Comic book related murder set for Max Allan Collins novel, “Seduction of the Innocent”

Hard Case Crime has announced it will publish a new Max Allan Collins novel, “Seduction of the Innocent.”

According to the news release, the book is a hardboiled detective novel inspired by the 1950s witch-hunt against crime and horror comic books.

The book is written by Max Allan Collins (“Road to Perdition”) and will feature 16 pages of interior illustrations by artist Terry Beatty (“Batman”).

In the book, comic book industry troubleshooter Jack Starr investigates the death of a man crusading against violent comic books.   The book was inspired in part by Dr. Fredric Wertham. In 1954, Wertham published a non-fiction book, “Seduction of the Innocent,” that accused comic books of  causing juvenile delinquency.

“Max has chosen a fascinating corner of history to write about and spun an irresistible whodunit against that backdrop,” said Hard Case Crime editor Charles Ardai in a news release. “No fan of comic books or of detective stories will want to miss it.”

The book will be released in Feb. 2013 in paperback and e-book formats, with a cover painting by Glen Orbik.

- Matt Price