Richard S Prather Books In Order

Shell Scott Books In Publication Order

  1. The Case of the Vanishing Beauty (1950)
  2. Bodies in Bedlam (1951)
  3. Everybody Had a Gun (1951)
  4. Find This Woman (1951)
  5. Dagger of Flesh (1952)
  6. Darling, It’s Death (1952)
  7. Way of a Wanton (1952)
  8. Pattern for Murder / The Scrambled Yeggs (1952)
  9. Always Leave ’em Dying (1953)
  10. Ride a High Horse / Too Many Crooks (1953)
  11. Pattern for Panic (1954)
  12. Strip for Murder (1956)
  13. The Wailing Frail (1956)
  14. Have Gat – Will Travel (1957)
  15. Three’s a Shroud (1957)
  16. Slab Happy (1958)
  17. Take a Murder, Darling (1958)
  18. Over Her Dear Body (1959)
  19. Double in Trouble (1959)
  20. Dance with the Dead (1960)
  21. Dig That Crazy Grave (1961)
  22. Shell Scott’s Seven Slaughters (1961)
  23. Kill the Clown (1962)
  24. Dead Heat (1963)
  25. Joker in the Deck (1964)
  26. The Co*ckeyed Corpse (1964)
  27. The Trojan Hearse (1964)
  28. Dead Man’s Walk (1965)
  29. Kill Him Twice (1965)
  30. The Meandering Corpse (1965)
  31. The Kubla Khan Caper (1966)
  32. Gat Heat (1967)
  33. The Cheim Manuscript (1969)
  34. Kill Me Tomorrow (1969)
  35. The Shell Scott Sampler (1969)
  36. Dead-Bang (1971)
  37. The Sweet Ride (1972)
  38. The Sure Thing (1975)
  39. The Amber Effect (1986)
  40. Shellshock (1987)
  41. The Death Gods (2011)

Shell Scott Collections In Publication Order

  1. Hot Rock Rumble & The Double Take (1994)

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

  1. Lie Down, Killer (1952)
  2. The Peddler (As: Douglas Ring) (1952)
  3. Dragnet: Case No.561 (1956)

Short Stories/Novellas In Publication Order

  1. The Sleeper Caper (2009)

Anthologies In Publication Order

  1. The Comfortable Coffin (1960)

Shell Scott Book Covers

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Richard S Prather Books Overview

Bodies in Bedlam

Shell Scott. He’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and murder on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but take the job, even when the case is a killer. Constanza Carmocha is like a cat in heat; she innocently purrs while scratching your eyes out with her razor sharp claws. She is a dame skilled in the age old act of bending men to her will, using no other weapon than her lips and the sensuous curve of her hips. But she had already left behind a trail of dead bodies, and this gal’s blaze burns everyone who touches her. Shell’s seen his fair share of women, and this one can’t have a deeper bag of tricks than heor can she?

Everybody Had a Gun

Shell Scott. He’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and murder on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but take the job, even when the case is a killer. Shell feels like a walking, talking target. He’s not an easy guy to mistake for someone else, with his gray eyes, broken nose and missing ear tip, but who would want to take a shot at such a stunning and attractive man? Something’s fishy in the state of Denmark when Shell finds he is dodging bullets and it seems like everyone is holding a smoking gun. This case just might land Shell a new, deluxe residence in the morgue.

Find This Woman

Shell Scott. He’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and murder on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but take the job, even when the case is a killer. There are way too many dames knocking at Shell’s door, all saying they are the same woman. Not that Shell minds a private Las Vegas harem, but they are really complicating this case. He has his hands full peeling each woman’s mask, but Shell can handle it. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. He’s going to find this broad or die trying.

Dagger of Flesh

Shell Scott. He’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and murder on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but take the job, even when the case is a killer. Shell’s gotten himself into a heap of trouble this time. Jay s gotten himself killed, and his corpse is pointing a stiff finger directly at our tenderhearted private dick. Is it possible that he has been hypnotized? If so, then maybe the cops won t mind that lie about his whereabouts that night. But lying on top of those white sheets with that sexy dame, now that couldn t be a figment of his imagination, could it? Nah, even Shell Scott can t come up with something that juicy.

Darling, It’s Death

Shell Scott. He’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and murder on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but take the job, even when the case is a killer. Man oh man is she a looker. That’s Shell’s job, to just look at her day and, of course, night. But it gets kind of hard to check out those legs that just don’t stop with a 350 pound thug in the way. Yeah, yeah, yeah the big boss wants Shell out of town, preferably in a bodybag, but Shell’s got a job to do and nothing is going to come between him and that vision of absolute beauty.

Way of a Wanton

Shell Scott, he’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and murder on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but take the job, even when the case is a killer. Sherry is lady luck in the flesh. Her figures, 36 22 35, are Shell’s favorite numbers, and this time they may add up to murder. Two to one says this beautiful broad is involved in a shady deal, but Shell likes playing the odds. Somebody is trying kill the ladies’ favorite private dick, but Shell still hasn’t pulled that final card from his sleeve. Let it ride dealer, I’ve got lady luck on my side.

Always Leave ’em Dying

Shell Scott. He’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and sex and violence on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but take the job, even when the case is a killer. Shell thinks he has seen it all until he sees the cult. It sacrifices the best for the worst, and when he discovers who’s leading it, it almost killed him. Uniformed in black right down to the gun aimed at Shell, the leader resembles an embalmed undertaker. But it isn t just those gorgeous young girls he seeks to sacrifice. He wants Shell. Not dead or alive just dead.

Ride a High Horse / Too Many Crooks

Shell Scott. He’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and murder on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but take the job, even when the case is a killer. Shell knows that every gun in California is pointed at him. He isa hot target for the cops and especially a pretty little lady with a mission and a . 32. If every mans secret wish is to be wanted by somebody, Shells wish came true long ago. He is wanted by so many people who wish for nothing more than to see him at the hot end of their gun barrel.

Strip for Murder

Suspiciously dangerous accidents were happening, and people were dying, including the private eye I had been sent to replace. I didn’t like it. But hey, that’s what I’m hired to do, I’m use to murder and mayhem. The real problem came when I had to go undercover…
UNCOVERED in a nudist camp.. or as they liked to call themselves, ‘naturalists.’ Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against naked, especially when it comes in the form of one gorgeous blond tomato, but how am I supposed to protect her when I have nowhere to conceal my gun? Read by Heath Kizzier. 7 CD’s 7.1 Hrs.

Have Gat – Will Travel

Shell Scott’ll slay you?with leers, tears and pistol packin’ dears. Meet Shell Scott and his entourage of hoodlums, beauties, and dangerous killers. It doesn’t take much for this ferocious fireball to pack a punch to all corners of the underworld, but he sure does it. Even if it means sacrificing a pretty little love interest along the way. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do?and if he run’s out of bullets doing it, Shell will just scare them to death!

Three’s a Shroud

Three tales of murder and mystery from everyone’s favorite dick. With a name like Shell Scott, you can imagine a lot of peculiar things creep up on me even murder. Especially when there are minor err, major distractions that keep me from sleuthing properly or in some cases help me to sleuth improperly. There was the steamy Martita whose sizzling seduction led me to the barrel of her pointed pistol and sent me sprinting from her singing bullets. And of course I can’t forget to mention my Hungarian Hurricane Ilona whose stormy winds swept me so far off the ground only parts of me returned in one piece. It’s no joke that I’m hanging on by thinning threads these days but it’s cozier than hanging on to delicious Diane’s velvet noose. One frail’s ferocious. Two’s Double Trouble. And pardon me if I croak Three’s a Shroud

Slab Happy

I wasn’t too happy to be looking down the barrel of every gunman in California’s pistol and when I heard them humming murder music on their lips, the melody was sour and I knew it was being dedicated to only one man me. That gangdom had it all planned out. They’d even measured me for a grave I was supposed to share with a fiery redhead, Coral. There isn’t much I wouldn’t share with a spicy beauty, but this time I was willing to pass that up to save my life.

Take a Murder, Darling

Of course my line of work has its perks and it should when I lay my life on the line for dangerously daring women even if they are among the most luscious ladies I’ve ever met. It’s not easy guarding these beautiful bodies of course it takes a lot more than being a body guard these days, especially when there’s so much body to be guarded. And she has plenty of body to keep me busy uh, working for quite a while even if she’s stacked for murder!

Over Her Dear Body

Dancing the fox trot with a client could be considered unethical then again, a lot of what my job leads me to do is unethical but I believe in adding a personal touch to my work. And boy did that ferocious feline of a lady make me crazy about my job. After a while, our rhythmic anatomy lesson turned dirty with an unfriendly gangster pointed his pistol my way. They want me, Shell Scott, to be the headline in the obituaries section, and all I want to do is turn off that dancing music and run to save my life.

Double in Trouble

I’m Shell Scott, the Private Eye. Well at least I have a private eye when it comes to blondes, brunettes or redhead babes are involved, and I can always spot a hot tamale. You can see why I love my work, and when I heard that Chester Drum was operating my own game on the East Coast, I was in for some ride. There’s only room enough for one and Drum was working on my turf.

Dance with the Dead

This case couldn’t have been more up Shell Scott’s alley. Twelve naked, luscious beauties, one for each month of the year, were Scott’s next assignment. They were called the ‘Wow’ pinup girls and, man, were they wow! Scott’s mission: find four freckles. Four freckles located on one of these tomatoes’ tushies. That was the only clue Scott had to help him solve this murder. But not to worry, it’s the perfect mixture of business and pleasure for Shell Scott, P.I.

Dig That Crazy Grave

Death is just around the coroner when you’re Shell Scott roaming the streets with a nose for danger and a sharp eye for the dames. On a trail leading from the high class mortuary to the local cemetery, I realized the mob wanted me exactly where I was as a permanent resident!

Kill the Clown

When danger rolls into town I have one eye open my most private eye while the other is focusing on a fiery fury of a lady. Surrounded by more underworld celebrities than San Quentin and Sing Sing combined, can you believe that I was the King of Clowns? That’s right, but I thought my role was to rescue any poor damsel in distress. Too bad that maiden wasn’t planning to rescue me from the next social event planned in town my funeral and it was up to me to crash the party while keeping cool below the belt.

Dead Heat

This time around Shell Scott gives up chasing downtown lowlifes for the uptown high end kind. A mysterious and industrious industrialist trusts Scott with finding a stock swapper that seems to know too much. And too much is just the beginning. From big time boardrooms to bawdy motel rooms our man Scott isn’t about to sell these crooks short. Tempers flare and plots boil over but in this contest between Shell Scott and some bad guy big wigs, busty femme fatales and flying bullets, between life and death, the end could come right down to a Dead Heat.

Joker in the Deck

Shell Scott has been dealt a really lousy hand and the stakes are somebody’s life probably his. What will the luck of the draw bring to our hard boiled hero? Will Shell find the culprit in this full house of crooks and cons or will the queen of hearts call his bluff? A four of a kind is no match for a . 44 slug in this all hours game of guns and girls, guts and grit, life and death. Here the women are crazy and the joker’s wild, but so is Shell Scott!

The Co*ckeyed Corpse

The Wild West is not your regular western movie but it is wild! Any movie that involves four beautiful starlets without any clothes is bound to be wild and to attract the attention of Shell Scott, P.I., especially if one of the girls is thought to have been murdered. It is up to Scott to go on location where the film is being shot and determine whether or not her death was an accident. He must also keep himself out of danger, what with the girls and with the men who are trying to take his life.

The Trojan Hearse

With a national election going on, Shell Scott’s timing might have been less than perfect. Perhaps he did prevent the victory for the shoo in candidate, but a lot of strange things were happening. There was Polly Plank whom he encountered in her psychiat

Dead Man’s Walk

The island couldn’t be more charming with its stretches of white beaches, crystalline lagoons, and exotic bikini clad beauties. But with three dead bodies and a voodoo priest, I had a hard time concentrating on sightseeing. It seemed superstitious to me, since nobody could solve the puzzling cause of their deaths. So with the assistance of my own lovely native doll, I had my work cut out for me and that was simply managing to evade the long voodoo needle that was destined for my heart!

Kill Him Twice

It was a bright and shiny Beverly Hills afternoon when Shell Scott opened his door to find intrigue laying at the foot of his apartment…
in the form of a corpse! Just another day in the sun for the private eye with a nose for danger. He’s got to dodge bullets and bounce Beverly Hills beauties in his search for the thug that interrupted his afternoon nap before someone puts him to sleep permanently. Now the only way this private dick is going to cop z’s is by pouncing on this perpetrator and making sure to Kill Him Twice!

The Meandering Corpse

I could see the beach robe Zazu had been wearing, but couldn’t see her. Then the pool’s surface rippled and tossed darts of sunlight at my eyes, and I could see Zazu quite well. She was wearing either the latest thing in jazzy bathing suits or nothing at all. She reached the ladder and started to climb up it, nonchalant as a bird a jaybird. ‘Hi,’ I said brightly, ‘you can see I’m working.’ She started down the ladder until the water was almost up to her waist. ‘Do you always swim in the nude, dear?’ I said. ‘It feels good. Probably I won’t do it when I’m older. ‘I thought that was when girls did it.’

The Kubla Khan Caper

It’s not exactly Xanadu but the Kubla Khan, Ormand Monaco’s new super-luxury hotel in Palm Desert, California is designed and built to transport visitors to what such a palace would be like. He’s planned a beauty contest as part of the grand opening but what nobody had planned on are a couple of murders that stir things up and start to spoil the show. Who better than Shell Scott to come in and sort things out? As he unravels the knots–and the one holding up Lyssa Weldon’s towel unravels all by itself–the usual mix of lust and mayhem that surrounds Shell Scott spreads in all directions–and threatens to drown him if he doesn’t finish sorting things out in a hurry.

The Cheim Manuscript

Wilfred Jefferson Jellicoe is nowhere to be found. And the person missing him most, his ex wife, hires Shell Scott to find him. Though alimony payments may be her motive to pursue his trail, Hollywood producer, Gideon Cheim, has another reason for calling on Scott to track this man down. For Cheim has entrusted Jellicoe with his autobiography only to be published post mortem. Is it coincidental that The Cheim Manuscript has disappeared with the man responsible for it while Cheim lies in his hospital bed nearing death? Scott doubts that and is determined to discover what it is that his clients are really in search of the man, or.

The Sweet Ride

Shell Scott. He’s a guy with a pistol in his pocket and murder on his mind. The crime world’s public enemy number one, this Casanova is a sucker for a damsel in distress. When a pair of lovely legs saunters into his office, he can’t help but to take the j

The Amber Effect

Just when surefire shamus Shell Scott was thinking that unannounced naked women don’t show up on his doorstep frequently enough, a Ms. Naked USA contestant and next door neighbor comes knocking with nothing on. But the real knockout is her story: someone tried to kill her and is now dead on her floor! This private eye can’t believe what he’s seeing! Before Scott can even ask where she kept the weapon, she’s disappeared and our private dick is stuck with the stiff?

The Peddler (As: Douglas Ring)

HIS WOMEN OFFERED PARADISE – FOR A PRICE

In the cutthroat world of organized crime, Tony Romero was headed straight for the top. His territory: the brothels of San Francisco.

But on the way to the top, he’d leave a path littered with bodies and broken dreams – some of them his…

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