Fred Otash Special – The Fixer and Investigation Hollywood! reviewed for Ellroy Reads

2026 looks set to be a big year for readers who are interested in the (Holly)weird and wonderful life of Fred Otash. Otash, the Private Eye to the Stars, is the subject of the recently published biography, The Fixer by Manfred Westphal and Josh Young. Additionally, this Summer, James Ellroy’s latest novel Red Sheet, in which Otash is the leading character, is set to be published. So for the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, I decided to review The Fixer and examine just how much is it a genuinely factual account of Otash’s life. I compare the book to the stories Ellroy told me about Otash. Ellroy made no bones about how the Otash of his novels is a fictional portrayal of the man, but it does seem that Westphal, backed by Otash’s daughter Colleen, is in a tug of war with Ellroy as to who controls Otash’s legacy of Hollywood investigations.

It’s a fascinating literary dispute. Enjoy the episode and don’t forget to subscribe to the channel, as this helps me to keep producing content.