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Shell Scott #24
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.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1962
15 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Richard S. Prather
94 books43 followersRichard 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 25, 2025
Kill the Clown (1962) is set up at least initially as a more classic detective tale. There’s an innocent man on death row in San Quentin — Ross Miller—and it’s Saturday, but he’s going to the gas chamber on Wednesday. The clock is ticking and Scott has to move fast on the information the sister — Doris Miller—gave him.
But, the three eyewitnesses from trial who might change their testimony and admit to perjury are getting killed off faster than a thoroughbred race horse. And, he has to face off against Frank Quinn, chief mobster, and his goons who include Blister, Shadow, Hal the Cad, and Pizza Jim.
Luckily, Scott has two aces up his sleeve to get the mobster who really did the killing. First, Scott can set up close circuit television in the mobster Quinn’s meeting place and watch the corrupt meeting from a hotel room above. Second, he can dress up in a clown suit and go to the Halloween soirée the mobster is throwing and, while there, get to the secret safe containing all the relevant paperwork to put Quinn behind bars for good.
Putting aside the fiction that anyone on death row is actually innocent or that mobsters have the entire system in their pockets, Prather offers a solid, action-packed private eye novel. While he uses a few gimmicks like the clown suit to inject humor into the story, he tells a serious tale that keeps the reader interested right up until the end.
But, the three eyewitnesses from trial who might change their testimony and admit to perjury are getting killed off faster than a thoroughbred race horse. And, he has to face off against Frank Quinn, chief mobster, and his goons who include Blister, Shadow, Hal the Cad, and Pizza Jim.
Luckily, Scott has two aces up his sleeve to get the mobster who really did the killing. First, Scott can set up close circuit television in the mobster Quinn’s meeting place and watch the corrupt meeting from a hotel room above. Second, he can dress up in a clown suit and go to the Halloween soirée the mobster is throwing and, while there, get to the secret safe containing all the relevant paperwork to put Quinn behind bars for good.
Putting aside the fiction that anyone on death row is actually innocent or that mobsters have the entire system in their pockets, Prather offers a solid, action-packed private eye novel. While he uses a few gimmicks like the clown suit to inject humor into the story, he tells a serious tale that keeps the reader interested right up until the end.
June 14, 2020
One of the best of the Shell Scott series. A solid story of playing beat the clock to save another. The trouble is where the one to save was located. That and the numbers up against Scott to stop being such a Samaritan.
The adventure is otherwise pretty typical Shell Scott. This one has Prather exercising his excellent writing skills. There are all sorts of great turn of phrases and using terms like "ectomorph" and characters named "Blister", "Fargo" and, a hilarious one, who proudly uses the moniker Vava. Last name: Voom. Love how Prather stages this. It could have come off slimy, but instead sets the lady light-hearted with the serious initiative to be an actress.
Prather also has a quick out in his tale and, instead, greatly complicates the tale over and over again. With such sharp writing, it's all worth it.
Bottom line: i recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
The adventure is otherwise pretty typical Shell Scott. This one has Prather exercising his excellent writing skills. There are all sorts of great turn of phrases and using terms like "ectomorph" and characters named "Blister", "Fargo" and, a hilarious one, who proudly uses the moniker Vava. Last name: Voom. Love how Prather stages this. It could have come off slimy, but instead sets the lady light-hearted with the serious initiative to be an actress.
Prather also has a quick out in his tale and, instead, greatly complicates the tale over and over again. With such sharp writing, it's all worth it.
Bottom line: i recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
May 20, 2014
Shell Scott is, in my opinion, one of the greatest characters in pulp fiction. He is a 6" 2' man with shocking white hair and eyebrows. Kill the Clown is a great example of the genius of Richard Prather. The book starts off fast and never lets up by introducing great characters and hysterical situations faster than a runaway train. Scott is hired to prove the innocence of a beautiful woman's brother, who is wrongly accused of murder and awaiting an appointment with death in just 3 days. This Scott novel is unique in that we know from the beginning who the murderer is. The fun of the book comes from what Scott goes through to prove the mans innocence. This book is great fun and i fabulous intro to the world of Shell Scott for anyone not familiar with Mr. Prather's book.
February 8, 2025
Pořád mě to zatraceně baví, i když uznávám, že je to popíková drsná škola. Richard S. Prather vzal chandlerovského hrdinu, úplně se vykašlal na vážné a sociální motivy, kterých se chytali ostatní tvůrci, dokonce ani nestvořil žádné další zuřivé monstrum typu Mike Hammera, a soustředil se čistě na pohodovou zábavnost. I když je Shell Scott bývalý mariňák s bílými vlasy i obočím a pořádnou ránou, je to vlastně docela fajn chlápek, který se všema docela vychází… hlavně tedy samozřejmě s ženami. Jo, hrdinové drsné školy mají vždycky slabost pro hezkou kost, ale u Shella Scotta je to už posedlost. Ani hrdinové pubertálních komedií nejsou nadrženější než on.
„…měla na sobě vzdouvající se bílou blůzu, pod kterou se nevzdouvalo nic jiného než Lolita a celkově byla tím největší argumentem proti korzetům od vynálezu volejbalu na nudistické pláži. Jen když tu stála, byla tak žhavá, že byste si na ní mohli opéct brambory a kdyby se dala do běhu, vypálila by celý kvartýr.“
Tady, aby získal holku svého srdce… nebo spíš svých hormonů… rozhodne se zachránit jejího bratra před popravou tím, že do několika dnů zjistí, kdo byl skutečným autorem vraždy, ze které byl obviněný, a navíc k tomu i sežene důkazy (to se ukáže mnohem komplikovanější než ta první věc). Ocitá se v té chvíli nejen v časovém presu a na chvostu v závodě o likvidaci svědků, ale brzo i na mušce větší části podsvětí. Což mu ovšem samozřejmě nebrání narazit ještě na pár sexy bab a dostat se do spousty problémů.
„Byla zločinec, o tom žádná. Její oči byly přinejmenším přestupkem a zákeřné rty byly rozhodně kriminální. Byla úžasná, ale já byl prakticky zasnoubený s Doris Millerovou. Tedy... tak trochu jsme spolu chodili. No… docela se mi líbila. Vlastně jsem pro ni jen pracoval, ne? Takže cokoliv jsem dělal, dělal jsem v jejím zájmu.“
Jak je to ale stará knížka, tak je to hrdinovo holkaření udržované spíš v roztomilém stylu než agresivně oplzlém. Vůbec je celek neskutečně pohodový… z knížek Richarda S. Prathera má člověk pocit, že si to autor užívá. Což ne vždycky znamená i dobrou knihu, ale tady to funguje a ta radost z žánru se přenáší i na čtenáře. Zvlášť, když se Prather nebrzdí, rád hrdinu hází do problémů (až se to někdy blíží téměř parodii), nechá mu holky přerůstat přes hlavu, a užívá si styl a slovní parádičky. Dává si ale záležet i na akci – nevzpomínám si, že by ve starých detektivkách byly takhle popisované bitky. A zatím se mu v každé knížce vyskytlo pár hezkých nápadů. Tady se kupříkladu celé finále odehrává na maškarním, kam se Shell Scott dostane inkognito, převlečený za klauna. Problém je v tom, že to maškarní organizuje šéf podsvětí a většina pozvaných měla se Scottem něco do činění a udělalo by jim hroznou radost, kdyby mu mohli v těle udělat pár tunelů. A že se na Scotta vrhá dívka, která si říká Vava Voom a jejíž snem je kariéra tanečnice a norkový kožich až ke kotníkům.
Kill the Clown je hravá a podle mě i docela inteligentní záležitost. Vlastně jediné co mě tady (a na dalších knížkách z téhle řady) štve, je neuvádění jména obálkářů. Tady jsem pak dohledal, že to byl nejspíš Mitchell Hooks... ale nějaké obálky mu dělal i můj oblíbený Robert McGinnis)
„…měla na sobě vzdouvající se bílou blůzu, pod kterou se nevzdouvalo nic jiného než Lolita a celkově byla tím největší argumentem proti korzetům od vynálezu volejbalu na nudistické pláži. Jen když tu stála, byla tak žhavá, že byste si na ní mohli opéct brambory a kdyby se dala do běhu, vypálila by celý kvartýr.“
Tady, aby získal holku svého srdce… nebo spíš svých hormonů… rozhodne se zachránit jejího bratra před popravou tím, že do několika dnů zjistí, kdo byl skutečným autorem vraždy, ze které byl obviněný, a navíc k tomu i sežene důkazy (to se ukáže mnohem komplikovanější než ta první věc). Ocitá se v té chvíli nejen v časovém presu a na chvostu v závodě o likvidaci svědků, ale brzo i na mušce větší části podsvětí. Což mu ovšem samozřejmě nebrání narazit ještě na pár sexy bab a dostat se do spousty problémů.
„Byla zločinec, o tom žádná. Její oči byly přinejmenším přestupkem a zákeřné rty byly rozhodně kriminální. Byla úžasná, ale já byl prakticky zasnoubený s Doris Millerovou. Tedy... tak trochu jsme spolu chodili. No… docela se mi líbila. Vlastně jsem pro ni jen pracoval, ne? Takže cokoliv jsem dělal, dělal jsem v jejím zájmu.“
Jak je to ale stará knížka, tak je to hrdinovo holkaření udržované spíš v roztomilém stylu než agresivně oplzlém. Vůbec je celek neskutečně pohodový… z knížek Richarda S. Prathera má člověk pocit, že si to autor užívá. Což ne vždycky znamená i dobrou knihu, ale tady to funguje a ta radost z žánru se přenáší i na čtenáře. Zvlášť, když se Prather nebrzdí, rád hrdinu hází do problémů (až se to někdy blíží téměř parodii), nechá mu holky přerůstat přes hlavu, a užívá si styl a slovní parádičky. Dává si ale záležet i na akci – nevzpomínám si, že by ve starých detektivkách byly takhle popisované bitky. A zatím se mu v každé knížce vyskytlo pár hezkých nápadů. Tady se kupříkladu celé finále odehrává na maškarním, kam se Shell Scott dostane inkognito, převlečený za klauna. Problém je v tom, že to maškarní organizuje šéf podsvětí a většina pozvaných měla se Scottem něco do činění a udělalo by jim hroznou radost, kdyby mu mohli v těle udělat pár tunelů. A že se na Scotta vrhá dívka, která si říká Vava Voom a jejíž snem je kariéra tanečnice a norkový kožich až ke kotníkům.
Kill the Clown je hravá a podle mě i docela inteligentní záležitost. Vlastně jediné co mě tady (a na dalších knížkách z téhle řady) štve, je neuvádění jména obálkářů. Tady jsem pak dohledal, že to byl nejspíš Mitchell Hooks... ale nějaké obálky mu dělal i můj oblíbený Robert McGinnis)
May 23, 2020
Dames, gangsters and a private eye.
Shell Scott, private eye, is at it again as he tries to unframe a framed man. And he has only three days to find the evidence! Enjoy as Scott goes toe to toe with gangsters and their many guns to clear a man of murder, all at a Halloween party you can't forget.
Shell Scott, private eye, is at it again as he tries to unframe a framed man. And he has only three days to find the evidence! Enjoy as Scott goes toe to toe with gangsters and their many guns to clear a man of murder, all at a Halloween party you can't forget.
December 31, 2024
Absolutely ludicrous but kind of enjoyable. Drags a bit. I read it as part of my exploration into pulpy early sixties trade paperbacks. I didn't realize it was part of a series. I might read another if I come across it but won't really go out of my way to find one.
February 9, 2016
Shell Scott is a magnet for trouble with an eye for the ladies, so when a beautiful woman named Doris walks into his office, he takes her case in a heartbeat. Her brother Ross is on death row in San Quentin—his execution only three days away—for the murder of his boss, a crime he swears he didn’t commit. One of the key witnesses that put Ross away told Doris he was pressured into a false confession. Signs point to local hoodlum Frank Quinn, a man loosely tied to several high-profile murders and suicides… signs which turn out to be true when, after prodding Quinn a little, Shell is ambushed by the thug’s goons on the highway.
Luck may be turning in Shell Scott’s favor after all, when Quinn’s wife contacts him with a deal. She wants Quinn out of the picture, and knows exactly how to make that happen—which will give Scott with the evidence he needs to save Ross’ life. One small catch: it requires Shell go undercover at Frank Quinn’s masquerade ball on Halloween—into the belly of the beast, a party that’s sure to be rife with Frank’s hired guns, crooked politicians, and all the dregs of the underworld…
Prather’s prose is smooth as silk and chugs along at its enjoyably jovial pace, showcasing a good sense of action and a strong case of wit. While it can become serious—dead serious, when the guns come out and the slugs start flying—the tone for most of the novel is very relaxed and playful. That makes the violence and suspense sharper and more pronounced in contrast. And while it has a reputation for the ribald, its bevy of flirtatious women who tempt Scott (and visa versa) is pretty tame; there’s more sly grins and winking than there is anything explicit.
So, that’s Shell Scott then: a series about a hardboiled detective, yes, but Shell shares more in common with Stephanie Plum (or, for the really deep cut, Dan Turner) than with Spade and Marlowe. It’s a playful romp with gun-in-cheek humor, suspenseful at one moment and ribald funny the next. You can see why Prather was such a huge hit back in the day: Shell Scott is the kind of guy you want to go partying with, and then follow as he leads you to the next party. Kill the Clown is the kind of novel that makes for excellent beach reading, and I can see doing that very thing this summer.
(Full review found here.)
Luck may be turning in Shell Scott’s favor after all, when Quinn’s wife contacts him with a deal. She wants Quinn out of the picture, and knows exactly how to make that happen—which will give Scott with the evidence he needs to save Ross’ life. One small catch: it requires Shell go undercover at Frank Quinn’s masquerade ball on Halloween—into the belly of the beast, a party that’s sure to be rife with Frank’s hired guns, crooked politicians, and all the dregs of the underworld…
Prather’s prose is smooth as silk and chugs along at its enjoyably jovial pace, showcasing a good sense of action and a strong case of wit. While it can become serious—dead serious, when the guns come out and the slugs start flying—the tone for most of the novel is very relaxed and playful. That makes the violence and suspense sharper and more pronounced in contrast. And while it has a reputation for the ribald, its bevy of flirtatious women who tempt Scott (and visa versa) is pretty tame; there’s more sly grins and winking than there is anything explicit.
So, that’s Shell Scott then: a series about a hardboiled detective, yes, but Shell shares more in common with Stephanie Plum (or, for the really deep cut, Dan Turner) than with Spade and Marlowe. It’s a playful romp with gun-in-cheek humor, suspenseful at one moment and ribald funny the next. You can see why Prather was such a huge hit back in the day: Shell Scott is the kind of guy you want to go partying with, and then follow as he leads you to the next party. Kill the Clown is the kind of novel that makes for excellent beach reading, and I can see doing that very thing this summer.
(Full review found here.)
December 12, 2012
I love this book for its simplicity. It's funny as hell and a child can understand what's at stake. It's a great read for beginning writers.
It is, to my mind, the very epitome of the Scott Meredith principle:
"A sympathetic lead character finds himself in trouble of some kind and makes active efforts to get himself out of it. Each effort, however, merely gets him deeper into his trouble, and each new obstacle in his path is larger than the last. Finally, when things look blackest and it seems certain that the lead character is finished, he gets out of his trouble through his own efforts, intelligence, or ingenuity."
Go for a joy ride with Shell Scott. He really knows how to crash a party!
May 6, 2014
Take an innocent man, framed, and sentenced to be sent to the gas chamber in days; his frightened ‘sister’ desperately hiring a detective to save him – add a romancing detective in lust with almost every woman he meets; a kingpin criminal who framed the man and his many brain challenged crooks along with a few crooked politicians and high rollers, and you have the makings of one sometimes hilarious, always super suspenseful, roller coaster of a hard boiled detective tale.
Laugh as you bite your nails and can’t stop reading this superb hard boiled detective thriller!
Laugh as you bite your nails and can’t stop reading this superb hard boiled detective thriller!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews