Customer Reviews

Misdemeanor Man: A Novel

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book to read on vacation but made the mistake of picking it up the other evening. I'm now about 90% of the way done with it and if it wasn't for my dang job I'd be finishing it right now. But while I'm seated at my PC anyhow... I'll review! Now I've got to find something ELSE to read on vacay (feel sorry for me yet?). Think of this book as a combination of adultish Scooby Doo hijinx and a Perry Mason legal thriller except Shaggy/Perry is obsessed with Barry Manilow. So you don't like Manilow? That's okay... I was a little put off by the Manilow connection at first since I'm not a big fan but I can relate to the obsessive nature of the characters (Am I running out to buy an album though? Hmm... I'm at least tempted to borrow one and give Mr. Manilow another chance). The characters are well written and likeable... and the book gets the legal thing in a way that's compelling and funny. As a resident of the SF Bay Area it's also amusing to read about "Santa Rita", a city that's so obviously Oakland yet differs in interesting ways. It keeps you turning the pages, chuckling, guessing, second-guessing and will keep me on the lookout for further adventures!

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

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.

I read a lot of books and lots of legal thrillers. This one is not like many of the others I've read. It lacks some of the commercial polish of a Grisham or Turow, but it's a lot more readable. Without taking itself too seriously, it manages to be funny (laugh-out-loud funny at times), quirky, enagaging, and exceptionally well written. This is a book that can easily be read over a weekend, but the characters, and your need to know more about them will stay with you long after the book is done. Unfortunately, this is a quick read so you'll be stuck hoping for more soon after you get engrossed. The writing style is reminiscent of Richard Russo (ala Empire Falls & Straight Man) but with a highly self-aware and self-deprecating misdemeanor trial lawyer.

By the way, I am a lawyer too and have tried 30-40 misdemeanor trials (not to mention 30-40 felonies) and Schaffer's depiction of courtroom action is as close to reality as I ever remember reading. The Publisher's Weekly review above missed the boat on their analysis.

I'm not a huge fan of legal mysteries, but Schaffer doesn't write your average courtroom potboiler.

First of all, this book is funny as hell. Gordy is a great character, a perfect combination of pathos and humor, and I was rooting for him from the first chapter on.

The lawyer aspects engaged me more than I would have expected---being a lawyer himself, Schaffer takes us through a trial that is both realistic and fascinating. This isn't TV melodrama; this is the real deal, described by a pro in layman's terms with a smattering of sarcastic wit.

But beyond being a funny, compelling book, Misdemeanor Man also has real heart. Gordy's family life and romantic life are just as important to the reader as the against-all-odds case he must win, as is his affinity for Barry Manilow.

It's a testament to Schaffer's writing that I actually revisted some of Manilow's greatets hits after reading the book. Sure, I may have downloaded them from a file-sharing network on Kazaa, but even the fact that I'm giving the guy a shot should be worth something.

The sequel is going on my to-be-read pile, and Schaffer is now on my must-read list.

If you like the Fletch series by Gregory McDonald, or the funny caper novels of Westlake, check this book out.

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.

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

Misdemeanor Man is a thoroughly enjoyable read. It's interesting, funny, poignant, and a good mystery. Mr. Schaffer presents a main character, Gordy, who shows much respect for Barry, both the man and his music. What a breath of fresh air this book is in its positive Manilow references as Mr. Manilow has been much maligned by so many writers through the years. And it's also terrific to see the author portray a Manilow fan, not as an obsessive nut case, but as someone who respects Barry for his music. Following Gordy on his mystery-solving mission is exciting, and following his band on its journey to finally meet its inspiration is both agonizing and fun. The ending is perfect. Having been a fan for 30 years myself, we learn to always hope someday, somewhere we'll actually get our Barry moment. And we keep that hope alive, even after disappointments along the way. I think any Manilow fan will find Misdemeanor Man a pleasure to read. For all you mystery fans, this one has many twists and turns to keep you turning pages. And several quirky characters populate the story. It's well worth your time.

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.

This hilarious debut by first time author Dylan Schaffer is that rarest of the rare. A wickedly funny book with an unsentimental, yet tender, heart of gold. Santa Rita, California's Gordon Seegerman, frenetic legal aid lawyer and Barry Manilow devotee is in a fix. Almost on the eve of his band's longed for homage gig to Barry, where the great man himself, (if all events in the universe align themselves perfectly) is scheduled to make an appearance in the audience, Gordon is handed an impossibly looney and oh-so-distracting case. The 'perp', one Harold Dunn, has been arrested for exposing himself in front of several witnesses at a local department store. ('Willy-wankers' these cases are dubbed in irreverant legal jargon.) But, of course, all is not what it seems in this laugh-out-loud send-up of legal thrillers.

Before you can say 'your honor, I object!', murder has occurred and Gordon and his quirky co-worker/band members are on the case. The screwball elements of MISDEMEANOR MAN are handled hilariously by the author, although there is definitely more here than meets the eye at first glance. A darker motif lurks in the background waiting to make it's heartfelt presence.

At home, we find that Gordon's father, known as S., is suffering from a rare strain of Alzheimer's disease which afflicts its victims at an early age. A genetic default which has a fifty/fifty chance of being passed down to his two sons.
Gordon's brother King has already been tested and found negative, Gordeon refuses to be tested. Deciding to play Russian roulette with his life instead. The how and the why of this you will soon find out in this amazing debut. The first in what I hope will be a very long-lived series.

Hooray for Mr. Schaffer, he's brought us an unforgettable hero, (a guy who doesn't even know he's the hero)in an unforgettable, definitely NOT run-of-the-mill book.