Fletch Mysteries

Fletch, investigative reporter extraordinaire, can't be bothered with deadlines or expense-account budgets when it comes to getting his story. Working undercover at the beach to dig up a drug-trafficking scheme for his next blockbuster piece, Fletch is invited into a much deeper narrative. Alan Stanwyk, CEO of Collins Aviation and all-around family man, mistakes the reporter for a strung-out vagabond and asks him for a favor: kill him and escape to Brazil with $50,000. Intrigued, Fletch can't help but dig into this suspicious deal he's being offered. Dodging the shady beach police as his case begins to break open, and with his temperamental editor Clara pushing for his article, he soon discovers that Stanwyk has a lot to hide and this plan is anything but what it seems.

Offering up brisk, tightly written plots and a stellar cast of characters both new and old, Confess, Fletch finds our incorrigible protagonist back in deep waters once again. Fletch, now newly engaged and happily living out his days in Italy, finds himself embroiled in yet another scandal. His soon-to-be father-in-law has been kidnapped and is now presumed dead, and the priceless collection of rare art that belongs to his fiancée's family has been stolen. Ever the investigative reporter, he receives a tip about the missing art that lands him in Boston, where he walks right into a murder scene in his apartment. What clearly looks like a setup to the unfazed Fletch looks quite different to the detective assigned to the case, Mr. Francis Xavier Flynn. But even if the case is seemingly cut-and-dry, Flynn is reluctant to arrest the only suspect that stands before him. Now under the detective's watchful eye, Fletch must try to clear his name and search for the missing paintings, all while his gorgeous future mother-in-law works to persuade him for help the best way she knows how-seduction.

Fletch, as unbridled as ever and still living the good life in Italy on his ill-gotten fortune, gets a surprising visit from two surly FBI agents. The pair offers him a deal: either he attend the American Journalism Alliance convention and work as an undercover spy for them, or be shipped back to headquarters and face jail time for tax evasion. Reluctantly agreeing to the scheme, he catches a red-eye flight back to the States. But just as rubber hits tarmac in Virginia, news breaks on a murder at the convention. The victim-a newspaper tycoon and former employer of I. M. Fletch-was no stranger to enemies. And at a hotel full of reporters who'd all had their dealings with the tyrannical leader, everyone's a suspect.

Young Fletch is less than pleased to be writing a business story, something that's well outside his field of expertise. Eager to get back out on the streets, he quickly compiles what he thinks is a well-executed article, complete with quotes from the chairman of the board's recent memos. But when he fails to do his due diligence when researching the company and its associates, he finds himself in hot water ... and now out of a job. The chairman has been dead for over a year. Realizing his mistake, he visits the widow Bradley to make amends-and to ask a few simple questions. But her strange demeanor and puzzling answers leave Fletch perplexed. He can't help but wonder: Why would a dead man still be writing memos to his associates? Is he even dead? With his interest now thoroughly piqued, fueled by his desire to get the real story and take back his job, Fletch puts his reporting skills to work as he dives into the mystery surrounding the Bradleys' past.

Ms. Moxie Mooney is Hollywood royalty-and she's in trouble. At the summons of his on-again, off-again lover, Fletch drops in on Moxie's film set, located in sunny Florida. If being called up for help by the box office beauty isn't work enough, Steve Peterman, Moxie's sleazy manager, is murdered while the cameras are rolling, and no one managed to see a thing. Despite the obvious lack of evidence, the rumor mill is still quick to churn up a potentially plausible suspect: Moxie. Realizing the need for a little R&R away from prying eyes, he hastily flies Moxie and her drunken father off to Key West. But trouble follows Fletch, in every sense of the word, and soon enough he's playing host to a full house of Hollywood's brightest. In true Fletch style, he delves into the investigation, dodging police inquiry, betting on race horses, taking a leisurely sail, and talking up his elite houseguests to get the dirt and solve this perplexing murder.

Full of sharp-witted commentary and rich details, Fletch and the Man Who takes a satirical, behind-the-scenes look inside the world of American politics. Arriving on scene somewhere in middle America, newly hired on as the "press representative" for Governor Caxton Wheeler's presidential campaign, Fletch is unsure of what exactly he's supposed to be doing there. Luckily the man who called him up for the job is his old war buddy, Walsh Wheeler, aide and son to the governor. But just as Walsh is filling him in on the need-to-know informational tidbits, a woman is found dead outside the very hotel they occupy-and she's not the first ... or the last. Struggling to corral the increasingly pushy press, keep the votes coming in, and do his own sleuthing, Fletch is up against the clock to solve this mystery before the killer strikes again.

In this installment of the popular Fletch series, McDonald brings to life the vibrant, provocative culture and indomitable spirit of Brazil. After escaping to South America on a questionable "arrangement," Fletch has all but settled in to his new life of never-ending vacation, shacking up with the young and beautiful Laura Soares, enjoying the expansive Copacabana Beach, making new friends from all walks of life, and preparing for the most exciting time of the year in Rio de Janeiro: Carnival! But right before the festivities begin, an old woman off the street tells Fletch that he's the reincarnation of her husband and implores him to solve the mystery of his death. Caught between the rhythmic chaos of Carnival and this past-life murder, Fletch starts to lose more than just sleep as he pokes around through favelas and sambas through nightclubs searching for answers.

Young Irwin Maurice Fletcher, a.k.a. Fletch, the eager and inventive new reporter for the News-Tribune, is having a hard time finding his place at the newspaper. After a few "mishaps" writing questionable headlines and creatively worded obituaries, Managing Editor Frank Jaffe appoints Fletch to the society pages, where he's assigned to cover a generous yet surprising donation to an art museum from a high-powered defense attorney. But before he can secure an interview, the attorney is shot dead in the newspaper's parking lot, no witnesses in sight. To Fletch's chagrin, the story is reassigned to the boorish lead investigative reporter Biff Wilson, and he's placed on a seemingly unrelated story, some society pages fluff piece about an all-women-trainers health club that's rumored to offer a lot of "extras." Undeterred by Biff's threatening nature and determined to dig up the dirt on both stories, Fletch collects a cast of engaging characters and strings together the scandalous clues that lead to an eventful and unexpected conclusion.

After a heck of a week at the News-Tribune with only a few minor blunders, Fletch is finally getting married to his blushing bride, Barbara. As the small gathering of friends and family converge on the gusty bluff for the ceremony, Fletch is handed a curious envelope by a mustached stranger that contains something almost unbelievable-a letter from his supposedly dead father, inviting him and his new wife to Africa for a visit. More than just a little curious, Fletch convinces the skeptical Barbara to forgo the skiing adventure they had planned to find the father he's never known. But upon their arrival in Nairobi, just as the hunt begins for the elusive Fletch Senior, a murder threatens to derail the trip before they even leave the airport.

After spending his younger years wandering and womanizing, Fletch has settled down in rural Tennessee with his new Southern belle, Carrie. But unfortunately, chaos always comes knocking for the semiretired reporter. One stormy evening on his sizable but modest farm, a wet and dirty escaped convict named Jack arrives on his front doorstep, claiming to be his long-lost son. Baffled by the statement but intrigued by the young, intelligent man, Fletch decides to play along with the kid's game and help him and his cohorts abscond to Alabama. As questions begin to arise about Jack's peculiar motives, Fletch and Carrie are reluctantly drawn further into a racially charged plot that's quickly turning violent.

Directly following the events in Son of Fletch, this indelible series comes to a close with Jack Fletcher Faoni following closely in his father's investigatorial footsteps. After dropping his very first groundbreaking news piece onto the desk of Global Cable News, Jack is once again a free agent. But before he can set out to search for the next big scoop, he receives a phone call from an old fling who pleads for his help. Shana, recently engaged to the son of a multimillionaire inventor, is convinced that the recent "accidents" surrounding her future father-in-law are much more than that-someone is determined to murder him. Somewhat intrigued, and frankly, without anything better to do, he secures himself a job at the palatial estate as the resident pool boy and quickly gets to work. Realizing he might be in over his head as the attacks begin to escalate, he calls in the one man whose peerless wit and quirky investigation skills can't be beat: his father, I. M. Fletcher.