''Confess, Fletch'' is a 1976 mystery novel by

Gregory Mcdonald Gregory Mcdonald (February 15, 1937 – September 7, 2008) was an American writer best known for his mystery adventures featuring investigative reporter Irwin Maurice "Fletch" Fletcher. Two of the Fletch books earned Edgar Awards from the Myste ...

, the sequel to '' Fletch''. In ''Confess, Fletch'', McDonald introduced another popular character, Inspector Francis Xavier Flynn, a brilliant but eccentric police detective who serves as a foil for Fletch.

Synopsis

Fletch goes to Boston in search of stolen paintings belonging to his fiancée's father, the Count de Grassi, who has been kidnapped and is presumed dead. Upon arrival in Boston, Fletch discovers a dead woman in his apartment and is accused of murdering her. To clear his name, Fletch must find the murderer and balance his quest for the stolen paintings. In his quest for the paintings Fletch deals with a cast of characters including his soon to be mother-in-law, the Countess de Grassi, an art dealer named Horan, and Inspector Francis Xavier Flynn of the Boston Police Department. Flynn suspects Fletch, but is skeptical enough of his innocence that Fletch is allowed to roam Boston with a police tail. Ultimately, Fletch clears his name of the murder and gets away with the paintings safe in the hands of the Count de Grassi. The murder was done by Horan to frame Fletch who had inquired about the paintings before coming to America.

Reception

The book won the 1977

Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Middle Ages; it was, however ...

. In a review for the book, the

New Castle News The ''New Castle News'' is a six-day (Monday through Saturday) daily newspaper published in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and covering Lawrence County. It is owned by CNHI. The ''News'' also publishes an 8,700-circulation weekly newspaper in nearby ...

said it was "a freight train of suspense, winding through enough bends, some more seat-grabbing than others, to keep the reader's hands glued to the pages." In 1976, writer

Joe Gores Joseph Nicholas Gores (December 25, 1931 – January 10, 2011) was an American mystery writer. He was known best for his novels and short stories set in San Francisco and featuring the fictional Dan Kearney and Associates (the "DKA Files") priva ...

hailed the book as having "a beautifully complex plot which leaves you squirming at the final sentence, and a set of slippery characters who never turn out to be just exactly what they seem." Writing for

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, Newgate Callendar wrote that the character "Flynn stole the show". Flynn would go on to star in four of his own

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

novels including: ''Flynn'' (1977), ''The Buck Passes Flynn'' (1981), ''Flynn's In'' (1984), and ''Flynn's World'' (2003).

Film adaptation

An adaptation of the novel starring

Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and tw ...

and directed by

Greg Mottola Gregory J. Mottola (born July 11, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter and television director. Early life and education Mottola grew up in Dix Hills, New York, in a Catholic family of Italian and Irish descent. He received his BFA ...

, was released in September 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Confess, Fletch (novel) 1976 American novels American crime novels American comedy novels Edgar Award–winning works Novels about journalists American novels adapted into films