Tunnel Vision

by Gary Braver

Following a biking accident, Boston grad student Zack Kashian lapses into a coma. When he wakes up on Easter, months later, muttering the Lord's Prayer in the original Aramaic, the media quickly anoints him the "Miracle Man." Zack's revival catches the attention of a small team of neuroscientists secretly researching near-death experiences. Their to determine if there is anything to the reports of floating down tunnels into celestial light and meeting spiritual beings. Is this evidence of the afterlife? Or is it just neurobiology, as Sarah Wyman, one of the young researchers, suspects? Zack's experiences are anything but heavenly. While he and Sarah struggle to understand his horrific out-of-body experiences, sinister forces have taken an interest in them. Forces to whom near-death experiences are utter blasphemy―deceptions created by Satan himself―and who, in the name of God, will stop at nothing to terminate the project and all involved.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense, Psychological, Procedural

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 21, 2011

About the author

Gary Braver is the pen name of Gary Goshgarian, the author of six critically acclaimed suspense novels: three under his own name--Atlantis Fire, Rough Beast and The Stone Circle--and three under his pen name--Elixir, Gray Matter, and Flashback. He is also the author of four popular college writing textbooks--Exploring Language, The Contemporary Reader, Dialogues, and What Matters in America.

Gary Goshgarian

Reviews

[Nikki]

I'm not one for sci-fi, fantasy or supernatural stories- but this book really struck a chord with me. I was able to connect and identify with the main characters and I was invested in the plot and went through a variety of emotions as I was taken on quite the literary ride. It helped that the book is set in Boston (where I live) and the main character is Northeastern University student (my alma matter). I would recommend this book to people who enjoy thrillers and are also open to supernatural elements and leaps of faith. I VERY rarely give a book 5 stars, but I think this one deserves it for an overall unforgettable reading experience. I am curious to see what Mr. Braver comes out with next.

[Jonathan Tomes]

While the title caused me to pick up the book and the jacket blurb made me buy it, the novel is so much more than just a book about near death experiences. It brilliantly explores themes of the existence of God, life and death, the possibility of an afterlife, and the meaning of family. The author makes you care about the protagonist, a man who experiences an NDE and so much more. As a published author myself, I can only wonder at how Gary Braver conceived of this book, much less how he wrote it so compellingly. I definitely recommend it and will be looking for his other books.

[Bruce Smith]

Okay, picked this one up at the library yesterday. I couldn't get into it. The story didn't grab me in the beginning, and the author wrote in to much passive voice. Returned it to the library today.

[⭐️ Tessa ⭐️]

“𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎.”

“𝕀 𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕀’𝕞 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕘𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tunnel Vision
Gary Braver
432 pages
~ medical dark thriller ~
FC: Sarah, Zack, Maggie

A beautiful and dark story about loss, greed and the scientific steps that forcefully prove if God exists.

Self-proclaimed atheist, Zack Kashian falls off his bike one night and slips into a coma. Seven weeks later, on Good Friday! he briefly wakes, reciting the Lord’s Prayer and passages from the Sermon on the Mount in the original ARAMAIC before collapsing back into silence. Then, on Easter Sunday, he wakes up for real. Is he a medical miracle or a spiritual one? And how far will wealthy Televangelists, scientists and freelance neurologists, go to prove or disprove this “miracle” first?

“𝙰 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙻𝚘𝚛𝚍’𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝙹𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚜’𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚗 𝙴𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚢—𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎”

An absolute masterpiece of a fictional work. It was fast paced, informational, twisty, dark, thrilling, and there was even some romance in it, which I enjoyed! Our main character was built on a lot of sadness as he lost two of his relatives prior to the book and suffers from unawakened grief :( Zack builds confidence but also character as he has to learn how to live again. And with all of that, there’s such a mystery within these pages that I can barely speak about what truly goes on.

“𝐼𝓉’𝓈 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝑔𝒾𝒷𝒷𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓈𝒽.”
“𝒩𝑜, 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉. 𝐻𝑒’𝓈 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓊𝑒𝓈.”

I believe this book is a masterpiece, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be for everyone. I have to preface by saying that, because this book did something really rewarding for me that I can see being damaging for others. I like philosophy, spirituality and debriefing about religion. This book had a lot of that. By no means does this book take a side on if God exists or not but, it shows many radical and extreme characters who do. If you don’t like a lot of God talk, you might not like this book.

𝖶𝖾’𝗋𝖾 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇, 𝗂𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗐𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖺 ᒪIᐯIᑎG ᕼEᒪᒪ.

I wish I could make this review longer but, anything else I would say would be a spoiler. This book is so well crafted. It takes you in, makes you believe one thing to be true, and then pulls the blindfold off, none of it was ever true, but all of it was too.

And now you have no idea what to believe.

But you’re satisfied all the same.

𝙄𝙛 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙙, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝙄𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.

:)

[Kevin Symmons]

Just finished Gary Braver's "Tunnel Vision." Enjoyed it very much. I am an author and shared the podium with him recently. We exchanged books and I'm glad we did. He had me hooked from the first page. I think most of us hope that there is something after our "4 score" years besides being food for the worms(Ugh!). At the recent event, Gary explained that his extensive research had led him to one conclusion: all NDEs (near death experiences) can be explained with the exception of the out of body "visions". As his novel's hero Zack agrees to participate in a research project after he's injured in serious biking accident which seems to give him strange powers, Braver ratchets up the tension exquisitely. What I enjoyed most about this thriller was that it was not filled with Tai Chi, Mac 10s, and the other trappings that inhabit so many thrillers. He expertly develops the plot, teasing us with details that appear almost simultaneously. The novel is not derivative, resembling Steve Berry, Dan Brown, or Robert Ludlum. Rather his story, though bizarre in theory takes on a believable tone. The hero has a devoted mother; Sarah, a lovely young woman who's working on the NDE team; and friends who we can identify with. So... what Gary Braver has done is taken what in lesser hands might be clumsy and barely believable and used his experience and skills as s writer to give us a page-turner with an ending that we accept and even revel in. Bravo... Braver!

[Lori L (She Treads Softly)]

In Tunnel Vision by Gary Braver an atheist graduate student, Zack Kashian, lapses into a 12 week coma following a bicycle accident. He attracts the interest of religious zealots when he says The Lord's Prayer in the original Aramaic while still in the coma. He later finds himself involved with a team of neuroscientists who are being privately funded by an evangelist to research near-death experiences (NDE) in an attempt to prove that people are wired to find God. Another religious group hires an assassin to kill those involved in the project. Zack finds himself inadvertently caught in the middle of a war between science and two religious extremes. And everything isn't quite what it seems...

This is a fast-paced scientific/medical thriller based on current research in neuroscience that people are wired to find God. Author Gary Braver, the pen name of Gary Goshgarian, does an excellent job keeping the suspense going as the risks increase. Additionally there are plenty of clever plot twists. The science behind the novel was obviously well researched, as are the religious discussions. The large amount of theology in the book might bother some readers, but they are handled well and tie in completely to the plot. This one is a page turner!
Highly Recommended; http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/

[Kristen]

In Gary Braver's Tunnel Vision, he asked the age old question about life and death and if there's an afterlife. In the first part, it deals with Zack Kashian's bicycle accident. For months, he was in a coma and then woke up to speak in Aramaic. People believed he's a miracle and to heal like Jesus. In the second part, we're introduced to some religious-crazed heinous people who experiment on near-death experiences. But there's a hit man out there on a religious bent. Although there's some religious overtones over here, it asked about the boundaries of religion and science, no matter what your religion in. When Zack's suspension grow deeper and darker, it freaked him out. With Sarah as his close ally, it makes him wonder and to step away. And when truth becomes reality before it sets in, it makes him want to dig deep the truth to a shocking ending, where all roads to a divine intervention and a satisfying conclusion. A nice crossover with science fiction/religion inserted into this pulse-racing medical thriller.

[Leslie]

The first chapter of this book was great and I kept thinking it will take off again but it never did. The author never sustained any suspense. I found it very hard to continue from one chapter to the next. The premise was very intriguing but the book never managed to fold it into an interesting read.

[Lillian Schoellkopf]

Extremely well-written book. Well-developed characters. Loved all the local Massachusetts settings, so familiar to me. Author is a scientist, which lends credibility to his writing.
Worth reading. Thought provoking.

[Jen]

Was a great book...made you really think about you truly believe about the afterlife.

[Sally]

Might be a good choice for a book group, could be good discussions...

[Lau]

Very disappointed. Too much religion talk. Plot not convincing and goes too slow. This is my fourth book and FlashBack remains his best and one of the best medical thrillers.

[JoAnne Blackwelder]

A different and absorbing thrilller

A story of two clashing religious groups, resorting to violence over near-death experiments is imaginative, well-researched, and remarkable in its examination of faith and its extremes. The structure, short chapters from differing points of view keeps suspense high, and is grounded by centering on a young man whose ordinary life is cataclysmically changed by an accident that sets him on a path of discovery and danger. Enjoyable read!

[Cesar Henrique]

Interessante Thriller com os clichês de sempre: romances perseguições etc. O que diferencia é o conhecimento do autor no assunto : experiências de quase morte.

[Rhea Gilchrist]

Kept me enthralled.

Kept me enthralled. Exciting, interesting, suspenseful, and gets you invested in the characters. Whatever you believe, it is a hopeful end.

[Isadora]

4.5 ⭐
Sei la kkkkkk vários plot twists, não é um livro ruim não, muito viciante e com um tema que eu nunca tinha lido. Recomendo

[Linda W. Magowan]

This is a strange book, but it did keep me interested to the end.

[Heather Diesing]

Wasn't awful. Kept my attention. Interesting after- life plot & story with decent characters.

[Jen]

This seems like it's geared towards a Unitarian audience. I noticed some inaccurate passages regarding the Catholic church, which I found annoying. The characters & storyline were interesting.

[ATM1977]

Here's a book with absolutely no redeeming features, total tripe! I was hoping for a glimpse down the aforementioned tunnel and a sneaky peek into the authors vision of the afterlife. Instead I got a bunch of incidental characters being forced from one unbelievable scenario to the next wrapped up with some half-science mumbo-jumbo around a part of the brain known as 'the god lobe'.

What makes the book worse is the authors obvious creationist believes preaching out in every page. Now I've read John Grisham at his most preachy best and even then he always erred on the side of moral righteousness. However Gary Braver has used used this book to pull up his pulpit and preach from the half-truths, only one true god, fanaticism bible.

How and why I made it to the end I'll never know, but I did!

[Lydia Presley]

Tunnel Vision is the quintessential thriller. It follows the formula perfectly and, as a result, it has the intended effects - those being as follows:

-Sleeplessness
-A desire to not eat or drink until one more page has been turned
Emotional turmoil
-A feeling of horror that sometimes isn't enough of a horror feeling and that in itself makes you even more horrified (I think I'm becoming jaded)

Add into the mix some fantastic medical jargon, enough mystery and, superstition and unexplained paranormal activity to make your head spin and you've got a doozy of a book.

While I struggled a bit with the religious aspect of the book (and I always do whenever I see a fanatical belief system behind heinous acts), I think that it was treated in a manner that had more respect then I've seen some other very famous authors do (coughStephenKingcough).

I found Braver's portrayal of a college student, his debts, his addictions and the steps taken to dig himself out of trouble to be spot on. Honestly, there's nothing bad to say about this book and it's one of the better thrillers I've read this year!

So if you are a big medical thriller-type fan, if you liked The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, The Likeness by Tana French or anything by Chris Bohjahlian then pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

[Libgirl16]

Another gripping novel by Mr. Braver. A group of scientists is exploring the after-life and whether the human being ceases or continues to exist after the physical death, and whether we meet the spirits of long lost ones. The scientists are funded by an evangelical minister who wants to use science to prove the existence of the after-life.

My only gripe: The first thing a middle-aged contract killer does upon knowing his targets' names - he Googles them. In contrast, we have Zack Kashian, a young college student, who is injected with a deadly puffer fish toxin so that his cells stop communicating with each other, effectively rendering him dead for an hour each session. And it takes him more than SIX (after that I lost count!) such sessions before he googles the toxin to find out its properties! I find that a bit hard to understand. Other than that, great thought-provoking read.

[John]

Gary Braver did a great job plotting a several different characters in this book. Atheists to average joe to orthodox religious people. This was my first Gary Braver book. At the beginning, I said to myself, "Oh this author must be a religious person." But later in the book, I took it back.

I enjoyed Gary Braver's very creative with supernatural, Near Death Experience (NDE), and brain study. He kept me guessing until the end of book. Worth to read.

[Pedro Macedo]

I enjoy it, but only a little bit.
I think the idea was great and it was the reason for I read it.
But its development for me was disappointing and frustrating. The cliches in the plot was more frequent and visible than I expect.
The characters and its development also was not so good and predictable for me.
Finally the story ends and I felt myself thinking that something was missing.
Resuming, I didn't find this book worth enough.

[Trudy Somers]

This was an interesting book dealing with paranormal and NDE (near death experiences)with a twist. At first I thought it was going to be a book full of slamming on those who are religious, but then the reader is introduced to Roman, a hired hitman, and the book changes. Fast-pased, interesting...a little weak at the end, however, but worth a look.

[Laurie]

It had be going, but was too God-y. Fell off a cliff toward the end.

[Kristidel]

Part of my summer relaxation reading. Interesting ideas, but started to drag a bit at the end...I guessed the "surprise" ending, which doesn't help. :)

[Jean]

Not as good as some of the other books written by Gary Braver

[Roberta Sallee]

I enjoyed it, but found it somewhat confusing. I'd be interested in talking to other readers about what they think really happened. :-)

[Tina]

Pretty good thriller. I don't feel this was Braver's best work, but it was definitely worth reading.