Goodfellows

By Tom McLaughlin

A case of mistaken identity leads to unintentional criminal activity when a dream family holiday goes terribly wrong in this punny comedy caper.

A case of mistaken identity leads to unintentional criminal activity when a dream family holiday goes terribly wrong in this punny comedy caper from author-illustrator Tom McLaughlin.

The Goodfellows are the perfect family. From helping the local community to scooping up prizes in school, there’s nothing they can’t do. And they’ve just won the holiday of a lifetime to the Big Apple!

When the family touchdown in New York and overhear a gentleman looking for the goodfellas, they can only assume he’s there to pick them up. But soon they’re involved in a diamond robbery and a gangster named Big Tony is thanking them for their impeccable work. It looks like everything for the Goodfellows is about to go very, very wrong …

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Aug 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781800900721

Tom McLaughlin

Tom McLaughlin is an author and illustrator. He works primarily in publishing and animation design. He has worked with Honeycomb Animation, Red Kite Animation, Adastra, Nick Toons, HiT Entertainment and Cartoon Network. He lives in Devon with his wife and two children and can often be found drinking tea. http://www.tommclaughlin.co.uk/

Book preview

To all my fellow dyslexics

out there – stay strong!

CONTENTS

Title Page

Dedication

1:A Pizza the Action

2:Not So Wise Guys

3:Goodfellows or Goodfellas?

4:Floor Doughnuts and Diamonds

5:This Is Not a Robbery

6:The Great Escape

7:Golf Drive

8:Round the Bend

9:A Stinker of a Day

10:A Crazy Confession

11:The End for Big T

12:We Are the Goodfellows

Copyright

CHAPTER 1

A Pizza the Action

I can’t believe it, Camilla! said her mum, Deborah, as the Goodfellow family left Camilla’s school awards evening.  You won everything there is to win!

I know – go me! Camilla said, grinning as she balanced her awards in her arms.

Michael, help your sister carry some of her awards, please, Deborah snapped at Camilla’s brother.  What if she breaks a nail or something?

You’re right, Michael said.  I don’t know how I’d live with myself.

To the rest of the world the Goodfellows looked like the perfect family.  Their mum, Deborah, never had a hair out of place.  She was always the first to volunteer whenever there was a bake sale or a school play to be organised.  Their dad, Colin, was a dentist.  He earned the money that meant they could live in a nice big house and have two new cars.

Camilla was the star of the family.  She got straight As at school and divided her time between studying and riding in horse shows.  But Michael wasn’t so smart.  Deborah and Colin were always telling him to be more like his sister.  His parents thought he spent too much time watching TV and playing video games.  But Michael was sporty, captain of the rugby team.  What he lacked in grades he made up for in chasing, catching, throwing and kicking balls.

The Goodfellows were the sort of family who sent Christmas cards with a professional photo of themselves and a long update on how they were doing, despite no one really caring.  They were the sort of family who would go to the best restaurant in town and make sure everyone saw them going there.  And that’s exactly what they were doing right now – going out for dinner to celebrate Camilla’s success.

Colin, grab the door, will you? Deborah said when they arrived at the restaurant.  A lady should never have to open the door for herself, she added.  I’m famished.  Excellent choice of restaurant, Camilla dear.  The lobster here is divine.  It’s the best in town.

It’s the most expensive in town, Colin muttered.

What did you say, Colin? Deborah asked.  I think it’s only fair to stump up for a good meal after your daughter won every award that she was up for – a first in the history of the school.

Michael sighed.  But some of them aren’t even proper awards, he complained.  I mean, is ‘best-kept pencil case’ really a thing?

Well, you’d win awards too, Michael, Deborah said, "if they gave them for jumping