Book Review: Misdemeanor Man

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

Misdemeanor Man     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Dylan Schaffer
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Legal Setting

Many lawyers seem to be writing crime novels these days. Shaffer's contribution to the legal fiction list is the story of Gordon Seegerman, an uninterested public defender and enthusiastic amateur musician and Barry Manilow fan. Seegerman has, besides his job and his hobby, a complicated family life. He is basically a well-meaning sort of person, though, who does his best. He proceeds to attempt to do his best for a man accused of indecent exposure. The case, although it appears so routine on the surface, does not go as expected. Maybe the client's wild allegations could be attributed to mental illness, but that would still leave unexplained the unusual interest in the case taken by various authorities, including the prosecutor who just happens to be Seegerman's ex. Things just get more and more complicated as the story continues.

'Misdemeanor Man' is difficult to classify by sub-genre - it is not explicitly violent and yet is hardly a cozy, given the problems of Seegerman's personal life and the corruption he uncovers. There are courtroom scenes, but much of the novel takes place outside the legal system. Overall, it can best be describes as an entertaining and promising first novel.

Cheryl - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM