But, The Double Take, from 1946, Huggins’ first book, was not as enjoyable as Lovely Lady...
Private detective Stuart Bailey is hired by a public figure to investigate his wife. Recently married to a younger woman, the man received an anonymous phone call vaguely threatening blackmail over something shady in the woman’s past. The man wants to know what it is and Bailey investigates.
There is more than a little Raymond Chandler influence in this story, but Bailey is no Philip Marlowe, and readers have been down these mean streets before.
Huggins (1914-2002) wrote three crime novels in the 1940s and then went on to a successful career in television creating shows like Maverick, The Fugitive and The Rockford Files.
If his character, Stuart Bailey, sounds familiar it is because Huggins created the TV series, 77 Sunset Strip, in which Bailey was played by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
There is one more Huggins novel in my TBR pile, 1947’s Too Late for Tears. With one hit and one miss, I am hoping I like this next book more than The Double Take.
(For more posts on books, check out Todd Mason’s blog.)
I liked it more than you did, but I hadn't - still haven't - read LOVELY LADY. Thanks for this review.
ReplyDeleteRick – Thanks for reading the post. Seems I am alone. A lot of people liked this book. After I wrote the review and before hitting the button, I looked around the Web. I read your review from a few years ago, and the posts by Evan Lewis, and J. Kingston Pierce.
DeleteI read 77 Sunset Strip long ago. I liked the series on TV. Huggins is famous for MAVERICK, THE FUGITIVE, and THE ROCKFORD FILES, but he also produced The Virginian, Alias Smith and Jones, and Baretta, among other series.
ReplyDeleteGeorge – Thanks for stopping by. Yes, Huggins was a busy boy. I read that Stephen J. Cannell credited Huggins with teaching him the business. Cannell went on to have his own huge TV career.
DeleteNot an author I'm familiar with. I'll see how you go with the next one you try before deciding on giving his work a spin. I did like The Rockford Files back in the day.
ReplyDeleteCol – This one is probably not for you. I am in no rush to get to the third. I have a lot of books staring at me from a shelf and waiting for me on the Kindle.
ReplyDelete