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    The Billionaire's Curse
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    The Billionaire's Curse
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    The Billionaire's Curse
    Ebook302 pages4 hours

    The Billionaire's Curse

    By Richard Newsome and Jonny Duddle

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Gerald Wilkins never considered himself a particularly exceptional thirteen-year-old. But that was before he inherited twenty billion pounds, a Caribbean island, a yacht, and three estates from a great-aunt he never knew. With this fortune, however, comes a letter. One from his great-aunt Geraldine. One that tells Gerald that she was murdered, and that it's up to him to find out why.

    Along with his friends Ruby and Sam, Gerald embarks on a journey that will lead him from the British Museum to dodgy social clubs for the disgustingly rich to mansions in the English countryside to secret places far underground. Who was Geraldine Archer? And what secrets was she hiding? Unless Gerald, Sam, and Ruby can find out before the killer does, they may be next.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 18, 2010
    ISBN9780061998324
    Author

    Richard Newsome

    Richard Newsome is the author of the first two books in the Archer Legacy, The Billionaire's Curse and The Emerald Casket. In researching the trilogy, Richard traveled to England, India, France, Italy, and Greece, visiting many of the historical sites featured in the books. He lives with his family in Brisbane, Australia.

    Read more from Richard Newsome

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    Reviews for The Billionaire's Curse

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Remember when you were a kid and The Adventurous Four, The Famous Five and The Secret Seven were just the ticket for an exciting read (okay so you have to be of "a certain age" for that to apply), but I still remember how satisfying those books were. An adventure, a puzzle that had to be solved - by a bunch of kids of a similar age to yourself, all done and dusted and home in time for tea. Many a person "of a certain age" will attest that these books were the ones that got them started on a life-long love of reading. Perhaps that's partly because they were so easy to identify with, or had scenarios that the average kid could aspire to, dream of. THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE could very well be the same sort of book for kids of a current age.Definitely set in a more current day world - the book blurb starts off with "What would you do if you suddenly became a billionaire?". It's the story of 13 year old Australian boy Gerald, who comes from a relatively staid, standard suburban life enlivened mostly by fantasies of great deeds and heroics. He could never have imagined the scenario that instead finds him home from school and bundled onto a luxury private jet, winging his way to London to become the richest thirteen-year-old in the world, as a hitherto unknown Great Aunt leaves the family fortune to him. Nor could he have dreamed up the theft of the world's most valuable diamond, and a murder that leads directly to Gerald's own life being in danger. Gerald's just the boy for the situation though - he's got his billionaire survival kit, he's got some new friends and they are off to solve the mystery!Despite a considerably more current day setting and plotline than those great old books of our own childhood, there is quite a feel of the The Famous Five about the style of THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE. The language used is simple, yet engaging, slightly formal and every so slightly stagey, but it works. This is the sort of book that a child could read for themselves, or an adult would have great fun reading to children - either way the book works as a great entertainment, with just enough scary bits for a spot of hiding under the doona to add to the excitement.The winner of the inaugural Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing, THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE made this adult reader very very happy. Whilst there is something nostalgic, old-fashioned, almost comfortable about reading a kids book about kids who save the day and solve the puzzle, there is something very satisfying about the idea that kids - of all ages - are still able to find a book like THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE that may, just may, lead to a life-long love of reading.
    • 5/5
      “In a blur of moment…lifted his cane and whipped away its outer covering to reveal a long silver blade. He lunged forward and slashed the razor-sharp sword high across…”Gerald Archer was a typical teenager, that is right before winter break. His friend’s family and himself were planning on going up to the snow covered mountains, where they could snowboard for hours on end. However, right before the end of the day he is called down to the office, to find out that his Great Aunt Geraldine(whom which he had never met) had passed away. He doesn’t understand why his mother is so cheerful, why it involves him, and why he has to England to go to her funeral. He is furious with this, because he would much rather be with his friend snowboarding than go to some old lady’s funeral. The thing is though, now that he is boarding a private jet, his emotions change from angry to confused. He doesn’t understand how his family could afford this, and a snobby butler, Mr. Fry. When they land in England, they are swarmed with photographers, journalists, paparazzi, and more. Gerald tries to find a place to sit while he watches the show, but when he does, his journey officially begins. From that point on, Gerald find himself getting caught up in the “good life”- luxury, money, fame, fortune, thieves, death, and last but certainly not least-murder. Let the trilogy to find out who killed his Great Aunt Geraldine begin!The Billionaire’s Curse by Richard Newsome is magnificent. I completely loved this book! From the second you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down. As you head deeper into the story, the characters become so life like, it seems unrealistic. It seems as if the characters are right in front of you, like in a movie. With the characters being so fascinating, it was as if I was watching a movie play in my head.Now besides all of the praise about this book, there are a couple of problems with it. One problem I had with the book, is that Newsome didn’t always tell which character is talking. This kept causing me to go back to the beginning of that paragraph, and I found myself re-reading over and over again in an endless cycle. Also, another major important thing, is that the beginning of this book is horribly boring. It took me three times to pick up this book and finally try to keep reading until the end. Each time I got about 100 pages in and quit. The beginning of the book just lacks what the end of the book has. I think this is a major problem if Newsome wants more people to read this book.Overall, this book is great-the setting fits in perfectly, the characters are magnificent, the dialogue fits right in, along with all of the other elements that are being used. If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend that you do so. If you like mystery, murder, crime solving, or realistic fiction books, The Billionaire’s Curse is just right for you. I would have to rate this book a five out of five stars.
    • 2/5
      I am probably being too harsh in my rating. However, my 12 year old and I started this book twice and put it down twice. We ended up abandoning it. It may get better farther in, but with a young adult novel I'm not willing to wade through 70-80 pages to get to something engaging. It just seemed too predictable and the characters were one dimensional.
    • 5/5
      It's not often that three generations in our family all love the same book, but The Billionaire's Curse is one of them. My 9-year-old thought it was a rollicking adventure, and got caught up in the suspence and mystery of Gerald's journey to find out who killed his billionaire great-aunt and why someone now seems to have it in for him. Then it was a fight between Nanna and I to read it next! Kids will enjoy Gerald's reaction to his new-found worth and his friendship with the Valentine twins, fiesty Ruby and laid-back Sam. It's a book that both girls and boys will enjoy. From an adult perspective, I found the book cleverly witty and with a retro feel while being suitably modern. A delight for the young and young at heart.
    • 2/5
      Perhaps, were I a younger reader, I might have enjoyed this more. The plot was contrived and it never seemed like the main characters were in any real danger. Whenever they came close to being caught by something, someone always intervened. Only at the end did this not occur...and the author chickened out of describing anything with any real action. I felt cheated.

      I started the book because I was curious...and finished it because it was so short I felt I must. Simply because your book is marketed at children does not mean it cannot be dark too. Or have the characters in serious peril.

      Also...I hate the idea that in children's books, adults are completely useless or else the villains. It may empower kids, but it represents something inaccurate and detrimental to kids.

      Let's hope my next book is better.

      Oh, as a side note: I received this as a free eBook during Barnes and Noble's free Nook Fridays selection. I would have felt bad paying for it.
    • 4/5
      Gerald is annoyed when his parents drag him to London to the funeral of a great-aunt that he has never met. But he is astounded when he finds out that his great-aunt Geraldine has left her enormous fortune to him along with a letter. Overnight, Gerald becomes a billionaire and is besieged by paparazi. Geraldine's letter warns Gerald that she was murdered and that he may be next.Gerald is left with a bunch of mysteries to solve. Who killed Geraldine? What does her death have to do with the recent theft of an enormous diamond from the British Museum? Who set fire to his new London mansion? And who is that thin man who is following him around?Gerald quickly plunges into danger and adventure along with his new friends Sam and Ruby in a quest to solve his aunt's murder and find the stolen diamond.
    • 3/5
      I usually love a mystery, but this one just didn't stay with me after I'd finished reading it. The details are mostly gone, and it's been less than one day! Gerald doesn't know his deceased great aunt, but she leaves him her entire fortune, as well as a letter that tells him she has been murdered and it is up to him to find out who killed her and why. The beginning of the book is quite suspenseful, with the detective guarding the diamond getting robbed from inside a locked room, but the book goes downhill after that. Wasn't that gripping, unfortunately.
    • 4/5
      Gerald, an ordinary Australian boy, is whisked off to London where he discovers that his unknown great aunt has made him heir to her fortune. SHe has also left him with a puzzle to solve - find out who murdered her. If seems her death is linked with the theft of a diamond and soon Gerald and his new-found friends Ruby and Sam are solving clues, having adventures and evading danger. This is a fast-paced, gripping read which is reminiscent of Enid Blyton's mystery stories.