Richard S. Prather

From Rara-avis comes the sad news that Richard S. Prather passed away. Prather created the Shell Scott detective series that was very popular in the 50's and 60's. Shell was something of a Mike Hammer with a sense of humor. The stories always featured gorgeous women and the covers were something to hide under the mattress.

Scott was six-two and 205 with "short white hair that sticks up into the air as if a small bleached porcupine were curled up on my scalp."

He had a way with descriptions of women, as this from Stripped for Murder:
"She had a nice body, too, though a trifle slim for my taste, but what she had was all hers for sure. When it comes to clothes, sometimes the more money women have, the more they spend for less, and this gas was wearing so little that she must have been a billionaire. The dress was dark green, strapless, clinging, and almost off."

The mystery world will miss Richard S. Prather and Shell Scott.