Noir by Necessity

How My Father's Unsolved Murder Took Me to Dark Places

By: Mike Gatto

Narrated by: Dave Clark

Mike Gatto was an up-and-coming young lawmaker when his father was brutally murdered.

The act sucked him into the world of noir: wild theories, intransigent detectives, and unimaginable violence.

This true crime story feels like a thriller, offering insight into the world of politics and the seedy underbelly of crime investigation in modern Los Angeles.

Gatto shares his experiences with incredible candor and raw emotion, detailing every clue, and how he came to learn every tragic detail of his father's murder. With the case still unsolved, see if you can piece together the clues to solve the mystery.

©2024 Black Rose Writing (P)2024 Black Rose Writing

Critic reviews

“The murder of Joseph Gatto captivated Los Angeles. Many veteran journalists still wonder how and why it happened. The details of this horrible crime and those affected by it continue to fascinate.” –Robert Kovacik, Anchor and Reporter, NBC Los Angeles

Compelling

Well written and compelling story about a son’s deep love and admiration for his father taken by a senseless and still unresolved crime. It will leave you at times frustrated, angry, and warmed by stories of a man who touched many, and most of all loved deeply by his only son and his family determined to survive his memory and rightful justice.

Why This Book, Why Now?

I found this book not to be as much about the father as a self-paean to the son. The son is a man of integrity, a proud Italian American, a man with a perfect family, a great lawyer, a honest legislator, a thoughtful and honest and analytical and good and kind man. You will learn more than you wanted to know about his campaign fundraising and position on gun control - honestly, this reads more like a bid for a gubernatorial election than a son’s lament over his father’s death. By the time this book ended, I didn’t much care for what Mike Gatto revealed about himself. This book would be much better if it had been written by a family outsider, so all possible scenarios could be fully explored.