Fletch (Paperback)

Fletch is an investigative reporter with an attitude. Assigned to cover drug dealing on the local beaches, and also hired by a rich man to murder him, Fletch has a lot on his plate. Naturally, he doesn't intend to kill the guy, but he certainly wants to figure out WHY the man wants to be killed.

This Fletch book best combines the elements of Fletch's biting, sarcastic humor with a REALISTIC mystery. It's far-fetched, true, but still feels grounded in everyday life. Later Fletch books presented more outrageous mysteries and off-the-wall solutions. They are entertaining, but when you're dealing with mysteries surrounding presidential contenders or people who've undergone sex changes, you see that the "silliness" quotient is upped.

But, the main reason to read Fletch is to enjoy the dialogue. Much like the incomparable Ed McBain (Evan Hunter), McDonald can go on for pages with absolutely nothing BUT dialogue. No "said Mr. Jones" or "He laughed." You pick up all the mood, intonation and knowledge of who is speaking simply through the incredibly skillful use of the dialogue. And how often, really, do you laugh outloud when reading novel. You will in this one. I really recommend this book (and all the other Fletch books...Flynn is a little harder to get into.)

(A word about the movie...Chevy Chase is NOT the Fletch of these books. I found the movie to be an enjoyable vehicle for Chevy Chase [better than most of his dreck, actually], and even though the movie follows the skeleton of the book's plot, it's tone is NOT the same. Enjoy the movie on its own terms...it's not that bad...but don't let it influence your decision to read the book. If you like the movie, you'll love the book. If you hated the movie, you probably will still like the book.)

The book turned out to be very close to the movie. It's really more like a screenplay than a novel: mostly action and dialogue, it lays down the facts and lets you do your own musing about what's going on. Like a good screenplay, you can really see the story coming to life in your head.

Fletch, the character, is the typical wandering man. A drudge-reporter, twice divorced, dodging alimoney, sliding from romance to romance, hardly earning enough to get by but good at what he does, Fletch is a modern noir hero. He's always going undercover, pretending to be other people, perhaps because he's searching for who he is.

For the lonely searcher, or for the average reader, Fletch is good entertainment in book or movie form.