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Home / Authors / Richard S. Prather Richard S. Prather American author Richard S. Prather is best known for his Shell Scott private eye series, blending hardboiled crime with humor. His books sold over 40 million copies worldwide, cementing his legacy as a master of comic noir. This page provides the Richard S. Prather books in order, including both chronological order and series reading order.
All books · chronological
1950 The Case of the Vanishing Beauty POoSSB · 1 Buy ↗ 1951 Bodies in Bedlam POoSSB · 2 Buy ↗ 1951 Everybody Had a Gun POoSSB · 3 Buy ↗ 1951 Find This Woman POoSSB · 4 Buy ↗ 1952 Lie Down, Killer POoSN · 1 Buy ↗ 1952 The Peddler(As: Douglas Ring) POoSN · 2 Buy ↗ 1952 Dagger of Flesh POoSSB · 5 Buy ↗ 1952 Darling, It's Death POoSSB · 6 Buy ↗ 1952 Way of a Wanton POoSSB · 7 Buy ↗ 1952 Pattern for Murder / The Scrambled Yeggs POoSSB · 8 Buy ↗ 1953 Always Leave 'em Dying POoSSB · 9 Buy ↗ 1953 Ride a High Horse / Too Many Crooks POoSSB · 10 Buy ↗ 1954 Pattern for Panic POoSSB · 11 Buy ↗ 1956 Dragnet: Case No.561 POoSN · 3 Buy ↗ 1956 Strip for Murder POoSSB · 12 Buy ↗ 1956 The Wailing Frail POoSSB · 13 Buy ↗ 1957 Have Gat - Will Travel POoSSB · 14 Buy ↗ 1957 Three's a Shroud POoSSB · 15 Buy ↗ 1958 Slab Happy POoSSB · 16 Buy ↗ 1958 Take a Murder, Darling POoSSB · 17 Buy ↗ 1959 Over Her Dear Body POoSSB · 18 Buy ↗ 1959 Double in Trouble(With: Stephen Marlowe) POoSSB · 19 Buy ↗ 1960 Dance with the Dead POoSSB · 20 Buy ↗ 1961 Dig That Crazy Grave POoSSB · 21 Buy ↗ 1961 Shell Scott's Seven Slaughters POoSSB · 22 Buy ↗ 1962 Kill the Clown POoSSB · 23 Buy ↗ 1963 Dead Heat POoSSB · 24 Buy ↗ 1964 Joker in the Deck POoSSB · 25 Buy ↗ 1964 The Cockeyed Corpse POoSSB · 26 Buy ↗ 1964 The Trojan Hearse POoSSB · 27 Buy ↗ 1965 Dead Man's Walk POoSSB · 28 Buy ↗ 1965 Kill Him Twice POoSSB · 29 Buy ↗ 1965 The Meandering Corpse POoSSB · 30 Buy ↗ 1966 The Kubla Khan Caper POoSSB · 31 Buy ↗ 1967 Gat Heat POoSSB · 32 Buy ↗ 1969 The Cheim Manuscript POoSSB · 33 Buy ↗ 1969 Kill Me Tomorrow POoSSB · 34 Buy ↗ 1969 The Shell Scott Sampler POoSSB · 35 Buy ↗ 1971 Dead-Bang POoSSB · 36 Buy ↗ 1972 The Sweet Ride POoSSB · 37 Buy ↗ 1975 The Sure Thing POoSSB · 38 Buy ↗ 1986 The Amber Effect POoSSB · 39 Buy ↗ 1987 Shellshock POoSSB · 40 Buy ↗ 1994 Hot Rock Rumble & The Double Take POoSSC · 1 Buy ↗ 2009 The Sleeper Caper POoSS · 1 Buy ↗ 2011 The Death Gods POoSSB · 41 Buy ↗ Book series · browse all →
Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas 1 book · 2009
01 The Sleeper Caper 2009 Buy ↗ Publication Order of Shell Scott Books 41 books · 1950–2011
01 The Case of the Vanishing Beauty 1950 Buy ↗ 02 Bodies in Bedlam 1951 Buy ↗ 03 Everybody Had a Gun 1951 Buy ↗ 04 Find This Woman 1951 Buy ↗ 05 Dagger of Flesh 1952 Buy ↗ 06 Darling, It's Death 1952 Buy ↗ 07 Way of a Wanton 1952 Buy ↗ 08 Pattern for Murder / The Scrambled Yeggs 1952 Buy ↗ 09 Always Leave 'em Dying 1953 Buy ↗ 10 Ride a High Horse / Too Many Crooks 1953 Buy ↗ 11 Pattern for Panic 1954 Buy ↗ 12 Strip for Murder 1956 Buy ↗ 13 The Wailing Frail 1956 Buy ↗ 14 Have Gat - Will Travel 1957 Buy ↗ 15 Three's a Shroud 1957 Buy ↗ 17 Take a Murder, Darling 1958 Buy ↗ 18 Over Her Dear Body 1959 Buy ↗ 19 Double in Trouble(With: Stephen Marlowe) 1959 Buy ↗ 20 Dance with the Dead 1960 Buy ↗ 21 Dig That Crazy Grave 1961 Buy ↗ 22 Shell Scott's Seven Slaughters 1961 Buy ↗ 23 Kill the Clown 1962 Buy ↗ 25 Joker in the Deck 1964 Buy ↗ 26 The Cockeyed Corpse 1964 Buy ↗ 27 The Trojan Hearse 1964 Buy ↗ 28 Dead Man's Walk 1965 Buy ↗ 29 Kill Him Twice 1965 Buy ↗ 30 The Meandering Corpse 1965 Buy ↗ 31 The Kubla Khan Caper 1966 Buy ↗ 33 The Cheim Manuscript 1969 Buy ↗ 34 Kill Me Tomorrow 1969 Buy ↗ 35 The Shell Scott Sampler 1969 Buy ↗ 37 The Sweet Ride 1972 Buy ↗ 38 The Sure Thing 1975 Buy ↗ 39 The Amber Effect 1986 Buy ↗ 41 The Death Gods 2011 Buy ↗ Publication Order of Standalone Novels 3 books · 1952–1956
01 Lie Down, Killer 1952 Buy ↗ 02 The Peddler(As: Douglas Ring) 1952 Buy ↗ 03 Dragnet: Case No.561 1956 Buy ↗ Publication Order of Shell Scott Collections 1 book · 1994
01 Hot Rock Rumble & The Double Take 1994 Buy ↗