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Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Kevin Guilfoile's CAST OF SHADOWS.
charleslewis5@cox.net
What suspense/thriller authors do you read?
Specific thriller authors I read: Brad Meltzer, Michael Crichton, Ken Follett, Robert Ludlum, Scott Turow, John Saul and others.
What did you think of CAST OF SHADOWS?
I loved it. An engrossing story, an intelligent discussion of some important issues, and good writing make Guilfoile an author to watch.
Kevin Guilfoile's CAST OF SHADOWS is set in a time when human cloning is no longer a possibility but a reality. Of course there are rules (all donors must give their permission, for example, and careful records must be kept}, and when those rules are broken, the consequences are unpredictable.
Dr. Davis Moore, a geneticist specializing in the cloning process, is approached by a young couple who fear having their own child because of the possibility the baby will inherit Huntington's Disease. While they are waiting to complete the red tape, two seemingly unrelated tragedies strike the doctor. First, he is wounded by a member of a right-winged group as determined to stop this abomination as a few abortion clinic bombers have been. Then a few months later, his beautiful teenaged daughter is raped and killed.
When her clothing, still stained with her killer's semen, is finally returned to him, Davis suddenly has an idea. He can use his skill to clone... no, not his daughter. He knows far too well the daily pain it would bring to have her twin walking around, but nothing like her personality. Instead he clones the person who killed her, hoping that in some way it will help him find the murderer.
That is a decision that threatens to destroy a number of lives as Davis tries to keep secret what he has done. Even worse, as the young boy grows up, he begins to show a pattern of sociopathic behaviors. Could he have somehow inherited his "parent's" evil as well as his appearance?
This is a fascinating novel on two levels. As a thriller, the book has just enough inevitability to make the reader just a little superior to its characters. Early in the novel, I was fairly sure I knew who had murdered Davis's daughter, for example, and I was able to predict several events two or three chapters before they occurred. At the same time, Guilfoile had plenty of surprises for me and enough suspense to keep me reading past my bedtime.
But this is more than a thriller; it is an intelligent debate on the pros and cons of cloned reproduction techniques. The process allows infertile couples to have children, and it allows those who wish to leave a part of themselves for posterity. At the same time, though, it raises serious questions about personal identity and about who should have the privilege of passing themselves along as a clone.
There is also an interesting discussion of a role playing game called Shadow World (hence the book's title). Though the game serves as an unusual plot device to connect some of the characters, it offers some unusual insights into the nature of reality and the effect our individual actions have on the world around us.
An engrossing story, an intelligent discussion of some important issues, and good writing make Guilfoile an author to watch. This is only his second book, but it won't be his last.
Would you read a future book by Kevin Guilfoile?
Definitely.
gandjt@sbcglobal.net
What suspense/thriller authors do you read?
My very favorites are Michael Connelly and Thomas Perry.
What did you think of CAST OF SHADOWS?
I'm definitely a fan of Kevin Guilfoile and predict very big things for him!
I'm on page 220 of CAST OF SHADOWS right now with 100 to go and I'm torn between plunging ahead and savoring more slowly. I think I'll finish the book in a couple of days, though, which is pretty fast with me.
The book has a haunting quality that keeps building up. (I've thought several times while reading this book of another book that touched me the same personal way, though it was quite different: Ken Grimwood's REPLAY. CAST OF SHADOWS is also very well-written, intelligently plotted, with very believable dialogue, and I like the occasional humor. Hard to believe it's a first novel. It deserves a prize of some sort? An Edgar? Hugo? It's a wonderful extrapolation of a current medical trend without being a typical SF novel with cardboard characters and less than believable plot twists. I really like and care for Davis and Justin and several of the other characters, flawed as they all are.
Would you read a future book by Kevin Guilfoile?
Absolutely. I'll bet he has one already percolating if not finished.
MPNASCAR@aol.com
What suspense/thriller authors do you read?
I read a lot, as I read mainly suspense and murder mysteries. Among my favorites would be David Morrell, Kevin O'Brien, Carlene Thompson, Donna Anders, Wendy Corsi Staub, Nora Roberts, Michael Robotoham, etc.
What did you think of CAST OF SHADOWS?
I loved it! This was such a well-written, page-turning novel. I was extremely impressed with the plotting and storyline. Several little twists at the end --- I never did guess how it would end. The characterizations were excellent. At the end I could only feel so sorry for Davis, everything that happened, all he endured. I was very impressed with the entire book.
Would you read a future book by Kevin Guilfoile?
Absolutely! In fact, I look forward to his next one and hope he is working on another!
nancyhedu@yahoo.com
What suspense/thriller authors do you read?
Some of the suspense/thriller authors I read are: Jeff Lindsay, Carl Hiaasen, Michael Connelly, John Katzenbach, Janet Evanovich, Douglas Preston, Dan Brown, Mark Haddon, John Searles, John Grisham, Robert B. Parker, Terri Garwood, Natsuo Kirino, Alexander McCall Smith, Dean Koontz, David Baldacci, Patricia Cornwell, Christopher Rice, James Siegel and Harlan Coben (and many more).
What did you think of CAST OF SHADOWS?
I truly enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. I found it to be exciting from beginning to end. The storyline was unique and I was drawn in from the first page. I loved this book and I am recommending it to my friends.
Would you read a future book by Kevin Guilfoile?
Yes, I will definitely read any future books by this author.
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