EVAN Hunter is a man of many personalities. He has written books under seven different aliases, not including his given name.

Best known for his 87th Precinct police procedural novels -- written as Ed McBain -- Barking at Butterflies and Other Stories (Allison & Busby, £17.99) is his ninth short story collection, and it is a mixed bag. Hunter reveals in his afterword that some of the stories are previously unpublished, admitting, "No editor in the United States thought these were good enough to publish in any magazine".

Not a great personal recommendation, and it supports the view that these might be the out-takes of a literary life.

Some of the stories are almost 50 years old, and have not aged well.

The opener, First Offence, reads like a cautionary tale and has almost as much naivety in the telling as in the character of the cocky first-time offender.

Others, like the title piece, where a newlywed tries to solve the problem of his wife's barking dog, are fresh and surprising and show off Hunter's talent for irony.

Not all of the 11 stories are crime-related. In The Movie Star, a young woman suppresses her own personality and opportunities after being told she looks like a famous actress.

Readers who come to the collection as fans of McBain's crime novels may not consider it one of the writer's best works. Followers of Hunter, though, will be more pleased with what is an eclectic and occasionally sparkling effort.

Barking at Butterflies and Other Stories by Evan Hunter (Allison & Busby, £17.99)