R

Richard S Prather

5 Series • 48 Books

5
Series
48
Books
5
Active

🎯 Where Should I Start?

Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Shell Scott Books
Start with: The Case of the Vanishing Beauty (1950)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Shell Scott Collections
Start with: Hot Rock Rumble & The Double Take (1994)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: Lie Down, Killer (1952)

ⓘ About Richard S Prather

Richard S Prather was an American novelist born in 1921. The author, who was best known for creating Shell Scott, died in 2007 from respiratory complications. +Biography Richard S Prather was born in Santa Ana in California. Before heading into the army, Richard attended Riverside Community College. Back then, it was called Riverside Junior College. Between the years of 1942 and 1945, Richard was in the U.S Merchant Marine. With World War II finally winding down, Richard decided to marry Tina Hager. The author did not completely cast the army aside, though, even with the end of the war. Even as a civilian Richard continued to operate within the vicinity of the military. He worked at March Air Force Base in Riverside as the Chief Clerk of Surplus Property.

All Book Series by Richard S Prather

1
The Case of the Vanishing Beauty book cover

The Case of the Vanishing Beauty

Series opener · book 1 of 41 · published 1950

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1950
2
Bodies in Bedlam book cover

Bodies in Bedlam

Book 2 of 41 · published 1951

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1951
3
Everybody Had a Gun book cover

Everybody Had a Gun

Book 3 of 41 · published 1951

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1951
4
Find This Woman book cover

Find This Woman

Book 4 of 41 · published 1951

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1951
5
Dagger of Flesh book cover

Dagger of Flesh

Book 5 of 41 · published 1952

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1952
6
Darling, It's Death book cover

Darling, It's Death

Book 6 of 41 · published 1952

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1952
7
Way of a Wanton book cover

Way of a Wanton

Book 7 of 41 · published 1952

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1952
8
Pattern for Murder / The Scrambled Yeggs book cover

Pattern for Murder / The Scrambled Yeggs

Book 8 of 41 · published 1952

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1952
9
Always Leave 'em Dying book cover

Always Leave 'em Dying

Book 9 of 41 · published 1953

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1953
10
Ride a High Horse / Too Many Crooks book cover

Ride a High Horse / Too Many Crooks

Book 10 of 41 · published 1953

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1953
11
Pattern for Panic book cover

Pattern for Panic

Book 11 of 41 · published 1954

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1954
12
Strip for Murder book cover

Strip for Murder

Book 12 of 41 · published 1956

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1956
13
The Wailing Frail book cover

The Wailing Frail

Book 13 of 41 · published 1956

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1956
14
Have Gat - Will Travel book cover

Have Gat - Will Travel

Book 14 of 41 · published 1957

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1957
15
Three's a Shroud book cover

Three's a Shroud

Book 15 of 41 · published 1957

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1957
16
Slab Happy book cover

Slab Happy

Book 16 of 41 · published 1958

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1958
17
Take a Murder, Darling book cover

Take a Murder, Darling

Book 17 of 41 · published 1958

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1958
18
Over Her Dear Body book cover

Over Her Dear Body

Book 18 of 41 · published 1959

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1959
19
Double in Trouble book cover

Double in Trouble

Book 19 of 41 · published 1959 Co-authored · Stephen Marlowe

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1959
20
Dance with the Dead book cover

Dance with the Dead

Book 20 of 41 · published 1960

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1960
21
Dig That Crazy Grave book cover

Dig That Crazy Grave

Book 21 of 41 · published 1961

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1961
22
Shell Scott's Seven Slaughters book cover

Shell Scott's Seven Slaughters

Book 22 of 41 · published 1961

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1961
23
Kill the Clown book cover

Kill the Clown

Book 23 of 41 · published 1962

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1962
24
Dead Heat book cover

Dead Heat

Book 24 of 41 · published 1963

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1963
25
Joker in the Deck book cover

Joker in the Deck

Book 25 of 41 · published 1964

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1964
26
The Cockeyed Corpse book cover

The Cockeyed Corpse

Book 26 of 41 · published 1964

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1964
27
The Trojan Hearse book cover

The Trojan Hearse

Book 27 of 41 · published 1964

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1964
28
Dead Man's Walk book cover

Dead Man's Walk

Book 28 of 41 · published 1965

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1965
29
Kill Him Twice book cover

Kill Him Twice

Book 29 of 41 · published 1965

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1965
30
The Meandering Corpse book cover

The Meandering Corpse

Book 30 of 41 · published 1965

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1965
31
The Kubla Khan Caper book cover

The Kubla Khan Caper

Book 31 of 41 · published 1966

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1966
32
Gat Heat book cover

Gat Heat

Book 32 of 41 · published 1967

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1967
33
The Cheim Manuscript book cover

The Cheim Manuscript

Book 33 of 41 · published 1969

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1969
34
Kill Me Tomorrow book cover

Kill Me Tomorrow

Book 34 of 41 · published 1969

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1969
35
The Shell Scott Sampler book cover

The Shell Scott Sampler

Book 35 of 41 · published 1969

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1969
36
Dead-Bang book cover

Dead-Bang

Book 36 of 41 · published 1971

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1971
37
The Sweet Ride book cover

The Sweet Ride

Book 37 of 41 · published 1972

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1972
38
The Sure Thing book cover

The Sure Thing

Book 38 of 41 · published 1975

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1975
39
The Amber Effect book cover

The Amber Effect

Book 39 of 41 · published 1986

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1986
40
Shellshock book cover

Shellshock

Book 40 of 41 · published 1987

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1987
41
The Death Gods book cover

The Death Gods

Latest in the series · book 41 of 41 · published 2011

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2011
1
Hot Rock Rumble & The Double Take book cover

Hot Rock Rumble & The Double Take

Single-title series · published 1994

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1994
1
Lie Down, Killer book cover

Lie Down, Killer

Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1952

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1952
2
The Peddler book cover

The Peddler

Book 2 of 3 · published 1952 Pen name · Douglas Ring

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1952
3
Dragnet: Case No.561 book cover

Dragnet: Case No.561

Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1956

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1956
1
The Sleeper Caper book cover

The Sleeper Caper

Single-title series · published 2009

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2009
1
The Comfortable Coffin book cover

The Comfortable Coffin

Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 1960

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1960
2
Masters of Noir, Volume One book cover

Masters of Noir, Volume One

Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2010

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2010

? Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Richard S Prather?

Richard S Prather was an American novelist born in 1921. The author, who was best known for creating Shell Scott, died in 2007 from respiratory complications. +Biography Richard S Prather was born in Santa Ana in California. Before heading into the army, Richard attended Riverside Community College.

Which Richard S Prather series should I start with?

The best place to start is the Shell Scott series, the earliest of Richard S Prather's multi-book series: it opens with The Case of the Vanishing Beauty (1950) and runs to 41 books across 1950–2011, ending with The Death Gods (2011).

How many books has Richard S Prather written?

Richard S Prather has 48 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1950 and 2011. 42 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the Shell Scott series with 41 books — and 6 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

In what order should Richard S Prather's series be read?

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Richard S Prather's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Shell Scott (1950–2011, 41 books) and Shell Scott Collections (1994, 1 book).

How are Richard S Prather's books organised into series?

This guide splits Richard S Prather's 48 books into 2 named series and 6 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Shell Scott (41 books, 1950–2011); Shell Scott Collections (1 book, 1994).