Fletch by Gregory McDonald is a swinging 70s mystery. When most people think of Fletch they think of the Chevy Chase movie based on the book. The film sticks pretty close to the book in terms of plot, with the exception the ending. However, the character of Fletch is different. In the book the character of Fletch is extremely smart, a former war hero, charming, and kind of an asshole. The movie version of Fletch nailed the charm and him being an asshole, but it missed his intelligence. The movie version has Fletch being more bungling and adds scenes and events that lead to that. When I read Fletch for the first time, I was astounded. The mystery is clever, as is the character of Fletch. I do still like the movie but I love Fletch the book so much more. Fletch is an investigative journalist, which already makes this novel stand out. No rules hold him back, he will do anything to get the story. When we first met Fletch, he was deep undercover. He posed as a drug addicted beach bum. He was doing a story about drugs at the beach. His cover is so good. A wealthy man approaches him with a proposal. The man, thinking he has little means, wants Fletch to kill him for insurance money. The book has two mysteries. The first is finding out who is selling drugs at the beach. The second mystery is understanding the rich man who wants Fletch to kill him. The pace of this novel should be studied. The plot moves very fast. The mystery starts very quickly. The ending is very satisfying as it merges the two mysteries flawlessly. Fletch was published on March 12, 1974.

Plot Summary: Fletch is on the beach stoned and watching the people and the waves. He is paying attention to a drug dealer. Fletch is an investigative journalist writing a story about drugs on the beach. He has been on this story for weeks portraying a drifter from Colorado. He’s approached by a man in a slick suit with an offer to make some money. Being a journalist he can feel a story. The man offers 1,000 dollars just to hear a proposal. The man drives him to his mansion. At the mansion, the man tells Fletch he would like to kill him. The man, Stanwyck, tells Fletch he is dying from cancer. He needs Fletch to kill him so his family can get the insurance money. He sets Fletch up with an escape plan of 50,000 dollars and tickets to Brazil. Fletch agrees and starts investigating Stanwyck. Fletch finds Stanwyck is the head of an aviation company. Stanwyck is either lying or keeping the cancer a secret. Fletch investigates and finds out that Stanwyck has secrets. Secrets that could get Fletch killed.

What I Liked: Fletch is full of very clever writing. The mystery works very well. The mystery hooked me very quickly. I was very intrigued with the mystery of Stanwyck and how drugs are being supplied on the beach. The pace of the novel is master class. Fletch is only 197 pages. The mystery makes complete sense and the story rarely has filler. The character of Fletch is written so well. The character is a charming asshole, but he can show heart when a friend dies. Fletch just wants the truth but will lie to get it. The conversation with Fletch and Stanwyck’s dad is so well written. Fletch is milking the investigation for information. However, the conversation turns to mutual affection. Fletch shares the truth from his life. I liked the drama between Fletch and his new editor. Fletch is hilarious and full of so many jokes that landed and made me chuckle. The setup for his two ex-wives was brilliant. The book referenced the LGBTQ movement and how casual and open the culture was to sex. Fletch is asked a couple of times to try sex with men for money, stating if it does not hurt then why not? I do like the joke about his alias’s last name that keeps changing.

What I Disliked: Only one woman was three dimensional the rest were weak and horny. The novel was of the times but it could have done better for femininity. The story recaps everything that happens a little too often. The book recaps the events that happened about 4 times, and it was just one too many.

Recommendation: Fletch is one of my favorites. It is short and sweet. The writing is dialogue-heavy and lets you the reader fill in the descriptions. I was able to fill them in with no problem. I reread this book thanks to doing my twenty-most influential book challenge on bluesky.com. As I looked at all my five-star ratings, I thought about this book. I wondered how it held up. Fletch does hold up. I was able recently to get most of the Fletch books and will be reading them soon. Fletch the first book in the Fletch series I cannot recommend enough. If you have seen Fletch, the movie, you do not know Fletch the book.

Rating: Fletch by Gregory McDonald I rated 4.8 out of 5.