Hackett at Large by Jack Fitzgerald

Ben Hackett is an affable man-about-town reporter in Hackett at Large: Tales from a Reporter’s Life in Paris 1961–68 by Jack Fitzgerald. In this collection of stories and anecdotes, Hackett interviews top-line celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, and JFK, which aren’t necessarily historically accurate, but give us a chance to witness Hackett in action, with all his wit and charm. The story veers to feeling like fantasy fulfillment, with the celebrities seemingly star-struck by Hackett himself, but it’s a fun fantasy nonetheless, spurred on by the colorful characterization of the endearingly old-school, cigar-chomping reporter. The story doesn’t entirely seem to need to take place in Paris, as there aren’t many topographical descriptions of the location, but again that plays into the fantasy, and readers will enjoy the cut-and-thrust of the fast-paced news agency setting in the golden age of journalism when outsized personalities ruled the media.