A bereaved doctor undertakes a diabolical experiment in a shattering philosophical thriller that anticipates the moral, social, and metaphysical dilemmas science is poised to confront.Davis Moore is a fertility doctor in Chicago specializing in reproductive cloning, a controversial and closely regulated new practice, when his seventeen-year-old daughter is brutally raped and murdered. The case is investigated but never solved. Months later, Moore retrieves her belongings from the police, and finds among them a vial containing the killer’s DNA. Tormented by grief, Moore entertains a monstrous thought: the possibility of cloning not his daughter but the man who killed her. How far would you go to look into the face of your daughter’s murderer?Justin Finn, at three, looks like any other child. Bright, joyful, sweet; an innocent toddler to his unsuspecting parents and to all who know him. But his face, one day, will be the exact match of the cold-blooded killer of whom he is a perfect genetic replica. Can a three-year-old have a past? Where does evil come from? What happens to the soul when we die? What are you duplicating when you duplicate a human life?Cast of Shadows is a spectacularly original, hair-raising novel about the fate of a little boy brought into the world to solve a crime. Relentlessly gripping, profoundly unsettling, and visionary, it introduces a major new suspense novelist.From the Hardcover edition.
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"This book has crime, science fiction (that really isn't science fiction since human cloning is right around the corner), love, betrayal and mystery. Its one of those books that you want to see the movie, just as long as its exactly like the book. " — Cass (5 out of 5 stars)
"This book has crime, science fiction (that really isn't science fiction since human cloning is right around the corner), love, betrayal and mystery. Its one of those books that you want to see the movie, just as long as its exactly like the book. "
Always surprising. . . . Complete with elegant prose and well-developed characters.
A masterpiece of intelligent plotting. . . . A rare thriller that dares to make telling the difference between right and wrong, fate and choice, as difficult as it is in real life.
Striking. . . . Guilfoile's tricky, high-concept plot continually subverts and plays with the reader's expectations. . . . Gripping.
A spellbinding novel. . . . Mature, intelligent, stylishly written and more than a little bit dark.
" Interesting concept. I thought the middle dragged, but there was enough twist and turns going on to keep me engaged throughout. "
" It was okay, but I don't typically enjoy thrillers. I spend too much time trying to figure out "who done it" and I'm usually disappointed as there are always too many coincidences. This read was no exception. "
" Excellent twisty novel. "
" Really strange book, but it's a page-turner with quite a few (depressing) twists. And it's set in Chicago. "
" So many twists and turns that you're left dizzy. It was a very good read that both disturbed and surprised with layer after layer. "
" An enjoyable and thoughtful thriller. Interesting concepts although sometimes it seemed like quite a stretch to fit the story to the necessary plot elements. A few too many ironic twists and turns at the end to be fully satisfying for me. "
" Written by a friend's brother. Wouldn't have read it based on book jacket but ended up enjoying the book a lot! "
" I would never normally pick up a sci-fi book, but this one is great! "
" Interesting concept, but hard to recommend. So many little story lines were presented and the story felt a little cluttered. The more interesting characters were not given enough time. I would recommend waiting for it to come out on DVD, or just not reading it. "
" A quick read, well done story of human cloning gone awry. "
" Loved this book! Not my usual fare, but so glad I didn't put it down. It deals with cloning, but in a way that doesn't distract from the story. Great read! "
" Extraordinary. Recommended by my "go-to guy", Rick Kogan, it has all the prerequisites: intriguing story, enviable command of language and compositon, and a dreaded conclusion. See also his relatively new, The Thousand! "
" One of the better thrillers I've read with loads of surprises sprinkled all through the book. Plus the author tosses in some good issues to make you think. "
" One of the best thrillers of any kind I've ever read. "
" WOW! This was very suspenseful, 1 day read! "
" Probably the greatest book on genetic engineering since Brave New World. "
" What a wonderful read! Te author did an amazing job developing a lot of characters and threading them appropriately though out the story. Highly recommend! May read more by the author! "
" Who knew when I used to see Kevin as Leslie's Notre Dame friend that he was going to turn out to be such an inventive, smart, verbal writer? A superb & enjoyable science thriller you can't put down. "
" This was OK, no more. Could have been a lot better, but little things niggle at you the whole way through it. "
" Interesting book -- shows both sides of the debate on cloning.... Way too many coincidences, though... I know that is part of the plot, but got to be distracting. Enjoyable, but not fantastic. "
" A very interesting and well developed book, it's overly complex at times (the person before me was reduced to writing notes in the library book to keep track of events), but it all spawns from a very interesting premise and is a good read if you can get through it. "
" I love this book; it has EVERYTHING in it. I can't believe the many levels that this first time author used in this book. Every person I have recommended to read this book has loved it as well. "
Kevin Guilfoile is the author of Cast of Shadows and has written for McSweeney’s, Salon, and the New Republic. He lives in Chicago with his wife and children.
Peter Francis James is an accomplished actor on both the stage and the screen. His theater credits include roles in On Golden Pond, Much Ado about Nothing, and August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean. His many film and television credits include Jahfree Neema in Oz, Raymond Parks in The Rosa Parks Story, Joe Gould’s Secret, The Guiding Light, Law & Order: SVU, and Third Watch. James’ audiobook narration has won him nine AudioFile Earphones Awards.
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