Fletch's Moxie

No sooner has Fletch arrived at the Florida filming location for Midsummer Night's Madness, the latest film by his on & off love interest, Moxie Mooney, than the producer is murdered on the set.  It turns out that everyone had a reason to kill Steve Peterman, especially Moxie.  Fletch absconds with Moxie and her even more famous father, legendary actor Freddy Mooney, to Key West.  The Fort Myers police are unimpressed.  Soon, the major cast members, the current director, the fired director, and a cast member's wife are in residence at the home Fletch had rented in Key West.  Fletch is unimpressed; this was supposed to be a hiding place but has instead become a stop on the local bus tours.  Per his usual, Fletch spends a lot of time trying to ferret out who murdered Peterman, frequently fearing that it may very well have been Moxie.  To add to his trouble, Freddy is a drunkard who often wanders off, which requires Fletch to scout the local bars to retrieve him.  Then there is the man from whom he rented the Key West house, who is apoplectic about the news that it is housing a suspected murderess and many Hollywood notables.

McDonald delivered another enjoyable page turner.  Unlike other notable sleuths, Fletch often comes to the wrong conclusions.  He followed the wrong track in Confess, Fletch; it was Inspector Flynn who solved the crime.  Of course, the crime was something of a sidetrack in that novel, as Fletch was investigating some missing paintings.  Here too, he goes on some wild goose chases before his epiphany.  He's an investigative reporter, not some Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot.  It makes him more human than some of the superhero detectives.  Plus, there's more humor.

In retrospect, there are some aspects that make no sense.  Peterman's machinations look to have been pointless and wasteful.  Maybe he was incompetent in addition to being crooked.  Nonetheless, it's a good read and definitely recommended.