'What is it now? Are they shooting at us?' 'We're all out of vanilla, and the mint choc-chip is desperately low'. When Jake is mugged for the second time in ten minutes, he resolves to have his revenge and comes up with a plan to con criminals on his estate.

With the help of his friends, Jake spreads rumours of a new tough guy in town, The Big Baresi, but the con soon spirals out of control.

Jake and his friends are in big trouble, with a freezer full of diamonds that every tough guy wants a scoop of and a desperate shortage of mint choc-chip. What's the hook? Jimmy Docherty has produced a rare treat in his novel with its blend of laugh out loud humour, edge of your seat tension and an uplifting story at its heart. What are the themes? Friendship, revenge, crime, morality, social deprivation, stereotypes and the media's depiction of social groups. Teaching Points As a pastiche of gangster and crime thriller novels, The Ice Cream Cone offers an ideal starting point for exploration of these genres.

The smart dialogue, humorous and original characters and exciting action scenes provide great opportunities for drama work.