British publishing company Titan has picked up the hardboiled crime imprint Hard Case Crime from Dorchester who want to concentrate on e-publishing.

With their great retro-look, Hard Case have reinvigorated the dime novel market:



Producing a mixture of original work and reprints, they have managed to develop a continuity of style that presents a real treasure-trove for the hardboiled enthusiast.



Stephen King's Colorado Kid, published by the imprint in 2005 has recently been transformed into the SyFy series Haven:



Editor Charles Ardai says, "We've been in a transition period since our long-time publisher, Dorchester Publishing, abruptly announced in August that, after nearly 40 years, they were exiting the paperback book publishing business to concentrate instead on ebooks. The result was that two titles we had queued up to come out never did and we've had to scramble to find a new publisher."

Hard Case have so far published sixty-six titles: "Hard Case Crime has done a remarkable job in a very short time of building a brand known for outstanding crime fiction and stunning artwork," says Nick Landau of Titan, "We are thrilled to partner with Charles and look forward to bringing Hard Case Crime to a wider audience around the world, not only through the novels themselves but also through an innovative merchandise program."



Hard Case Crime will relaunch in September/October 2011 with four new books, including CHOKE HOLD by Christa Faust (sequel to her Edgar Award-nominated MONEY SHOT) and QUARRY’S EX by Max Allan Collins (the latest in the popular series of hit man novels by the author of “Road to Perdition"