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[Much has been written about the girl sleuth in fiction, a feminist figure who embodies all the potential wit, drive and zest of girlhood. Her male counterpart, however, has received much less critical attention despite his popularity in the wider culture. This collection of twelve essays examines the boy detective and his genre from a wide variety of critical perspectives and address issues involving these young characters who stand on the cusp of manhood and boyhood, heirs to the patriarchy yet still concerned with first crushes and soda shop romances. Series explored include the Hardy Boys, Tow Swift, the Three Investigators, Christopher Cool and Tim Murphy, as well as works by Astrid Lindgren, Mark Haddon, and Joe Meno.]