Bob Toomey:
<<SHELL SCOTT'S SEVEN SLAUGHTERS and THREE'S A SHROUD;
by Richard S. Prather. What can I say? "A magnet for broads,
a target for hoods." My man.>>
I am almost certain that in due course Prather will be viewed
as a classic. His Shell Scott series is sheer genius. Some
time ago, somebody on this list joked about Prather's
trashiness, and I recall James Reasoner stepping in and
asking, rather sharply, which current P.I. writer was better
than Prather. I am inclined to agree with James. The fact
that the Shell Scotts are endlessly rereadable is a big hint
that there's something very good below the "trash" and the
unfashionable attitudes that irk the PC crowd. Prather's
action writing and his ability to mine a situation for comic
absurdity are objectively excellent, regardless of what one
thinks of Scott (who, admittedly, has a big mouth).
By the way, where is James? I recently came across a fine
P.I. story of his in a Black Lizard anthology.
Regards,
mt
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