Billionaire's Curse, The (The Archer Legacy) - Hardcover

Richard Newsome makes his debut with this novel, which won Text Publishing's inaugural Young Adult Writing Prize. The book started out as a bedtime story for his children, and he finally set it to paper over the course of ten years. In researching the story, he traveled across England, studying many of the places that appear in the book, and he traveled to India for the second book in the trilogy. He lives in Brisbane, Australia, with his wife and three children.

Grade 5-8 Aussie Gerald Archer Wilkins, 13, becomes a reluctant billionaire when he inherits his great-aunt Geraldine's fortune. In a letter, Geraldine predicts her murder and asks him to investigate it and its connection to the theft of a priceless diamond from the British Museum. Gerald dutifully visits the institution but encounters difficulties when a threatening man demands answers at knifepoint. The boy picks up the obligatory sidekicks, twins Sam and Ruby Valentine, when they rescue him. The teens move from London to the new billionaire's country estate as they identify the thieves, using a set of mystical clues. An action-packed denouement complete with rats, snakes, and booby traps uncovers the true villain in this planned trilogy. Newsome's story will appeal to fans of 39 Clues-style adventure-mysteries. While the dramatic escape scenes create a delicious urgency, the story is fairly predictable, and most readers will identify the villain quickly, despite the large cast of characters. Almost all of the twists occur when Gerald has a supernatural vision, so the plot lacks a degree of inner strength. Character development is nonexistent. The boy learns how to use a credit card and bribe taxi drivers, but his adventures instill in him no great resolve, except possibly a strong survival instinct. That said, many middle schoolers will enjoy this title without prompting, and adventure books are always in demand. Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT
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