Never Going Back

Alison (Ali) Kidd is not your average teenager. She learned early on how to pick locks, crack security codes, and not leave a trace. Ali is an excellent thief, but it is because she’s so good that she ends up getting thrown in jail. Determined to retire from her criminal ways, Ali has plans to get legitimate work helping her brother, Dean, at his restaurant. However, when you’re as good a thief as Ali, there’s always people who won’t let you quit, no matter how hard you try.

Working for her aunt’s boyfriend for two summers installing alarm systems when she was fifteen, Ali learned a lot about the ins and outs of home security. She wasn’t a criminal, but she did use her knowledge to retrieve her brother’s baseball glove from the principal’s office after hours. This would only be the beginning, though. Later, Ali would start working for a girl she knew in high school, Lisa Wan. Lisa opened a pawn shop after she graduated and gave Ali some well-paying jobs - taking a comic book here, some jewelry from a rich person there…. Ali didn’t feel like a criminal; it was just her doing something she was really good at. Things were going pretty well until an ex-husband got nosey.

The Peace Valley Apartment job was like any other. Lisa told Ali that a woman had divorced her husband and wanted her jewelry back. Ali accepted the job, got the jewelry, and her pay. However, the ex-husband knew about Lisa and her background and mentioned it to the police. Lisa got cold feet, thinking that the police were going to figure it out, and set up Ali to take the fall. It wasn’t that Ali didn’t steal the jewelry that upset her; it was the fact that Lisa gave her up to the police. Ali was tried, convicted and sentenced to one year in jail. From that point on, Ali decided to retire from her questionable career and, instead, support Dean with the restaurant.

Newly released, Ali waits for her brother to pick her up from the jail’s parking lot - but he doesn't come. She ends up walking back to the restaurant where Dean lives in an upper apartment. She finds it empty with no sign that Dean had been there for days. The restaurant is closed down, and Ali doesn’t understand what is going on. She goes through all of Dean’s appointments and phone calls, finally zeroing in on calls from Ajax Credit. She makes some inquiries and discovers that Dean owes them a lot of money, which is strange because Dean has always been so good with the restaurant’s finances. Ali decides to go to the Ajax Credit building to see what’s up. When she gets there, she sees her brother in the window and knows that he’s being held against his will. It’s been a year, but Ali’s skills kick in as she breaks into the building and makes her way to her brother. Dean is tied up and tells her to leave right away - it’s a setup. But, before Ali can do anything, Lisa and her bodyguard appear. Lisa tells Ali that Dean has borrowed money from her for gambling and can’t pay it back, but she’s willing to cancel the debt if Ali will do a job for her. Ali feels that she has no choice and agrees to come out of retirement to do this one job that will clear her brother’s debts once and for all.

For this job, Ali needs to be prepared. The place has high security and a coded room that contains a collection of original photographs that Lisa wants back. Lisa didn’t realize their worth when she sold them from her pawn shop, but, when she found out they were worth millions, she put the plan together to get Ali to steal them back without anyone knowing. The plan is to replace the photographs with copies. Ali cuts and dyes her hair and gets everything prepared to the last detail including bringing a piece of glass to replace the glass in the frames in the vault. Ali doesn’t get all the photographs, but she gets enough to appease Lisa. With Dean’s debt repaid, everyone parts and things should go back to normal.

Days later, the switch is discovered by the owner, and he reports to the police. After dusting for prints, they find Lisa Wan’s fingerprints on some of the glass in the frame and discover that those photographs are fakes! Lisa is arrested. Ali has finally repaid Lisa in kind and has gotten Lisa out of her life and Dean’s. With Lisa out of the way, Ali is able to do what she planned - retire from her old life and start a new life helping her brother at the restaurant.

Wiebe has crafted a fun and action-packed tale with a strong female protagonist. Though Ali Kidd is a criminal, Wiebe is able to prompt the reader to empathize with her situation. The way in which the characters are presented invites the reader to understand their position and join them on their journey. The plot is believable, and there are very few moments that stretch the logic. The quickly paced writing is adds to the enjoyability of the adventure. Never Going Back would be a good read for adolescent and adult reluctant readers that are looking for a story that bridges the teen and adult years. A very fun adventure in intrigue and suspense.