The Kubla Khan Caper

Shell Scott #32

by Richard S. Prather

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.

Genres: Mystery, Detective

186 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1966

About the author

Richard Scott Prather was an American mystery novelist, best known for creating the "Shell Scott" series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms David Knight and Douglas Ring.

Prather was born in Santa Ana, California. He served in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II. In 1945 year he married Tina Hager and began working as a civilian chief clerk of surplus property at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California. He left that job to become a full-time writer in 1949. The first Shell Scott mystery, 'Case of the Vanishing Beauty' was published in 1950. It would be the start of a long series that numbered more than three dozen titles featuring the Shell Scott character.

Prather had a disagreement with his publisher in the 1970s and sued them in 1975. He gave up writing for several years and grew avocados. However in 1986 he returned with 'The Amber Effect'. Prather's final book, 'Shellshock', was published in hardcover in 1987 by Tor Books.

At the time of his death in 2007, he had completed his final Shell Scott Mystery novel, 'The Death Gods'. It was published October 2011 by Pendleton Artists.

Prather served twice on the Board of Directors of the Mystery Writers of America. Additionally Prather received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 1986.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Palm Desert, and more specifically at the grand opening of Palm Desert’s newest luxury resort, the Kubla Khan, designed in a Casablanca-Arabian Nights fashion, Scott’s cover is judging a beauty contest. Before he can even meet his client, the missing beauty contestant, Jeanne, is shot before Scott’s very eyes and his erstwhile client, Ormond Monaco, is suspected of murdering his partner, Sardis. Not especially the most auspicious beginning, particularly when Scott arrives at a casino and immediately gets into it with a cigar-smoking fiend who is harassing Lyssa Weldon, possibly for her skin color, and then by her muscle-bound boyfriend. Scott’s attention goes between Lyssa and Misty Lombard, a famous actress. There aren’t that many fight scenes here, but you do have one where Scott hides under Alyssa’s bed when her boyfriend shows up unexpectedly.

[SB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shell #3 in as many weeks. Super fun one-location story where Scott has to solve two murders at a new luxury hotel before the hotel opens the next day at noon. Lots of drunk and concussed Scott here, and a chase scene where a huge naked man waving a scimitar angrily races after a trouserless Scott through a crowd of upper-class swells who are there to attend the opening of said hotel. Plus Scott later stabs the bad guy through the gut (and into a wall) with the blade. Good times.

[Jiří Pavlovský · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uznávám, že se mi to poněkud vymklo z pod kontroly a že už to nemůžu házet jen na Rudou žeň. Další Shell Scott… a pro změnu jsem sáhl po jedné z novějších knih. Shell Scott tady dostane nabídku, kterou nemůže odmítnout – porotcovat soutěž krásy. Samozřejmě, k tomu je přifařený ještě nějaký případ, ale to nějak moc nevnímá, protože bude porotcovat soutěž krásy! Ano, jakmile přijede, hned se přichomýtne k vraždě a střílí se i po něm, ale koho to zajímá, když je ubytovaný v luxusním hotelu plném krásných holek, a on má porotcovat soutěž krásy!

Jo, tenhle díl je vysloveně příběh malého kluka zavřeného v cukrárně… a i když má Scott na vyšetření celého případu jen 24 hodin, i když má nejspíš otřes mozku kombinovaný s otravou alkoholem, i se musí skrývat pod postelí a pak prchat před žárlivým (a černým a obřím) přítelem (autor tady dokazuje, že není rasista, že jeho hrdina jede po ženách všech barev), stejně se mu povede vše vyřešit. I bez kalhot.

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author was not as brilliantly funny as he thought he was. Too much rather dull humour in lieu of a good detective tale.

[Vitor Frazão · Rating 1 out of 5]

A maioria dos detectives procura deslindar os mistérios com inteligência e astúcia, Shell Scott limita-se a vaguear pelas páginas, a babar-se por tudo o que é rabo de saias, até tropeçar na solução por acidente. Se vos for parar às mãos de graça e não tiveram mais nada para ler, as palhaças das de Shell e o desfile de beldades, envoltos numa história de faca e alguidar, poderão entreter-vos, de outro modo não aconselho a gastar tempo e dinheiro com este livro.

[Bruce Snell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot of Shell Scott books when I was in high school and enjoyed them at the time. Now, over 40 years later, they don't hold up very well. Still a fun read, but no depth to the characters or plot.