Loot: How to Steal a Fortune by Jude Watson (review)

When a heist goes wrong, a trio of curses falls upon the trio of thieves. One dies; one is jailed; and Alfie, the mastermind, struggles for years to prevent the deaths of his twin children, as mysteriously foretold at the crime scene. Thus, March (raised by his larcenous father) and Jules (raised by her impresario aunt) have been kept apart to thwart the prophecy that they would die together before their thirteenth birthday. Alfie’s own death, however, puts paid to the separation, and the pair are prematurely reunited and left with a desperate hope—to reassemble the seven moonstones lost in the fateful theft, undo the curse, and collect millions of dollars from the jewels’ owner. Missing, along with the jewels, is fundamental trust between the siblings, but March and Jules, aided by a pair of misfits they meet in their brief stay at a group home, nonetheless undertake a caper that would have made dear old Alfie glow with pride. This is less a who-done-it than a how-will-they-do-it tale, but readers who enjoy racing protagonists to the solution should be well compensated with the clever scams the kids pull off to grab the goods and cheat destiny. Quick changes of scene keep the action rolling, and some of the most engrossing acts play out in the underground circus venues at which Jules has been reared to perform as an acrobat. Assorted characters from Alfie’s past, largely of the endearing crook variety, balance the tension with levity and make this a richly entertaining romp.