Men from Boys: Dazzling Crime Fiction Exploring What It Means to Be a Father, a Son, and a Man

Men for Boys

by John Harvey

What actions must a boy take to become a man? One might use a razor to clear his first growth of beard, while another could employ it as a weapon -- both actions might be a fitting rite of passage. In these dazzling works of fiction, seventeen masters of crime and suspense explore what it means to be a son, what it means to be a father, what it means to be a man. Spanning continents and decades, the stories are set in interconnected worlds both instantly recognizable and astonishingly believable, from long stretches on a dry Texas highway to a bleak London alley, from the claustrophobic confines of an after-hours backroom poker game to a rundown jazz joint in Manhattan. Amid card sharks, revolvers, and shallow graves, the characters who inhabit these stories strive to discover what is right, what will give them dignity, what will earn them respect. Whether at the age of ten or thirty-five, all will come face-to-face with a situation that will brutally separate the men from the boys.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

aka Jon Barton, William S. Brady (with Angus Wells), L.J. Coburn (with Laurence James), J.B. Dancer (with Angus Wells), John B. Harvey, William M. James (with Terry Harknett and Laurence James), Terry Lennox, John J. McLaglen (with Laurence James), James Mann, Thom Ryder, J.D. Sandon (with Angus Wells), Jon Hart

John Harvey (born 21 December 1938 in London) is a British author of crime fiction most famous for his series of jazz-influenced Charlie Resnick novels, based in the City of Nottingham. Harvey has also published over 90 books under various names, and has worked on scripts for TV and radio. He also ran Slow Dancer Press from 1977 to 1999 publishing poetry. The first Resnick novel, Lonely Hearts, was published in 1989, and was named by The Times as one of the 100 Greatest Crime Novels of the Century. Harvey brought the series to an end in 1998 with Last Rites, though Resnick has since made peripheral appearances in Harvey's new Frank Elder series. The protagonist Elder is a retired detective who now lives, as Harvey briefly did, in Cornwall. The first novel in this series, Flesh and Blood, won Harvey the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2004, an accolade many crime fiction critics thought long overdue. In 2007 he was awarded the Diamond Dagger for a Lifetime's Contribution to the genre. On 14th July 2009 he received an honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) from the University of Nottingham in recognition of his literary eminence and his associations with both the University and Nottingham (particularly in the Charlie Resnick novels). He is also a big Notts County fan.

Reviews

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sborníky kriminálek člověk hodně čte kvůli načerpání inspirace. Aby zjistil, kterého autora se vyplatí sledovat... a kterého ne. Takže jsem sáhl po starém sborníku, na kterém se skvěla jména jako Lehane či Pelecanos... a který dokonce byl, vzhledem k tématu, čistě pánskou jízdou. To téma bylo dospívání, proměna v muže - a jak to bývá u sborníků obvyklé, u spousty povídek musíte mít fakt fantazii, abyste ho tam viděli.
A jak bývá u sborníku obvyklé, míchají se skvělé věci s průměrnými a slabými. Asi největší malér je, že nejhorší povídka (od Andrewa Coburna) je na závěr a je také nejdelší, takže člověk zavírá knihu s otráveným pocitem. Ale pořád je tam dost dobrých věcí. Lehane je jako obvykle super... samozřejmě, když odmyslíme, že tahle povídka je snad v každém Lehanovském výběru, u nás už taky jednou vyšla a tuším, že jsem ji někde četl zpracovanou i jako divadelní jednoaktovku. Lawrence Block tu má konverzační pocitovku, ale ten musí mít povídku v každém existujícím sborníku, takže to je spíš taková nutnost. Michael Connelly přichází s dost předvídatelným příběhem pomsty. První povídka, která mě víc zaujala, je překvapivě od Jeffery Deavera - klasický pokerový dýchánek, ale dobře vystavěný. Zaujal John Harvey, taky spíš náladovou črtou a Bill Moody jazzovým příběhem. Pelecanos zvládl napsat noirový příběh bez mrtvol a přestřelek... a potvrdil jsem si, že James Sallis je na mne moc poetický a umělecký. A pak jsou tu dva autoři, které si občas pletu Don Winslow a Daniel Woodrell. Winslowovy Divochy jsem nečetl, jelikož jsem už viděl film, ze kterého si pamatuju už je takové hodně vytrčeně prostředníčkové finále, ale už mám od něj něco objednáno... a Daniel Woodrell přináší jednoduchý, ale docela intenzivní příběh, postavený jen na jednoduchém dialogu.
Jako celek je to rozhodně lepší průměr. Je tam jen pár povídek, které by se vám vpálily do paměti, ale i to je pořád docela dost. Jen se musíte smířit s tím, že nenarazíte na moc klasických povídek s pointou či odhalením pachatele - prostě obvykle jen sledujete lidi, se kterými byste se možná ani moc nechtěli setkat, jak se snaží přežívat.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another short story collection that Michael Connelly contributed to. I ended up reading about two-thirds of the book; I skipped the long novella at the end and two or three other stories that I started but couldn't get into (well, more specifically, I genuinely didn't understand them). The majority of the ones I read were very good to excellent, especially The Poker Lesson by Jeffrey Deaver and Douggie Doughnuts by Don Winslow. Connelly's story was well done even if the ending was awfully contrived. The level of crime/sex/depravity was much more acceptable to my delicate self than some of the other collections have been - there were several murders and assaults and plenty of drug use but in general the tales were much less horrifying than some of the others I've read recently.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting anthology, more of a coming of age collection than a crime mystery series. Leaning toward British authors, I found some of the stories hard to follow, but it was a worthy read, if only to see what some of my favorite authors would do in the genre.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a young man returns home from work, he notices a man running along the street. Seems innocent enough, though the man is no runner and his demeanour is more panic than exercise. When he notices something tossed in the bushes, he becomes even more curious and goes to investigate. What he finds and the fallout from it leads him to test his patience, willpower, and sense of family. Who is this running man and what is he doing out, after midnight?

Great short story, Mr. Connelly, and wonderful twist in the end.

[THOMAS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven but still plenty of good stuff. Don Winslow's story reminded me how much I like his stuff, and James Sallis sufficiently intrigued me. Pelecanos did note-perfect Pelecanos. All in all not a waste of my time.

[Kristie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Některé povídky byly zajímavé, jiné méně, ale je fajn poznat styl jiných autorů :)

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would prefer to rate this 3.5 stars. When will we get the half star option?