I know Linwood Barclay as one of the most famous and respected Toronto Star columnists. I was thrilled to be able to read one of his mysteries. I'm not exactly sure when he made the switch from journalism to novelist, but I am so glad he did!
His style is spare and straightforward, echoes of his journalistic background, and he builds tension confidently. Layer after layer of mystery unfold until what begins as a simple story has you at the edge of your seat until you reach the climax. Then, of course you have to either hunt for one of Linwood's other books or wait impatiently for him to write another.
In Trust Your Eyes, Ray Kilbride is back at his family's home to deal with his father's death. His mother already long gone, he has his adult brother, a functioning schizophrenic, to care for. Thomas has a savant-like ability to study maps and memorize places. He spends all his time on Whirl360, a computer program that lets people wander every street of the globe without leaving the comfort of their own home. Thomas believes he is doing a service for the government, memorizing the maps of the world in the inevitable event that the computers all go down and the world is left without these valuable tools.
Thomas examines every inch that Whirl360 allows, and finds a face in a window in New York City. A face that seems to be wrapped in a plastic bag. Suffocating. Ray halfheartedly agrees to help look into the possible event and unknowingly sets off a chain of events that puts their very lives in danger.
Barclay ratchets up the tension with every chapter, building layers of mystery and weaving in threads from the past and the lives of all involved.
A very satisfying read.
Also by Linwood Barclay:
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by Random House Canada?
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