77 Sunset Strip May Have Been

The Original Suave P.I. Show

Remember 77 Sunset Strip? I don’t; when it aired in prime time on ABC from 1958-1964 it came on well past my bedtime, However, I do remember my mother and her friends gushing about it—particularly the lead characters played by Ephrem Zimbalist Jr. and Roger Smith—for days after each episode came on. I understood just enough to know that the show had to do with detectives in Los Angeles, and somehow the word “strip” was big. It wasn’t until I recently stumbled across a reference to the show (and did my own research) that I learned that former OSS officer and languages expert Stu Bailey and former undercover agent Jeff Spencer were hip, swinging, martini-clutching private eyes who worked out of an office located on the south side of Sunset Strip, next door to Dean Martin's real-life lounge, Dino's Lodge. Typically, the two detectives would alternate as leads, with a Stuart Bailey case being featured one week, and a Jeff Spencer case the next—although depending on the nature of the investigation, sometimes the two would team up. As noted by Nostalgia Central, other series regulars included the racetrack informant (Roscoe) who liked to hang out with the guys, the P.I. detective agency’s sexy French receptionist (Suzanne), and the valet at Dino’s (Kookie), who snapped his fingers in beatnik style all the way to genuine teen idol status. Unfortunately, the series is not currently available to stream.

Five Technothrillers You’ve

Probably Read and Loved

For many readers the word “technothriller” might conjure up images of futuristic worlds and far-fetched technology, but these books don’t necessarily fall into the science fiction realm. In fact, while many contemporary technothrillers might have their origins in sci-fi, a number of today’s titles in this sub-genre blend technology (sometimes futuristic, but always realistic) with the mystery, thriller, and espionage plots. The focus often is on exploration and possibility within the broad world of tech, and the mysteries and crimes found in technothrillers often look at what happens when new technology is exploited or used in nefarious ways. The genre really took off in the mid-to-late 20th century, largely pioneered by such writers as Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy, but those aren’t the only authors writing technothrillers. In fact, if you’re a fan of thriller books, you’ve probably already read a few technothrillers without even realizing it. Here’s a list from Novel Suspects of five technothrillers that you might have read, plus a few new releases to check out.

10 Gritty Crime Novels About

The Not-So-Glitzy World Of Film

The film industry has long provided a gritty backdrop for authors. Maybe it’s because readers (and film-goers) enjoy seeing the tables turned on the champagne-and-caviar set, or the sudden reversal of rags-to-riches stories, or simply the glamour and seediness, eccentricity and charm the film business provides. And it’s not just Hollywood: as Helen Walsh wrote in Crime Reads earlier this month, thriller writers around the world have killed, maimed, kidnapped, or ransomed many among the snootiest glitterati and their supporting casts. Throughout these novels, Walsh says, “Certain tropes repeat themselves, regardless of a writer’s nationality. Beautiful starlets who are either innocent dupes or promiscuous mantraps; artistic integrity squandered or sold to the highest bidder; shady financiers and thuggish studio execs; rogue cops and disillusioned private detectives. And just as often—a profound love of, and fascination with, the moving image.” From the minds of Michael Tolkin to James Elroy to Elmore Leonard, here are 10 novels of love, murder, and revenge set in and around the glitzy world of filmmaking.

7 Forgotten, Determined Cop

Shows Of The 1960s

Generally speaking, 1960s television is not known for its realism (not that there’s anything wrong with that). In a decade seeded with inane surrealism—highlighted by My Mother The Car, Batman, The Monkees, Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Bewitched, The Munsters—reality and authenticity were in short supply. However, law enforcement shows that cut their teeth in the ‘50s grew even grittier during the ‘60s, as social changes caused the medium to shift from near-ubiquitous westerns (Gunsmoke, Wyatt Earp, etc.) to tough urban cops (Dragnet, Adam-12, Hawaii Five-O). While there was some overlap between these genres, the 1960s featured dozens of police procedurals and private eye shows—some highly notable, others that were much less so. To commemorate the latter, here’s a list from Decades.com of a few that failed to click with audiences, despite their quality and killer casts.

RETROSPECTIVE

Dissecting The Dreamworld Of

David Lynch's Blue Velvet

Don’t be fooled by the beauty and tranquility of the opening scenes of the 1986 movie Blue Velvet, set in the fictional town of Lumberton, North Carolina (not to be confused with the real city of the same name). If David Lynch is involved with it a project in any way—in this case he wrote and directed it—you know what follows is going to be disturbing, violent, kinky, and surreal. (Think Eraserhead, Twin Pinks, and Mulholland Drive). Once we’re steered away from the apple pie perfection of the American dream—on a wild journey of paranoia and disorientation—we're drawn into the story of a young college student (Kyle MacLachlan) who finds a severed human ear in a field. The discovery introduces him to a psychopathic drug lord (Dennis Hopper), and inadvertently leads him into a world of crime and dark mystery, whereupon he falls in love with a beautiful but troubled lounge singer (Isabella Rossellini). As Calum Russell recently wrote in Far Out magazine, “Blue Velvet is David Lynch’s greatest triumph as it not only acts as the perfect exemplar of his style, but it thematically accesses so many contemporary discussions, the paranoia of ‘the other,’ the fear of difference, and also the dominance of goodwill.”

Look For Indigo Road Next Year

There’s no specific publication date yet, but Indigo Road should hit the shelves and online booksellers sometime next year (early 2023 at the latest). The fifth novel in my Jack Connor series—part of the three book deal announced last week—finds Connor in his new role as a bounty hunter (officially a “bond runner” in South Carolina) who is returning a bail jumper to jail when someone opens fire on his vehicle, killing his prisoner and severely wounding his attorney. Ignoring state cops’ warnings to leave the case alone, Connor quickly finds himself going up against corrupt politicians, a crooked judge, a ruthless industrialist, an undercover government operation, and a vicious doomsday militia hell-bent on taking back their country. [Cover image subject to change.]