The crime novels of Gregory Mcdonald emerged in the ‘70s as a self-amused antithesis to more typically hard-boiled detective stories. The series began with “Fletch” in 1974 and continued a 20-year run, ending with “Fletch Reflected” in 1994. Irwin Maurice Fletcher (Fletch to everyone who knows him) is a shaggy if confident rebel without a cause — but with a reporter’s stubborn curiosity and tenacity. Helpful traits, seeing as he works for a newspaper when we meet him in the first book. Chevy Chase starred in two movie adaptations in the ‘80s and Jon Hamm steps into those shoes for the newest incarnation, based on Mcdonald’s 1976 follow up to his debut effort: “Confess, Fletch.”
In the book, our man Fletch is engaged to an heiress from Italy. When her family’s pricey art collection goes missing (along with her father) Fletch works to unravel the mystery — and, in the process, is framed for a murder he didn’t commit.
Some minor details are changed in the screenplay adaptation from Greg Mottola (who also directs) and Zev Borow. Fletch isn’t engaged to anyone, but simply floating around Rome when he’s hired to track down a wealthy family’s stolen paintings. He falls in bed with the comely heiress, then her father goes missing, then they get a tip that maybe those paintings ended up in Boston. All of this unfolds in the story’s first few minutes, prompting Fletch to head back to the States to investigate.
