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Fletch #5
Fletch's Moxie
Vintage paperback
283 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 12, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
January 24, 2013
OK, OK, I admit it, I love the Chevy Chase movie about the Fletch character and until today I had never read any of the books that inspired it. So what prompted me to jump in at book 5 rather than start at the award winning beginning? For some reason a colleague marked it as a $1 book and I couldn't resist it. Simples. I think it's probably wise to go about it this way rather than being sitting here complaining that the book isn't as good as the movie or having my love of the movie diminished by how good the source material was.
The first third of the book flew past in a wave of Harold Faltermeyer's Theme From Fletch, Stephanie Mills singing Bit By Bit and my inability to imagine the dialogue delivered in a style and voice any different to that of Chevy Chase. There were a good few belly laughs and an occasional moment where I needed to put the book down to compose myself after an attack of the giggles.
And then, I just wanted to finish it without stopping. Technically there's a bit of a locked room mystery about the 'case' that Fletch is investigating; seemingly an impossible crime committed in front of TV cameras but Fletch doesn't really seem to investigate it. Maybe it's his trademark style that runs throughout the series but I'm not sure of the point in an investigator who doesn't actually investigate anything, so hopefully it's not.
McDonald's conversational style of storytelling works well within the universe he creates and in my mind at least lends itself very well to being read by Chevy Chase. The characters were interesting enough and the plot was really quite non-existent for a crime novel. I could probably draw comparisons to societal farces rather than crime novels if I put my mind to it but the names on the tip of my fingers keep slipping away and I don't care to think any longer in the subject. That and the inimitable Charlie Mortdecai in the series of books by Kyril Bonfiglioli.
I don't know if I will bother to read more, but if any come my way for another $1 I'll probably put it in a pile of future reads.
The first third of the book flew past in a wave of Harold Faltermeyer's Theme From Fletch, Stephanie Mills singing Bit By Bit and my inability to imagine the dialogue delivered in a style and voice any different to that of Chevy Chase. There were a good few belly laughs and an occasional moment where I needed to put the book down to compose myself after an attack of the giggles.
And then, I just wanted to finish it without stopping. Technically there's a bit of a locked room mystery about the 'case' that Fletch is investigating; seemingly an impossible crime committed in front of TV cameras but Fletch doesn't really seem to investigate it. Maybe it's his trademark style that runs throughout the series but I'm not sure of the point in an investigator who doesn't actually investigate anything, so hopefully it's not.
McDonald's conversational style of storytelling works well within the universe he creates and in my mind at least lends itself very well to being read by Chevy Chase. The characters were interesting enough and the plot was really quite non-existent for a crime novel. I could probably draw comparisons to societal farces rather than crime novels if I put my mind to it but the names on the tip of my fingers keep slipping away and I don't care to think any longer in the subject. That and the inimitable Charlie Mortdecai in the series of books by Kyril Bonfiglioli.
I don't know if I will bother to read more, but if any come my way for another $1 I'll probably put it in a pile of future reads.
February 3, 2021
It took forever to get through. Moxie herself wasn't interesting the first time around and is just as vapid and annoying here, The underlying crimes are the acts of a dead man so they really can't be presented with any excitement, and the theme of 'racial animosity in films' seems quite dated for a work printed in 1981, and even more so now.
April 21, 2022
Fletch is one of the funniest and most interesting characters in the mystery genre. A rogue and rule-breaker, one never quite knows where Fletch's investigations and sarcasm will lead him, but the destination is always fun and the journey even better.
In Fletch's Moxie, a long-time friend and lover, movie start Moxie Mooney, is the prime suspect in a mysterious murder. The murder itself is very Agatha Christie like, that is, nearly inexplicable. Moxie's agent and producer is killed on film during the taping of a TV show interview sitting right next to his client. He is stabbed in the back, but even repeated views of the film don't disclose who or how he was killed.
Enter Fletch who was on scene at the request of Moxie and begins an investigation to protect her from being arrested for the murder. What follows is a hilarious and chaotic adventure involving famous movie stars, multiple police departments, a race riot and lots of arrests.
My favorite part of the story is that we all expect that Fletch will figure out the mystery and reveal it to the police but in Fletch's Moxie, even our hero gets it wrong. The ending is a classic misdirection surprise ending, but ultimately all's well that ends well.
Arguably one of the best books in the Fletch series, one doesn't need to have read the previous books in the series in order to appreciate the mystery or Fletch's counter-culture attitude and hilarious antics. It's a tremendously fun series and this is one of the best of the lot.
In Fletch's Moxie, a long-time friend and lover, movie start Moxie Mooney, is the prime suspect in a mysterious murder. The murder itself is very Agatha Christie like, that is, nearly inexplicable. Moxie's agent and producer is killed on film during the taping of a TV show interview sitting right next to his client. He is stabbed in the back, but even repeated views of the film don't disclose who or how he was killed.
Enter Fletch who was on scene at the request of Moxie and begins an investigation to protect her from being arrested for the murder. What follows is a hilarious and chaotic adventure involving famous movie stars, multiple police departments, a race riot and lots of arrests.
My favorite part of the story is that we all expect that Fletch will figure out the mystery and reveal it to the police but in Fletch's Moxie, even our hero gets it wrong. The ending is a classic misdirection surprise ending, but ultimately all's well that ends well.
Arguably one of the best books in the Fletch series, one doesn't need to have read the previous books in the series in order to appreciate the mystery or Fletch's counter-culture attitude and hilarious antics. It's a tremendously fun series and this is one of the best of the lot.
September 30, 2024
I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that maybe McDonald shot his wad on the first two Fletch novels and the first Flynn novel and then just decided to coast. Because nothing since those three has been better than okay. And that's were this one landed...it was okay. Nothing exciting. Nothing terribly funny or interesting. Just an average, generally unoffending crime novel. But those three books were quite good and that makes the later ones pale by comparison.
In this one Fletch has been called to Florida where on again-off again girlfriend Moxie Mooney is filming a movie. Almost at his arrival a quasi locked door murder occurs on set and Fletch spirits Moxie (along with her famous actor/drunkard father) away to Key West as she is a prime suspect. But the house they occupy soon has most of the rest of the suspects there and thus begin the shenanigans.
The resolution comes somewhat out of left field (though a couple of things do foreshadow it). The introduction of a heroin smuggling subplot doesn't really help all that much and seems kind of tacked on to seem relevant to the time. The ending is unfulfilling. This isn't bad, like "The Buck Passes Flynn." It's readable. And I don't feel bad about the short time spent with it. But it's also just kind of there. I'll give Fletch and Flynn one more chance. But I'm thinking that McDonald caught lightning for a few books and then just decided to phone it in.
August 19, 2024
U weet inmiddels wel dat we stiekem verknocht zijn aan de übercoole Fletch: vlot van de tongriem gesneden, van geen kleintje vervaard en het hart op de juiste plaats. Het is inmiddels het 7de boek uit de reeks dat we lezen.
Na het ietwat ontgoochelende Carioca Fletch, is Gregory McDonald in 'Fletch en Moxie' weer helemaal op dreef.
Tijdens een live interview op een filmset wordt de gehate producer Steve Peterman vermoord. Fletch is niet alleen getuige van de moord maar evenzeer minnaar van Moxie Mooney, de filmster die bij het interview aanwezig was en tot de hoofdverdachten behoort.
Hij neemt Moxie en haar alcoholische vader mee naar Key West om uit het gewoel weg te blijven, maar terwijl onze favoriete onderzoeksjournalist de moord probeert te ontrafelen, stroomt de villa vol met filmsterren en betrokkenen.
Fletch en Moxie is spits geschreven, heeft veel vaart, is altijd amusant en bij momenten zelfs hilarisch. Zo loodst McDonald je vlotjes naar een sterk uitgewerkte en verrassende plot. Heerlijk vakantie leesvoer!
Na het ietwat ontgoochelende Carioca Fletch, is Gregory McDonald in 'Fletch en Moxie' weer helemaal op dreef.
Tijdens een live interview op een filmset wordt de gehate producer Steve Peterman vermoord. Fletch is niet alleen getuige van de moord maar evenzeer minnaar van Moxie Mooney, de filmster die bij het interview aanwezig was en tot de hoofdverdachten behoort.
Hij neemt Moxie en haar alcoholische vader mee naar Key West om uit het gewoel weg te blijven, maar terwijl onze favoriete onderzoeksjournalist de moord probeert te ontrafelen, stroomt de villa vol met filmsterren en betrokkenen.
Fletch en Moxie is spits geschreven, heeft veel vaart, is altijd amusant en bij momenten zelfs hilarisch. Zo loodst McDonald je vlotjes naar een sterk uitgewerkte en verrassende plot. Heerlijk vakantie leesvoer!
July 24, 2017
This volume of McDonald's Fletch series is a humorous look at the Hollywood movie industry and the nature of stardom even though it all takes place on the Florida coast. Features are an on-screen murder taking place with all camera ras rolling, a stealthy getaway by Fletch with a picnic basket and the chief suspect super-sexy movie Star Moxie, a funhouse filled with Hollywood crazies like an altered version of a murder mystery weekend in the Catskills, rioting locals, race horses, and Cuba. The opening scene was perfect as was the closing, but the middle seemed to drag with a whole lot of chitter chatter. A fairly decent read that fits in well in the Fletch universe, but it almost lost me wading through the middle
April 7, 2022
Another fun Fletch novel. These are always good fun. Gregory McDonald was a master.
July 24, 2023
In Fletch's Moxie, Gregory Mcdonald once again showcases his brilliance in crafting a masterful caper that puts his iconic investigative journalist, Fletch, to the test.
The story unfolds in the glamorous and cutthroat world of Hollywood, where everyone seems to have a motive for wanting the enigmatic Steve Peterman dead. The deadly thoughts become a reality when a knife is plunged into his back during a live broadcast, with no one witnessing the act. As Fletch delves deeper into the investigation, the primary suspect turns out to be his girlfriend, the renowned movie star Moxie Mooney.
As the police intensify their scrutiny on Moxie, Fletch takes it upon himself to protect her and her boisterous father by whisking them away to Key West for privacy. But escape proves elusive as the rest of the Hollywood elite, all potential suspects, follow them to the island. The idyllic Key West setting soon transforms into a pressure cooker of suspense, leaving readers increasingly astounded at the ruthless and cutthroat nature of the movie business.
Gregory Mcdonald's writing prowess is evident throughout the novel. He weaves an intricate web of deception, secrets, and intrigue, keeping readers guessing at every turn. The character of Fletch, as always, remains the highlight of the book. His sharp wit, cunning intellect, and ability to navigate the chaos make him a genuinely engaging protagonist.
The story unfolds in the glamorous and cutthroat world of Hollywood, where everyone seems to have a motive for wanting the enigmatic Steve Peterman dead. The deadly thoughts become a reality when a knife is plunged into his back during a live broadcast, with no one witnessing the act. As Fletch delves deeper into the investigation, the primary suspect turns out to be his girlfriend, the renowned movie star Moxie Mooney.
As the police intensify their scrutiny on Moxie, Fletch takes it upon himself to protect her and her boisterous father by whisking them away to Key West for privacy. But escape proves elusive as the rest of the Hollywood elite, all potential suspects, follow them to the island. The idyllic Key West setting soon transforms into a pressure cooker of suspense, leaving readers increasingly astounded at the ruthless and cutthroat nature of the movie business.
Gregory Mcdonald's writing prowess is evident throughout the novel. He weaves an intricate web of deception, secrets, and intrigue, keeping readers guessing at every turn. The character of Fletch, as always, remains the highlight of the book. His sharp wit, cunning intellect, and ability to navigate the chaos make him a genuinely engaging protagonist.
October 20, 2022
This one was really not good.
I have a vague recollection of not especially liking the books that feature the Moxie character, mainly because while all of the Fletch series is heavy on the dialogue, the particular relationship between Fletch and Moxie is a slog of endless banter.
The banter didn't bother me as much in this one; I guess I was more annoyed by the fact that almost nothing happened in the entire stupid book. Basically there's a murder, then Fletch ends up staying in a beach house with a bunch of famous people, all of whom seem to complain endlessly. Moxie's father Freddy spends a lot of the book blathering on about nothing, also endlessly. And then at the end the murderer tells Fletch "I did it."
0.5 stars rounded up.
I have a vague recollection of not especially liking the books that feature the Moxie character, mainly because while all of the Fletch series is heavy on the dialogue, the particular relationship between Fletch and Moxie is a slog of endless banter.
The banter didn't bother me as much in this one; I guess I was more annoyed by the fact that almost nothing happened in the entire stupid book. Basically there's a murder, then Fletch ends up staying in a beach house with a bunch of famous people, all of whom seem to complain endlessly. Moxie's father Freddy spends a lot of the book blathering on about nothing, also endlessly. And then at the end the murderer tells Fletch "I did it."
0.5 stars rounded up.
February 14, 2023
I enjoyed this one most especially.
The mystery cut mustard properly, but more importantly and entertainingly, the portrait of Hollywood types was amazing. How realistic? I am not the one to tell, but it felt spot on, and as timely today as 40 years ago, if not more so.
At least on par with the original if not better.
The mystery cut mustard properly, but more importantly and entertainingly, the portrait of Hollywood types was amazing. How realistic? I am not the one to tell, but it felt spot on, and as timely today as 40 years ago, if not more so.
At least on par with the original if not better.
November 28, 2022
This one was pretty good. I definitely didn't see the end coming, and, in a first for the series, it didn't feel particularly dated, though that's more of an indictment of 2022 America than anything else.
Probably my favorite of the series.
Probably my favorite of the series.
December 2, 2022
Fletch, you blind buffoon
February 11, 2023
review of
Gregory McDonald's Fletch's Moxie
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - February 11, 2023
I'm still working my way thru my personal library's crime fiction section in alphabetical order reading one bk apiece by authors whose work I haven't read yet. That's brought me up to yet another McDonald. I found this to be somewhat light, mainstream writing of the sort I can enjoy but don't necessarily take much away from.
The murder:
"To Buckley's right sat Moxie's agent, manager, and executive producer, Steve Peterman in three-piece, pearl-gray suit, black shoes, and cravat.
"Only Steve Peterman wasn't sittting properly in his chair. His head was on his right shoulder." - p 8
There's something strangely casual about the guy who goes about solving the crime, Fletch - if one reads alotof hard-boiled detective fiction, as I almost do, one becomes accustomed to a hero who plunges into a situation rife w/ violence, who manages to survive some severe beatings w/o getting brain-damaged, & gets slipped a mickey or 2. Fletch is more like someone taking a vacation.
"Buckley looked over the bits of styrofoam on the sand. "He got stabbed." He shook his head. "He got a knife stuck in his back. Right on the set. Right on camera."" - p 15
He also seems to have money to burn.
""Now. About The Blue House."
""No.
""I only want it for a few days."
""Twelve thousand dollars. I wouldn't rent it for just a few days. Wouldn't be worth changing the bedsheets."
""You rent it very often at that price?"
""Nope. Never before."
""Uh, Ted..."
""I've never rented it before. I don't want to rent it. I put a price on it just because you asked. As a friend."
""Okay. As a friend, I'll take it."
""You will?"
""I will."
""Boy, no other sucker was born the minute you were."" - pp 22-23
""So how come," Moxie asked very early in the morning in the bright kitchen, "you get to borrow such a nice big house in Key West at a moment's notice?"
"Frederick Mooney was asleep in his room. Fletch had checked.
""It belongs to someone I do business with." Carefully, Fletch was trying to make individual omelettes. "A little business. Well, what it comes down to is that I give him money which he feeds to race horses."
""Sounds like a great business."
""The horses like it, I guess."
""Get any manure in return?"
""Nothing but."" - p 95
Moxie is a movie actress. She's also Fletch's girlfriend. The general public doesn't know this so that enables him to get away w/ pretending to be a rude reporter when a press conference is held about the murder of her agent.
"Fletch's voice was the loudest and sharpest of all: "Ms. Mooney—did you kill Steve Peterman?"
"All the reporters jerked their heads to look at him and some of them even gasped." - p 27
Moxie understands his motive.
""Thanks for what you did for me in there." Moxie smiled. "Pulling the teeth of the other reporters—and all those to come."
""Thought there was a need for one or two clear, simple statements on the incident from you."
""Didn't I do well?"
""You did. Of course."
"" 'Steve Peterman was my friend'." Moxie sort-of quoted, with a sort-of choke in her throat. "The bastard. I could have killed him."" - pp 30-31
""I was having real problems with Steve, Fletch. Which is why I asked you to come down. I wanted to talk it out with somebody. I was finding it very difficult to be nice to him."" - p 32
Fletch is interrogated by the police.
""Why 'sure'? Are you and Ms Mooney lovers?"
""Off and on."
"" 'Off and on'." Chin on hand, elbow on desk blotter, Roz Nachman contemplated what off and on could mean. Finally, he shook her head. "I think you should explain."
""Not sure I can."
""Try," she said. "So the hems of Justice will be neat."
""You see." Fletch looked at the ceiling. "Each time Moxie and I meet, here and there, now and then, we pretend we've never met before. We pretend we're just meeting for the first time."" - pp 42-43
Wow. This bk was published in 1982. I'm just reading it for the 1st time in 2023. In 1986, my new girlfriend & I played the same game. You can read about it under the heading "First Meeting Re-Enactments" here: http://idioideo.pleintekst.nl/MereOut... . There's even a scene in my movie "6 Fingers Crossed Country T.Ore/Tour" of the re-enactment in San Antonio: https://youtu.be/2QIZAxc1K6M?t=3534 .
Moxie has a problematic actor father who's hanging about.
"Fletch asked Moxie, "You call your father O.L.?"
""Only to his face."
""I never heard that. You've always called his Freddy."
""Originally it was O.L.O. Short for Oh, Luminous One.["]" - p 64
""How come you're rich?" Moxie asked.
My question exactly. I'm not sure it gets answered, not really.
Various characters connected to the making of the movie during wch Peterman was killed end up staying at the Blue House. That's a bit odd.. not to mention a convenient plot device. One of them has a theory about the murder.
"Summarily, he said: "I think Buckley's the only one who could have had that set primed and working for him yesterday. To kill Peterman."" - p 111
Peterman's having gotten Moxie millions of dollars in debt gives her a motive wch Fletch tries to analyze the state's probable reaction to.
"["]Either you had to be a creative person, or a business person. You had an opportunity to throw yourself one hundred percent into your creative life, and it was good for everybody that you did."
""Don't judges and people like the I.R.S. understand that sort of thing? It's not hard to understand."
""Not in this country, anyway. In this country, everything is a business. Being creative is a business. Except you don't have any executive staff, board of directors, business training or experience to fall back on. That's all your fault, you see, because being creative here is really being nothing. In America, a creative person is only as good as his income.["]" - p 113
I can attest to that. I like to joke that in the U, S, of A you cd have a business tossing live human babies onto bayonets on prime time TV as long as the show got good ratings & you got rich. Maybe I exaggerate. Maybe.
There's an actor who does too much coke & gets paranoid.
""They're all against me." Gerry confided to Moxie. "You should see what they're doin' to me."
"Moxie put her hands on his wet, shining shoulders. "It's just the coke, honey. No one's doing anything to you. Everything's fine. You're fine. It's a nice day."
""It's not the coke. It's what they're doin' to me."
""It's that little white powder you keep puttin' up your nose, sweetheart," Moxie said. "Drugs do funny things to your mind. Have you heard that?"" - p 140
Might as well go see the sunset.
"There was a man dressed as Charlie Chaplin doing the funny walk through the crowd. There was an earnest young man preaching The Word of the Lord and a more earnest young man in a brown shirt and swastika armband preaching racial discrimination, and a most earnest young man satirizing them both, exhorting the people to believe in canned peas. Each had an audience of listeners, watchers, cheerers, and jeerers." - p 145
No wonder some people believe that sunsets are proof of God.
2 directors go at it.
"Finally, Koller's cholera caroomed. "McKensie," he said. "you're full of down-under dung. So far you've made three small—very small—films, somewhere in the Outback, a million miles from nowhere, no pressure on you, with all the time in the world. Artsy-smartsy films. For God's sake, they haven't even really been released outside Australia. Your world-wide audience would fit into a mini-bus. And everyone in the back seat would only pretend to understand what you're tryin' to do. And suddenly you're God Almighty. The Grand Auteur. Listen to me babe—I've made more films that you've ever seen. You know how many films I've made? Thirty eight! Okay, so the last five didn't do so well. Three is all you've made, buster! Hell, my wife knows more about directing than you'll ever know, just from listenin' to me talk. And I've made better films than you'll ever make. Damn it all, at least when I film scenes like in Midsummer Night's Madness, I give the audience enough light to see what's goin' on. You make that film and the last third of the picture would be so dark, the audience wouldn't even be able to find their way out of their seats to go home."" - p 162
I cdn't resist butting in: 'You think 38 movies is some big deal?! I've made 713 movies & the one I made in Australia, "Don't Walk Backwards" ( https://youtu.be/kODzM_2_bRM ) is better than everything you 2 have done all rolled into one flickable snot ball!'
The murder victim's sleaze is slowly unravelled.
""Does Yellow Orchid mean anything to you, as a film title?"
""No."
""In Ramon's Bed?"
""No."
""Twenty Minutes to Twelve?"
""No, don't think so."
""Midsummer Night's Madness?"
""Of course. That's the film Moxie is making now."
""Are they actually making it?"
""I'm not sure. They have been."
""Sculpture Garden?"
""No."
""These are all films supposedly being made—I should say, financed—by Jumping Cow Productions."
""Yes. All right."
""The sole proprietor of Jumping Cow Productions is Ms Marilyn Mooney."
""Holy Cow."
""Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer is, or was, Steven Peterman."
""Wave that in front of me again, Marty. Moxie owns Jumping Cow Productions?"
""One hundred percent."
""I know she doesn't know that.["]" - pp 187-188
It's not looking good for Moxie, is it? Well, she gets the electric chair but right before she's executed she & Fletch have a conjugal visit & he, being a shape-shifter, takes her shape, goes to the chair instead but is prepared w/ something in his body that causes the electricity to short-circuit & he & Moxie escape & live happily ever after on one of the Earth-like planets he happens to own.
Gregory McDonald's Fletch's Moxie
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - February 11, 2023
I'm still working my way thru my personal library's crime fiction section in alphabetical order reading one bk apiece by authors whose work I haven't read yet. That's brought me up to yet another McDonald. I found this to be somewhat light, mainstream writing of the sort I can enjoy but don't necessarily take much away from.
The murder:
"To Buckley's right sat Moxie's agent, manager, and executive producer, Steve Peterman in three-piece, pearl-gray suit, black shoes, and cravat.
"Only Steve Peterman wasn't sittting properly in his chair. His head was on his right shoulder." - p 8
There's something strangely casual about the guy who goes about solving the crime, Fletch - if one reads alotof hard-boiled detective fiction, as I almost do, one becomes accustomed to a hero who plunges into a situation rife w/ violence, who manages to survive some severe beatings w/o getting brain-damaged, & gets slipped a mickey or 2. Fletch is more like someone taking a vacation.
"Buckley looked over the bits of styrofoam on the sand. "He got stabbed." He shook his head. "He got a knife stuck in his back. Right on the set. Right on camera."" - p 15
He also seems to have money to burn.
""Now. About The Blue House."
""No.
""I only want it for a few days."
""Twelve thousand dollars. I wouldn't rent it for just a few days. Wouldn't be worth changing the bedsheets."
""You rent it very often at that price?"
""Nope. Never before."
""Uh, Ted..."
""I've never rented it before. I don't want to rent it. I put a price on it just because you asked. As a friend."
""Okay. As a friend, I'll take it."
""You will?"
""I will."
""Boy, no other sucker was born the minute you were."" - pp 22-23
""So how come," Moxie asked very early in the morning in the bright kitchen, "you get to borrow such a nice big house in Key West at a moment's notice?"
"Frederick Mooney was asleep in his room. Fletch had checked.
""It belongs to someone I do business with." Carefully, Fletch was trying to make individual omelettes. "A little business. Well, what it comes down to is that I give him money which he feeds to race horses."
""Sounds like a great business."
""The horses like it, I guess."
""Get any manure in return?"
""Nothing but."" - p 95
Moxie is a movie actress. She's also Fletch's girlfriend. The general public doesn't know this so that enables him to get away w/ pretending to be a rude reporter when a press conference is held about the murder of her agent.
"Fletch's voice was the loudest and sharpest of all: "Ms. Mooney—did you kill Steve Peterman?"
"All the reporters jerked their heads to look at him and some of them even gasped." - p 27
Moxie understands his motive.
""Thanks for what you did for me in there." Moxie smiled. "Pulling the teeth of the other reporters—and all those to come."
""Thought there was a need for one or two clear, simple statements on the incident from you."
""Didn't I do well?"
""You did. Of course."
"" 'Steve Peterman was my friend'." Moxie sort-of quoted, with a sort-of choke in her throat. "The bastard. I could have killed him."" - pp 30-31
""I was having real problems with Steve, Fletch. Which is why I asked you to come down. I wanted to talk it out with somebody. I was finding it very difficult to be nice to him."" - p 32
Fletch is interrogated by the police.
""Why 'sure'? Are you and Ms Mooney lovers?"
""Off and on."
"" 'Off and on'." Chin on hand, elbow on desk blotter, Roz Nachman contemplated what off and on could mean. Finally, he shook her head. "I think you should explain."
""Not sure I can."
""Try," she said. "So the hems of Justice will be neat."
""You see." Fletch looked at the ceiling. "Each time Moxie and I meet, here and there, now and then, we pretend we've never met before. We pretend we're just meeting for the first time."" - pp 42-43
Wow. This bk was published in 1982. I'm just reading it for the 1st time in 2023. In 1986, my new girlfriend & I played the same game. You can read about it under the heading "First Meeting Re-Enactments" here: http://idioideo.pleintekst.nl/MereOut... . There's even a scene in my movie "6 Fingers Crossed Country T.Ore/Tour" of the re-enactment in San Antonio: https://youtu.be/2QIZAxc1K6M?t=3534 .
Moxie has a problematic actor father who's hanging about.
"Fletch asked Moxie, "You call your father O.L.?"
""Only to his face."
""I never heard that. You've always called his Freddy."
""Originally it was O.L.O. Short for Oh, Luminous One.["]" - p 64
""How come you're rich?" Moxie asked.
My question exactly. I'm not sure it gets answered, not really.
Various characters connected to the making of the movie during wch Peterman was killed end up staying at the Blue House. That's a bit odd.. not to mention a convenient plot device. One of them has a theory about the murder.
"Summarily, he said: "I think Buckley's the only one who could have had that set primed and working for him yesterday. To kill Peterman."" - p 111
Peterman's having gotten Moxie millions of dollars in debt gives her a motive wch Fletch tries to analyze the state's probable reaction to.
"["]Either you had to be a creative person, or a business person. You had an opportunity to throw yourself one hundred percent into your creative life, and it was good for everybody that you did."
""Don't judges and people like the I.R.S. understand that sort of thing? It's not hard to understand."
""Not in this country, anyway. In this country, everything is a business. Being creative is a business. Except you don't have any executive staff, board of directors, business training or experience to fall back on. That's all your fault, you see, because being creative here is really being nothing. In America, a creative person is only as good as his income.["]" - p 113
I can attest to that. I like to joke that in the U, S, of A you cd have a business tossing live human babies onto bayonets on prime time TV as long as the show got good ratings & you got rich. Maybe I exaggerate. Maybe.
There's an actor who does too much coke & gets paranoid.
""They're all against me." Gerry confided to Moxie. "You should see what they're doin' to me."
"Moxie put her hands on his wet, shining shoulders. "It's just the coke, honey. No one's doing anything to you. Everything's fine. You're fine. It's a nice day."
""It's not the coke. It's what they're doin' to me."
""It's that little white powder you keep puttin' up your nose, sweetheart," Moxie said. "Drugs do funny things to your mind. Have you heard that?"" - p 140
Might as well go see the sunset.
"There was a man dressed as Charlie Chaplin doing the funny walk through the crowd. There was an earnest young man preaching The Word of the Lord and a more earnest young man in a brown shirt and swastika armband preaching racial discrimination, and a most earnest young man satirizing them both, exhorting the people to believe in canned peas. Each had an audience of listeners, watchers, cheerers, and jeerers." - p 145
No wonder some people believe that sunsets are proof of God.
2 directors go at it.
"Finally, Koller's cholera caroomed. "McKensie," he said. "you're full of down-under dung. So far you've made three small—very small—films, somewhere in the Outback, a million miles from nowhere, no pressure on you, with all the time in the world. Artsy-smartsy films. For God's sake, they haven't even really been released outside Australia. Your world-wide audience would fit into a mini-bus. And everyone in the back seat would only pretend to understand what you're tryin' to do. And suddenly you're God Almighty. The Grand Auteur. Listen to me babe—I've made more films that you've ever seen. You know how many films I've made? Thirty eight! Okay, so the last five didn't do so well. Three is all you've made, buster! Hell, my wife knows more about directing than you'll ever know, just from listenin' to me talk. And I've made better films than you'll ever make. Damn it all, at least when I film scenes like in Midsummer Night's Madness, I give the audience enough light to see what's goin' on. You make that film and the last third of the picture would be so dark, the audience wouldn't even be able to find their way out of their seats to go home."" - p 162
I cdn't resist butting in: 'You think 38 movies is some big deal?! I've made 713 movies & the one I made in Australia, "Don't Walk Backwards" ( https://youtu.be/kODzM_2_bRM ) is better than everything you 2 have done all rolled into one flickable snot ball!'
The murder victim's sleaze is slowly unravelled.
""Does Yellow Orchid mean anything to you, as a film title?"
""No."
""In Ramon's Bed?"
""No."
""Twenty Minutes to Twelve?"
""No, don't think so."
""Midsummer Night's Madness?"
""Of course. That's the film Moxie is making now."
""Are they actually making it?"
""I'm not sure. They have been."
""Sculpture Garden?"
""No."
""These are all films supposedly being made—I should say, financed—by Jumping Cow Productions."
""Yes. All right."
""The sole proprietor of Jumping Cow Productions is Ms Marilyn Mooney."
""Holy Cow."
""Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer is, or was, Steven Peterman."
""Wave that in front of me again, Marty. Moxie owns Jumping Cow Productions?"
""One hundred percent."
""I know she doesn't know that.["]" - pp 187-188
It's not looking good for Moxie, is it? Well, she gets the electric chair but right before she's executed she & Fletch have a conjugal visit & he, being a shape-shifter, takes her shape, goes to the chair instead but is prepared w/ something in his body that causes the electricity to short-circuit & he & Moxie escape & live happily ever after on one of the Earth-like planets he happens to own.
November 30, 2024
Very enjoyable! Lots of quirky characters. This could be a really good movie. Get on it Jon Hamm!
October 19, 2022
If Gregory McDonald's fourth Fletch book ("Fletch and the Widow Bradley") was his best, then this fifth Fletch novel is most certainly his worst. For "Fletch's Moxie," the author abandoned his winning style of fun, funny, fast-paced, dialogue-centric prose in favor of the traditional mixture of lengthy exposition mixed with dialogue, focusing on character studies...and it sucked! Yes, I am very sad to say, "Fletch's Moxie" sucked.
Can't help but notice that the Fletch books work very well when Fletch is more or less on his own in investigative mode, traveling here and there to solve a story's mystery. On the other hand, the Fletch books work horribly when the story is set in once location with a multitude of characters who Fletch interacts with throughout. Though the idea is sound, in practice the novels become a dull, unbalanced and unsatisfying character study of supporting players, while the main murder/mystery plot suffers.
With "Fletch's Moxie" the author flies everyone to Key West, Florida and keeps them there, with Fletch not so much investigating a murder but more so hanging out and getting to know the men and women surrounding his girlfriend Moxie's movie set, which recently had a murder. There's the washed-up, veteran director, the upstart Australian director, there's an older supporting actress and a hot, young African American actor and his wife, there's Moxie herself, as well as her drunken father Freddy, an older couple of Spanish heritage, and of course...Fletch himself. So what happens, all the players drink, and talk, and argue, and get drunk or high, and eat and drink, and sometimes go to the beach, and talk and blah blah boring...that is until the white supremacist Nazis arrive.
Um, what? Why introduce a violent, white supremacist American Nazis into a friggin Fletch novel? Why does "Fletch's Moxie" also appear to be an ode to art of acting, with lengthy page-time given over to Freddy's musings about life as a thespian? Also, the novel later reveals that the drunken Freddy was faking his drunkenness the entire novel in order to be near his daughter...and that it was Freddy all along who was the actual murderer of the criminal producer Steven Peterman, because of what Peterman did to his daughter, yet somehow Freddy wanted people to think his daughter Moxie was the murderer, and did not even lift a finger to save his daughter from being dragged off to jail for a crime she did not commit?? WHAT????
Even worse, this "fun" Fletch novel ends with a friggin suicide...Freddy's suicide! WTF? What the feck was Gregory McDonald thinking? "Fletch's Moxie" is just dull, poorly written and hard to read, and makes no fecking sense. My guess? No, my hope, is that Gregory McDonald did not actually write this. He couldn't have! There's a number of typos that gave me pause, and the mediocre writing didn't sound like McDonald's voice. I call shenanigans, this is a faux Fletch novel! There is no other explanation that makes sense.
Can't help but notice that the Fletch books work very well when Fletch is more or less on his own in investigative mode, traveling here and there to solve a story's mystery. On the other hand, the Fletch books work horribly when the story is set in once location with a multitude of characters who Fletch interacts with throughout. Though the idea is sound, in practice the novels become a dull, unbalanced and unsatisfying character study of supporting players, while the main murder/mystery plot suffers.
With "Fletch's Moxie" the author flies everyone to Key West, Florida and keeps them there, with Fletch not so much investigating a murder but more so hanging out and getting to know the men and women surrounding his girlfriend Moxie's movie set, which recently had a murder. There's the washed-up, veteran director, the upstart Australian director, there's an older supporting actress and a hot, young African American actor and his wife, there's Moxie herself, as well as her drunken father Freddy, an older couple of Spanish heritage, and of course...Fletch himself. So what happens, all the players drink, and talk, and argue, and get drunk or high, and eat and drink, and sometimes go to the beach, and talk and blah blah boring...that is until the white supremacist Nazis arrive.
Um, what? Why introduce a violent, white supremacist American Nazis into a friggin Fletch novel? Why does "Fletch's Moxie" also appear to be an ode to art of acting, with lengthy page-time given over to Freddy's musings about life as a thespian? Also, the novel later reveals that the drunken Freddy was faking his drunkenness the entire novel in order to be near his daughter...and that it was Freddy all along who was the actual murderer of the criminal producer Steven Peterman, because of what Peterman did to his daughter, yet somehow Freddy wanted people to think his daughter Moxie was the murderer, and did not even lift a finger to save his daughter from being dragged off to jail for a crime she did not commit?? WHAT????
Even worse, this "fun" Fletch novel ends with a friggin suicide...Freddy's suicide! WTF? What the feck was Gregory McDonald thinking? "Fletch's Moxie" is just dull, poorly written and hard to read, and makes no fecking sense. My guess? No, my hope, is that Gregory McDonald did not actually write this. He couldn't have! There's a number of typos that gave me pause, and the mediocre writing didn't sound like McDonald's voice. I call shenanigans, this is a faux Fletch novel! There is no other explanation that makes sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2024
Gregory Macdonald struck gold with his character, Irwin Fletcher (though he is called by various names in this volume, including “earwig” as a derivative of Irwin), the ne’er-do-well investigative journalist who, at some point has done well enough to spend extravagantly by his appearance in Fletch’s Moxie. In this send-up of ostentatious Florida wealth, Hollywood scams, and unscrupulous money managers, Fletch has to solve a murder for which his long-time friend/lover (and film star), Marilyn “Moxie” Mooney, is the most likely perpetrator. Regular readers of the Fletch series knows that he will perform over-the-top antics and boldly jump over lines drawn in the sands to satisfy his curiosity and need to solve problems. [Note: I still think Bill Murray would have been better casting than Chevy Chase in the role, but then, all of the world is thankful I’m not a casting director.]
Scamming, money-laundering, Hollywood pretensions (and vices) form the core pieces around this episode. There is a certain poetic justice when Fletch discovers that he is also a victim of at least one of the scammers in the scheme, but he is able to “soldier on” in extravagant “Fletch” fashion and, of course, solve the case. Said case that I, with sadistic reader/amateur detective glee, had solved long before Fletch. I didn’t even need “apple juice” to make the final connection (as did our “detective”), but it was a delightful story and resolution, well worthy of the series.
One disconcerting moment occurs when neo-Nazis and KKK demonstrators hold a riot over race issues in the film. In the film, someone unscrupulous has arranged it for her/his reasons. Today, one can easily expect the mini-riot to combust spontaneously, given it is set in Florida. That realization ruined my suspension of disbelief through no fault of the author.
I read mysteries for escape. I especially enjoy them when they have interesting characters (though not necessarily ones I want to know) and extra comedic or thrilling elements. Fletch’s Moxie definitely fills the bill here and might have been a better movie than the original.
Scamming, money-laundering, Hollywood pretensions (and vices) form the core pieces around this episode. There is a certain poetic justice when Fletch discovers that he is also a victim of at least one of the scammers in the scheme, but he is able to “soldier on” in extravagant “Fletch” fashion and, of course, solve the case. Said case that I, with sadistic reader/amateur detective glee, had solved long before Fletch. I didn’t even need “apple juice” to make the final connection (as did our “detective”), but it was a delightful story and resolution, well worthy of the series.
One disconcerting moment occurs when neo-Nazis and KKK demonstrators hold a riot over race issues in the film. In the film, someone unscrupulous has arranged it for her/his reasons. Today, one can easily expect the mini-riot to combust spontaneously, given it is set in Florida. That realization ruined my suspension of disbelief through no fault of the author.
I read mysteries for escape. I especially enjoy them when they have interesting characters (though not necessarily ones I want to know) and extra comedic or thrilling elements. Fletch’s Moxie definitely fills the bill here and might have been a better movie than the original.
December 26, 2022
Not quite as sharp as the earlier Fletch books, but still largely fun. Even though Mcdonald outright steals a plot element from the first Flynn book and the plot tying together this volume isn't nearly as impressive as the other ones, the funny chemistry between Fletch and Moxie (as well as the guy he "rents" the house from) atones for some of the weaknessess. I think Mcdonald may have been writing too many books in the early 1980s. Because there's a major dropoff in quality at this point in his career. Although he can't quite phone in a Fletch book and this is still a lot of fun.
May 7, 2015
This book has lots of wildness and heart and dynamic characters.
I recommend Fletch and The Widow Bradley and Fletchs Moxie be read as one book. Both stories focus on Fletch and his actress girlfriend, Moxie. These two characters have such great chemistry. It's really charming, relate-able stuff. I feel like I could read an entire book that is just them talking to each other nonstop, no breaks. Nothing but dialogue. I want that to exist. I want it so badly.
I recommend Fletch and The Widow Bradley and Fletchs Moxie be read as one book. Both stories focus on Fletch and his actress girlfriend, Moxie. These two characters have such great chemistry. It's really charming, relate-able stuff. I feel like I could read an entire book that is just them talking to each other nonstop, no breaks. Nothing but dialogue. I want that to exist. I want it so badly.
August 6, 2019
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
So in the last book, we met Moxie Mooney while Fletch was still a working journalist. They'd known each other for some time at this point, and it might have been just about the last time they saw each other until now, sometime following Fletch's Fortune (when his tax problems were taken care of and he could return to the States), although she had visited him in Italy shortly before this.
Moxie's decided she needs Fletch's help with something, she's got some sort of problem that needs investigating, and who better? When Fletch arrives on the movie set for her current project in Florida, he's just in time to help her with a brand-new problem. She's appearing on a (pre-taped, thankfully) TV interview with her business manager—the only people on the set (or near enough the set) are Moxie, her manager, and the interviewer. So when the manager is killed with a knife to the back, there aren't a whole lot of suspects.
Fletch jumps to action and gathers a lot of information (as only he can) before the police really even know what's going on, including an in-depth interview (that doesn't look like one) with the widow. He then whisks Moxie away to the home of a business associate in Key West, to keep her out of the spotlight while he can do some digging into both of her problems.
Great plan, that doesn't account for two things: 1. Moxie's father, the illustrious stage and film actor, Frederick Mooney—known more now for a constant state of drunkenness is visiting her, too, and has to come along; 2. Moxie tells the director and most of the cast where she's staying and they arrive, too. Having a cast of movie stars past and present staying in one house tends to attract a bit of attention—especially when they're associated with an unsolved murder.
One thing Fletch has done recently is buying enough stock in GCN (Global Cable News—a CNN-like entity) that executives take his phone call and pay attention to his news tips. This turns out to be pretty advantageous and helps with some of his research—this will prove fruitful for future books, too.
Fletch investigates the murder in the way he does best—by talking to people and interviewing them without their realizing it and making phone calls. I just love watching him work. It's an intricate problem and Fletch's solution is quite clever.
This particular book gives McDonald a chance to do two things—better explore Moxie's character (who might be a richer character than Fletch, but not one you could base a series on) and lampoon Hollywood and its approach to the art/business of movie-making. Almost everything he talks about in this 1982 book is still prevalent -- and maybe moreso.
I have nothing new to say about Dan John Miller—he's a really good narrator and perfect for the series. I assume at this point, I'll hear his voice in my head for at least part of the time I think about this character in the future.
This isn't my favorite Fletch book, but it's one of the best and a great showcase for both the character and McDonald. Amusing, insightful, smart and fun—hard to ask for more.
---
So in the last book, we met Moxie Mooney while Fletch was still a working journalist. They'd known each other for some time at this point, and it might have been just about the last time they saw each other until now, sometime following Fletch's Fortune (when his tax problems were taken care of and he could return to the States), although she had visited him in Italy shortly before this.
Moxie's decided she needs Fletch's help with something, she's got some sort of problem that needs investigating, and who better? When Fletch arrives on the movie set for her current project in Florida, he's just in time to help her with a brand-new problem. She's appearing on a (pre-taped, thankfully) TV interview with her business manager—the only people on the set (or near enough the set) are Moxie, her manager, and the interviewer. So when the manager is killed with a knife to the back, there aren't a whole lot of suspects.
Fletch jumps to action and gathers a lot of information (as only he can) before the police really even know what's going on, including an in-depth interview (that doesn't look like one) with the widow. He then whisks Moxie away to the home of a business associate in Key West, to keep her out of the spotlight while he can do some digging into both of her problems.
Great plan, that doesn't account for two things: 1. Moxie's father, the illustrious stage and film actor, Frederick Mooney—known more now for a constant state of drunkenness is visiting her, too, and has to come along; 2. Moxie tells the director and most of the cast where she's staying and they arrive, too. Having a cast of movie stars past and present staying in one house tends to attract a bit of attention—especially when they're associated with an unsolved murder.
One thing Fletch has done recently is buying enough stock in GCN (Global Cable News—a CNN-like entity) that executives take his phone call and pay attention to his news tips. This turns out to be pretty advantageous and helps with some of his research—this will prove fruitful for future books, too.
Fletch investigates the murder in the way he does best—by talking to people and interviewing them without their realizing it and making phone calls. I just love watching him work. It's an intricate problem and Fletch's solution is quite clever.
This particular book gives McDonald a chance to do two things—better explore Moxie's character (who might be a richer character than Fletch, but not one you could base a series on) and lampoon Hollywood and its approach to the art/business of movie-making. Almost everything he talks about in this 1982 book is still prevalent -- and maybe moreso.
I have nothing new to say about Dan John Miller—he's a really good narrator and perfect for the series. I assume at this point, I'll hear his voice in my head for at least part of the time I think about this character in the future.
This isn't my favorite Fletch book, but it's one of the best and a great showcase for both the character and McDonald. Amusing, insightful, smart and fun—hard to ask for more.
March 3, 2021
The Fletch books are tons of fun, mysteries that flirt with the line leading to hard-boiled but never quite crossing. There's sex, murder, some hard drinking, and a cynical worldview, but Fletch is so relentlessly funny that they never stray too far from the light, no matter how dark some of the subject matter gets. Fletch's Moxie, the fifth in the series, is true to form, and while not as good as the first two, a satisfying Fletch story.
In Florida, Fletch witnesses the murder of a Hollywood producer on the outdoor set of a talk show. Contending with local cops, a white supremacist group, and a phalanx of Hollywood narcissists, he tries to find the killer while romancing Moxie Mooney, the gorgeous star of the movie --who happens to be the prime suspect.
*SPOILERS*
One of the fun things about the Fletch series is that McDonald puts him in different situations in every book. This time, he's holed up in a Florida estate with a bunch of showbiz wackos -- two directors, a fading starlet, an up-and-coming leading man, and Moxie's father, an aging drunk who takes the craft seriously. In trying to solve the murder, Fletch gets a crash course in the way Hollywood works, from the underhanded deals that fund movie to the reasons why actors are so flagrant with their spending. It's essentially all about appearances, and Fletch seems simultaneously incensed and fascinated by this world that enchants everyone and that he's getting a chance to briefly touch.
Fletch spends talking about the movie business seem like sojourns from the plot, but they're deceptively important. The entire time, Fletch is putting together pieces of the mystery, finding out how they're all related to the victim and why. And there's a desperation to his detective work this time because he's not just trying to solve a crime; he's trying to exonerate Moxie. There's a lot of sex and flirting, and it's made clear that the two of them are sort of friends with benefits who get together every few years or so, but as the lengths to which he goes to find another killer, and his longing to believe that she isn't capable of murder, indicates that Fletch really cares for Moxie. It humanizes him in a way his previous sexual conquests didn't.
That doesn't mean Fletch loses his penchant for ironic detachment, though. He still quips a mile a minute, and the jokes suggest he takes absolutely nothing seriously -- belying how invested he is in the case. I'm sure it's a consequence of watching the movies, but it's hard not to see Chevy Chase as Fletch, and his brand of humor was perfectly in line with Fletch's (minus some of the wackier stuff). Fletch's Moxie is dialogue-heavy, as the other novels are, and it's excellently written. The scenes where he goes back and forth with the chief of detectives, with whom he seemed to share an attraction, are some of the best in the book. That's the real pleasure of the series, even more so than the mysteries: Fletch being Fletch.
Fletch's Moxie is a fun and funny mystery that humanizes its hero while maintaining the comedy.
In Florida, Fletch witnesses the murder of a Hollywood producer on the outdoor set of a talk show. Contending with local cops, a white supremacist group, and a phalanx of Hollywood narcissists, he tries to find the killer while romancing Moxie Mooney, the gorgeous star of the movie --who happens to be the prime suspect.
*SPOILERS*
One of the fun things about the Fletch series is that McDonald puts him in different situations in every book. This time, he's holed up in a Florida estate with a bunch of showbiz wackos -- two directors, a fading starlet, an up-and-coming leading man, and Moxie's father, an aging drunk who takes the craft seriously. In trying to solve the murder, Fletch gets a crash course in the way Hollywood works, from the underhanded deals that fund movie to the reasons why actors are so flagrant with their spending. It's essentially all about appearances, and Fletch seems simultaneously incensed and fascinated by this world that enchants everyone and that he's getting a chance to briefly touch.
Fletch spends talking about the movie business seem like sojourns from the plot, but they're deceptively important. The entire time, Fletch is putting together pieces of the mystery, finding out how they're all related to the victim and why. And there's a desperation to his detective work this time because he's not just trying to solve a crime; he's trying to exonerate Moxie. There's a lot of sex and flirting, and it's made clear that the two of them are sort of friends with benefits who get together every few years or so, but as the lengths to which he goes to find another killer, and his longing to believe that she isn't capable of murder, indicates that Fletch really cares for Moxie. It humanizes him in a way his previous sexual conquests didn't.
That doesn't mean Fletch loses his penchant for ironic detachment, though. He still quips a mile a minute, and the jokes suggest he takes absolutely nothing seriously -- belying how invested he is in the case. I'm sure it's a consequence of watching the movies, but it's hard not to see Chevy Chase as Fletch, and his brand of humor was perfectly in line with Fletch's (minus some of the wackier stuff). Fletch's Moxie is dialogue-heavy, as the other novels are, and it's excellently written. The scenes where he goes back and forth with the chief of detectives, with whom he seemed to share an attraction, are some of the best in the book. That's the real pleasure of the series, even more so than the mysteries: Fletch being Fletch.
Fletch's Moxie is a fun and funny mystery that humanizes its hero while maintaining the comedy.
October 31, 2021
This wasn't your typical Fletch novel. Fletch is asked to come and help his movie star friend find her father, a drunk old actor. Before much can get going, a really strange murder occurs. A man is stabbed on film during a television interview.. It is almost a locked room type mystery-- how could any of the people on the set have stabbed the fellow without the film capturing the actual murder. With his movie star friend/occasional lover marked as the chief suspect, Fletch whisks her off to Key West while he ponders the crime. They are joined by her father, and before long, an entourage of the movie people.
At this point, the novel moves far afield from actual investigative journalism that Fletch is known for. Instead, we seem him playing host to a cast of eccentric characters, most of which have some motive for the murder themselves. And-- at that point-- I would have just put the book down-- BUT
The eccentric characters and their gradually revealed back stories were absolutely enthralling. The old drunken father with a reputation for playing in films and theaters while completely smashed was quite interesting. The black actor, tired of being type cast into roles and self-medicating with cocaine was interesting. The Australian director, fired weeks earlier, hoping for a chance to direct a real film in Hollywood. Everything about these odd characters and their history with one another and the deceased keeps the reader moving through the book. In addition, some of the Hollywood dirty tricks offer intriguing details that keep the book interesting.
I was disappointed that Fletch asked very few questions.. allowing the "suspects" to slowly reveal details of their lives and relationships with the deceased. I figured out the murderer fairly early, but the how was something I missed, though it was clearly hinted at early on.
This was a good one... I'm not crazy over the Fletch novels.. but this one was quite enjoyable.
At this point, the novel moves far afield from actual investigative journalism that Fletch is known for. Instead, we seem him playing host to a cast of eccentric characters, most of which have some motive for the murder themselves. And-- at that point-- I would have just put the book down-- BUT
The eccentric characters and their gradually revealed back stories were absolutely enthralling. The old drunken father with a reputation for playing in films and theaters while completely smashed was quite interesting. The black actor, tired of being type cast into roles and self-medicating with cocaine was interesting. The Australian director, fired weeks earlier, hoping for a chance to direct a real film in Hollywood. Everything about these odd characters and their history with one another and the deceased keeps the reader moving through the book. In addition, some of the Hollywood dirty tricks offer intriguing details that keep the book interesting.
I was disappointed that Fletch asked very few questions.. allowing the "suspects" to slowly reveal details of their lives and relationships with the deceased. I figured out the murderer fairly early, but the how was something I missed, though it was clearly hinted at early on.
This was a good one... I'm not crazy over the Fletch novels.. but this one was quite enjoyable.
February 5, 2023
The motives and opportunities of the houseful of potential murderers are, for the most part, wasted potential, instead we get much more of the delightful repartee between Fletch and his occasional beau, Moxie Mooney. There are some good plot twists however, and McDonald's insight into the movie industry is based on first-hand experience at this point. A worthwhile little read that isn't long enough to ever get boring.
I kept hoping for greater machinations and deviousness from our eponymous hero, I miss the more Machiavellian Fletch who is merely hinted at here, however he is ultimately little more than the framing device, and would be a mere bystander to the plot(ters) if it weren't such a bottle episode and his collection of conspiracy threads at the end are mostly of things that happened 'off-screen'.
I kept hoping for greater machinations and deviousness from our eponymous hero, I miss the more Machiavellian Fletch who is merely hinted at here, however he is ultimately little more than the framing device, and would be a mere bystander to the plot(ters) if it weren't such a bottle episode and his collection of conspiracy threads at the end are mostly of things that happened 'off-screen'.
September 6, 2024
The fifth book in the Fletch series. In this outing, his girlfriend is suspected of murdering her business manager, who was embezzling funds from her for years. He is knifed in the back during the taping of an interview show, but despite the many cameras rolling, no one saw who did the deed.
Oddly, about 90% of the book takes place in a Key West mansion rented by Fletch. The static location makes for a stagnant reading experience.
MARITAL STATUS: single but in a relationship.
SEXUAL LIAISONS: One (girlfriend Moxie).
NUMBER OF ALIASES: One (on last page of book).
NUMBER OF MURDERS: Three.
BEST RUNNING GAG: Fletch is continually writing a book about American western artist Edgar Arthur Tharp (ongoing since book 2).
RATING (OUT OF TEN): 5
Oddly, about 90% of the book takes place in a Key West mansion rented by Fletch. The static location makes for a stagnant reading experience.
MARITAL STATUS: single but in a relationship.
SEXUAL LIAISONS: One (girlfriend Moxie).
NUMBER OF ALIASES: One (on last page of book).
NUMBER OF MURDERS: Three.
BEST RUNNING GAG: Fletch is continually writing a book about American western artist Edgar Arthur Tharp (ongoing since book 2).
RATING (OUT OF TEN): 5
May 3, 2018
By the time you get to the fifth Fletch book you pretty much know what you are going to get - clever dialogue, decent mystery and a slightly dated narrative.
This is no different, but the joy is in the journey. McDonald is a witty writer and this book has much fun with a group of Hollywood types who are all potentially suspects in a murder. Fletch's interest, as a newsman, is partly in the story but more in clearing his on again, off again girlfriend who is one of the movie stars, and definitely the favourite suspect, involved.
I didn't guess the ending.
A very decent read if you like the Fletch books.
This is no different, but the joy is in the journey. McDonald is a witty writer and this book has much fun with a group of Hollywood types who are all potentially suspects in a murder. Fletch's interest, as a newsman, is partly in the story but more in clearing his on again, off again girlfriend who is one of the movie stars, and definitely the favourite suspect, involved.
I didn't guess the ending.
A very decent read if you like the Fletch books.
July 22, 2019
Decent cast of characters (pun intended!) and lots of misdirection, but at least one mystery is given away pretty quick as the plot unfolds.
(For the record, I haven't read these since I picked up the pocket paperbacks back in the 80s, and I have to say that they've aged pretty well, despite kinda falling off the national radar as a writer; Chevy Chase's inane adaptation didn't help the books in the long run...)
(For the record, I haven't read these since I picked up the pocket paperbacks back in the 80s, and I have to say that they've aged pretty well, despite kinda falling off the national radar as a writer; Chevy Chase's inane adaptation didn't help the books in the long run...)
May 15, 2024
I love the Fletch books. This is the fifth out of nine. A one-time investigative reporter, Fletch tends to get tangled up in murders. Fletch's Moxie has a touch of Agatha Christie in it. A murder takes place on a talk-show set at a movie location, and eventually all the potential suspects end up high-tailing it to a rented house in Key West. There, all the possible motives are revealed, and in the meantime the author gets to take a lot of pokes at the movie industry.
November 20, 2025
Typical Fletch book. Initial thoughts while reading, are these even good books? Then the story either gets better or I settle in (guessing the later) and the experience improves. Sometimes the banter in these books is too much for me. Fletch is called for by a friend, sometimes lover, to watch out for her while shooting a movie but when he arives the person he was to watch out for is murdered on camera. She is the chief suspect and it doesn't look good.
January 17, 2026
The other reviews are pissing me off. This is one of my favorite Fletch books so far. This would make a great movie or miniseries, very knives out style where it would require an ensemble cast. This is the first fletch book to make feel an emotion other than humor or curiosity the ending kinda got me. Overall I love this character and how easy these books are to read and how interesting and entertaining they are!
September 19, 2021
Another enjoyable outing with quick witted journalist Fletch, once again fearuring on-off girlfriend Moxie who has now hit the big time like her dear old A list papa. The mystery involves a death on a film set. A large chunk of the book is set on Key West though there is not a great deal of local colour.
April 20, 2023
Fletch’s life is playing out and you have to keep up more and more with past actions. But the primary issue is that almost everything he does is the same thing but a little different in each book. Some books are great and some can be filler. I did laugh a lot more than I did with previous books. I can also see why there cannot be a decent fletch movie. They just need to make a tv series
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