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Shell Scott #29
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!
- GenresMystery
220 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1965
19 people are currently reading
70 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 28, 2025
Richard S. Prather never became the cultural icon that Mickey Spillane did, but he was a fabulous writer in the hardboiled vein whose sales and popularity were right up there with the best of them for many years. Prather’s detective was Sheldon “Shell” Scott, who made his way through the hardboiled streets with a lot of humor, making him a softer — and way funnier — version of the more serious Mike Hammer type.
It’s the easy narrative flow of Prather and that humor which make most of the Shell Scott series such a blast to read, even all these years later. The series began in 1950 and over that decade and the next, Prather’s Shell Scott stories, with their irresistible blend of violence and humor — often self-deprecating humor — outsold almost everyone but Spillane. By the time Prather passed at the age of 85, he’d sold over forty-million books.
Published in 1965, Dead Man’s Walk is an absolute blast. It has everything you could want in a Shell Scott story; a tropical setting as Shell sets sail for Verde Island in the Caribbean on the Wanderer II, with hot tomato Vanessa by his side; a Hunan Voodoo Priest with big steel teeth who immediately puts a curse on Shell upon his arrival — and of course gets knocked on his kisser; a Voodoo Priestess named Dria who’s also a hot tomato, and might need Shell’s help; people dropping like flies with no apparent cause of death except said voodoo; and a “voodoo” duel between Shell and Mordieux in the tropics which is both exciting and laugh-out-loud hilarious. And oh yeah, Shell figures out who has really been doing the killings, and why.
It all began — we get a flashback — when a former client of Shell’s bequeathes to him in his will a piece of Sunrise, a successful club in Verde that just about everyone’s heard about but the not-so-hip Shell. When the luscious Vanessa wants to join him in checking the place out, what’s Shell to do but let her come along? Of course, when Shell arrives there’s Mordieux putting a curse on him, and everyone around the joint is having trouble staying alive. It’s more atmosphere than plot in this one — though at the end, there’s more going on than you thought — but it’s a very fun ride. There’s one hilariously written scene about a bird watcher during a high speed chase that will have you laughing so hard you might bust a gut.
Shell almost goes down for the count when someone poisons him, but Dria, whose father may have been murdered by the powerful Mordieux, uses her own voodoo skills to save him. Between that, and Vanessa getting snatched, Shell’s had about all he can take in this tropical paradise, and plans out a confrontation with Mordieux the likes of which readers haven’t seen since Harry Potter and that guy whose name shall not be spoken.
It’s best not to think too hard about the plot of this one, and just enjoy the ride. Like a lot of Prather's work, it’s sharp, funny, exciting, and it will definitely leave a smile on your face when you turn the last page, as a lot of the Shell Scott stories have a tendency to do. A fabulous entry in a fun series which shouldn’t be forgotten. Thanks to Prather's fun Shell Scott series becoming available in boxed sets on Kindle as of late, and at a bargain price, an entirely new generation is discovering why this cat sold over forty-million books. This entry in particular is fun stuff, and is sure to make most readers a fan.
It’s the easy narrative flow of Prather and that humor which make most of the Shell Scott series such a blast to read, even all these years later. The series began in 1950 and over that decade and the next, Prather’s Shell Scott stories, with their irresistible blend of violence and humor — often self-deprecating humor — outsold almost everyone but Spillane. By the time Prather passed at the age of 85, he’d sold over forty-million books.
Published in 1965, Dead Man’s Walk is an absolute blast. It has everything you could want in a Shell Scott story; a tropical setting as Shell sets sail for Verde Island in the Caribbean on the Wanderer II, with hot tomato Vanessa by his side; a Hunan Voodoo Priest with big steel teeth who immediately puts a curse on Shell upon his arrival — and of course gets knocked on his kisser; a Voodoo Priestess named Dria who’s also a hot tomato, and might need Shell’s help; people dropping like flies with no apparent cause of death except said voodoo; and a “voodoo” duel between Shell and Mordieux in the tropics which is both exciting and laugh-out-loud hilarious. And oh yeah, Shell figures out who has really been doing the killings, and why.
It all began — we get a flashback — when a former client of Shell’s bequeathes to him in his will a piece of Sunrise, a successful club in Verde that just about everyone’s heard about but the not-so-hip Shell. When the luscious Vanessa wants to join him in checking the place out, what’s Shell to do but let her come along? Of course, when Shell arrives there’s Mordieux putting a curse on him, and everyone around the joint is having trouble staying alive. It’s more atmosphere than plot in this one — though at the end, there’s more going on than you thought — but it’s a very fun ride. There’s one hilariously written scene about a bird watcher during a high speed chase that will have you laughing so hard you might bust a gut.
Shell almost goes down for the count when someone poisons him, but Dria, whose father may have been murdered by the powerful Mordieux, uses her own voodoo skills to save him. Between that, and Vanessa getting snatched, Shell’s had about all he can take in this tropical paradise, and plans out a confrontation with Mordieux the likes of which readers haven’t seen since Harry Potter and that guy whose name shall not be spoken.
It’s best not to think too hard about the plot of this one, and just enjoy the ride. Like a lot of Prather's work, it’s sharp, funny, exciting, and it will definitely leave a smile on your face when you turn the last page, as a lot of the Shell Scott stories have a tendency to do. A fabulous entry in a fun series which shouldn’t be forgotten. Thanks to Prather's fun Shell Scott series becoming available in boxed sets on Kindle as of late, and at a bargain price, an entirely new generation is discovering why this cat sold over forty-million books. This entry in particular is fun stuff, and is sure to make most readers a fan.
July 10, 2023
Dead Man’s Walk, first published in 1965, is a solid Shell Scott novel and narrowly focused without any social commentary. It is set almost entirely (except for a set up scene in Los Angeles) on a fictional Caribbean island, Verde, which is a relatively unpopulated version of Haiti, which brings up the subject of voodoo, a subject that permeates the tale.
The set up, which is kind of unnecessary, is that Scott helps out a millionaire and years later receives a bequest in the millionaire’s will entitling him to a 4 1/2 percent interest in a hotel on Verde Island. It so happens that about this time a guest of the hotel dies of seemingly natural, but strange, circumstances and Scott is asked to investigate. He thereupon jets over to Miami with the lovely Vanessa Gayle in tow and from there boats over to the island, which we are told “looks like something out of a travel folder designed by a liar.” Quickly we learn that the body count is going up for no reason at all.
Much of the novel is Scott confronting a voodoo chieftain and his cult-like followers and setting out to prove that the whole voodoo ordeal is a phoney carnival trick and that they’ve all been had. Scott confronting cult followers echoes some of the earlier Scott books where he confronts cult groups in the Los Angeles area as does his use of balloons.
His island romance is with one Alexandria Maria Ducharme, who is called Dria. Count Mordieux is the voodoo leader’s name, who calls himself the God of the dead, and he might as well be Count Dracula what with his followers digging up corpses and the production of voodoo dolls.
The set up, which is kind of unnecessary, is that Scott helps out a millionaire and years later receives a bequest in the millionaire’s will entitling him to a 4 1/2 percent interest in a hotel on Verde Island. It so happens that about this time a guest of the hotel dies of seemingly natural, but strange, circumstances and Scott is asked to investigate. He thereupon jets over to Miami with the lovely Vanessa Gayle in tow and from there boats over to the island, which we are told “looks like something out of a travel folder designed by a liar.” Quickly we learn that the body count is going up for no reason at all.
Much of the novel is Scott confronting a voodoo chieftain and his cult-like followers and setting out to prove that the whole voodoo ordeal is a phoney carnival trick and that they’ve all been had. Scott confronting cult followers echoes some of the earlier Scott books where he confronts cult groups in the Los Angeles area as does his use of balloons.
His island romance is with one Alexandria Maria Ducharme, who is called Dria. Count Mordieux is the voodoo leader’s name, who calls himself the God of the dead, and he might as well be Count Dracula what with his followers digging up corpses and the production of voodoo dolls.
November 4, 2017
Voodoo schmoodoo, and all that jazz. This caper was published in 1965 or so and is a fairly entertaining novel with doses of too much padding here and there. I always enjoy the Shell Scott novels and typically breeze through them. This one took a bit longer than usual to finish. As far as mysteries go, you'll figure out who the brains behind the bad juju are pretty quickly. The ending makes up for a slow middle section involving a showdown between witch doctors. These novels are kind of like pop tarts. I don't mind people seeing me liking them.
February 27, 2017
Tough Detective
This is just a good detective mystery with a little of the supernatural thrown. The character Shell Scott is something of a wiseguy, but that is okay. The rest of the characters are an interesting mix of persons. From the voodoo priest to the researchers they all have a role to play. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but Shell Scott has his hands full with three murders in the island of Verde or are they something else. Before it is over another murder is uncovered. So just pull on your trench coat and fedora and help solve the case of Dead Man's Walk.
This is just a good detective mystery with a little of the supernatural thrown. The character Shell Scott is something of a wiseguy, but that is okay. The rest of the characters are an interesting mix of persons. From the voodoo priest to the researchers they all have a role to play. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but Shell Scott has his hands full with three murders in the island of Verde or are they something else. Before it is over another murder is uncovered. So just pull on your trench coat and fedora and help solve the case of Dead Man's Walk.
August 31, 2018
My book was a paperback from 1965 which I had never read, but had kept to do so. And I was glad I did. The Shell Scott character is a detective hired by the owner of a large hotel in the Caribbean to investigate the death of the co-owner. Nothing suspicious specifically, but he died. Shell, as luck would have it, had inherited a small partial ownership of the hotel from a prior client who had been appreciative of his work. So starts the novel.
Just mentioning the fact that the island is in the Caribbean brings memories of voodoo and yes, the French/Spanish/Creole language mix mesmerizes the reader. Not to mention the little dolls with pins in them. But the story is decent, easy to follow, sometimes funny, and not too predictable.
Apparently the author, Prather, has an series of books with the Shell Scott character, and I would hope all of them would bet they are all as well-written as this one.
Just mentioning the fact that the island is in the Caribbean brings memories of voodoo and yes, the French/Spanish/Creole language mix mesmerizes the reader. Not to mention the little dolls with pins in them. But the story is decent, easy to follow, sometimes funny, and not too predictable.
Apparently the author, Prather, has an series of books with the Shell Scott character, and I would hope all of them would bet they are all as well-written as this one.
November 18, 2017
I read a Shell Scott book many years ago (so many years ago, I can’t remember anything about it) but I remember it as being a cross between Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker – Spenser’s snappy writing with a heavy dose of 40s noir attitude toward women. I liked that book enough that I wanted to read more of Prather’s books. But none ever came my way until Dead Man’s Walk. I grabbed it the minute I saw it, excited to finally have another Shell Scott book to read.
What a disappointment. I don’t know what happened between the two books, but Dead Man’s Walk is nothing like that one. I’m not even sure the same man wrote it. This book plods along. What should be moments of high tension seemed flat. Even the exotic location (a Caribbean island) is bland. Near the end of this book, Prather delivered some of the writing that made that earlier book so enjoyable. But it was too little too late.
Prather telegraphed upcoming twists so plainly that when they did come, the reaction was not, 'Wow, I never expected that,' but, 'Finally!'
I didn't really dislike this book but it was far from okay. So 2½ stars would be a more honest rating.
I won’t be back for another Shell Scott mystery.
What a disappointment. I don’t know what happened between the two books, but Dead Man’s Walk is nothing like that one. I’m not even sure the same man wrote it. This book plods along. What should be moments of high tension seemed flat. Even the exotic location (a Caribbean island) is bland. Near the end of this book, Prather delivered some of the writing that made that earlier book so enjoyable. But it was too little too late.
Prather telegraphed upcoming twists so plainly that when they did come, the reaction was not, 'Wow, I never expected that,' but, 'Finally!'
I didn't really dislike this book but it was far from okay. So 2½ stars would be a more honest rating.
I won’t be back for another Shell Scott mystery.
March 4, 2025
Vážně už poslední Prather… alespoň na nějaký čas. Musím číst také jiné autory.
Tohle je pozdější román se Shell Scottem, který následoval hned po satiricky laděném The Trojan Hearse. Tentokrát ale autor nerozebírá své politické názory, nýbrž nás bere na výlet na tropický ostrov, kde se drsný detektiv bude muset postavit kletbě voodoo a prohnilému šamanovi. Ten mu hned po příjezdu na ostrov prorokuje smrt… a pak se samozřejmě ze všech sil snaží, aby se mu proroctví splnilo.
Pořád to má hodně lehký styl psaní, pořád je to protkané hláškami a barvitými přirovnáními a hrdina je pořád až fanaticky posedlý opačným pohlavím, byť ne vždycky má úspěch a někdy je až nebezpečně naivní. Což ale glosuje se stejným nadšením, jako jiné svoje debakly. I když je hrdina klasický tvrďák, má dost sebezhazující smysl pro humor, pozitivní náhled na svět a nevyhýbají se mu až groteskové situace.
S dějem a zápletkou se autor moc nezabýval. Veškeré pachatele odhalíte tak sto stránek před detektivem (ostatně i sám Shell Scott uznává, že mu konečně došlo to, co je čtenáři dávno jasný), ale přiznám se, že mě to ani neštvalo. Jak se hrdina nebere příliš vážně a jak je to vyprávěné s až dětinskou hravostí, dá se téhle sérii leccos odpustit. A víc než o šokujícím odhalení je to o popisu voodoo rituálů (tomu věnuje Prather velký prostor, je vidět, že si to nastudoval… ono to taky v té době bylo in) a klání s místním kouzelníkem.
Zamrzí ale, že se vlastně v románu nic zásadního nestane, že všichni mrtví zemřou ještě před začátkem knihy, že proradný kouzelník vlastně provede jen jednu fintu a tím to končí… a že to vlastně táhnou hlavně ty bondovské kulisy a hlavní hrdina. Teprve ve finále se to trochu rozjede a nastává únik ze smrtící pasti a pronásledování padouchů. Čili fakt nemá smysl řešit zápletku a děj, jen si užívat jízdu. Koneckonců, jsme spolu s hrdinou na tropické dovolené, tak proč si nevychutnat trochu pohody.
Tohle je pozdější román se Shell Scottem, který následoval hned po satiricky laděném The Trojan Hearse. Tentokrát ale autor nerozebírá své politické názory, nýbrž nás bere na výlet na tropický ostrov, kde se drsný detektiv bude muset postavit kletbě voodoo a prohnilému šamanovi. Ten mu hned po příjezdu na ostrov prorokuje smrt… a pak se samozřejmě ze všech sil snaží, aby se mu proroctví splnilo.
Pořád to má hodně lehký styl psaní, pořád je to protkané hláškami a barvitými přirovnáními a hrdina je pořád až fanaticky posedlý opačným pohlavím, byť ne vždycky má úspěch a někdy je až nebezpečně naivní. Což ale glosuje se stejným nadšením, jako jiné svoje debakly. I když je hrdina klasický tvrďák, má dost sebezhazující smysl pro humor, pozitivní náhled na svět a nevyhýbají se mu až groteskové situace.
S dějem a zápletkou se autor moc nezabýval. Veškeré pachatele odhalíte tak sto stránek před detektivem (ostatně i sám Shell Scott uznává, že mu konečně došlo to, co je čtenáři dávno jasný), ale přiznám se, že mě to ani neštvalo. Jak se hrdina nebere příliš vážně a jak je to vyprávěné s až dětinskou hravostí, dá se téhle sérii leccos odpustit. A víc než o šokujícím odhalení je to o popisu voodoo rituálů (tomu věnuje Prather velký prostor, je vidět, že si to nastudoval… ono to taky v té době bylo in) a klání s místním kouzelníkem.
Zamrzí ale, že se vlastně v románu nic zásadního nestane, že všichni mrtví zemřou ještě před začátkem knihy, že proradný kouzelník vlastně provede jen jednu fintu a tím to končí… a že to vlastně táhnou hlavně ty bondovské kulisy a hlavní hrdina. Teprve ve finále se to trochu rozjede a nastává únik ze smrtící pasti a pronásledování padouchů. Čili fakt nemá smysl řešit zápletku a děj, jen si užívat jízdu. Koneckonců, jsme spolu s hrdinou na tropické dovolené, tak proč si nevychutnat trochu pohody.
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