If Love Would Die

Andrew Vachss isn’t exactly known for his light-heartedness. An author and lawyer—and former federal investigator, social worker, labor organizer and prison director—his life’s work has revolved around representing and defending children who have been victims of abuse. His 10 crime novels, the latest of which is this fall’s False Allegations, mirror his own work in real life, as do his handful of impressive graphic novels, including this fall’s Hard Looks. The Onion recently spoke with Vachss about his sobering work and his visceral, vengeance-driven crime fiction.

Andrew Vachss likes to say that he battles two foes: child abusers and child abuse. The first he assails in the New York City courtrooms, where he represents battered and tortured children. The second he attacks in the pages of his increasingly popular crime novels and, now, as a champion for groundbreaking research on the effects and treatment of childhood trauma.