The Affect of Red
by P.
A. Davis
Description
The Affect of Red is a work of fiction, a tragic story of love at first sight, woven into
the shadowed world of human trafficking. It is now available in paperback as well as Kindle edition. An audio version is in the works.
Camille Durran is a
young attorney in San Francisco. Through her discovery research on a land deal
in Nevada, she realizes that the plaintiffs in her court case are a front for
an international human trafficking operation run Russian mafia group. Her
distaste for this type of abuse provokes her to expose them to the FBI, they
see her as a menace to their child prostitution operation, and the threats on
her life begin.
Camille's friend
convinces her an evening out might help her get some relief from the anxiety
and pressure brought on by her court case. Although she is ambivalent, Camille
acquiesces; she puts on a red evening dress and sits on a barstool with her
friend in an upscale San Francisco bar.
Robert enters the
bar, expecting to meet some friends, and he is immediately taken by the sight
of Camille. By chance he finds a seat next to her, they begin talking and find
they have similar circumstances, and as they continue, the attraction grows
deeper.
They agree to meet
the following weekend in Reno, Nevada for a lunch date. The conversation
stumbles as Camille's concern for her current situation distracts her
attention, almost driving Robert from the table. Neither wants to part, they
find common ground and decide to start the lunch date over. After a pleasant
afternoon and evening, they are walking through the lobby of a hotel when
Camille is detained by one of the Russian mafia thugs. Robert helps her escape,
but this only begins a new existence, an existence of running, hiding from the
Russian mafia group.
They are taken into
the witness protection program and relocated to a remote cove in Costa Rica.
Their love deepens
in Costa Rica, and when they return to the US, they marry, have a child, and
begin living an idyllic life as vineyard owners in Northern California. But the
threat of the Russian Mafia never leaves their lives.
Excerpt
Sophia noticed a crowd was gathering below her perch on the tenth floor.
From this height, the deep shadows cast by the buildings which soared above the
street obscured most of the throng that gathered. But she could tell by the
play of light and shadow people were filling the sidewalks and streets. It was
late afternoon and she could see the lights of the Barcelo Palacio Hotel coming
on, there were cars rushing along the Pan-American Highway further in the
distance, and the sun’s disk was compressed like an orange being crushed
between the sky and the horizon.
What started as a few curious onlookers was now a mass of humanity. She
could make out police enforcers, fire and emergency crews with their roving
medical attendants, reporters, and the curious, always the curious crowded into
the street below. None-the-less, it was more people than Sophia had seen in one
place in her short fourteen years. Her window of time to make a move was
running out. She looked through the window and could see her captor asleep on
the couch. It wouldn’t be long before he awoke, and the pressure to do
something was growing.
She looked over the edge of the balcony again. The spot she proposed to
be her landing zone was now filling with people, police, and emergency
vehicles. She picked a wide opening between two cars. ‘That will have to do’,
she thought.
Sophia rubbed her abdomen, looking at the slight protrusion and roundness
she knew she loved, and at the same time, she hated. She thought of her life in
this shadowed world, nights filled with screams and fear, the hopelessness of
her plight, and how it all culminated in this moment
Sophia thought of her father and only hoped he could forgive her. A
tear appeared below one eye, and she prayed her mother, whom she would soon
join up in heaven, would understand.
“I’m sorry baby X,” she said aloud. “It just wasn’t meant to be.”
She raised her arms and lowered her head like a seraph about to aviate
the air above the crowd. With a diffident smile, Sophia dipped her head, and
taking aim on the opening she chose, let her body fall forward.
“Oh Mother, Oh God – Forgive me.”
Review
By Makenna Hutton
After a somewhat slow tempo at the beginning The Affect of Red settles into a riveting read the moment Robert and Camille hook up. Camille is an attorney who has inadvertently discovered that the Russian plaintiffs in her court case are a front for an international human trafficking ring. That prompts Camille to turn the bad guys into the FBI. From that point on, her life is threatened and that's about the time she meets Robert.
What I liked about this book is that the author brings human trafficking to the forefront with his fictional account. The idea of exploiting children is obscene and most of the time people do not want to venture into this topic at all, although it exists. My hat is off to the author for that alone.
At times there were a few stretches in the plot but overall the book is very well-written and offers a look into the kinds of people who exploit children.
After a somewhat slow tempo at the beginning The Affect of Red settles into a riveting read the moment Robert and Camille hook up. Camille is an attorney who has inadvertently discovered that the Russian plaintiffs in her court case are a front for an international human trafficking ring. That prompts Camille to turn the bad guys into the FBI. From that point on, her life is threatened and that's about the time she meets Robert.
What I liked about this book is that the author brings human trafficking to the forefront with his fictional account. The idea of exploiting children is obscene and most of the time people do not want to venture into this topic at all, although it exists. My hat is off to the author for that alone.
At times there were a few stretches in the plot but overall the book is very well-written and offers a look into the kinds of people who exploit children.
About the Author
P. A. Davis is an award winning Architect currently living in Hawaii on
the island of Maui. After growing up and working in Laguna Beach, CA, he
married his wife, Barbara in 1980 and moved to Santa Rosa, CA, where they lived
for 15 years. Prior to living in Hawaii they lived in Truckee, CA, Albuquerque,
NM, Divide, CO, and Olympia, WA. He studied music and was a song writer and
performer from 1969 to 1971 before he decided to study Architecture. He has
three daughters, three granddaughters, and a grandson. He is the author of The
Red Poppy and Raindancer.
Please visit the author's
blog
for further insights into the author's stance on human trafficking and child
prostitution.
Links
