barclay book by a long shot. I guess I could have given it 3 stars but the description for 2 stars fit how I felt better.
I thought there were too many plot lines and characters to keep me really on the edge of my seat, like his books usually do. I liked the Ray and Thomas story a lot, but I think Barclay made it too complicated. It just didn't need all the sub plots woven into it.
Regardless, I will still read every Linwood Barclay book that comes along!
I thought there were too many plot lines and characters to keep me really on the edge of my seat, like his books usually do. I liked the Ray and Thomas story a lot, but I think Barclay made it too complicated. It just didn't need all the sub plots woven into it.
Regardless, I will still read every Linwood Barclay book that comes along!
Like most modern thrillers a lot of the premise is implausible and parts of the book requires the suspension of disbelief but Barclay hits full speed on page one and never lets up. There are plot twists the reader won't see coming and enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. In a word, Trust Your Eyes is FUN!
I try not to gush over books. Everyone has a favorite author or series or genre. This one, though, surpasses my top faves in all three categories.
I've never read Linwood Barclay's books before and now all his are on my wishlist. "Trust Your Eyes" is almost two stories in one until they converge in the latter half of the book creating a roller-coaster ride of tension and humor that hints of "Rear Window."
The lead characters, two brothers whose father has died in a tragic accident, push against each other as a family does. This time, though, Thomas, who is schizophrenic and "tours" the cities of the world via Whirl360 (a loosely disguised Google Earth), memorizing the streets as he goes, imagines he sees what might be a murder in progress. The online image has to be months old, right? He convinces Ray to go to NYC to check it out anyway. While Ray is seeking answers about the screenshot for his brother and about his father's death for his own peace of mind, they stumble upon a conspiracy that puts them in the line of fire. This book draws you in from the beginning and keeps you engaged until the very end.
I've never read Linwood Barclay's books before and now all his are on my wishlist. "Trust Your Eyes" is almost two stories in one until they converge in the latter half of the book creating a roller-coaster ride of tension and humor that hints of "Rear Window."
The lead characters, two brothers whose father has died in a tragic accident, push against each other as a family does. This time, though, Thomas, who is schizophrenic and "tours" the cities of the world via Whirl360 (a loosely disguised Google Earth), memorizing the streets as he goes, imagines he sees what might be a murder in progress. The online image has to be months old, right? He convinces Ray to go to NYC to check it out anyway. While Ray is seeking answers about the screenshot for his brother and about his father's death for his own peace of mind, they stumble upon a conspiracy that puts them in the line of fire. This book draws you in from the beginning and keeps you engaged until the very end.
Was lucky enough to get an "uncorrected proof" of this book and just gobbled it up! SO interesting - such a unique premise - wrapped up neatly with a bit of a jolt at the end.
If you've ever used Google Maps and checked out the satellite view, you might have wondered, as you looked at the houses, just what was going on under those roofs. This thriller explores that question and Barclay creates a very credible scenario that leaves you biting your cuticles as the excitement builds.
As a fan of Mr. Barclay's books, all I can say is that he's got another winner here. Keep 'em coming!
If you've ever used Google Maps and checked out the satellite view, you might have wondered, as you looked at the houses, just what was going on under those roofs. This thriller explores that question and Barclay creates a very credible scenario that leaves you biting your cuticles as the excitement builds.
As a fan of Mr. Barclay's books, all I can say is that he's got another winner here. Keep 'em coming!
After 150 pages I gave it up--this book is 500+ pages and in just those many pages I found it to be boring, too many characters introduced, the storyline gets lost by all the repeat (and that is what makes for so many pages along with all the descriptions of everything), in those few pages I didn't find anything thrilling or suspenseful and the subject of schizophrenia is touchy for anyone that is connected with it, if you don't live with it then you don't know the half of it just with research and this sounds more like autism but who cares, the last page told me what I wanted to know and that was enough, Barclay is rambling most of the time with things that could've been left out.
