Cast of Shadows

Fertility doctor Davis Moore abandons his professional ethics when, after his teenaged daughter is raped and murdered, he secretly uses her killer's DNA and implants the clone into an unsuspecting client couple. His obsession to identify the killer by his resemblance to the cloned boy has wide-ranging consequences for the child, his parents, and for Moore as he comes to grips with the horror of what he has done. Scott Brick narrates this terrifying step into the near-future with intensity. The moral argument surrounding human cloning is at the heart of Guilfoile's engrossing debut novel, but the characters, not the philosophy, drive the story. A chilling performance by Scott Brick offers listeners a rousing story wrapped in an issue-oriented debate. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

March 1, 2005
Chicago fertility doctor Davis Moore specializes in helping infertile couples have babies through cloning. When his 17-year-old daughter is brutally raped and murdered, he hatches an unscrupulous plan to use one of his fertility clients to raise a child spawned from the killer's DNA, which was found on his daughter's body. His plan is to monitor the boy's growth and someday look into the eyes of his daughter's killer. Veteran actor and audiobook narrator James, who some may recognize as Judge Kevin Beck from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, ably portrays Moore's feelings of anxiety, guilt and anticipation. Though he doesn't wow listeners with the versatility of his voice, his subtle approach blends so well with the story that the narration becomes almost transparent. All in all, James's competent, well-paced narration makes for a pleasant, if not remarkable, listen. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 31).