Son of Fletch
by Gregory Mcdonald
The Jack Novels (Book 1), Fletch Mysteries: Publication order (Book 10), Fletch Mysteries: Chronological Order (Book 10)
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After spending his younger years wandering and womanizing, Fletch has settled down in rural Tennessee with his new Southern belle, Carrie. But unfortunately, chaos always comes knocking for the semiretired reporter. One stormy evening on his sizable but modest farm, a wet and dirty escaped convict named Jack arrives on his front doorstep, claiming to be his long-lost son. Baffled by the statement but intrigued by the young, intelligent man, Fletch decides to play along with the kid's game show more and help him and his cohorts abscond to Alabama. As questions begin to arise about Jack's peculiar motives, Fletch and Carrie are reluctantly drawn further into a racially charged plot that's quickly turning violent. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
The Fletch comic mystery series has had it humorous highlights over the years, based on the life of journalist and one time political media adviser, but here McDonald passes the baton to Fletch's son, who naturally is named "Jack", to continue on the now uninspiring Fletch series.
Besides Fletch meeting his long lost son, "Son of Fletch" covers their infiltration of a white supremacist group in Alabama, who, as you can imagine, are depicted as the dregs of humanity (as they should), a reflection back to an earlier Fletch adventure in Brazil, and the mystery of who exactly this young man claiming to be Fletch's son actually is.
"Son of Fletch" is only for the McDonald completests amongst you.
Besides Fletch meeting his long lost son, "Son of Fletch" covers their infiltration of a white supremacist group in Alabama, who, as you can imagine, are depicted as the dregs of humanity (as they should), a reflection back to an earlier Fletch adventure in Brazil, and the mystery of who exactly this young man claiming to be Fletch's son actually is.
"Son of Fletch" is only for the McDonald completests amongst you.
I love fletch, and I love Jack now, too.
FLetch discovers he has a son, is he a criminal or?
From Publishers Weekly
Despite a couple of shaky plot turns, readers will gladly succumb to McDonald's laconic wit and smooth pacing in this 10th entry in the Fletch series. Ex-reporter Irwin Maurice Fletcher--just Fletch, please--is in semi-retirement in Tennessee where, after three marriages, he has settled in with Carrie, a plainspoken "Southern country woman." One dark and stormy night (yes!), Fletch's heretofore unknown son, Jack, arrives, accompanied by a South African killer, a kidnapper and a drug dealer who escaped from federal prison with him. Beguiled by 20-ish Jack, Fletch is soon effectively in charge of getting the escapees away from the cops and in to Alabama where a group of white supremacists have encamped to await show more their leader, the killer. Although in looks and manners, Jack surely has not fallen far from the paternal tree, Fletch still seeks proof of their relationship, but is soon more worried about the dangers awaiting the young man in the camp. Fletch wins the day in great style as the supremacists, cartoonish screw-ups barely capable of organizing a beer blast, mainly self-destruct. Fletch, Carrie and the enterprising Jack, however, are all fully dimensioned characters who rate readers' attention and applause. Mystery Guild alternate.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews Back for his first adventure since Fletch Too (1986), the irrepressible reporter/detective comes home with his latest squeeze, Carrie, to his Tennessee homestead to find four escaped convicts in residence--one of them identifying himself as Jack Fletch Faoni, Fletch's long-lost--well, unsuspected--son. It would be too easy to just turn these guys in, so Fletch gives Jack a loaded gun, plays along with him, and lands up to his neck in an Alabama camp of white- supremacist crazies. But wait! Is Jack really Fletch, Jr.? A few of Fletch's trademark phone calls reveal that no Jack Faoni has ever served time in the federal pen, and that Crystal Faoni's son is spending the summer in Greece.... More boisterous high jinks than mystery, like a class reunion of stand-up guys resting on their r‚sum‚s. Even so: welcome back, Fletch. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. show less
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews Back for his first adventure since Fletch Too (1986), the irrepressible reporter/detective comes home with his latest squeeze, Carrie, to his Tennessee homestead to find four escaped convicts in residence--one of them identifying himself as Jack Fletch Faoni, Fletch's long-lost--well, unsuspected--son. It would be too easy to just turn these guys in, so Fletch gives Jack a loaded gun, plays along with him, and lands up to his neck in an Alabama camp of white- supremacist crazies. But wait! Is Jack really Fletch, Jr.? A few of Fletch's trademark phone calls reveal that no Jack Faoni has ever served time in the federal pen, and that Crystal Faoni's son is spending the summer in Greece.... More boisterous high jinks than mystery, like a class reunion of stand-up guys resting on their r‚sum‚s. Even so: welcome back, Fletch. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. show less
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Author Information
45+ Works 7,381 Members
Gregory Mcdonald was educated at Harvard University and, at the same time, started up an international yacht trouble-shooting business to help pay his way through college. In 1964, Mcdonald was hired at the Boston Globe. In his seven years with them, he worked as a writer for the Sunday Magazine, a critic, the Arts and Humanities Editor, a show more critic-at-large columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. He was hired by publisher Davis Taylor to make the Globe more competitive. With Mcdonald, the readership soared but advertisers pulled out, in part because he wrote openly against the Vietnam War, one of the first journalists ever to do so, and for arguing for Civil, Women's and Gay Rights. It was said that a group of fellow employees beat him up in the Globe parking lot for the stance he took in a controversial time period. Mcdonald has written many mysteries including the Fletch, Flynn, Son of Fletch and Skylar series. Some of the titles included in those series are Exits and Entrances, A World Too Wide, and Safekeeping. His novel The Brave was elected Trophees 813 Best Foreign Novel 1997 in France. Mcdonald has twice been the winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award, a recipient of humanitarian and peoples rights awards and is the past president of the Mystery Writers of America. He was suffering from cancer when he died on September 7, 2008 at the age of 71. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Son of Fletch
- Original publication date
- 1993
- People/Characters
- Irwin Maurice Fletcher
- First words
- Mister Fletcher?"
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Fletcher said "Oh boy."
- Blurbers
- Straub, Peter; McBain, Ed; Matera, Lia; Dees, Morris; Lovesey, Peter
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 319
- Popularity
- 99,879
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.48)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 21
- ASINs
- 7
