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77 Sunset Strip
Vintage paperback
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
39 people want to read
About the author
Roy Huggins
43 books10 followersRoy Huggins (July 18, 1914 – April 3, 2002) was an American novelist and an influential writer/creator and producer of character-driven television series, including Maverick, The Fugitive, and The Rockford Files.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 1991.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 1991.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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March 17, 2019Synopsis: three PI Stu Bailey novelettes which first appeared in Esquire and The Saturday Evening Post.
September 8, 2022
A tie-in novel to the 1958-64 TV series, written by the show's creator.
It's also a fix-up novel, incorporating previously written short stories. Private investigator Stuart Bailey solves three seemingly impossible cases. In the first, a man is murdered aboard a yacht. There are several suspects with means, motive and opportunity, but apparently no one of proving which one of them did it.
The second case is a locked room mystery in which Bailey himself appears to be the only person who could have committed the murder. The last case involves a man who is stabbed to death with a knife that seems to have mysteriously disappeared.
The first-person narration provides effective hard-boiled prose and the novel is entertaining, though the solutions to the latter two mysteries are unlikely enough to be a little unsatisfying.
It's also a fix-up novel, incorporating previously written short stories. Private investigator Stuart Bailey solves three seemingly impossible cases. In the first, a man is murdered aboard a yacht. There are several suspects with means, motive and opportunity, but apparently no one of proving which one of them did it.
The second case is a locked room mystery in which Bailey himself appears to be the only person who could have committed the murder. The last case involves a man who is stabbed to death with a knife that seems to have mysteriously disappeared.
The first-person narration provides effective hard-boiled prose and the novel is entertaining, though the solutions to the latter two mysteries are unlikely enough to be a little unsatisfying.
April 22, 2025
Great, great book. I'd give it 6 stars if I could. Never saw the show, but this novelization was a hoot!
April 21, 2016
Producer-writer Roy Huggins is best known for creating the TV series, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, The Fugitive, Run For Your Life and The Rockford Files (with Stephen J. Cannell).
The show was the subject of an ownership battle between Roy Huggins and Warner Brothers, which was the proximate cause of Huggins' departure from the studio (Which now owns the video rights). The series was based on novels and short stories written by Huggins prior to his arrival at Warner.
This paperback called "77 Sunset Strip", which calls itself a novel but the book really isn’t. Shortly after Huggins’ private detective Stuart Bailey made his debut in the novel "The Double Take" (1946), two Stu Bailey novelettes were published in The Saturday Evening Post. A third followed in 1952 in Esquire. This books contains those novelettes.
Right next door to the "77 Sunset Strip" address was Dean Martin’s nightclub "Dino’s". In the first story Stuart Bailey is hired to take a cruse on a private ship called the Skylark. His client who is the owner of the Skylark, believes he’ll be murdered, and wants Bailey to catch the suspected killer the possibilities are either his wife or her lover, the first mate. Also on board is the victim’s (femme fatal) daughter Betty Callister.
In the next installment Stuart Bailey returns to his office with Betty Callister in tow, planning to take her to dinner. But he finds a telegraph waiting for him which summons him to the second case, originally titled “Appointment with Fear”. Thus begins a locked room mystery with Bailey waking up to find himself accused of the murder, and now the story becomes more complex.
Clearing himself at last, Stuart Bailey returns to headquarters. He calls to meet Betty at his office so they can resume that dinner date. Ironically the phone rings, and Bailey starts on the third installment origionally called “Now You See It”. This is a combination of a locked room mystery and a drawing room tale. Bailey has scarcely arrived at the new client’s home when the lights go out, and the client is stabbed to death, the weapon of course disappears. This is another tough case, however, Bailey wins through and returns to his office where, receiving a call from the amazingly patient Betty Callister, who is waiting for him next door at Dino’s. As he hustles out of the office the phone rings again, surprisingly (not), this time he ignores the ringing phone.
All three stories are written in first person and the cover art for this paperback is the work of Mr. Robert McGinnis.
This is an enjoyable read and moves at a fast pace. If you enjoyed this set of stories try "The Double Take" which also start Stuart Bailey and is written in more of a Raymond Chandler style, And which is the basis of the film entitled "I Love Trouble" with James Carter and Janet Blair.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
UPDATE:
I just found a bad print of the movie on Youtube that's watchable Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XSzC...
The show was the subject of an ownership battle between Roy Huggins and Warner Brothers, which was the proximate cause of Huggins' departure from the studio (Which now owns the video rights). The series was based on novels and short stories written by Huggins prior to his arrival at Warner.
This paperback called "77 Sunset Strip", which calls itself a novel but the book really isn’t. Shortly after Huggins’ private detective Stuart Bailey made his debut in the novel "The Double Take" (1946), two Stu Bailey novelettes were published in The Saturday Evening Post. A third followed in 1952 in Esquire. This books contains those novelettes.
Right next door to the "77 Sunset Strip" address was Dean Martin’s nightclub "Dino’s". In the first story Stuart Bailey is hired to take a cruse on a private ship called the Skylark. His client who is the owner of the Skylark, believes he’ll be murdered, and wants Bailey to catch the suspected killer the possibilities are either his wife or her lover, the first mate. Also on board is the victim’s (femme fatal) daughter Betty Callister.
In the next installment Stuart Bailey returns to his office with Betty Callister in tow, planning to take her to dinner. But he finds a telegraph waiting for him which summons him to the second case, originally titled “Appointment with Fear”. Thus begins a locked room mystery with Bailey waking up to find himself accused of the murder, and now the story becomes more complex.
Clearing himself at last, Stuart Bailey returns to headquarters. He calls to meet Betty at his office so they can resume that dinner date. Ironically the phone rings, and Bailey starts on the third installment origionally called “Now You See It”. This is a combination of a locked room mystery and a drawing room tale. Bailey has scarcely arrived at the new client’s home when the lights go out, and the client is stabbed to death, the weapon of course disappears. This is another tough case, however, Bailey wins through and returns to his office where, receiving a call from the amazingly patient Betty Callister, who is waiting for him next door at Dino’s. As he hustles out of the office the phone rings again, surprisingly (not), this time he ignores the ringing phone.
All three stories are written in first person and the cover art for this paperback is the work of Mr. Robert McGinnis.
This is an enjoyable read and moves at a fast pace. If you enjoyed this set of stories try "The Double Take" which also start Stuart Bailey and is written in more of a Raymond Chandler style, And which is the basis of the film entitled "I Love Trouble" with James Carter and Janet Blair.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
UPDATE:
I just found a bad print of the movie on Youtube that's watchable Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XSzC...
July 11, 2009
The Stuart Bailey in the books is much different than the tv show, but still enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews