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.
