Richard S. Prather was a renowned American author, born in Santa Ana, California in 1921. He is best known for his hardboiled detective fiction novels, particularly the Shell Scott series. Prather's love for reading developed during his childhood in California, where he devoured every book he could find. After serving in World War II as a fireman, oiler, and engineer, he got married and worked as a civilian chief clerk at an Air Force base. However, his passion for writing led him to become a full-time author, a career choice that saw him writing for 16 hours a day, taking breaks only to eat.
Prather's career as a writer took off in 1949, and he became best known for creating the Shell Scott series. The first book in the series, 'Case of the Vanishing Beauty,' was published in 1950 and marked the beginning of a long-running series featuring more than three dozen titles. Apart from writing under his real name, Prather also used pseudonyms such as David Knight and Douglas Ring.
Prather's success as an author was not without its challenges. In the 1970s, he had a disagreement with his publisher, which led to a lawsuit in 1975. The dispute caused him to stop writing for several years, and he turned to farming avocados instead. However, his love for writing eventually drew him back, and in 1986, he published 'The Amber Effect.' His final Shell Scott mystery novel, 'Shellshock,' was published in hardcover in 1987 by Tor Books. At the time of his death in 2007, he had completed his final Shell Scott Mystery novel, 'The Death Gods,' which was published in October 2011 by Pendleton Artists.
Prather's contributions to the mystery genre were recognized and celebrated during his lifetime. He served twice on the Board of Directors of the Mystery Writers of America and received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 1986. Prather's writing style, characterized by his witty humor and clever plots, has left an indelible mark on the mystery genre and continues to inspire and entertain readers to this day.