A CHICAGO TRIBUNE and
KANSAS CITY STAR BEST BOOK of 2005

NEWS and NOTES

Review | Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

"The chief ingredients of Kevin Guilfoile's creepy new thriller are the same ones Michael Crichton has used to fashion a hugely successful and lucrative career as a popular novelist...What's striking about Cast of Shadows is that Mr. Guilfoile, in his first outing as a novelist, does all this with a lot more panache than Mr. Crichton has demonstrated in many years."

Review | Jason Damman, Science Fiction and Fantasy World

"(A) beautiful masterpiece....a monster of a snowball that picks up speed (and) is caressed by Guilfoile’s genius, creating a climax unlike anything else. There are many twists and turns and things you will never see coming. Nothing at all is predictable in this striking novel."

Review | Laurie Zoloth, PhD., Director of the Northwestern University Center for Bioethics

"As a moral philosopher it is impossible to read Kevin Guilfoile's mesmerizing book without thinking of the history of philosophy for which the idea of free will was central. And I say this as somebody who usually hates thinking about bioethics in terms of scary science fiction stories."

Review | Adam Colclough, Shots Magazine (UK)

"Clever, compelling and far more original in its basic premise than the vast majority of thrillers on the market this is one of the best novels I have read this year...The quality of (the) writing is uniformly high with sharp characterisation, frequent and satisfyingly unexpected plot twists and the ending is both brutal, bleak and comes brilliantly out of left field...On the strength of this book alone Kevin Guilfoile has shown himself to be one of the most promising new talents to emerge in the thriller genre in recent years."

Review | Laura Miller, Salon

"Cast of Shadows is 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."

Review | Norbert Spehner, Le Presse (Canada)

"FIVE STARS: A hybrid work which opens like a science fiction novel but becomes a first-class whodunnit....To the last page, the author involves us in a moving drama which is also a reflection on human nature and the misdeeds of science. It is a formidable first novel, whose completely unexpected outcome will leave you thinking."

Review | Crimezone (The Netherlands)

"FIVE STARS...Guilfoile has written a visionary novel, part science fiction, part murder mystery, part philosophical thriller. The book has several complex plotlines, but the path to the disturbing conclusion is just as exciting as it is believable. For me, (Cast of Shadows) is already the best book of 2006."

Review | Roger Gaillard, Le Temps (Switzerland)

"A masterful thriller...(full of) dark and complex intrigue, rich in reflections on human nature, free will and fate. The surprising outcome attests to a remarkable storytelling talent. Guilfoile's first novel will clearly not be his last."

Review | New City Lit 50

"Cast of Shadows breathlessly involve(s) murder, cloning and father-daughter love in its wonderfully complex plot."

Review | Ishan Taylor, New York Times

"A creepily subversive medical thriller."

Previous Posts
Unless otherwise indicated, all posts here are by Kevin Guifoile with occasional contributions by Jim Coudal (JC) of Coudal Partners, who created this site. A listing of Kevin's scheduled appearances and readings can be found here.

ISBN: 1-4000-4308-5
Available pretty much everywhere.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Books-a-Million
Powell's
Walmart.
Listen to an excerpt from the audiobook.

An extended excerpt from the book
and previously posted News and Notes
can be found on Page Two