“Formalism matters in the mystery novel. Breaking rules and flying in the face of convention can have its rewards, but most avid readers of crime will tell you that nothing satisfies like that tale that falls within the well-marked boundaries of its genre. Confess, Fletch, Gregory McDonald’s second novel featuring the intrepid wiseass Irwin Maurice Fletcher, is a mystery that takes its cues from the golden age of detective fiction: it features a naked corpse in a locked room, a disparate list of morally challenged suspects, and even introduces an eccentric police detective, an enormous Irish cop with a penchant for chamomile tea and Bach. That he balances these elements within the framework of a Fletch novel shows how good McDonald, who died earlier this year, was when he on the top of his game. Among McDonald’s books, Confess, Fletch is second only to its predecessor Fletch, and fans of traditional mysteries might easily find it to be the best.”

“A fun read…The book is well written, and the characters are nicely developed. The crisp storyline makes the book easy to read…I was hooked by the seriousness juxtaposed to the dry humor in the opening scene…Confess, Fletch is a very entertaining, lighthearted mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

‘‘Has all the zest, humor, and spare lean prose of its forerunner: it has 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. Confess, Fletch is a stimulant slipped into your nightcap that will have you up at dawn.’’