Shell Scott is, in my opinion, one of the greatest characters in pulp fiction. He is a 6" 2' man with shocking white hair and eyebrows. Kill the Clown is a great example of the genius of Richard Prather. The book starts off fast and never lets up by introducing great characters and hysterical situations faster than a runaway train. Scott is hired to prove the innocence of a beautiful woman's brother, who is wrongly accused of murder and awaiting an appointment with death in just 3 days. This Scott novel is unique in that we know from the beginning who the murderer is. The fun of the book comes from what Scott goes through to prove the mans innocence. This book is great fun and i fabulous intro to the world of Shell Scott for anyone not familiar with Mr. Prather's book. ( )

This is one novel where Scott doesn't get the girl, but he gets his life. His escape from three situations with mobsters who hate him shooting at him and surrounding him is too much for my leap of the imagination. It stills earns a decent rating, though, because of Prather's wit with simile and puns, and his eternal lechery. This is not for today's feminist.

When Prather takes too many liberties with Scott's life in such a way as to be unbelieveable, my reaction is to lay off Shell Scott for awhile. The last time I made this decision, the "awhile" lasted 44 years. ( )