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Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite
A Measure of Blood by Kathleen George is a beautifully conceptualized and masterfully developed novel about unusual circumstances and things gone terribly wrong. Nadal Brown wants to be included in the life of a seven-year-old boy he believes to be his son. Maggie Brown is the boy's mother and she contends Nadal is not the father. When the boy, Matt, finds his mother murdered, there is no one to care for Matt and Nadal figures he would be the logical choice. So, in desperation, he kidnaps Matt from a foster placement and begins a program that is intended to help Matt accept his father, despite the confusion. But little Matt Brown is not your ordinary seven-year-old. He is a socially precocious child who looks for clues to substantiate fatherhood claims as well as clues to rule out Nadal's claim to him.
George's plot development is nothing short of brilliant! She takes the reader through the logical investigation by police, all of whom have their own special issues yet remain dedicated to the safe return of Matthew Brown. We have loving foster parents who truly want to adopt the child without a family and we have the warped psychological make-up of Nadal Brown who has proceeded with reckless abandon on a faulty premise. I loved the character of the child who, while demonstrating resourcefulness and a proclivity toward self-survival, remained a scared seven-year-old boy throughout his ordeal. The police officers were marvelous in putting aside their personal issues for the sake of the child. And the foster parents; you want a happy ending for them as well, even though you understand the right thing must be done. Pick up A Measure of Blood and study the characters. Finally, someone does the right thing.
