Hank Janson was a publishing sensation of the of the 1940s and 50s, selling books by the million. With erotic pin-up covers, many by Reginald Heade, his hard-boiled crime tales helped readers escape the austerity of the post-war period. The British legal system didn't approve: Janson (the pen name of Steve Frances) and his publishers were subjected to vilification, censorship and imprisonment for the crimes of writing and publishing the books. Steve Holland's book presents the true story behind the headlines in a book which is has hard-hitting as Janson's novels themselves.