The Death Gods (A Shell Scott Mystery) Paperback – October 20, 2011

This is a sorry excuse for a mystery novel that never should have been published. At 420 pages it's much too long for a mystery. It opens with a nine-page chapter typical of the author's previous (and highly entertaining) novels, an action sequence that sets up a flashback which, in earlier novels, would have contained both background detail and more action. Here, regrettably, we're given an extended, exhaustive-to-read harangue against orthodox medicine. When I say extended, I mean the action doesn't pick up again until somewhere between pages 250 and 260.Linda Pendleton is credited as the editor, but the editing--if she really did any--is severely lacking. The book teems with punctuation and errors, run-on sentences, nonsensical sentences, and a multitude of other mistakes any competent editor would have caught. E.g., in the opening pages we're told Scott has just concluded a date with a woman whose name he says is Dane Zanie. Throughout the rest of the novel, her name is Dane Smith.A pitiable posthumous publication.

Richard S. Prathers earlier Shell Scott books were great. I read most of them years ago, when I was young, and I really liked them. This is the last Shell Scott book and was published after Prathers death, and it leaves Scott with an attractive woman but no longer a private eye. It clearly was a last book for the series. As a last book it was OK, but it doesn't stand up to the quality of the earlier books. It gets 4 stars mostly because I remember who Shell Scott was in the earlier books. If you have read the earlier books, then by all means, read this one. If you have never heard about Shell Scott before, don't pick this as the first one to read.

I began reading the Shell Scott series in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I loved the series but marriage, fatherhood, schooling and life in general dictated that I move on to other pursuits. I recently bought one of the books on kindle and loved it. I then bought The Death Gods and almost gave it up by the middle of the book. The book was an extended rant against the FDA, the AMA and medicine as we know it. That, however, is not my complaint. Instead I found the never ending discussions with "Dr. Hank", sometimes running on for chapter after chapter, were mind-numbing. This was not the Shell Scott I grew up on, but rather a Shell Scott who played somewhat of a secondary role to a philosophy until about three-quarters of the way through the book. I'm going to purhase more of this series, but definitely earlier publications (I guess since this was Prather's last book, they have to be earlier in the series). In any case, this was a major disappointment.

The worst of the Shell Scott books. It needed the firm hand of a professional editor. Prather was at his worst when he got on a soapbox and started preaching. I've enjoyed all the Shell Scott novels but couldn't get past page 100. Any semblance of a plot gets completely lost in Prather's virulent condemnation of the American Medical Association, pharmaceutical manufacturers and anyone else who isn't a firm believer in holistic medicine. Save your money and remember the Shell Scott character as he was in the rest of this series.

I loved the Shell Scott series. They were breezy romps that captured the era perfectly. And I was fortunate enough to correspond with Richard Prather, who was a true gentlemen. When I mentioned my son was interested in writing, Mr Prather took the time to send him encouraging letters.I was happy to see one last book, but it the weakest in the series, and reads more like a first draft. Perhaps that is what it is, or is based on, as Prather died before it was published.If you are not already a fan, don't start with this book. If you are a fan, well, consider this a good bye to great character.

I knew a few years ago while communicating with Richard S. Prather that he had written "The Death Gods". He died before the book was published. Thanks to Linda Pendleton, this book is now available to all of RSP's fans.Shell Scott is at his hard-hitting best in this novel about the pros and cons of holistic medicine. Hired by a MD who believes that "Modern Medicine" could be the root of all things greedy, Shell goes on a rampage into the ultra secret labs of a genius who is working to develop a vaccine against a new killer disease.In his path are some paid hoods under the employ of the real backer of the anti-virus lab, a multimillionaire who has made his fortune developing "cures" for diseases that may or may not be life threatening.Shell, as always, has the life of a beautiful dame to consider as he follows the clues to the bad guys. In this case the heroine is a medical writer who is writing a book about the famous doctor who wants to win the Nobel prize in medicine by developing the anti-virus.In this final novel by Richard S. Prather, subterfuge is Shell Scott's forte He fights fire with fire and gives the evil "Medicos" a taste of their own medicine. Longer than any of the previous capers, this one is a five star farewell to the King of the PI Novel, and his protagonist, Sheldon Scott, PI.

Lousy story. the author has Shell Scott visiting his client and they talk for the first 190 pages. they tend to rattle on and lose you. Terrible Shell Scott book. Richard Prather would have done 100% better. not worth the price.

Loved the story and ease of ordering the book for my Kindle. Richard Prather's Shell Scott has been one of my favorite book series for years.

I loved the Shell Scott books when I was a teenager in the sixties and seventies. Full of guns, gals and hoods, they were funny and action packed and they featured an amiable private eye who could be tough when he had to be.So I was looking forward to the book Prather had been working on for the last twenty years or so of his life. I figured it might be a bit dated but I wanted to read it just for the nostalgia value.The novel is very long, I'm guessing double the size of any of his other books. There is indeed a short Shell Scott novel buried in there, but only in tiny fragments submerged within a mass of polemic.And what is it the book is trying to sell us? Simply that there is no such thing as natural disease and that all the efforts of modern medicine cause nothing but harm (doctors are the 'Death Gods' of the title). Vaccines don't prevent disease, they cause it. And what are the only ways to treat conditions such as cancer? Well, homeopathy and 'oxygenation' of course!Now I have more than a taste for the iconoclastic but I need some substance to go with it. The nearest I could find to 'proof' in this book was a couple of clumsy analogies. I got the impression that just endlessly repeating how bad modern medicine was constituted Prather's idea of evidence.If you're into Shell Scott and believe that modern medicine is entirely fallacious then this book is for you. For the other 99.99% of humanity, you'd best steer clear.