He’s planned for anything and everything that can go wrong. But the one thing he hasn’t planned for is Mac.

Paddy Evers is an ex-convict bank robber who has learned from his mistakes. He thinks this time he has the perfect plan, and he won’t be let down, because he’s going solo. Well, “almost” solo. The plan sounds rather good and simple, but he didn’t count on Mac, who is everything and anything you might need. The expression “bigger than life” seems made for him. We all know about best-laid plans, and Paddy will discover he has a few lessons left to learn.

This novel, narrated in the first-person by Paddy, offers a good balance between plot and characters, although when Mac is on the page, it is difficult to pay attention to anything or anybody else. Paddy is a likeable character, despite (and because of) his circumstances, and Spanky, a young boy they meet during the action, also endears himself to readers, as does his grandmother, and Lisa, Paddy’s long-suffering girlfriend, but nothing can compare to Mac, who tells tall tales, takes enormous risks, gets himself into trouble and out of it with ease, drags others into impossible situations, and nobody can stay mad at him for long.

The characters live many adventures, trying to get back the money robbed, enticingly near and slippery far, and the writing style is conversational, full of humour, with a good dose of foreshadowing, and fairly dynamic. Paddy sometimes shares his views on life and politics —his time in prison gave him plenty of time to reflect upon life and its ills— and some readers might feel those asides slow down the action somewhat. A tighter editing of the book could make it faster and shorter, increasing the importance of the action scenes, but it would rob it of some of its psychological complexity, its humour, and its charm. Because this is a novel of good but flawed people, who don’t always do the right thing, but their hearts are in the right place. There are plenty of twists, turns, and false endings to satisfy genre lovers, many of whom are likely to guess how the story will end, but will enjoy it nonetheless.

As it pertains to the genre and the situation, there is some use of bad language and some prejudicial attitudes expressed by some of the characters, unlikely to offend most readers.

A fun read, recommended to fans of Welcome to Collingwood, Rufufu, those who enjoy comedies about criminals with a heart of gold, con men, and stories of camaraderie and friendship between men, especially those with a grain of truth. Just check the author’s biography. A feel-good novel, which will make readers think, laugh, and leave them with a smile.