Being a man
Men From Boys edited by John Harvey William Heinemann, £16.99
'What does it mean to be a father? What does it mean to be a son? What does it mean to be a man?' asks this anthology from 17 male crime writers.
It's an intriguing proposition, for surely crime fiction is the perfect sphere in which to inspect masculinity.
But there are few answers in what is an uneven affair. It's the quieter stories that say the most; Lawrence Block's Points, where a father tells his son how he used to throw points during his brief basketball career, is a highlight.
And there's an undeniable vibrancy in Dennis Lehane's contribution Until Gwen, all hookers, ex-cons and eight-ball pool.
