The Fixer

Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn

By: Josh Young, Manfred Westphal

Narrated by: Jefferson Mays, Manfred Westphal

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 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 life inspired the private eye characters portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Chinatown and Russell Crowe in LA Confidential.

Great Insights Into a Controversial Event

Very interesting and insightful, especially for someone who lived through that time, and has read and heard all the different versions.

Amazing piece of history!

I could not stop listening! I loved the honesty of the personal successes and failures of so many in Hollywood and Washing DC that were revealed.

Outstanding

What a fantastic informative book! I learned so many things about not only the entertainment industry Hollywood in the 1950s and 60s- just absolutely fascinating. And the narrator was amazing. I didn’t want to end.

Interesting memoir

I liked listening to this memoir/biography of former LA police officer & private detective who was a Fixer for movie stars and others. He lived an interesting life and became one of the few people who somewhat knew what happened to Marilyn Monroe, but it isn’t revealed until the very end of the book.

Great details, but horrible narrating.

I like the story that is behind the fixer, however, the narration made it hard for me to listen to you for any length of time at all.