Just what a thriller should be: brisk, compelling, economical and satisfying.

So I saw this book in the library and decided to reread it. I haven’t read it in over 30 years but it was one of the books that hooked me on mysteries as a young man.

Let me start by saying that the writing is still top notch. I found myself laughing frequently. I can see why the young me liked this book. It feels a little dated and Fletch is a bigger asshole than I remember but it was a fun trip down memory lane.

I originally rated this book a 5 based on memory when I added it to Goodreads. It was an important book from my childhood. If I was rating it now it would be about 3.5 to 4. ( )

What a hoot! This was so much fun! A real breath of fresh air! I read this years ago (1980 something). Of course I didn't remember it, just the ending. I was delighted to share it with my husband. We had watched the movie Confess, Fletch and I realized he didn't know the character Fletch as I did. He also really enjoyed this audiobook. We look forward to reading the rest of the series. So much fun to find something new among my memories. I never did read the whole series, so the next one will be a surprise for both of us. Good narrator! ( )

I'm glad I read it. This felt very similar to the film, though there were some changes. ( )

This was a pretty enjoyable read, and an interesting story. I don't believe I ever saw the movie, yet I still thought of Chevy Chase as Fletch - possibly partially due to the audiobook's narrator, Grover Gardner, who may have sounded a bit like him. Or, maybe that was just my imagination and it's because I knew Chevy Chase played the character. In any case, I can easily imagine Chevy Chase as Fletch, who is good at being a bit goofy while acting totally serious. He's very good at making up stories in order to get information, even to the point of making someone believe they knew each other, and remembering their time together even though they never met. He uses this talent successfully in his job as a reporter, and can get bits of information until he finally comes up with the whole story. In this book, it seems as if he might be the only one to know this story in its entirety.

It was an interesting story with lots of seemingly unrelated people and events that come together in the end. ( )