Male cop in novel? (9)
I believe the answer is:
policeman
'male cop in novel?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'male cop in novel?' is the wordplay.
'novel?' is an anagram indicator (I've seen 'novel' mean this (letters in a new or novel order)).
'male'+'cop'+'in'='malecopin'
'malecopin' anagrammed gives 'POLICEMAN'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for policeman that I've seen before include "officer" , "He's responsible for the maintenance of public order" , "Member of the Garda, say" , "Constabulary member" , "Menial cop (anag)" .)