James Ellroy is an American original of the most profane order. The bestselling author of the noir classics "L.A. Confidential," "The Black Dahlia," and "The Cold Six Thousand," he has been hailed by the "Los Angeles Times" as "one of the best writers of our era." In his latest short fiction, "Shakedown," he is as frenetically depraved as ever, minting an antihero who is a cad for the ages. Meet Freddy Otash: corrupt cop turned sleaze hustler, extortionist, pimp, and an actual historical figure who made the 1950s magazine "Confidential" the go-to source for the sins of the rich and famous. In his prime, Freddy raised hell, and in the pages of "Shakedown" he finds himself in purgatory—literally—waiting for a transfer. Will he make it to heaven, or is his fate trending south? Promised redemption if he confesses, Freddy writes a tell-all peopled by Hollywood greats like Liz Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, and Gary Cooper (to name a few), who are up to all sorts of wrong. Threesomes, foursomes, men’s room misadventures—anything goes in this licentious world. "Shakedown" explodes the postwar America of June and Ward Cleaver and breathes randy new life into the man who whetted our national appetite for sex and scandal and whose lack of scruples makes today’s gossip culture seem almost innocent. What’s true and what’s fiction? Ellroy’s not telling.