The New York Times: Richard S. Prather, a hugely popular mystery writer of the 1950s and ’60s whose novels were known for their swift violence, loopy humor and astonishing number of characters with no clothes on, died on Feb. 14 at his home in Sedona, Ariz. He was 85.
The cause was complications of respiratory disease, his friend Linda Pendleton said.
Mr. Prather (his surname rhymed with “bather”) was best known for his three dozen novels featuring the private eye Shell Scott, a 6-foot-2 ex-marine with a broken nose, a bristling white buzz cut and an ear ravaged by a bullet he took in the Pacific theater. Among the titles in the series, most published by Fawcett, are “Find This Woman” (1951); “Always Leave ’Em Dying” (1954); “Joker in the Deck” (1964); “The Kubla Khan Caper” (Trident, 1966); and “Gat Heat” (Trident, 1967).
The Shell Scott novels have sold more than 40 million copies, according to the reference work Contemporary Authors. Most are now out of print.
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