On May 29, 2004, seven year old Bailey Cabot was abducted from her home’s front yard and disappeared for three months. Dana Cabot, the mother, blamed herself and her workaholic lawyer husband, David, for the events. She felt she was an unfit mother. During the months of her daughter’s disappearance, Dana rekindled the events that took place prior to her daughter’s abduction. In January of the same year, her husband got a bonus check for one of his cases and urged Dana to go o Florence, Italy to study art history. In Florence, Dana met Micah Neuhaus, Lexy Neuhaus’s distraught brother. Dana and Micah had an affair in Florence and when Dana decided to break the affair, Micah retorted back to drugs and deep depression. As the months went by and Bailey suddenly reappeared at the front yard of her house, Dana and David try to bring their lives back to normality. Bailey, shocked from the abduction doesn’t speak anymore but she knows how to surf. Obviously, her abductor didn’t harm her in any way, instead taught her to surf. As the months go by, Micah Neuhaus tries to get back with Dana but Dana refuses him. Later on he is found dead in his apartment and Lexy, the minister at Dana’s church, blames Dana for her bother’s death. David, in the meantime, tries to defend a client, for the accusation of a young girl’s death, close to Bailey’s age. Even though he tries to believe that he is innocent, his gut feeling tells him otherwise. The book is a good read, even though quite depressing. Dana’s feelings come through in the story, and the reader cannot help it, but blames her for leaving her family and having an affair with a disturbed individual. There are hidden ghosts in the closets of the characters and as the reader reads on finds out more about them and the truth of who really abducted Bailey.
AUTHOR: tCampbell, DrusillaTITLE: Blood Orange Date Read: 03/17/14RATING: 4/BGENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Fiction/2005/Kensington Books/335 pgsSERIES/STAND ALONE: SATIME/PLACE: 2005/San Diego, CACHARACTERS: Dana CabotFIRST LINES: Dana Cabot stood in the doorway to the undercroft holding a pastry box full of $26 worth of still-warm croissants.COMMENTS: 1st time reading this author & have quite a few in my TBR. Dana Cabot is in her early 40's married w/ a 7-yr-old daughter. Her husband a workaholic attorney is defending a rather despicable man -- accused of murdering a young girl. It is a high-profile case and altho' this man is entitled to legal defense Dana wonders why it has to be her husband. She feels he is putting their family at risk and has skewed priorities. Dana has put her career on hold -- she has studied art history & has intentions to someday work on her graduate degree, meanwhile she is dabbling in her art history part-time while focusing on her 7-yr old daughter, Bailey, who has some learning disabilities. When Bailey disappears from their home one afternoon … Dana is sure it is related to her husband's new case. Bailey is missing for 3 months and then suddenly is returned home. This has put a major strain on their marriage. There is a bit of suspense in wondering who the kidnapper is, altho' it quickly became apparent to me of who was guilty. This was OK because I think the story was more of a relationship study than a thriller-suspense. I was not overly keen on Dana so wasn't overly impressed but it was still a nice way to pass the time. I am interested in reading more by this author.
What do You think about Blood Orange (2005)?
While the intent of the story was good, I got rather tired of the "woe is me" attitude of the mother in the story. With bad childhood memories of abandonment, hatred for the grandmother who raised her, Dana can't decide if she's a good or bad person or just someone that no one else understands. Her own child is kidnapped sending the family into a tailspin, her distrust of "everyone" it seems led me to keep thinking, "let's just move on", find the child! Harsh but by books end, I just wanted it over. Too bad as the storyline was a good one, there were some interesting characters, just not enough of them and too much of Dana.
—Cheryl
I was attracted to the cover of the book, and put it down. I really didn't want to read about a child abduction since I've had missing people in my family and their stories did not end positive. I was surprised when my mom had bought it, read it, and said I should read it before donating it to the Friends of the Library.At times this book was hard to put down, but things didn't flow as well as I would have liked. There was a bit of jumpiness that I had to read a few paragraphs of the last chapter and the current chapter to make sure I didn't miss something.Ms. Campbell does not have a "and they all lived happily ever after" ending, however, it is a realistic ending. One where you know the characters are going down the right path and not really any loose ends.
—Melanie
i do not know how anyone could have given this book more than two stars. first off - very bland, unlikeable characters. none of them spoke to me at all. too many things going on in this book and none of them were believable or played out to completion. and my goodness - why is a child abduction pretty much swept under the rug?? i don't understand how they all pretty much just carried on with their lives while their daughter was abducted for 3 months. please! what parents would still be working?? i get that you need an income to survive, but geez... it's YOUR DAUGHTER!!! you barely hear anything about the little girl, bailey, what's she's been through, how she's coping, etc. the main characters - dana and david are too wrapped up in themselves individually. david can't get away from work, defending an accused child murderer (really?? after your daughter is abducted??). not only that, but then david decides to have the wife of the murderer move in with them - over the garage? are you kidding me? after your daughter was just abducted? and then dana is just sitting there so self absorbed about her affair with her friend's brother. we find out later that the brother is who abducted the daughter. but since dana is so selfish, she decides not to come out with it until much later that she knows that he abducted her daughter. where are your priorities?? what an awful mother. this book was distasteful. i don't recommend it to anyone. i read it all the way through just to get through it.
—Kristen
