What do you think?
Rate this book
Shell Scott #1
Case of the Vanishing Beauty
Here he comes again - the shamus who has Sherlock whirling in his grave, the wacky knight errant of beautiful babes, romping though his wickedest caper yet, strewing behind him a trail of bodies beautiful! Who else but Shell Scott - the gay and dangerous private richard who's every killer's public enemy! The caper began when one beauty vanished from sight. Then another died in a hail of bullets. Next marked for murder was the lovely Lina. Lina who even here in the drizzly rain outside El Cuchillo, was hotter than a welder's torch - and Shell had left his iron mask at home.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
19 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Richard S. Prather
93 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 1, 2024
All Wrapped Up.
This is the first book in the series of a P.I. named Shell Scott.
Shell was in his office, one day, when a woman visited him for help. She was a good looking woman and her name was Georgia Martin.
Her sister was missing and she needed his help finding her. So they hung out together, which is what she paid him to do.
Who would think that hanging out with Miss Martin could cause so much trouble for Shell Scott?
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
This is the first book in the series of a P.I. named Shell Scott.
Shell was in his office, one day, when a woman visited him for help. She was a good looking woman and her name was Georgia Martin.
Her sister was missing and she needed his help finding her. So they hung out together, which is what she paid him to do.
Who would think that hanging out with Miss Martin could cause so much trouble for Shell Scott?
Four stars. ✨✨✨✨
February 7, 2017
First published in 1950, this short novel introduced Shell Scott, a private investigator in the old, classic pulp mold. He's a man's man who is also, naturally, irresistible to women--the kind of a guy who eats a two-inch-thick steak for breakfast, who keeps a bottle of whiskey in the office desk drawer, who's quick on his feet and who's a tough guy to fight against.
The book opens when a (naturally) beautiful woman named Georgia Martin appears in Scott's office and hires him to accompany her to a night club. She won't say why she wants Scott to escort her, but he learns pretty quickly that Georgia is looking for her younger sister, Tracy, who is missing.
The floor show at the club involves a knife-throwing act. The target is a very sexy Latin woman who is (naturally) immediately attracted to our intrepid hero. There are also some gangsters lurking about and the woman who runs the place is an interesting piece of work.
Things happen, as they must in a book like this, and soon the game is on. The whole thing is pretty preposterous, but a fair amount of fun just the same. The book reflects the attitudes of the post-World War II era, and so if you're uncomfortable with a book in which women are often treated like "dames," and where the racial assumptions of the era were different than those of our own, then this might not be the book for you. If, on the other hand, you enjoy the occasional stroll down memory lane back to a time when pulp novels like this could be found on the spinning racks of virtually any drugstore or news stand, this can be a very enjoyable way to waste a couple of hours some evening.
The book opens when a (naturally) beautiful woman named Georgia Martin appears in Scott's office and hires him to accompany her to a night club. She won't say why she wants Scott to escort her, but he learns pretty quickly that Georgia is looking for her younger sister, Tracy, who is missing.
The floor show at the club involves a knife-throwing act. The target is a very sexy Latin woman who is (naturally) immediately attracted to our intrepid hero. There are also some gangsters lurking about and the woman who runs the place is an interesting piece of work.
Things happen, as they must in a book like this, and soon the game is on. The whole thing is pretty preposterous, but a fair amount of fun just the same. The book reflects the attitudes of the post-World War II era, and so if you're uncomfortable with a book in which women are often treated like "dames," and where the racial assumptions of the era were different than those of our own, then this might not be the book for you. If, on the other hand, you enjoy the occasional stroll down memory lane back to a time when pulp novels like this could be found on the spinning racks of virtually any drugstore or news stand, this can be a very enjoyable way to waste a couple of hours some evening.
December 2, 2025
"Take a look at me, kids: a shade under 6'2; weight, five or six pounds over 200; short-cut blonde hair that sticks straight up like fresh stubble on a wheat field; gray eyes and nutty, almost white eyebrows that slant up from the middle and then down at the corners of my eyes; what has been referred to as a strong jaw; and the remnants of what was once a tan like Cary Grant's. I'm thirty years old; my nose was busted on Okinawa and didn't get set right; and a gun-happy [fool] powdered off the top slice of my left ear with a .38 slug. Sound like a hundred dollars' worth a day, plus expenses? I didn't think so, either." -- descriptive thoughts from private eye Shell Scott, on page 10
Although said to have ranked in popularity and sales just behind Mickey Spillane's 'Mike Hammer' series (books I've never particularly warmed to) during the 1950's and 60's, I've read that unofficial competitor Richard S. Prathers' 'Shell Scott' paperbacks have fallen both out of print and the public consciousness. Too bad - although I didn't love it, this premiere - celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2025 - was more entertaining than the five or six Spillane/Hammer books that I've read in the last decade or so. Sheldon 'Shell' Scott is somewhat in the mold of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and/or Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer - especially given that similar setting and time period of Los Angeles in the 1940's / 50's - in theory, but he seems to intentionally have more fun at his chosen gig as a private eye. (I wouldn't go so far as to call him either 'hard-drinking' and/or 'skirt-chasing,' but he appears to enjoy a social life a bit more than some of his brethren.) This introductory case begins, as so many P.I. stories do, with a missing young lady . . . as if the title Case of the Vanishing Beauty didn't spell it out for y'all 😉. Soon enough Scott is investigating an offbeat nightclub that is a front for local narcotics trade and an impromptu religious cult, and the possibility that the two are connected to each other AND said missing dame. It all hummed along at a good pace and had some offbeat descriptive dialogue that was fun, but the final chapters were marred by Scott's almost-gleeful and continual sadistic humiliating treatment of one of the apprehended villains. Still, barring those late moments of overkill I would give this series a subsequent look if I can locate more books.
Although said to have ranked in popularity and sales just behind Mickey Spillane's 'Mike Hammer' series (books I've never particularly warmed to) during the 1950's and 60's, I've read that unofficial competitor Richard S. Prathers' 'Shell Scott' paperbacks have fallen both out of print and the public consciousness. Too bad - although I didn't love it, this premiere - celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2025 - was more entertaining than the five or six Spillane/Hammer books that I've read in the last decade or so. Sheldon 'Shell' Scott is somewhat in the mold of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and/or Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer - especially given that similar setting and time period of Los Angeles in the 1940's / 50's - in theory, but he seems to intentionally have more fun at his chosen gig as a private eye. (I wouldn't go so far as to call him either 'hard-drinking' and/or 'skirt-chasing,' but he appears to enjoy a social life a bit more than some of his brethren.) This introductory case begins, as so many P.I. stories do, with a missing young lady . . . as if the title Case of the Vanishing Beauty didn't spell it out for y'all 😉. Soon enough Scott is investigating an offbeat nightclub that is a front for local narcotics trade and an impromptu religious cult, and the possibility that the two are connected to each other AND said missing dame. It all hummed along at a good pace and had some offbeat descriptive dialogue that was fun, but the final chapters were marred by Scott's almost-gleeful and continual sadistic humiliating treatment of one of the apprehended villains. Still, barring those late moments of overkill I would give this series a subsequent look if I can locate more books.
November 18, 2022
The Case of the Vanishing Beauty was the first of what would eventually become 42 books in an incredibly popular series. Most of the series were published between 1950 and 1965 and many of the early ones were Gold Medal originals.
Often it’s the not do serious ones that are the most popular, the class clowns, and it was that way when Prather introduced a new kind of private eye — One that was not dour and moody and on guard and always walked down mean streets. Shell Scott is armed and dangerous and beset by corpses and thugs and the like, but he doesn’t let it get to him. And, unlike other private eyes, he’s on good terms with the police and not in danger of losing his license every ten seconds. In short, Scott is more the life of the party where Sam Spade or Lee Archer might brood in the corner.
Scott himself drives a disgusting canary yellow Cadillac convertible, has a nose busted in Okinawa that never set right, and missing the top slice of his left ear.
Set in Los Angeles, this novel has Scott running between downtown and Silver Lake and Hollywood. Los Angeles at one time in the Thirties and Forties was world headquarters for creepy cults and the conmen who always seemed to be drawn to them. Case of the Vanishing Beauty capitalized on this phenomenon and Scott quickly goes from rescuing damsels from knife throwers in a cantina to sneaking his way into one such cult.
Told in Scott’s first person narrative, the reader is treated to such expressions as “She looked hotter than a welder’s torch and much, much more interesting.” And then you get his description of Maggie the nightclub owner: “ She looked like the kiss of death with halitosis and no lipstick, and her curves were huge and rambling like mountain ranges rising out of Death Valley.”
Often it’s the not do serious ones that are the most popular, the class clowns, and it was that way when Prather introduced a new kind of private eye — One that was not dour and moody and on guard and always walked down mean streets. Shell Scott is armed and dangerous and beset by corpses and thugs and the like, but he doesn’t let it get to him. And, unlike other private eyes, he’s on good terms with the police and not in danger of losing his license every ten seconds. In short, Scott is more the life of the party where Sam Spade or Lee Archer might brood in the corner.
Scott himself drives a disgusting canary yellow Cadillac convertible, has a nose busted in Okinawa that never set right, and missing the top slice of his left ear.
Set in Los Angeles, this novel has Scott running between downtown and Silver Lake and Hollywood. Los Angeles at one time in the Thirties and Forties was world headquarters for creepy cults and the conmen who always seemed to be drawn to them. Case of the Vanishing Beauty capitalized on this phenomenon and Scott quickly goes from rescuing damsels from knife throwers in a cantina to sneaking his way into one such cult.
Told in Scott’s first person narrative, the reader is treated to such expressions as “She looked hotter than a welder’s torch and much, much more interesting.” And then you get his description of Maggie the nightclub owner: “ She looked like the kiss of death with halitosis and no lipstick, and her curves were huge and rambling like mountain ranges rising out of Death Valley.”
April 7, 2023
"He walked a few paces to his right, then turned to face Lina.
She stood against the wooden set about ten feet from him, with her arms over her head, her breasts high, her stomach pulled in, looking beautiful as an angel in hell, waiting, a half-smile on her red lips.
The damn fool was going to throw knives at that luscious tomato!"
2.5 stars. Maybe 3 if you weigh it against other novels of the genre or don't take it too seriously.
Shell Scott is a private eye. The ladies love him and the men either respect him or immediately want to kill him. He shows some emotional range as a character and if it weren't for his running commentary on women, I might have even liked him. But I could only take so many references to gorgeous babes and well-endowed chests.
The historical slang was amusing, though.
She stood against the wooden set about ten feet from him, with her arms over her head, her breasts high, her stomach pulled in, looking beautiful as an angel in hell, waiting, a half-smile on her red lips.
The damn fool was going to throw knives at that luscious tomato!"
2.5 stars. Maybe 3 if you weigh it against other novels of the genre or don't take it too seriously.
Shell Scott is a private eye. The ladies love him and the men either respect him or immediately want to kill him. He shows some emotional range as a character and if it weren't for his running commentary on women, I might have even liked him. But I could only take so many references to gorgeous babes and well-endowed chests.
The historical slang was amusing, though.
June 15, 2019
Private detective Shell Scott is hired by a lady named Georgia Martin to help her locate her missing sister. But shortly after his investigation begins, Georgia is shot and killed, her last words being, “I killed…Narda!” The case rapidly changes from a missing persons case to a mystery over who or what is “Narda.” His investigation takes him to a Spanish nightclub, a knife-throwing act, an illegal drug scheme, and into the inner sanctum of a religious cult.
This is the first book in the Shell Scott series, but it doesn’t read like that. I’ve not read any others in the series but I suspect that they can be read in any order. Notably, this series was among the most commercially successful private eye series in the 1950s but has been largely written off these days as adolescent or even hackwork. That’s too bad because if this novel is an accurate example, they are a hoot.
Shell Scott is a hard-working, tough-talking no-nonsense sort of PI, working the mean streets of LA. But unlike a lot of similar classic pulp characters in the 1950s-60s, he actually seems to enjoy himself. His life is not filled with angst. Instead of drowning his sorrows in bourbon, he looks forward to the next fun thing, whether it be a case, or a babe, or teasing his best friend, an honest LA cop who is the prime beneficiary of Shell’s success.
The writing is fun, and fairly typical of the genre at the time. Lots of creative prose and one-liners to compliment the action. Shell is fully capable of extreme violence when necessary and isn’t afraid to bring lethal force when called for. But at the same time, his sunny disposition and sense of humor is a welcome alternative to the arena of hard-boiled PIs.
Looking forward to reading more of these books.
This is the first book in the Shell Scott series, but it doesn’t read like that. I’ve not read any others in the series but I suspect that they can be read in any order. Notably, this series was among the most commercially successful private eye series in the 1950s but has been largely written off these days as adolescent or even hackwork. That’s too bad because if this novel is an accurate example, they are a hoot.
Shell Scott is a hard-working, tough-talking no-nonsense sort of PI, working the mean streets of LA. But unlike a lot of similar classic pulp characters in the 1950s-60s, he actually seems to enjoy himself. His life is not filled with angst. Instead of drowning his sorrows in bourbon, he looks forward to the next fun thing, whether it be a case, or a babe, or teasing his best friend, an honest LA cop who is the prime beneficiary of Shell’s success.
The writing is fun, and fairly typical of the genre at the time. Lots of creative prose and one-liners to compliment the action. Shell is fully capable of extreme violence when necessary and isn’t afraid to bring lethal force when called for. But at the same time, his sunny disposition and sense of humor is a welcome alternative to the arena of hard-boiled PIs.
Looking forward to reading more of these books.
February 8, 2023
Shell Scott is a tough-talking private eye that looks like a busted up hunk of meat and yet the ladies can't resist him. In other words, he is a discount Mike Hammer that is a little more sane than his unhinged counterpart. He even has a cop buddy just like Hammer.
With a crazy cast of characters (a cult leader, a gross nightclub owner, and a Spanish knife thrower, to name a few), this was a serviceable noir mystery that fans of the genre-and particularly Spillane fans-will enjoy.
With a crazy cast of characters (a cult leader, a gross nightclub owner, and a Spanish knife thrower, to name a few), this was a serviceable noir mystery that fans of the genre-and particularly Spillane fans-will enjoy.
April 9, 2024
Private Eye Shell Scott's first story!
I enjoyed this a lot. Shell is asked to help find a pretty gal's lost sister, but she can't give any information away about her disappearance. That causes our lead to start from scratch. But he's just one man in a very large city. Will he be able to do it?
Recommended.
I enjoyed this a lot. Shell is asked to help find a pretty gal's lost sister, but she can't give any information away about her disappearance. That causes our lead to start from scratch. But he's just one man in a very large city. Will he be able to do it?
Recommended.
October 31, 2016
This was is marked as the first of the Shell Scoot series and starts off with what would become a common bad guy, especially with a California setting, the religious cult. This book should be compared to the others in that the others followed after this one.
Prather again does a terrific job creating characters and wonderful job with settings, which are, again, critical to the story. There are the, later, standard well built women and shoot outs, but the religious angle and what it connects to is very nicely done and better than others would do in the future.
This is another very well done story wrapped in 160 pages with better depth than most 350 page $9.99 books today.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
Prather again does a terrific job creating characters and wonderful job with settings, which are, again, critical to the story. There are the, later, standard well built women and shoot outs, but the religious angle and what it connects to is very nicely done and better than others would do in the future.
This is another very well done story wrapped in 160 pages with better depth than most 350 page $9.99 books today.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
April 24, 2023
Thanks to my good friend Bobby who introduced me to these books by Prather. I had never heard of him but gonna keep reading. Shell Scott is quite the character alright.
March 28, 2023
My first Scott, and really enjoyed it. Shell is a PI who does things a little dirty at times but goes to the end for his clients. In this he is hired to find a gal's missing sister but in a screwy way. However his client gets killed and that pisses him off, so he is still on the case searching for the sister, which leads to bigger things.
Highly recommended, Shell Scott is a fun character and Prather is a solid writer. Definitely will be reading more in the series.
Highly recommended, Shell Scott is a fun character and Prather is a solid writer. Definitely will be reading more in the series.
May 12, 2016
Tracy Martin disappeared. Her sister Georgia hired Private eye Shell Scott to find Tracy. Georgia is murdered. Scott is the next target. Somewhere there's a connection between a Spanish nightclub in Los Angeles and a religious cult. Fast paced action and a complicated mystery makes this book a good read.
May 9, 2016
Great hardboiled detective yarn that established Shell Scott as the west coast Mike Hammer. Recommended by anyone who loves the GM PBOs from the 50s and 60s. I loved it.
July 4, 2008
Prather's first novel is a self-conscious engagement with the Private Detective genre. He is constantly winking at the audience, asking them "What would you do?" (often in defense of him kissing a woman), and acting like a caricature of the hardboiled detectives of the 1930s immortalized by Hammett and Chandler. Fast, funny, violent (Prather loves to indulge in bloody bullet wounds and squashed heads), and highly entertaining. Prime pulp!
December 1, 2008
The first published Shell Scott novel.
Georgia Martin hires Shell to be her "escort" and help look for her missing sister, Tracy. Then she's hit later that evening by a hail of bullets. Her dying words are, "I killed...Narda!"
Narda, a leader of a small religious cult, turns up alive though, and Shell is off to find out what's going on, never forgetting about the still missing Tracy.
Georgia Martin hires Shell to be her "escort" and help look for her missing sister, Tracy. Then she's hit later that evening by a hail of bullets. Her dying words are, "I killed...Narda!"
Narda, a leader of a small religious cult, turns up alive though, and Shell is off to find out what's going on, never forgetting about the still missing Tracy.
March 17, 2019
I found the story, characters, and action all very “meh” and forgettable. That being said, the novel contains what has become one of my new Top Five Favorite Noir Lines: “She looked like the kiss of death with halitosis and no lipstick...” I wish the entire book had been filled with fun lines like that.
February 11, 2016
Read this because Lawrence Block recommended it. Was not disappointed in the least. Am now looking forward to the rest of the series. Yes, Shell Scott is, in many ways, a stereotypical private investigator. What makes the book a joy is the writing: crisp, clean, and rollicking along.
May 14, 2016
Cliched but enjoyable '50s hard-boiled novel, complete with LA phony religious cults. Features one of my favorite lines from a crime novel: "She was more plastered than an LA duplex." Fun trash. I'll check out the rest.
Read
December 2, 2024legit a bit of a total scream
i only read this book because a random sweet old man who self-identified as an "ex-hippie" and only tips in 2 dollar bills gave it to me for free while i was just chilling in a cafe. 12/10 interaction
anyway this was fun to read for several reasons
(1) read it right after do androids dream, and tracking the shifts between OG 50s noir to 80s neo-noir is cool. shell scott is a single, woman-loving guy who trusts cops, deckard is a married man miserable and disaffected w the system. regardless we're tracking folks thru the dirty city, and there's questions of (feminized) innocence w naivete and (masculinized) knowledge. reading this actually compelled me to watch "The Big Heat" a fritz lang noir from 1950. might re-watch Heat next. it is interesting how much of noir is about gender to me; it reminds me of how i read in some theory book or another about everyone being "feminized" by society/culture. an easy example of this is men having to care more about their looks because capitalism has to create a new market for beauty supplies after saturating the womens one. or in general something about "feminization" and compliance and consumer culture. across all three of the above i've mentioned masculinity is about societal disaffectedness, in a way, where women or marriage are a stand-in for societal acceptance/integration. and more and more as we go forward in time noir is also about this masculinity's consequences on selfhood and emotion n shit. fun to think about!
(2) the gender shit is so weird, the final confrontation w one of the big bads is literally a CWNM humiliation scene where a line of women come in and laugh at a naked man for being scrawny?
(3) genuinely think there was some kinda fun and scratchy about how shell scott was dosed w heroine partway thru the book and he didn't figure out 'til after the fact; like if we as readers could deduce that from his behavior like he did. maybe if it wasn't the First Book w Shell Scott In It it woulda worked better in terms of his behavior seeming "off". also the entire premise that a criminal cult was secretly dosing ppl w speed and they didn't notice is simply the good kind of dumb.
(4) honestly being a womanizing rapscallion is kinda fun if you think women aren't people with full internal lives n shit right? it actually is fun, all the dolls are just fun little dolls in this one, they're fiery and mad and beautiful and innocent and shell scott let's em get a slap in or two.
i only read this book because a random sweet old man who self-identified as an "ex-hippie" and only tips in 2 dollar bills gave it to me for free while i was just chilling in a cafe. 12/10 interaction
anyway this was fun to read for several reasons
(1) read it right after do androids dream, and tracking the shifts between OG 50s noir to 80s neo-noir is cool. shell scott is a single, woman-loving guy who trusts cops, deckard is a married man miserable and disaffected w the system. regardless we're tracking folks thru the dirty city, and there's questions of (feminized) innocence w naivete and (masculinized) knowledge. reading this actually compelled me to watch "The Big Heat" a fritz lang noir from 1950. might re-watch Heat next. it is interesting how much of noir is about gender to me; it reminds me of how i read in some theory book or another about everyone being "feminized" by society/culture. an easy example of this is men having to care more about their looks because capitalism has to create a new market for beauty supplies after saturating the womens one. or in general something about "feminization" and compliance and consumer culture. across all three of the above i've mentioned masculinity is about societal disaffectedness, in a way, where women or marriage are a stand-in for societal acceptance/integration. and more and more as we go forward in time noir is also about this masculinity's consequences on selfhood and emotion n shit. fun to think about!
(2) the gender shit is so weird, the final confrontation w one of the big bads is literally a CWNM humiliation scene where a line of women come in and laugh at a naked man for being scrawny?
(3) genuinely think there was some kinda fun and scratchy about how shell scott was dosed w heroine partway thru the book and he didn't figure out 'til after the fact; like if we as readers could deduce that from his behavior like he did. maybe if it wasn't the First Book w Shell Scott In It it woulda worked better in terms of his behavior seeming "off". also the entire premise that a criminal cult was secretly dosing ppl w speed and they didn't notice is simply the good kind of dumb.
(4) honestly being a womanizing rapscallion is kinda fun if you think women aren't people with full internal lives n shit right? it actually is fun, all the dolls are just fun little dolls in this one, they're fiery and mad and beautiful and innocent and shell scott let's em get a slap in or two.
March 21, 2021
I have been trying lots of different genres, lately. In the past year, I have tried a couple of detective noir stories. This one is part of a series of probably 20 books.
This is NOT the kind of thing to read if you want authentic legal or police procedural information. It breaks down in SO many ways.
95% of this is a private eye floundering around, knowing something "stinks" but not having ANY idea what is going on. He breaks and enters and steals some potential evidence, (which would be 100% inadmissible).
The title of this is misleading. Most of the story is not about any "vanishing beauty," but about one that gets gunned down about 10% of the way in. The other 5% is about the detective and his police accomplice trying to get the unrepresented bad girl to implicate herself and confess to a series of crimes, in an effort to "solve" the case. There is no other evidence.
There is very little reality in this tale. A whole bunch of it seemed like it was just made up in the last few pages. Yeah, it could have happened that way. Or you could come up with 501 OTHER ways that the same tale could have been spun and made JUST as much sense. So ultimately, the point of the trip is only the journey. And even that...
The good: most of the description was fun enough. Typical noir language which was fun. Misogyny? Sure. In spades. Realism? Not so much. Escapism...sure. I just wish it had been a better tale and a better mystery. Not sure whether I will continue with the adventures of Shell Scott.
This is NOT the kind of thing to read if you want authentic legal or police procedural information. It breaks down in SO many ways.
95% of this is a private eye floundering around, knowing something "stinks" but not having ANY idea what is going on. He breaks and enters and steals some potential evidence, (which would be 100% inadmissible).
The title of this is misleading. Most of the story is not about any "vanishing beauty," but about one that gets gunned down about 10% of the way in. The other 5% is about the detective and his police accomplice trying to get the unrepresented bad girl to implicate herself and confess to a series of crimes, in an effort to "solve" the case. There is no other evidence.
There is very little reality in this tale. A whole bunch of it seemed like it was just made up in the last few pages. Yeah, it could have happened that way. Or you could come up with 501 OTHER ways that the same tale could have been spun and made JUST as much sense. So ultimately, the point of the trip is only the journey. And even that...
The good: most of the description was fun enough. Typical noir language which was fun. Misogyny? Sure. In spades. Realism? Not so much. Escapism...sure. I just wish it had been a better tale and a better mystery. Not sure whether I will continue with the adventures of Shell Scott.
July 6, 2023
This is the first of the Shell Scott series of light noir fiction. I've heard that this series turns into a sort of screwball comedy but that must be further into the series. This one had touches of humor, but nothing I'd call screwball. Shell Scott is a typical 1950's private eye, quick with the trigger and with the ladies. He gets hired by a blond bombshell, named Georgia, to take her out. She is very mysterious but insistent on having Scott take her to a special nightclub. It's a Mexican bar and a dive. But she wants Scott to take her. When they leave Scott still has no idea what her purpose is, but he notices that they are being followed. A few short minutes later they are forced to a stop and the other car starts shooting. Scott opens the door and returns fire. Georgia is not lucky and she gets murdered.
This is how the novel opens. From there it leads into a phony religious cult and drug smuggling. Yes, it is dated. Shell Scott apparently is quite the ladies' man, can take getting stabbed in the hand and still function and bring down a drug smuggling ring disguised as a religious cult, all within about four days. This series was one of the top best selling detective mystery series of the 50's and 60's. I will continue the series and see where it goes. I'm real curious as to the screwball comedy aspects. As I said there were light touches of humor in this one which helped overlook most of the obvious departures from reality.
This is how the novel opens. From there it leads into a phony religious cult and drug smuggling. Yes, it is dated. Shell Scott apparently is quite the ladies' man, can take getting stabbed in the hand and still function and bring down a drug smuggling ring disguised as a religious cult, all within about four days. This series was one of the top best selling detective mystery series of the 50's and 60's. I will continue the series and see where it goes. I'm real curious as to the screwball comedy aspects. As I said there were light touches of humor in this one which helped overlook most of the obvious departures from reality.
November 5, 2024
Shell Scott is the detective. The year is 1950. The Place is LA. Shell is the wisecracking class clown. He isn't the dour brooding noir detective. He's not a ladies man, but he does okay. He's not an unstoppable killing machine like Mike Hammer. An interesting plot with religious themed con men. It's light pulpy PI goodness, and exactly what I wanted. It's a nostalgia thing, I remember reading a handful my Mom had on her shelf way back in the day.
After reading a lot of newer Regency Romances, the door shutting on the sex in a hardboiled PI story is sort of funny, but it makes sense. The relationships never really touch our PI. He exists, within this book, outside the story, unchanging. It will be interesting to hop through the series a little and see if anything changes him. Perry and Della never change, nor does Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. That isn't how series characters worked back in the day.
After reading a lot of newer Regency Romances, the door shutting on the sex in a hardboiled PI story is sort of funny, but it makes sense. The relationships never really touch our PI. He exists, within this book, outside the story, unchanging. It will be interesting to hop through the series a little and see if anything changes him. Perry and Della never change, nor does Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. That isn't how series characters worked back in the day.
June 11, 2018
Not as good as GAT HEAT, but a solid start for the series. Hints of the whimsy that I gather follows. Still plays like a mostly straight, but still fun, PI novel that moves forward with strong momentum. Love that even in the original iteration Shell was having fun solving crimes and he likes (and is liked by) the cops. Fred Vincent makes a quick appearance as a con man who helps Shell. He’s set up like he’ll reappear later. And in this one Shell doesn’t have a secretary. I wonder when the “virgin” he flirts with in GAT HEAT shows up.
November 19, 2024
⭐⭐⭐
Only read if you are a fan of the pulps and hard boiled detectives and post war misogyny.
Expect lines like
Only read if you are a fan of the pulps and hard boiled detectives and post war misogyny.
Expect lines like
March 9, 2025
This is a fun and fast moving Private Investigator caper from the early 1950’s. Written with tongue in cheek and aimed I’m sure for a male readership. Modern day sensibilities may be offended…
There is quite a nifty little plot going on here and Shell Scott is certainly an entertaining character and tough enough when he needs to be.
Will definitely read more in the series - by all accounts the storylines become increasingly outlandish as the series progresses.
There is quite a nifty little plot going on here and Shell Scott is certainly an entertaining character and tough enough when he needs to be.
Will definitely read more in the series - by all accounts the storylines become increasingly outlandish as the series progresses.
May 25, 2020
Los Angeles
November 9, 2020
Bottom line: Good. 5 out of 5 points.
March 19, 2024
Goofy, vintage LA Detective,
many classic lines as in
"She kidded like she was chewing bubble gum."
many classic lines as in
"She kidded like she was chewing bubble gum."
August 4, 2025
A chef's kiss for this 1950 L.A. noir pulp fiction.
May 24, 2015
Richard S. Prather's "Case of the Vanishing Beauty" is detective fiction heavy on the babes, booze and male fantasy elements. You either like it, or you don't. I'm in the latter group.
Shell Scott is an interesting private eye from a historical standpoint. Scott is a contemporary of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, but he's firmly rooted in the screwball tradition of Robert Leslie Bellem's Dan Turner and Jonathan Latimer's Bill Crane. It's interesting on paper, not so much in actual practice. At least for this first outing.
Prather isn't a bad writer, but he clearly isn't in the same league as Latimer or Bellem, for that matter. He creates an adequate mystery with attempts at humor, suspense and titillation. Some readers might find that to be enough. I'm not one of them.
Shell Scott is an interesting private eye from a historical standpoint. Scott is a contemporary of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, but he's firmly rooted in the screwball tradition of Robert Leslie Bellem's Dan Turner and Jonathan Latimer's Bill Crane. It's interesting on paper, not so much in actual practice. At least for this first outing.
Prather isn't a bad writer, but he clearly isn't in the same league as Latimer or Bellem, for that matter. He creates an adequate mystery with attempts at humor, suspense and titillation. Some readers might find that to be enough. I'm not one of them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews