Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
Synopsis:
Thomas Kilbride is a map-obsessed schizophrenic so affected that he rarely leaves the self-imposed bastion of his bedroom. But with a computer program called Whirl360.com, he travels the world while never so much as stepping out the door. He pores over and memorizes the streets of the world. He examines every address, as well as the people who are frozen in time on his computer screen. Then he sees something that anyone else might have stumbled upon—but has not—in a street view of downtown New York City: an image in a window. An image that looks like a woman being murdered.
Thomas’s brother, Ray, takes care of him, cooking for him, dealing with the outside world on his behalf, and listening to his intricate and increasingly paranoid theories. When Thomas tells Ray what he has seen, Ray humors him with a half-hearted investigation. But Ray soon realizes he and his brother have stumbled onto a deadly conspiracy.
Review:
Ray is a sympathetic character who feels responsible for his brother now that his father has passed away. Thomas shows more signs of a higher functioning autistic than schizophrenic, but that’s the author’s prerogative. The story jumps around a bit between Ray’s point of view and a few other characters. Each are well developed and complex, especially the killer.
This is the first book I’ve read of Barclay’s. The story dragged out a bit at times, with some unnecessary diversions from the main plot. But it was still a riveting thriller interesting characters and plenty of suspense. There were several fun twists that I didn’t see coming. With just as much drama as there is intrigue, this was a fascinating read that didn’t disappoint.