Fletch And The Man Who

Fletch #6

by Gregory McDonald

“A girl jumped off the motel’s roof. Five minutes ago.”

"Give it to me straight. Does the girl have anything to do with us? I mean, with the campaign? The presidential candidate?"

"It's your job, Fletch, to make damned sure she didn't."

FLETCH and the Man Who
When Fletch arrives as the new press representative for Governor Caxton Wheeler’s presidential campaign, he isn’t sure which mystery to solve first: what his new job actually is or why the campaign has been leaving dead women in its tracks.

FLETCH and the Man Who
He finds himself on the other side of the press, a human shield deflecting the questions he is asking himself. Are the murders just coincidence, or is a cold-hearted killer looking for a job in the White House?

FLETCH and the Man Who
When the campaign shifts into high gear, Fletch’s skills are working overtime in a desperate bid of his own to find the killer and to make sure the governor doesn’t lose any more votes.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Humor, Audiobook, Detective, Novels

250 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1983

Reviews

[John Culuris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another series I’d dropped years ago when a lack of free time allowed me to continue to follow only my very favorites. Here Fletch becomes the Press Liaison for a presidential campaign. Like his protagonist McDonald was once a reporter, and he had intimate knowledge of how these things worked back in 1983. It is fascinating to compare that world to today’s of instant knowledge. And let’s not even get into tactics. The conclusion is almost irrelevant, and it reads that way. It was almost as if McDonald belatedly realized he actually had to solve the murders to get out of the book satisfactorily; there are, after all, certain expectations attached to the genre. The afterthought nature of the ending in no way mars the experience. The killings were always beside the point.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series was highly regarded in the 1980's, and recently had a bit of a resurgence with streaming, but the only exposure I ever had was the Chevy Chase movies. When I found this in the wild, I picked it up.

On the whole, it wasn't bad. Fletch is covering a presidential campaign, when a naked woman falls from a window in the candidate's hotel.

This really shows how things have changed from the '80's. Today, the press behaves in an entirely different fashion, and nobody trusts them at all.

[Hobart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---

“Good morning,” Fletch said. “As the governor’s press representative, I make you the solemn promise that I will never lie to you. Today, on this bus, we will be passing through Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, New York, and Keokuk, Iowa. Per usual, at midday you will be flown to San Francisco for lunch. Today’s menu is clam chowder, pheasant under glass, roast Chilean lamb, and a strawberry mousse from Maine. Everything the governor says today will be significant, relevant, wise, to the point, and as fresh as the lilies in the field.” ...

“Is it true you saved Walsh Wheeler’s life overseas?” Fenella Baker asked.

“That’s another thing,” Fletch said. “I will never evade any of your questions.” He turned the microphone off and hung it up.

I think this is my favorite Fletch novel (that spot may actually bounce between this and Fletch's Fortune), and I could practically recite portions of this with Miller's narration while driving. This doesn't mean I didn't catch anything new, it just means that I enjoyed this time through immensely.

An old Army buddy (and C.O.) of Fletch's calls him up for a favor -- his father, Caxton Wheeler, is running for an unnamed party's presidential nomination and has just had to fire their long-term press secretary, could Fletch step in? Minutes before Fletch arrives at the hotel the campaign is using a young woman plunged to her death from one of the rooms on the higher floors (later shown to be the candidate's room). Fletch's first job is to discover if she jumped or was pushed -- and then to make sure that it had nothing to do with the campaign.

Sadly, it appears she was pushed -- and she was associated with the campaign. Even worse, it seems like she's the latest in a string of dead women near the campaign. Giving Fletch a quandary. He needs to figure out who is doing this killing (assuming it's one person), insulate the candidate -- and keep anyone else (i.e. the press) from printing the facts.

Fletch as an obstacle/opponent/facilitator (all at the same time) of the press in any shape is just a lot of fun. His instincts, training, and inclination is to dig into a story, find the facts on his own, and run the story. His new job is to feed information to reporters, keep them from doing any fact-finding on their own, and to hide aspects of the story. It is so fun to watch him struggle in this role.

Particularly because one of the reporters on the press bus is Freddie Arbuthnot, someone who might be a better reporter than Fletch. She's certainly more employable than he is -- as she's a crime reporter, her presence on the campaign tells Fletch a lot about how serious this string of murderers is. Also, she's a whole lot of fun as a character, so the reader gets something out of it, too.

Speaking of returning characters, we get Alston Chambers again -- I need to do a better job of tracking his career path, but I think he's moved up in the world a bit since we saw him last, so good for him. Alston served with Fletch under Walsh Wheeler and provides some vital information for his friend. He's also just a great guy for Fletch to talk to and bounce things off of, helping both the character and reader to process what's going on.

So who are the recipients for Mcdonald's critique/satire? There are so many -- tabloids (particularly the mid-80s version of them), politics, the press' political coverage (about the horse race, not the ideas/work), pressures on a candidate (Wheeler is given drugs to wake up, keep him going and then to go to sleep because there's no way that he could do that naturally with the pressures/pace of the campaign). Given his target-rich environment, the book could've been twice as long just to give Fletch the opportunity to tilt at a few more windmills and wouldn't have lost much of its punch. Like I said with Fletch's Moxie , it seems like his satire is even more on-point now than it was thirty years ago. Which really shouldn't be the case.

I appreciated the fact that Mcdonald left party names out of this, and none of Wheeler's policies can be easily labeled as belonging to one of the major parties. Anyone can read him as being one of their own (or, if they're so inclined, one of the other guys). There's not targeting or critique of a particular party, just the entire process.

At one point, inspired by a conversation he has with Fletch, Wheeler has a moment of statesmanship (a no-no for a candidate, Fletch is told) where he talks about the ways that technology is connecting the planet and helping share information in ways unthinkable generations earlier, and talks about how it will increase in that way. Essentially predicting the Internet as we know it. Granted, it's a more utopian vision of the Internet rather than the dumpster fire it frequently is. But Wheeler/Mcdonald has a vision for what today is in a way that no mystery writer in 1983 should've.

Caxton Wheeler and his driver, Flash, will show up in a Flynn book that takes place sometime before this. They're not there a lot, but I remember the first time I read that and it blew my mind (that was my second Flynn novel and I'd yet to find Confess, Fletch so I had no idea the universes were linked) while in Middle School.

Dan John Miller is great yet again -- I've got nothing new to say about him. I need to track down some of his other narrations, see what I think of them.

Mcdonald shifts gears with his writing and the series after this, and I really, really wish he wouldn't have. A few more books in the vein of Fortune, Moxie, and The Man Who would've been a boon to his readers, and would've solidified Mcdonald amongst the all-time greats. I'm sure he had his reasons, but from my vantage point (now and for the last couple of decades), he shouldn't have. In the meantime, this work is a great mystery, fantastic commentary on politics and the media, and even a bit of prescience -- bundled together with Mcdonald's sharp prose, winning dialogue and characters that demand to be re-read. I can't recommend Fletch and the Man Who highly enough.

[TheCultureVulture · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fletch is hired as press secretary for Governor Claxton Wheeler who is currently on the campaign trail vying for the nomination to run for president. Interesting enough of a situation for Fletch to be inserted into plus the added bonus of a potential serial killer along for the ride when women end up dead at many of the campaign stops. The mystery isn't super gripping but the unique setting along with the opportunity to hang out with Fletch again made for a more than suitable hammock read.

[Chris Aldrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm slowly nearing the end of the entire Fletch series, but they still manage to stay relevant and interesting. Fletch and the Man Who is certainly no exception. In fact, I might argue that it is not only still very relevant to modern culture, but that it has actually ripened with age.

Caxton's Technology Platform
The most interesting portions of the book were the prescience of the role of technology in modern life that were described within it. Mcdonald wrote this in 1983 long before the advent or ubiquitization of satellite communications, cellular phones, desktop computers, and even the internet. Yet somehow the discussion being pushed by the lead presidential candidate in the story feels very forward thinking and is highly relevant even today. Given the rise of Twitter and Facebook, it may actually be more interesting and relevant today than when the book was written in the early 1980s. Interestingly it feels like we have yet to figure out where technology is taking us. This book brings up a lot of philosophical ideas that we're still heavily grappling with and on even deeper levels. Some of the mentions of religion and politics are all still alive and well in the modern political scene (though Communism/Marxism have died and disappeared after this book was written) and are just as touchy in their relation to technology. The recent presidential campaign certainly highlighted some of these technology issues, particularly with relation to the effect on political communication via fake news and Facebook. Mcdonald takes aim at the idea of "truth" within a political campaign and having a well informed electorate.

Political Satire
There is some really great satire on politics in the book. Oddly, not much of it originates with Fletch or his views on life. While there are a handful of good zingers that Fletch delivers in his wry signature fashion, this book seemed like a major departure in that the supporting characters take on the typical Fletch role of smartasses. This felt interesting and almost natural from a storytelling point of view as Fletch himself actually throws off his typical rebel character mantle to "join the establishment" and run interference for the presidential candidate's press corps. Most interesting to me a lot of the mentions about politics still play as well today as they did 30+ years ago.

Other observations
We meet one of Fletch's old war buddies and learn a few new pieces of backstory that flesh out his character a bit more, which is something I didn't expect as much of at this point in the series.

There isn't as much sexual tension in this as in some of the past works, but Freddie Arbuthnot makes a reappearance and really forces Fletch to work overtime for her approval. This seemed more interesting to me than some of Fletch's past sexual exploits which seemed to come too easily for him. It's more interesting to see him have to work at creating a relationship, particularly with a woman who had previously thrown herself at him.

Of interest to me with regard to the plotting and the reveal at the end was that there were a nice number of potential suspects. Better, despite my decade+ affair with Law & Order and similar procedurals on television, there was just enough psychological subtlety and distance that the reveal of the killer was not only well motivated but also hidden enough to be entertaining right up to the end. (No spoilers here...)

One thing I did miss was the complete lack of phony characters invented by Fletch as cover stories. To my recollection there were none in this installment. I did however notice that a despicable character in the plot had the name Hanrahan which was (probably not coincidentally) one of the fictional names that popped up in a cover story Fletch spun in the film version of the first book:

Well now, you know that and I know that, but... somebody's bucking for a promotion. Probably that pederast Hanrahan. I don't know. All I know is if I don't go back with something, you and your son-in-law are going to be the scapegoats of the week.

This book would have been out and available well in advance of the May 31, 1985 release of the film.

There were a few tidbits that could have been better resolved at the end (what was Caxton really doing during those disappearances?), but overall, this was a very satisfying and interesting read. It's certainly made me think about politics and the philosophy of technology in a different way than I have been recently, and for that this may have been to me the most interesting book in the series so far. Some of the philosophy in particular deserves additional thought and study, and may motivate me to actually re-read this one.

The original version of this review appears on my blog at BoffoSocko.com, it also includes my quotes, highlights, and annotations from the book.

[Andy Rausch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I feel like Gregory MacDonald was a lot like his Fletch character in that he sometimes used his talents to just coast along. At his best, Fletch is funny, charming, witty, and all the right things. And Fletch is, of course, the best thing about the Fletch books. The best of the Fletch books crackle with superb dialogue. Others, like this book, are good and quite competent but seem to fall far short of the better, funnier, more entertaining Fletch books. In fact, this book, which finds Fletch in the unlikely position of working as a press secretary for a Presidential candidate, is far too serious to feel like a proper entry in the series. Again, this is a very well-written book, but McDonald fails to capture the spark, the je ne sais quo that makes Fletch the character we all love. I feel like for most of this book, Fletch could have been any other generic character from any other run-of-the-mill whodunit. Not that this book is bland. It's not, it just feels like a Fletch book with no Fletch in it, and it feels like a phoned-in effort by an extremely talented writer.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

To much politics and not enough mystery. The new characters are well crafted and recognizable, but both the naivety and dishonesty of the politicians and reporters is to distasteful to be enjoyable nowadays.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book that I’ve been able to finish in months. I’ve been a longtime fan of Gregory Mcdonald’s work, particularly his novels featuring investigative reporter I. M. “Fletch” Fletcher and Boston Police Detective Inspector Francis X. Flynn.
This is a book that I first read decades earlier in which Fletch finds himself working as a press representative on a primary campaign for a presidential candidate—just as a naked young woman has just plunged to her death from the candidate’s hotel. Now Fletch finds himself in the unusual position of keeping the story under wraps from his fellow reporters while he tries to uncover the truth.
Mcdonald keeps the reader engaged throughout the novel, and shows the intense pressures and conflicts inherent in a political campaign for press, politicians and staff. The ever-irreverent main character of Irwin Maurice Fletcher never loses track of his sass or sardonic perspective on life, all the while attempting to keep crime journalist Fredericka “Freddie” Arbuthnot at arms-length regarding a possible mass murderer while otherwise hoping for a more intimate relationship. Trivia point: Freddie Arbuthnot was one of the characters in Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”
#book #books #bookreview #reading #mystery #crimefiction #fletch #gregorymcdonald

[Paul Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Fletch might have lost his edginess long ago, the spark is still there, although he often meets his match after the first few books. This time his rapport with the Governor and the return of Freddie Arbuthnot supply the steel to Fletch's sardonic flint. The actual plot is incidental, and isn't particularly interesting or original, but the dialogue as usual is absolute gold.

[Timothy Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fletch, you scoundrel

[Brett Littman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Fletch out of water. Also no real trick in figuring it out.

[Ben Flanagan]

Fletch

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, fast Fletch read. The humorous and snappy writing readers expect from McDonald.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to 3.75 but still very good. The "whodunit" part was quite predictable, but the way it unfolded, especially at its climax, was suspensful. It was also a nice look into early 1980's politics, and the way the book has dated is a lot less problematic than some of its predecessors.

[We Are All Mad Here · Rating 3 out of 5]

Politics, blah.

[Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review #7 coming up right after I tell you how I'm a new reader and that anything in my review that you disagree with makes you smarter and me dumber.

Fletch, Fletch, Fletch. Folks, here's the thing. I've read the Fletch series 1-5. Would I be here if I wasn't a completionism? Probably not. That being said, these books do offer me a chance to reset and make me enjoy some time reading without worrying if I am going to "like" the book. I know what McDonald's Fletch gives me. I like Fletch as a character. I like the style of writing. It's an easy read and to be honest, I'm glad I've read the previous five novels so that I can get the little references to the past. Like Freddie and Virginia.

The novel introduces us to Fletch's latest journey as an investigative journalist by having him be the press secretary Governor Wheeler, a presidential candidate who just lost his previous secretary to a scandal during the middle of a close campaign. What makes this more of a unique Fletch story is that there are multiple crimes and really the crimes are almost secondary to Fletch's interest and interactions with Wheeler. He seems quite intrigued with him and the fact that he is seemingly a good guy and willing to incorporate good ideas into his campaign speeches.

All in all, this Fletch outing is another fine read and while its a bit different than previous outings I found it quite enjoyable.

PS: Maybe I missed it, but I'm not sure why Wheeler is called "the Man Who". The book seems to make reference to it meaning the eventual President, but I was semi confused on this point.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been plowing through the Fletch series in published order rather than chronological order, which means the final volumes will skip back to earlier times in Fletch's life. So far, this is my third favorite Fletch story--clearly Fletch and Confess, Fletch are the best in the series.

It was interesting to see how McDonald was able to solve his own character dilemma: Fletch is an unconventional investigator who is loosely employed as a journalist. This is tricky to write after Fletch's windfall, since he no longer needs to work. McDonald was able to find a reasonably realistic way to dump Fletch into other journalistic/media jobs or settings and let him do what he does best. (The "blackmail" job from Fletch's Fortune was the weak link in the series.) Fletch's job in this book--press secretary for a presidential campaign--was the perfect place for Fletch's character to thrive while he squirmed between the political machine of the campaign and the press following the campaign.

The central mystery / plot provides an opportunity for Fletch to shine, though the resolution of the mystery is never the important part of the story. The important part of the story is seeing distinct characters and parts of our world reflected in Fletch's light. And the chance to spend time reading McDonald's masterful dialogue.

[Dustin Reade · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny, but with more inside stuff that you wouldn't get without reading the other books in the series. THe other books weren't like that, as far as I can remember. In a few places, there were jokes that really didn't land, and the "mystery" element was pretty lacking.
Still, it was a good book, and Fletch is so well fleshed out it is hard not to think of him as a real person.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best of Fletch. He is summoned to help a war buddy who is running a Presidential campaign for his father. Murders are happening around the campaign and Fletch is supposed to be protecting the candidate, but ends up solving the murder and killing off the campaign. Not the usual wit, just some bantering.

[Andrew Mcdonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first Fletch book. Didn't really grab me. Not much tension despite all the murders. Should I try another?

[Skjam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s still early in the presidential primary process, but Governor Caxton Wheeler’s campaign has already hit a road bump. His long-time press representative had to be let go due to a feud with Mrs. Wheeler. A fresh new face has to be found to deal with the scoop-thirsty reporters in the press bus. Governor Wheeler’s son Walsh Caxton remembers that he knows a reporter from outside politics that might be willing to help out. Irwin Maurice Fletcher, I.M. Fletcher professionally, and “Fletch” to his friends and many enemies, served under Walsh in ‘Nam and didn’t wind up hating him.

Fletch is barely in the door of the hotel the campaign is in tonight when the next bump happens. A naked woman jumps from the roof above the suite where the governor is staying. The pattern of wounds suggest maybe she was pushed instead, and maybe it wasn’t from the roof, but the executive suite’s balcony. Part of Fletch’s job will be making sure the press understands that the woman’s death had nothing to do with the campaign.

This is not helped by Fletch recognizing one of the press corps, Fredericka Arbuthnot. They trade barbs, but Freddie is one of the reporters Fletch kind of respects. On the other hand, her beat is crime, so why is Freddie attached to the campaign press detail?

Turns out no one bothered to tell Fletch that this isn’t the first woman to turn up dead in a hotel the campaign was also in. The cops didn’t think it was related, but Freddie smelled a story. There’s a lot of people following the campaign around; press, volunteers, staffers…and the governor’s family. If one of them is a serial killer, it’s news!

Fletch isn’t entirely convinced the murders are connected to each other or the campaign, but he can spin the truth better if he knows what the truth is, so he starts investigating while also doing his bit for the Wheeler White House bid. Is there really a killer, and if so, can Fletch find them before they kill again?

This is the sixth Fletch book, and the first I’ve actually read. Fletch is a fun protagonist, snarky and cynical enough to understand that political campaigns are as much stage production as they are a legitimate enterprise, but idealistic enough that he’d like to elect a president who will actually do good for America. He may keep a cool exterior, but sincerely cares about people, sometimes too much for his own good.

Caxton Wheeler doesn’t seem to be based on any specific politician. His party is never mentioned, nor specific positions on real-life issues (he finds a good issue during the course of the book that cleverly evades mapping onto a real-world political position.) He doesn’t seem to be a monster (barring maybe being a serial killer) but he’s no great man either, and has a few secrets.

There are a number of secrets floating around to keep Fletch guessing as to what’s important and what’s just secrets. The Soviet reporter, for example. Is he really just spending all his nights watching pay per view porn? Mrs. Wheeler is tall, very strong, and has a nasty temper–is she taking it out on random women? The governor’s chauffeur killed a man once, did you know?

There’s a tense chapter towards the end where Fletch finally puts all the pieces together and must get through a packed final rally before death strikes again.

Content note: Gendered slurs come up several times, including by Fletch, and are never called out. Abortion is mentioned a couple of times, mostly as an issue some voters care about, but once in a crass joke. It’s suggested that some of the women volunteers following the campaign are doing so to get laid. Fletch attempts to woo Freddie at a time when this would be a conflict of interest on both their parts.

The relative lightness of the treatment and the avoidance of specific political issues mean this book doesn’t make it into the tense political thriller category, but there’s certainly enough political truth here to satisfy the casual reader. This book does not require you to have read the previous volumes to be understood, so if you want to skip straight to it, that’d be okay.

Recommended to fans of snarky reporters.

[Vance · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fletch series has its ups and downs, often contained in each book. Author Gregory McDonald was constantly making changes to his approach, focusing on different aspects of storytelling, and the result is often that you might have one book with strong A- and B-plots, sparkling dialogue, interesting characters, and a real driving throughline. Then you might have an intriguing A-plot and an almost neglected B-plot (Fletch and the Widow Bradley,) less interesting characters, or half-strength dialogue while the other areas got even more interesting.

This novel, which almost reboots the Fletch character (there's little mention of his stolen wealth, and McDonald had lamented ending the first novel with him gaining it because he didn't envision the character starring in an entire series,) finds the character summoned by an old war buddy to serve as the press representative for a presidential campaign. The book serves up a bit of that witty dialogue, very clearly-defined characters that are as much sharp satire as they are genuine human depictions, and an almost negligible plot. McDonald was very interested in analyzing politics and preaching from the mount on an idealized vision of global communications bringing about world peace.

The specific binary politics of the book are inscrutable because the book doesn't care to become that kind of analysis. The focus is on the relationship between the press and candidates, and the often dishonest and toxic relationship as it probably existed back in 1983 when the book was published. The book is also interested in showing the reader a hopeful vision of politicians as humans in a state of capture, maybe people who are desperately seeking out a belief structure of their own as opposed to the forced realities and expectations of the world, the power structure, and the people immediately around them. And as mentioned, much is made of this philosophy that the world is changing, and an egalitarian approach to the control of technology could make it change for the better.

Forty years later, pretty much all the opposite of these hopeful predictions have happened. Technology is under the control of a few dumb rich kids who are making themselves richer, the politicians are deeply in the pockets of these moguls, and the media has been invaded by Ivy League psychos that are addicted to the political access that can be cut off at any time, at any sign of overt dissent. It makes the book a jarring read and makes sense of McDonald's almost spiritual belief in people.

But I'm getting more into the physical politics of the thing than the book cares to, so let's change the subject.

I mentioned that the dialogue is more slight than previous books, to me. Fletch is growing up a bit, and taking his immediate situation more seriously, but still has his irreverent wit that really shines here and there. Some of the interplay between characters is interesting, especially when he shares the scene with his would-be love interest from a previous novel, Fredericka Arbuthnot. She had spent a previous novel throwing herself at him, but as he thought she was a government spook sent to keep tabs on him, he treated her coldly. Now it's his turn to chase her as she rejects him, still hurt from his behavior in the previous novel. It's a good exercise to see the tables turn like this, and makes the dynamic interesting.

That said, a lot of the dialogue outside of the jokey stuff or verbal sparring has a recurring issue I find with McDonald, in that I have trouble making characters sound human in my head. McDonald makes a few hundred pages into a quick read with concise but descriptive prose, but when characters speak, I'm constantly trying to reassess how they talk because my presumptions don't fit. I'm willing to take some of that on as my fault, I had trouble with Raymond Chandler's dialogue until I heard the excellent BBC radio dramas made from his works. But whether it's the 40 years since this was written or me and McDonald being from different parts of the world, a lot of his dialogue seems to lack distinct character voice that helps separate one person from the next. With the obvious exception of the most prominent characters, of course.

In the end, Fletch and the Man Who is a worthwhile read because of McDonald's pseudo-modern interpretation of the detective genre, and his passively-absorbable philosophy. I might have been just as interested in seeing this book as an actual philosophical text, which might have left room here for the mystery to take more prominence. But if you like everything that came before, you'll probably like this.

[Paul Lyons · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boo! I mean, really, booooooooo! I really disliked this one, a lot. Gregory McDonald's sixth book in his Fletch series is dour, dull and depressing. WTF? What happened to the fun Fletch stories? Why would the author compose a sad, one-dimensional novel like "Fletch And The Man Who", especially since the I. M. Fletcher character found in the book was just some generic, streamlined "everyman."

That's right, Fletch, the character was fun and irreverent in no less than five previous books appears in "Fletch And The Man Who" as a passive, normal, campaign press agent, filled with compassion for his old friend Walsh, even after it is revealed that Walsh brutally murdered five women along the campaign trail. Huh? Women being thrown off buildings and horribly strangled to death in a FLETCH book??? WTF??

AND, the entirety of "Fletch And The Man Who" is based on a traveling political campaign for "The Man Who"...is running for President of the United States. Every chapter is filled with reporters and campaign workers, volunteers and speechwriters, and any all personnel who accompany a political campaign, with discussions of speeches, political strategy, glad-handing, and press coverage...and WHO THE F*CK CARES???!!!! Was not this supposed to be a fun Fletch novel? What happened???

Gregory McDonald went way off the reservation with "Fletch And The Man Who." The book is too light to have such graphically violent murders included, and the book is too heavy to allow any room for cleverness and fun. Remember fun? Having read the previous five Fletch books, I for some silly reason expected this sixth book to be well-written, which it is not, and fun, which barely makes an appearance in this miserable book. Boooooooo!

[Michael Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gregory McDonald wrote the Fletch series with a rare and wonderful sense of wit and Fletch and the Man Who is no exception. Chock full of hilarious characters and odd, sparkling dialogue, this 6th book in the series once again finds us riding along with the sarcastic, anti-establishment I.M. Fletcher as he seeks to solve a series of mysterious murders.

What makes the series so unusual and satisfying is not only the eccentric characters, but the stunning mix of humor and serious crime mystery. I have never seen anything like it in fiction. In this book, Fletch is asked by an old Army buddy to join a Presidential campaign as Press Secretary. What Fletch finds is not only the bizarre world of campaign press coverage, but a recurring pattern of murders that follow the campaign. Although it seems clear that the murders are being committed by someone at least peripherally connected to the campaign (a volunteer, member of the media, campaign staffer or even the candidate or his wife) the campaign team opposes a formal police investigation because of the impact it could have on the campaign in the days before an important primary.

The result is that Fletch has to investigate the murders himself and in ways that don't arouse the suspicion of the press. The suspects are legion and Fletch struggles to uncover the murderer before another innocent dies.

This is serious business wrapped in a humorous frame - think a mash-up of Perry Mason and Saturday Night Live. It is a fast-paced and fantastic ride and Fletch saves the day at the last minute in a surprising conclusion.

In my opinion, this is one of the better entries in the series and a fantastic and quick read.

[P · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably diminishing returns by the 6th book, but it was what they had at the used bookstore. Anyway, I'm not sure if they're all written like this but the book is supposedly a murder mystery, except no one cares about the murders.

It literally posits a world where three people are killed in the same building as a presidential candidate on three separate occasions and this is something no one is grilling the candidate on or even putting together. Like there was no internet in the 80s but they explicitly say the same pack of reporters has been following the campaign around for well before the first murder happened. Also the stakes are raised when.. some *crime reporters* show up? As though any reporter who has had to duck under police tape to get down the hall to their room THREE TIMES (well, spoilers but, FIVE TIMES) in one campaign is what, prevented by union rules from filing a story?

It's 175 pages into a 240 page book before the book becomes about anything other than a political campaign foibles and Fletch spinning plates to like, get a favorable interview for the sunday talk shows, AS THE DETECTIVE, in a MURDER MYSTERY.

It's 220 pages in before the hunt for the killer actually begins, and its wrapped up in the last ten, based on almost no clues at all, the clinching one being the aforementioned one, on page 220/240. Who writes like this!?

It's cute the shit about communication saving the world and everyone snapping into action cause a politician said an idealistic thing. Boomers been gullible as fuck since way back.

[Justin Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ever irrasicble oft-times reporter Irwin Fletcher finds himself a press secretary for a Presidential campaign and the only one to solve a series of murders that happen around the campaign and threaten's the reputation of the candidate, a former Governor turned Presidential hopeful.

Fletch is the sarcastic layer between the politicians and the press and it's an intriguing setting for him to delve into. The characters and the build up is fun and interesting as well as some insight about how politics operates on a fundamental level, but the resolution to the mystery got resolved a little too quick and I'm a little disappointed there was not a second concurrent mystery Fletch was working ont he same time as the murders (like in prior installments of the series).

Still . . . a Fletch book is a fun and breezy ride so it's worth taking.

[Erik Prime · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sixth book in the Fletch series and one of the most entertaining. The Man Who is the governor of an unnamed state who is running for President. Fletch has been hired by the campaign as their press liaison, and his first order of business is dealing with the fallout from a woman who plummeted to her death from the balcony of the governor’s high-rise hotel room. As Fletch begins his investigation, he soon learns that the governor’s campaign is leaving a trail of dead women in its wake.

In chapter 20, Fletch describes himself perfectly: “I’m a born-and-bred wise guy. I’ve never done well with authority.”

MARITAL STATUS: very single.
SEXUAL LIAISONS: Zero, but not for lack of trying.
NUMBER OF ALIASES: Zero.
NUMBER OF MURDERS: Five.
BEST RUNNING GAG: Fletch is continually writing a book about American western artist Edgar Arthur Tharp.
RATING (OUT OF TEN): 8

[Tim Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fletch finds himself the new press secretary for a Presidential candidate in the heat of decisive primaries. And, Fletch being Fletch, he finds himself with a string of murders on his hands.

I had been pretty disappointed in the last few books by McDonald I had read. Both in the Fletch series and the second Flynn book. So I was about ready to give up if this one was a continuation of the weak sauce I'd been reading from McDonald. Luckily this was pretty good. Not by any means as good as the first two Fletch books or the first Flynn book, but leaps and bounds better than the ensuing efforts. It's not without its issues. The identity of the killer was pretty evident fairly early on, despite a red herring. And the title and the use of "The Man Who" as an identifier for the Governor/candidate as stupid as all hell. But it was compellingly readable (I killed it in two decent reading sessions). And Fletch was almost back to being his funny witty self. It bought McDonald a couple more reads to avoid me giving up.

[Edward Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable enough Fletch novel, but I think the problem with the Fletch novels at this point (before the flashbacks to come in subsequent novels) is that Fletch stumbles into situations too much -- in this case, serving as a press secretary for a political candidate (the titular Man Who). While it's good to see Freddie Arbuthnot back, it's disappointing to see the promising mystery (why are all these people being murdered wherever the Man Who stays?) resolved through convenience rather than Fletch using his smarts to suss it out. Fletch works when he is driven by something (e.g., the tax blackmail plot of FLETCH'S FORTUNE). But in this one and FLETCH'S MOXIE, he just seems to be hanging out as opposed to being pro-active.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story that focuses on the press and political campaigns, on the distance between what the public sees and what the insiders experience. It also foreshadows the world of fake news we experience today where ordinary events such as a candidate performing magic tricks before school children gets twisted into something nefarious. And there's a keen sense of how politicians see themselves and how stuck in their own bubbles they are. It's quirky, irreverent, and in some ways ahead of its time.

Unfortunately, despite the gruesome murders, it feels light, fluffy, and awkward itself. To me, it simply wasn't a solid read. It felt, perhaps purposefully, like a lot of cocktail chatter.