Author of ‘Fletch’ mystery books

Gregory Mcdonald, 71, a former Boston Globe reporter whose best-selling “Fletch” mystery books also were made into films, died of cancer Sunday at his farm in Pulaski, Tenn., according to his manager, David List.

“Fletch,” published in 1974, was the first in a series of books about an investigative reporter named Irwin M. Fletcher. Actor Chevy Chase portrayed the lead character in the 1985 movie “Fletch” and the 1989 sequel “Fletch Lives.”

Mcdonald twice won the Edgar Allan Poe Award presented by the Mystery Writers of America and published 26 books, including “Flynn,” “Running Scared” and “The Brave.”

Born Feb. 15, 1937, in Shrewsbury, Mass., Mcdonald graduated from Harvard University in 1958.

He sailed yachts, worked as a marine insurance underwriter, volunteered with the Peace Corps and taught Spanish, math and history at the high school level before joining the Globe.