The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn

(Hardback)

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A riveting tell-all biography that delves into the extraordinary life of Hollywood's most infamous private detective and "fixer" to the stars, revealing newly discovered shocking revelations from his never-before-seen investigative files.

During the height of Hollywood's golden age, one man lorded over the city's lurid underbelly of forbidden sin and celebrity scandal like no other: Fred Otash. An ex-Marine turned L.A.P.D. vice cop, Otash became the most sought-after private detective and fixer to the stars by specializing in the dark arts that would soon dominate the entertainment industry.

Otash was notorious for bugging the homes, offices, and playpens of movie stars, kingmakers, and powerful politicians, employing then state-of-the-art methods of electronic surveillance and wiretapping for a who's who list of clients for whom he'd do "anything short of murder." He lied to federal authorities to protect Frank Sinatra from criminal liability; recorded Rock Hudson's coming out confession to his estranged wife; moved in with Judy Garland to help her get sober; taped President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy's tragic love affairs with the greatest sex symbol of all time, and he listened to Marilyn Monroe die.

Based on Otash's never-before-seen investigative files and personal archives, THE FIXER takes readers inside the sensational and nefarious world of the man whose art imitating life inspired the private eye characters portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Chinatown and Russell Crowe in LA Confidential.

Reviews

"A breathless expos of Hollywood's bad old days, culminating in the presumed murder of Marilyn Monroe."--Kirkus Reviews
"Those eager for a peek into classic Hollywood scandals will be well satisfied."--Publisher's Weekly

Author Bio

Manfred Westphal is Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Agency for the Performing Arts (APA). Prior to joining APA in 2011, Westphal was Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications for the U.S. headquarters of global media giant Fremantle, the production company responsible for iconic television brands such as American Idol, America's Got Talent, and The Price Is Right. Previously, Westphal served as Vice President of Publicity at Paramount Domestic Television. He began his career in the studio system, working various production and development positions at 20th Century-Fox and Warner Bros. Television, where in 1989 he began collaborating with Hollywood's most legendary private detective, Fred Otash, to tell his untold story before his untimely death in 1992.

Josh Young has written five New York Times bestsellers, two additional Los Angeles Times bestsellers, four books that were made into feature documentaries, eighteen books that have been ranked No. 1 in their category on Amazon, and two novels.