Seduction of the Innocent follows Jack and Maggie star on yet another bizarre case. This time the duo will be faced with the real world equivalent of the attack on horror comic books during 1954. Another book also entitled Seduction of the Innocent was published in 1954 calling for the end of particularly horrific publications such as those featured in the Tales from the Crypt series that was said to be corrupting the youth of the country. Dr. Frederic Wertham took his case to the biggest courts in the country in an attempt to shutdown these publishers and possibly change the horror genre as we know it today. Collins' new novel is based on this concept when brutal murders and dead bodies begin showing up during the same times as the trials and the evidence against the evil publications such as EF Comics begin to stack up. It will be up to the famous duo to solve the case and put an end to the murder spree before it is too late.
Seduction of the Innocent is a well-written novel that proves why Collins is the best at what he does. The character-driven narrative further establishes the Starrs as genre standouts. The author has a way of quickly portraying his characters in such a way that you know what the character is like and their beliefs even after spending only a short time getting to know the person. This type of character development is crucial to the storyline that features so much dialogue between the main characters and newly introduced characters. There is so much knowledge hidden among the pages of the book that make it unnecesary to read the previous two Starr novels to fully understand what is going on in the pages of Seduction of the Innocent, and the narrative is delivered in such a way that keeps you guessing and desperate to read one more chapter to see what big reveal is next.
Seduction of the Innocent doesn't provide the same exciting entertainment that most popular first-person shooter game will offer, but the novel features a classic style of on the edge of your seat drama that raises the age old question of who done it. There are plenty of horror themes and history lessons to be read through here in which so many of our fans are really interested, and Jack and Maggie's relationship is worth a few laughs and tears as well. Seduction of the Innocent is Max Allan Collins finest work since the award-winning Road to Perdition, and it's well worth picking up later in February if you've got the time and the guts.
Seduction of the Innocent:
Author: Max Allan Collins
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: February 19, 2013
Price: $9.95
