★★★
Fred Otash — “keyhole peeper, wire tapper, morals enforcer, dirt collector and all-purpose scandalmonger to the stars” — is a ripe subject for a book. The LAPD detective-turned-private dick was hardly short of juicy stories, breathlessly recounted here (bolstered by Manfred Westphal, who met Otash). While it sometimes veers on pure 1950s gossip-column-style scandal, it’s a mostly riveting read.