In 1979, following publication of "Overload", Hailey announced his retirement. After undergoing quadruple heart bypass surgery, however, he felt rejuvenated, and returned to work. His novel "Strong Medicine" (Doubleday), about the pharmaceutical industry, was published in 1984 and was another major best seller; it became the thirteenth highest-selling novel of the year. His commercial success had declined somewhat by 1990 with publication of "The Evening News" (Doubleday), and with his final novel, "Detective" (Crown), which appeared in 1997. Hailey continued to write, but—except for the slim "The Lyford Legacy: A Brief History of Lyford Cay from 1788" (Lyford Cay Foundation, 2000),—Hailey now wrote only as a hobby.