The Billionaire’s Curse won the inaugural Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing out of three hundred entries. Rights have already been sold in Europe and North America, and it has been described as ‘Indiana Jones’ meets the ‘Famous Five’. The writing is certainly lively, and Gerald is a resourceful and intelligent boy. But I can’t help feeling that I’ve read this story before. A massive inheritance out of the blue. A stolen diamond. Grown-ups who refuse to listen to the budding child detectives. Despite all the hype, there is little in this book, the first of a trilogy, that goes beyond Indiana Jones and the Famous Five, something I was expecting from the winner of the Text Prize.

That aside, The Billionaire’s Curse is a light-hearted and enjoyable first novel. Richard Newsome’s energetically paced writing takes his characters through stately country estates, dusty bookshops and dank family crypts on the hunt for clues. The mystery is a satisfying one to solve, and young readers will enjoy guessing which suspects are red herrings and the identity of the real guilty party. There is a cast of entertaining English caricatures, from the stiff upper-crust to bumbling police constables. This story grew from the tales Newsome told his own children at bedtime; it’s clear that he has a great affection for children’s fiction.