Misdemeanor Man

Rating:
Summary: Misdemeanor Man, A very clever and delightful novel
Review: A very clever and delightful book, just when I thought I knew what the outcome would be, Schaffer threw a curve. I related to the story on two levels, one as a Maryland State District Court employee which handles the misdemeanors as well as traffic and civil cases. I always knew that the situations that we encountered on a daily basis would make a good storyline. Schaffer's use of analogies and explanations of the legal process are very insightful and at times very witty. The lead character, Seegerman's relationships with his family, friends and associates was written realistically. I was especially touched by the letter his mother wrote and the acknowledgement his father gave in reference to "I'm Your Child". I also related to the story as a fan of Barry Manilow. I really loved the way MBM was interspersed throughout the story in a very plausible manner. Schaffer includes quite a few misconceptions of the superstar and in his own words pays homage to the man and his illustrious career. Misdemeanor Man has action, mystery, humor, love, heartache, family illness, murder and all the fun things in life. I can hardly wait to read his next novel.
Ann Marsh

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Summary: A great reading experience
Review: California public defender Gordon Seegerman detests the time practicing law takes away from his true vocation, playing the music of Barry Manilow as the lead of the Barry X and the Mandys band. His current client's case could interfere with his biggest gig, but alas he knows what pays the bills. Thus, Gordon defends fortyish Harold "willy wanker" Dunn on an indecency charge in which the prosecutor is his former girlfriend Sylvie Hernandez. The Santa Rita jail is not the Copacabana and off the record Sylvie (not Mandy) once broke Gordon's heart.

Gordon runs into three obstacles. Sylvie wants to put away Harold for a long time since the accused has a previous rap, witnesses will testify about the alleged flasher's shortcomings, and one victim is an eight-year-old girl. The judge is unreasonable on or off the record. Finally Harold rejects any plea bargain as he insists he is innocent being framed by G-0-D. Bail is high and Harold is placed in the High Power unit, but some unknown person puts up the cash so that Harold is released. Not long afterward, Harold vanishes and a key witness dies. Gordon investigates so he can get on with his gig.

MISDEMEANOR MAN records at two speeds. Gordon's satirical groupie like homage is fun to follow as the lawyer wants to play the "songs that make the world sing". The out of control misdemeanor makes for an interesting legal thriller, but though the greater portion of the plot appears as a preliminary act, it cannot compete with Barry X and the Mandys. Often humorous with some flat notes, readers wanting something different will appreciate this Manilow obsession, but could Bette Midler be next?

Harriet Klausner

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Summary: Excellent story!
Review: Fast paced and funny, this book would make a great movie! This book is something of a cross between Elmore Leonard, Dick Francis and John Grisham. I hope there is a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: One of the year's best debuts
Review: Gordon Seegerman is an apathetic public defender whose niche is defending people accused of, you guessed it, misdemeanors. What he really cares about, though, is his role as the lead singer of a Barry Manilow tribute band. He's caught up in a case that requires all his abilities when a nebbish of an accountant gets arrested for wagging his willie in a department store. Schaffer writes with a sly wit and a wonderful gift for characters. This is one of the year's best debuts!

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Summary: Misdemeanor Man is a terrific, funny debut novel
Review: Gordon Seegerman, an underpaid, under-motivated public defender, is not a happy camper. His `boss-in-theory' Duke Abramowitz, has handed him the defense of a public exposure case. Gordon has no time to actually do his job, because he and his Barry Manilow tribute band are in final rehearsals to perform for the great man himself.

So begins a debut novel by Dylan Shaffer that is oh-my-god good. Set in Santa Rita, California (anyone who lives in the Bay Area will immediately recognize Oakland), "Misdemeanor Man" is the story of Seegerman's struggle to do the right thing for his client in spite of the obstacles thrown in his path - many of which are inside his own heart and mind.

Shaffer sets up the core of the book a couple of pages in, as Gordon ruminates about how he became a public defender: "I didn't intend to end up here. I finished high school because I didn't want to be a bartender - I spent too much of my childhood waiting for my dad in bars, watching bartenders mop up vomit. I went to college to avoid becoming a cop, which is what everyone expected of me. And I went to law school because there aren't too many jobs other than cop and bartender available after an undistinguished college career. In the end I became a public defender. Now I spend much of my time with cops, in bars, where, it turns out, I feel most at home."

"Misdemeanor Man" will make you laugh out loud, but there's much more to it than its acerbic sense of humor and its send up of the California legal system. There's an intriguing mystery and heartfelt human drama as well. It's to be hoped that this isn't the last we'll see of Gordon Seegerman.

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Summary: i hate legal stories and barry manilow, but....
Review: i am female and therefore have zero, zilch, nada interest in the picayune details of boring grishamania...and yet...i have not put this book down since picking it up this morning. oh, and by the way, i also hate barry manilow, but i am hoping that barry shows up to hear the mandys play!
and i want to know if gordon is going to get the girl in the end. screw the legal plot, this is a novel with fun characters and a setting i recognize as real and not "invented" by a writer who glanced out the window of a car one night and made a mental sketch. i live in the city and know the kind of places schaffer is decribing and they ring true.
i am a total skeptic and always looking to find fault with everything, and i find only enjoyment here. i really am routing for gordon and i think you will, too.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent New Author
Review: I picked up this book while browsing in a local book store, and I was hooked from Page 1. The characters are so true-to-life that I felt like I had to say good-bye to co-workers and friends when I finished the last page. This author is equal in every way, and a little better in some ways, than John Grisham. I am very excited to see that Mr. Schaffer has written a sequel to Misdemeanor Man. I have read the excerpt, and once again I am hooked; doomed to not wash a dish or a load of laundry once I start Book #2 until its completion.

Rating:
Summary: Publisher's Weekly is dead wrong
Review: Maybe it's just me, but the Publisher's Weekly review of Dylan Schaffer's Misdemeanor Man was dead wrong. Not only did I find that all the characters were true originals--and not stereotypical, as described by PW--but in my opinion this novel is by turns funny, sad, moving, and completely engaging. As for the novel's trial, labeled by PW as "contrived narrative," I felt it was nothing short of magnificent. And finally, as a Public Defender for the past 30 years, who has tried dozens of misdemeanors, I felt Schaffer's trial is right on the mark. In fact, all legal aspects of this novel are wonderfully accurate. So with all due respect to Publisher's Weekly, I feel quite strongly that you've done Mr. Schaffer's truly delightful novel a serious injustice.

Rating:
Summary: A Fun, Fast Read
Review: Misdemeanor Man is a fun, fast read. I picked it up every chance I got over the last two days and hated to finish it...

I found myself rooting for the quirky oddball public defender who lawyers as little as possible in order to devote his heart and energy to his true love- the music of Barry Manilow. I was also rooting for his pathetic "wanker" client. It is a testimony to Schaffer's smart, witty writing that these guys not only got my sympathy, but captured my attention. Where did he come up with this stuff?

I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Misdemeanor Man.

Rating:
Summary: Too much fun to miss...
Review: The book is a blast. It is not exactly Ulysses, but made me laugh outloud several times. Sure, there are flaws here, but the characters--particularly the Band (a PC lovers dream) and his grandfather (hilarious). His brother, King, was complete underdeveloped (for example, why does our hero see him in that bathroom in the building where the illegal business was going down? It was never mentioned again). The story about the father was just sad, but very effective. I loved the Barry Manilow stuff...it was almost touching. The main story was solid, but too long was spent on the trial and not enough "cracking the case," the resolution did not seem all that well thought out. Although, the big performance for MBM did work beautifully. I have a few other issues...why was the father called "S." (was a respect thing?), why is the cover photo taken in Chicago when the book is set in Oakland? My biggest complaint and it is not a big deal, is that the book is so clearly set in Oakland, but the town has been renamed Santa Rita? I have no idea and it was distracting. Sounds like I didn't like the book, but really I did. Gordy is a charming and the characters in the band really make the book worth it. And the Manilow stuff is wacky and really cool.