I like DOUBLE IN TROUBLE too, although I've never been that
enthusiastic about Chester Drum. Still, I'm glad I have
it.
I generally can recommend the run of books Prather wrote from
about 1955 to 1967 (GAT HEAT, one of my favorites.) STRIP FOR
MURDER is ridiculously hard to find, at least where I'm at,
but I seem to recall liking THE KUBLA KHAN CAPER, THE
COCKEYED CORPSE, TAKE A MURDER, DARLING, and OVER HER DEAR
BODY.
doug
--- JIM DOHERTY <
jimdohertyjr@yahoo.com> wrote:
> John,
>
> DOUBLE IN TROUBLE a series-crossover on
which
> Prather
> collaborated with Stephen Marlowe (and
Prather's
> LA-based PI Shell Scott collaborated with
Marlowe's
> DC-based PI Chet Drum) is one of my
all-time
> favorite
> private eye novels. It has the two dicks working
at
> cross-purposes as they investigate the
Mob-dominated
> Teamsters Union (referred to in this novel as
the
> National Brotherhood of Truckers).
>
> Except for Chandler's THE LONG GOODBYE, it was
also
> the longest private eye novel ever published to
that
> point.
>
> PATTERN FOR PANIC is probably the best
> "ultra-right-wing private eye takes on an army
of
> commie spies" novels outside of Spillane's
ONE
> LONELY
> NIGHT. Actually, odd as it sounds, there were
a
> whole
> lot of those in the '50's.
>
> PATTERN FOR PANIC has kind of an
interesting
> publishing history. When he submitted it to
his
> regular publiser, Gold Medal, they were uneasy
about
> the up-front anti-red sentiments expressed,
and
> turned
> it down. Unbowed, Prather simply turned
Scott's
> hair
> from white to red, his military background
from
> former
> Marine to former Army Ranger, his name from
Shell
> Scott to Cliff Morgan, and resubmitted
it.
>
> THE TROJAN HEARSE, which has Scott getting
involved
> in
> an attempt to fix a presidential election, is also
a
> particular favorite.
>
> Prather's own favorite was STRIP FOR MURDER,
in
> which
> Scott investigates a case at a nudist colony,
a
> situation that makes it difficult to wear a
shoulder
> holster concealed. Prather always thought this
was
> the book where the humorous elements that were
the
> hallmark fo the Scott series started to
really
> assert
> themselves.
>
> When it turned out to be a huge success for
another
> publisher, the thoroughly abashed editors at
Gold
> Medal asked if they could publish a reprint
edition
> with Scott restored as the hero.
>
> If you've never read a Scott, you might want to
try
> a
> few of the short stories to see if they're to
your
> taste. Prather wrote four Scott short
story
> collections, THREE'S A SHROUD, HAVE GAT -
WILL
> TRAVEL,
> SHELL SCOTT'S SEVEN SLAUGHTERS, and THE SHELL
SCOTT
> SAMPLER. He also left behind one uncollected
short
> story, "The Bloodshot Eye," which you can read
for
> free here:
>
> user.dtcc.edu/~dean/tbe.html
>
> If you like the short stories you'll probably
like
> the
> novels.
>
> JIM DOHERTY
Doug Bassett
dj_bassett@yahoo.com
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