I'm always a little worried when I go back and reread a
favorite author I haven't read in a long time. Prather didn't
let me down, though. This isn't one of the best Shell Scott
novels, but it's well-written and funny and reads very fast.
A lot of plot, too, for a 144-page book, and tightly
constructed. Prather is supposed to have written detailed
outlines for his books, and I can believe it. The story
starts out as a missing persons case, with Shell searching
for the vanished brother of a beautiful (of course) blonde.
Along the way he's framed for murder and winds up being
arrested. The ending of this book is the only thing that's
not very satisfying about it, and that makes it a minor
effort as far as I'm concerned. But still well worth
reading.
One thing about the Shell Scott books that's a little unusual
for PI books from the Fifties and Sixties -- Shell gets along
really well with the LA police, and they usually wind up
doing some of his work for him. Homicide Captain Phil Samson
is Will Gentry to Shell's Mike Shayne, but there's no Peter
Painter, no police nemesis for Shell. At least not that I
remember.
Best, James
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