Blood Money by J.E. Fison

Hazard River series. Ford Street, 2011. ISBN 978 1 921665 462.
(Age 9+) You know Blood Money is going to be an adventure when the opening pages introduce our characters - Jack and Ben - and a fist full of $50 notes. It is only chapter 2 and the boys are already up to no good - claiming money that is not theirs and dreaming about how they will spend it. Throw in an encounter with a poisonous snake and now the story involves all four friends - Jack, Ben, Mimi and Lachlan. Working together, they hide the money and set a trap. Who does the money belong to? Are they criminals? Will Mimi make the boys hand the money in? Will Jack ever get a yacht or a quad bike? Who has wrecked the shed? Are the friends safe or is there really a curse?
Blood Money is a quick moving short novel with short descriptive chapters and lots of adventure to keep readers engaged. Boys aged 9+ will enjoy the humour and the action. It is part of a series but this story stands alone and readers will not have to read others in the series to understand what is going on. Of course, they will want to check out more adventures, I am sure! The thing I love about this book is it is Australian, exposing children to Australian humour, animals and places - a good thing in the world of computer games.
Kylie Kempster