Seduction of the Innocent

Jack & Maggie Starr #3

by Max Allan Collins, Terry Beatty (Illustrator)

It's 1954, and a rabble-rousing social critic has declared war on comic books - especially the scary, gory, bloody sort published by the bad boys of the industry, EF Comics. But on the way to a Senate hearing on whether these depraved publications should be banned, the would-be censor meets a violent end of his own - leaving his opponents in hot water.  

Can Jack Starr, private eye to the funny-book industry, and his beautiful boss Maggie unravel the secret of Dr. Frederick's gruesome demise?  Or will the crackdown come, falling like an executioner's axe...?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Noir, Comics, Pulp, Historical Fiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.

He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.

Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black

Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ

Reviews

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max Allan Collins has provided some wish fulfillment for fan boys via historical revision by killing off one the great villains in comic book history, Dr. Fredric Wertham. Well, I mean, he kinda sorta kills him off.

In 1954 the comic book business is getting a black eye from public minded do-gooders who claim that the lurid funny books are warping the minds of children and turning them into juvenile delinquents. A noted psychiatrist, Dr. Werner Frederick, is leading the charge as his book Ravage of the Lambs is about to be released. Public hearings by Congress are further turning the public against comics.

Jack Starr is a private detective who acts as a troubleshooter for the syndicate he co-owns with his step-mother Maggie that distributes comics and comic strips. They have a plan to muzzle Dr. Frederick by offering him a well-paying gig as an advice columnist, but he gets killed before they can close the deal. If Frederick was murdered by someone in the industry, the public outrage could shut the comic business down for good so Jack starts trying to quickly find the killer to minimize any bad press.

Overall this one is fairly entertaining. Collins uses stand-ins for real historical personalities like subbing his creation Frederick for d-bag Wertham . He also rewrites history while mirroring real events like the disastrous testimony in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency by EC Comic’s head Bill Gaines. However, if you don’t know the actual story (Check out The Ten-Cent Plauge for an excellent non-fiction account of the comic book witch hunt.), I’m not sure how much appeal it would have because as a straight-up whodunit, it’s pretty basic.

There are also some nice illustrations done by Terry Beatty that are used for chapter headings and a clever summary of the suspects done comic book style before the conclusion.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT is the third installment in the Maggie and Jack Starr mysteries in which the duo tackle the war on comics lodged by Dr. Werner Frederick who sees comics as a pathway to violence for the impressionable youth of America circa 1954.

With the imminent publication of a book condemning the fictional medium, the Starr Syndicate, headed by Maggie Starr attempt to curb Frederick’s influence by hiring him to write a regular column for their newspaper. The terms of the agreement prohibit Frederick from trash talking comics, something he agrees to under surprisingly little sufferance. However, what looks to be a clever and cunning business move soon turns sour when Frederick is discovered by Jack, dead, in his apartment. The comic industry stands much to gain by ridding the world of Frederick; the question for Jack is who of the many suspects is the guilty party?

I really enjoyed this book. The murder mystery takes a little while to get going as the author establishes the key players and builds a lengthy list of suspects. Even though this is the third mystery to feature the widow Maggie Starr and Jack Starr (a private eye of sorts), SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT reads extremely well as a standalone. In addition, the graphics at the start of each chapter are a real bonus – not only do they look cool, but add an extra element to the story and really capture that golden age of comics feel.

SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT is a solid and entertaining whodunit with a nice sidebar of historical fiction.

This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid detective book with an always prescient underlying plot issue of First Amendment rights and comic books. A critic of comic books is killed during Congressional Hearings on comic books being inappropriate for children. Was it the comic book owning mob boss? Was it the frustrated illustrator? Was it the drunk writer? Was it the naked temptress? Was it the ghost writer?

A fun and fast read, I'll definitely be checking out more work by Max Allan Collins. These Hard Case Crime Books are the absolute best.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack and his stepmother Maggie Starr are back in their third mystery tale. This one has the anti-comic crusades of the fifties as the inspiration. Unlike Mr. Collins' other historical mystery/thrillers, this series doesn't blend real characters with his fictional ones, instead opting for a, sort of an alternate reality world you might say, in presenting this mystery tale.

The "bad" guy here is Dr. Werner Frederick, a German-American psychiatrist about to publish a book claiming that all the juvenile delinquents/criminals in America became that way by reading those awful "funny" books that glorify violence and bloodshed with their lurid covers and stories inside.

The comics industry is up in arms and the man has been receiving death threats. Jack and Maggie are peripherally involved as their comic strip distribution company, started by Jack's father, has a few strips by companies targeted by Frederick and a few in the planning stages as well.

Maggie has the idea to head him off with an Ann Landers/Dear Abby type column, one by a real psychiatrist, appealing to his enormous ego, with the proviso that he could not mention comics or his crusade in the column. And he wouldn't be expected to do all the work either, but an assistant, approved by him of course, write the general column and Frederick would simply do a pass over it to put his stamp, and name, on it.

And it was working until Jack finds the good Doctor hanging from a rafter in his office, an apparent suicide. It didn't take long to figure out it was murder.

There were any number of suspects: artists that had threatened his life, a young black man that came at him with a switchblade in his clinic, that Jack happened to be there to break up, bosses of the comics companies.

Maggie wanted Jack to clear it up fast, he was the troubleshooter of the company, as it was bad for business.

Another winner from Max Allan Collins. Though not exactly as his historical thrillers, it's similar in that it all really happened: the comics crusade, the Congressional hearings, the death threats(though none were ever carried out). His fictional counterparts are not meant to portray any real artists or writers, no business people, but a blend of the type of folks involved way back then.

As always, the author's writing style is so easy to get lost in that one doesn't realize just how much work was done to deliver the book to the public. The section in the back talks about some of those real folks, the books he researched to give his mystery tale that ring of authenticity that's a hallmark of his work.

Not to be missed.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max Allan Collins' Seduction of the Innocent was fun, though not for the noir trappings or whodunnit it featured so much as for the interesting slice of history it concerns itself with. Necessary background: Seduction of the Innocent is also the title of a book that was published in 1954 by a Fredric Wertham. This book was a serious boondoggle of psychiatry-it equated juvenile delinquency with exposure to the questionable contents of some comic books. I use the term boondoggle as Wertham conveniently ignored that fact that in the fifties probably eight out of ten kids read "funny" books-yet there was no corresponding rise in delinquency. That did not slow Wertham down he managed to hook his star to this idea-Congressional hearings followed and the resultant witch hunt put a lot of people out of work. If this sounds a lot like the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) that persecuted a lot of Americans who may (or may not) have had Communist leanings during the Red Scare, you've hit the nail on the head. (Estes Kefauver participated in both sets of hearings.) Kefauver and his some of his fellow Senators make presumably unauthorized cameos in Collins' novel, as do (in slightly altered form) a lot of early comics greats, such as Wally Wood (here featured as Pete Pine.) Wertham makes an appearance as Werner Frederick. Collins' novel raises the specter of censorship in a way this is not heavy handed but is thought provoking. He also takes a bit of literary revenge on Wertham. If you're a fan of comics or just enjoy a good helping of noir you'll enjoy this book.

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review & Giveaway: When the publisher approached me about reading and possibly reviewing Seduction of the Innocent by bestselling author Max Allan Collins, I took one look at the book cover and thought, “Oh no. This is sooo not my kind of book.” Luckily, I stepped back from that first impression long enough to read the concept, to recognize the author’s name, and to realize the cover was a perfect take on pulp fiction.

A lot of people may recognize Max Allan Collins as the person who penned Road to Perdition but he’s also written a long list of bestselling mysteries under his own name, and cozy mysteries as Barbara Allen. Then there is the subject of Seduction of the Innocent, and that’s what really sold me. The 1950’s were a time when the government saw Commies under every flower pot and censorship became an ugly threat to all kinds of creative people. This novel is all about censorship, couched in a fun hardboiled mystery. Read the rest of my review & enter to win a copy at http://popcornreads.com/?p=5491.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seduction of the Innocent is a title taken right from Frederic Wertham's book crusading against the evil influence of comic books. Dr. Wertham's book challenged the comic book industry for its
depictions of violence, drug use, etc. and argued that it was a cause of juvenile delinquency. Wertham eventually appeared before Senator Kefauver's Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency.
Collins' book is a fictionalized account of that time and of Wertham's fight with the comic book industry. It is a clever parody of Wertham, who in Collins' book is Dr. Werner Frederick. Collins takes the
fictionalized story and expands it into a novel that is not only set in the fifties, but conveys the feel and tone of a hardboiled novel of the time.

Jack Starr and his father's widow, Maggie, run a publisher that syndicates comic strips for newspapers across the country. One of the comic writers that they work with has volunteered to testify before the
Subcommittee following Dr. Frederick. Jack, who is a private eye with a
license to carry, has as part of his functions, getting his writers and
artists out of trouble. So he accompanies the witness. The first part of the story is a little slow in getting going as it is
concerned with the minutiae of who is who in the comic book industry. The second part really gets going with murder, mobsters, femme fatales, and bare-knuckle brawls. The book is great, although it varies a bit from the usual Collins' work.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was in the author's afterword and acknowledgements that I learned that the heroes of Seduction of the Innocent, Max Allan Collins' roman à clef about the comic book controversy started by Dr. Fredric Wertham with his 1954 book of the same name, had been featured in two previous novels. With this third book, Collins says, his originally envisioned trilogy was complete. Not that he wouldn't mind writing more books about Jack and Maggie Starr, if readers asked for them. How many readers that would take is anyone's guess. He admits, however, that the publisher of the first two decided against the third, so I'm guessing it wouldn't be many.

Seduction comes to us thanks not to readers but to Hard Case Crime. Hard Case Crime seeks to bring back the pulp excitement of the paperback original, both by reprinting older works and by publishing newer ones. Without HCC I may never have discovered Michael Crichton's John Lange books. I like HCC and I like their lurid covers. And I say good for them that they allowed Collins a venue for Seduction. Even if his original publisher probably wasn't crazy.

Fortunately this trilogy is thematic rather than narrative; I don't think I missed much not having read the previous two. All are centered on various controversies in the comics world: who really owned Superman, the Al Capp/Hal Fisher fued, and now Dr. Wertham's crusade against comic books that ultimately resulted in the creation of the self-censoring Comics Code Authority.

Fredric Wertham is here named Werner Frederick, and fans of comic book history will have fun matching real people and titles to those in this book. Mad, for instance, is Craze, and Bill Gaines is Bob Price; Batman becomes Batwing; and so on. Collins tells us that his caricatures are ultimately fictional, but at least in Wertham's case, the representation is clearly wish-fulfillment as well, as Collins takes one pot-shot after another at the good doctor.

"Good" doctor? Within the last couple of years, a study was made of Wertham's research and scientific rigor as it related to comic books. Let's just say that Wertham, it seems, took a few shortcuts on his way to his conclusion that comic books should be removed from the hands of children under 15. But let's also "remember" that Wertham established the Lafargue Clinic in Harlem, where he specialized in helping black teenagers. Collins reluctantly cops to this fact of Wertham's good nature, but he can't resist undermining it: at one point in the book, in a scene set in the clinic, he has Werner look about "dismissively." In his afterwod, he admits that Wertham "made important contributions to the Civil Rights Movement." These, however, he says, are "understandably" overshadowed by what he had to say...about comic books. But he's right: the naked quest for money will always trump a social conscience. Especially when writers like Collins fixate on the one and "dismiss" the other.

I'll be honest and say that I don't view Wertham as a villain even regarding the comics controversy. In fact, I think many (including Collins) who have read Wertham's book have missed the point entirely. I think maybe Wertham did. The point isn't that comics are (or were) so awful, but that society needs to take a hard look at itself and its values and how it promotes those values. This, to take an example ripped, as they say, from today's headlines, is exactly what cartoonist Joe Sacco has done in this strip (http://goo.gl/DXHYdw) about the Charlie Hebdo killings. I applaud Sacco and I applaud Wertham, both of whom are telling us that real freedom comes with a price, that of responsibility. And that things are never quite so simple as the knee-jerk crowd would have us believe.

One of the funny things about Collins' book -- which is certainly sometimes intentionally funny, but this isn't one of those times -- is the way Collins takes Wertham to task for trying to manipulate people into seeing things a certain way while all the while doing exactly the same thing to his readers. The action is set in the 50s, but the heroes are plucked straight from our own 20-teens, being just as liberal and open-minded and tolerant (even of the Mob, though not, of course, of domestic abuse) as they can be. Jack Starr is Mike Hammer, but decidedly soft-boiled. And yet it's all part of that funny brand of liberalism that tells us women are men's equals, so long as they're beautiful, stacked, and sex-crazed.

Anyway, the story is about what happens when one of the players in the comic imbroglio gets murdered. It's lightly written, a fast read, and kind of fun if you're into comic books. But it IS a crime novel: don't let it mug you.

[Johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe Max Allan Collins is most effective when he transports the reader to a shadow world between actual history and imaginative fictional mechanizations surrounding that history. And, I believe that publisher Charles Ardai of Hard Case Crime serves readers best when he finds risky ways of presenting worthy material. Both win gold medals (something of a pun, considering the classic pulp book line from which Ardai must have found some inspiration for his successful publishing venture) with Seduction of the Innocent. No, your eyes haven’t deceived you. Collins hasn’t slapped a forward on the spurious scholarship of the famous anti-comics crusader of the ‘50s and convinced Ardai to republish this offensive work. Rather, Collins has taken the actual title of the disgusting psychological perversion (I use examples from the original pop-psychological work and audio from Wertham’s own testimony before a U.S. Congressional committee in my Ethics in Games and Cinema class) and presented a pastiche of the original players in a fresh story.

To be sure, Collins uses a literary Photo Shop to smudge the edges of the personalities and events. The famous cover of the head dripping blood from history becomes the actual cover of the Hard Case Crime book, a scantily-clad woman thrown from a tall building to her obvious death and an artist has been retained to etch comic-style introductions to each chapter in the spirit of the era. As a result, Dr. Wertham becomes Dr. Werner Frederick, William “Bill” Gaines (who publishes EC as Entertaining Comics after his father published Educational Comics) becomes Robert “Bob” Price (who publishes EF as Entertaining Funnies after his dad published Educational Funnies), the tragic Bob Wood of real life becomes Pete Pine, Al Feldstein (of Mad magazine fame) becomes Hal Feldman, and more. Part of the fun in this book (for me) was trying to guess the real-life figures before I reached the afterward and Collins separated the fact from the fiction. The infamous Congressional hearing was handled quite realistically, but even Collins’ fiction couldn’t match the sickening reality of the audio recorded for posterity.

There is a cautionary tale here of society looking for a scapegoat, whether it’s comic books, rock ‘n roll music, Dungeons & Dragons, or video games. There is always a tendency to demonize the activities of the young as a threat on established society.

Indeed, part of the beauty of this novel is that Collins has chosen a victim where few in comic fandom would lament his death, a vile reformer using sloppy and specious methodology to force his preconceived presumptions upon the public. As a result, there isn’t any need to “create” any “red herrings” for this mystery because there are enough legitimate suspects to go around. The villain/victim was reviled by nearly everyone who hadn’t been taken in by his nefarious aspersions. The best part of this mystery was the Collins cleverly wrapped even the murder into a comic book reference from the era. This was appropriate and foreshadowed the eventual revelation of the murderer. This was one of those occasions where I could see the train coming, but I still enjoyed its arrival.

I found Seduction of the Innocent to be clever, fascinating, provocative, and easy-to-read. Unlike its namesake and “inspiration,” it is well-written and stimulating (although I suppose the first volume of this name did stimulate me to anger). It may be that my very high rating is tied to my love of comic books and comic book history. Those not disposed to like such might not be as thrilled as I am.

[Greg Trosclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading Max Allan Collins crime novels. I will miss the Jack Starr mysteries. All three books were excellent reads. This book was loosely based on the 50's comic book hysteria when Fredic Wertham wrote Suduction of the Innocent, spoke to Congress on the horrors that comic books perpetrated on the youth of America and the near collapse of the industry.

Here the Fredic replacement, William Frederick is murdered and Jack Starr is on the case to make sure that none of the Starr Syndicates associates are involved in the murder. He rapidly runs through the list of suspects all based on creators from the comics scene of the 50's and solves the case.

I love the Jack Starr character he is a very real person with foibles, he is an alcholic,enjoys his job and likes his life. His step mother and partner Maggie Starr is also a wonderful character and strong female. The suspects and side characters are all well researched and seem to have some basis in reality.

I recommend this series and really anything written by Max Collins. Try his Quarry crime novels as they are some of my favorites in tis genre.

[Keith Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this one pretty much has everything I like in one handsome little package:

Great pulp Hard Case Crime cover?- CHECK.

Great narrative by one of my favourite US authors, Max Allan Collins? - CHECK.

A crime fiction meets the world of comic books theme (including some rather nice internal illustrations between chapters)? - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK.

With a crafty tale wrought with revenge and the fear of the corruption of America's youth through comic books, Seduction of the Innocent, tells of the worry that a book 'Ravage of the Lambs' could stir by declaring the comic book world as one resposible for all of societies ills. Although set and based on the 1950's witch hunt against 'Tales from the Crypt' publisher EC Comics, it's a tale that's ripe for a modern read - whether it's comic books, movies or video games, there has and always will be areas of culture which some will choose to target as accountable for everything that goes wrong with young people in society.

If you like your crime with a classic tint, Max Allan Collins is just the man to take you back in time.

[Eddie Dobiecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd known this was a trilogy before starting this book, which is the third in a series (apparently, according to the afterword, the original publisher dropped it after book two). It touches on historical events, while carefully keeping things fictional: we have Wonderguy instead of Superman, Batwing and Songbird instead of Batman and Robin, Amazonia instead of Wonder Woman, and so on.

It's written exactly like I have come to expect from Hard Case--hard-pulp that punches. Unfortunately, as I've also come to expect from Hard Case, it could have benefited from the pen of a good editor. Little things for the most part, nitpicks not worth seriously complaining about. Except for one jarring reference to Perry White, which stuck out like a sore thumb amidst all the other not-quite-the-same names.

Overall, though, while the ending was obvious from page one (or even the back jacket), it was a fun ride, and I plan to both read more Hard Case titles and find the first two in this particular series.

[Gabbiadini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love old American pulp and comic books so this was right up my street. Max Allan Collins is a prolific writer I have since discovered and almost a throwback to the pulp guys of the 30's only the two books I've read by him are much higher quality than some of the old stuff I have read. I am looking forward to more of max Collins books as it's exciting to discover a new (to me) author with a huge back catalogue you can get your teeth stuck into.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, often funny hardboiled novel about the tumultuous 1950s comics books industry in America. Jack Starr is a private eye-troubleshooter for a large comics publisher. I'll try to get to the other titles in the series.

[Rich Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Seduction of the Innocent" is based upon true-life events, and many of the characters are based on real people -- but the names, personalities, and events have been changed, amalgamated, extrapolated, and exaggerated to protect the innocent and overall fun. The author warns not to consider this a history lesson, but a novel of mystery and adventure.

A quack psychologist blames comic books for juvenile delinquency, building a national brand-name for himself among people seeking a simple target to solve complex social problems. This engenders resentment among a cast of characters with self-interest in comic books' well-being -- artists, writers, publishers, editors, newspaper syndicates, distributors. When somebody decides to reenact a horror comic with the doctor's corpse, accusations fly in all directions.

Collins' novel is fast-paced, with several colorful characters, and adding to the fun are Terry Beatty's chapter illustrations, inspired by panels from E.C. Comics (the real-life publishing house which published "Tales from the Crypt").

I didn't try to guess the identity of the murderer. I decided to take the opposite approach and determine which character would LEAST likely have committed the crime. I am proud to say I was DEAD WRONG. The one character who (in my humble opinion) could not have dunnit was the killer! Looking back, the author's explanation (or, the lead detective's explanation) makes sense, and the clues were there and the culprit's alibi held up under scrutiny (unless you were REALLY paying attention). As a bonus, I've been a life-long comics fan, but never paid much attention to the E.C. Comics line-up ... now that I've read this novel, I'm curious to read a few.

[James Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The comic books controversy of the 1950s is the backdrop for the Max Allan Collins mystery "Seduction of the Innocent." Jack Starr, troubleshooter for a comics syndicate and a licensed private investigator, is peripherally involved in the controversy because the syndicate he works for has dealings with two of the comic book publishers who have come under scrutiny for their supposedly lurid and violent products. Things get complicated when Dr. Werner Frederick, noted psychologist and anti-comic book crusader, is found dead in his hotel room, an apparent suicide. Or, as Jack suspects, a murder victim. I found "Seduction of the Innocent" an enjoyable read, especially with the thinly-veiled references to actual comic books and their creators. If you enjoy a fast-paced mystery with an historical bent, check it out.

[Jared Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Humble Bundle collection earlier this year. The previous two books in the series weren't in the bundle. With that said and taking the story on it own merits, I found that I enjoyed this story very much. A murder mystery centered around an interesting moment in comic book history. I don't want to spoil any of the story so I will just say that fans of the lat 40's early 50's comics from DC & EC comics will find something to love here. There is an afterward where the author gives a little peek of the story behind the story and some recommended reading for more on the subject. A fine read and a worthy of a place on my mystery bookshelf.

[Donald · Rating 1 out of 5]

My biggest beef with this book is that it was published under the Hard Case Crime label, and no crime takes place in the first half of the story! How is that "hard-boiled crime fiction"? What this book is is a fictionalized account of comic book trials in the 1950's. And reading the "Tip of the Fedora" after the story made me think that an actual non-fiction book about the same topic might actually be interesting! But this book just seemed like an author taking a subject of interest to him, and trying to make a "crime" story out of it. Unsuccessfully, in my opinion.

[Daniel McTaggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collins writes the best historical mysteries. Check out his Heller series! Being a comic collector, and a student of the hobby, I really enjoyed the backdrop of the infamous Kefauver Committee and the anti-comics crusade of Frederic Wertham. That true story was full of fantastic characters who could have been in their own comic. Now wrap a fictional murder around it and you have a solid knucklethumper of a read.

[Brandon Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun mystery that really doesn't become a mystery until the last half of the book. It has the hallmarks you'd look for in an old-timey hard boiled novel, and the backdrop is certainly novel, but you've got to deduct a star for the eye-rollingly bad jokes ("That's ghoulish" "That's goulash") and the underlying sexism that, unfortunately, plagues most HCC releases.

[Mark Kosobucki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun crime story that spins true elements from the 1950s paranoia about horror and crime comic books being a poison on America's youth. Doesn't flow as well as Collins' "Quarry" stories, (IMO) but still entertaining. Definitely worth reading if you enjoy classic horror comics and pulp crime stories.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and intriguing story, as much about the comics industry as about the murder that occurred. I didn't realize that it was part of a series so it obviously works well as a standalone novel. The characters were well-developed and I could almost hear Bogey as the narrator. Definitely worth reading for those who enjoy Hard Case Crime.

[Claudette Gabbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the books published by Hard Case Crime. They're quite enjoyable. Some, more than others. Some, are also quite dated, as they were published in the 1950's.

This is book 3 in the Jack & Maggie Starr series.

This is your basic crime book...

Read my full review here: https://rottiegirl-2.blogspot.com/202...

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pleasant book. It reads like a comic book in that it's plot is single threaded and not very nuanced. But the characters are memorable. If you like simple murder mysteries then this book might be a good fit for your summer reading.

[mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, if you love comic books also because the setting is during the great comic book scandal of the 50s. Also, I loved it for the main character reminds me of Archie Goodwin from Rex Stout's mysteries

[Chris Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more underrated authors of great thrillers and mysteries Imo, this trilogy (easily read in any order) hits my soft spot in the 50s censorship wars. The influence of the moral police and the churches in our lives, all around great read, light humor and "headlights"

[Araych · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack and Maggie Starr #3. Fascinating murder mystery set in the world of comic book publishing in New York, 1954. I'm a big fan of Collins' work -- always impeccably researched and well written, but very accessible. Highly recommended, 4 stars.

[Gerwin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book, but nothing too spectacular. A pulp novel that was fun to read, but nothing that really stands out to me. Collins has a mega-hit on his hands with his Quarry series, and I make sure to read all of those as soon as they are released. This one deals with comic book censorship in the 1950's and a convoluted murder plot that gets solved by our intrepid heroes. Like I said, fun read.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

So-so airport book. Probably not a reread.

[Jackson Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Hard Case book.