Criminal defense lawyer Schaffer's follow-up to Misdemeanor Man is a great big puppy dog of a book, exuberant and eager to please. Gordon Seegerman, an assistant public defender for the city of Santa Rita, Calif., does as little work as possible in order to conserve his energy for his real passion, being the lead singer of a Barry Manilow tribute band. His latest case involves local high school football hero Marcus Manners, who's been arrested for stealing a rival team's canine mascot. Marcus also had a little pot in his car, but all in all it's a basic misdemeanor bust. So it's too bad the judge is a whacko, the local African-American community is up in arms and the sports-addled alumni of rival school Saint Illuminatus are out for blood. The murder of the dog owner's wife considerably raises the stakes, and to further complicate matters, Gordon and the Mandys are scheduled to play a Las Vegas gig with the exalted Barry in attendance. Schaffer attempts to persuade readers of Manilow's greatness, but his fandom doesn't get too much in the way of the increasingly complicated legal elements. There are other subplots, both humorous and not, but Schaffer is able to juggle all of them and still produce a credible performance both in the courtroom and on the stage. Agent, Lydia Wills. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Schaffer's follow-up to Misdemeanor Man BKL My 15 04 dispels the notion that sequels are inferior to originals: this second mystery featuring Gordon Seegerman rocks. By day, Gordon, an assistant public defender in Santa Rita, California, represents some of the town's dimmer bulbs, lowlifes whose crimes typically run to public drunkenness. By night, he indulges in his true passion: rehearsing with the Mandys, his Barry Manilow tribute band, which includes a philosophical Sikh and a very pregnant lesbian. This time Gordon finds himself reluctantly drawn into a high-profile case: representing Marcus Manners, an African American high-school athlete suspected of murder. A crazy judge and an uncooperative client cause Gordon grief, but his biggest concern is missing the Mandys' Vegas gig--at which the real Barry may appear. And yet, the more Gordon gets to know Marcus, the more he is motivated to prove the boy's innocence. Unlike the series debut, in which Gordon came off as somewhat of a buffoon, this installment reveals him to be kind, funny, and multidimensional. Even Barry Manilow fans can have hidden depths. --Jenny McLarin Copyright 2005 Booklist

A case of dognapping distracts public defender Gordy Seegerman from rehearsals as he again readies himself and his band of fellow worshippers to meet the man of their dreams, Barry Manilow. San Francisco Bay Area lawyer/musician Seegerman, the big-hearted hero of Misdemeanor Man (2004), still unmarried, still devoted to the artistry of Bette Midler's onetime pianist, is again preparing his band for a possible meeting with his idol in Vegas. But there are complications. Maeve O'Connell, the band's bad-tempered, middle-aged, Irish, lesbian vocalist is laid up in the last weeks of a surprise pregnancy, forcing Gordy to enlist the services of ex-girlfriend Silvie, the next best interpreter of Manilow ballads in Santa Rita. He's still got a thing for her, but it's unrequited and she's married. And Seegerman still hasn't gotten tested for the early onset Alzheimer's that is erasing his father's personality. The work intruding on the world of music is the misdemeanor mischief of Marcus Manners, superstar quarterback of the local public high school who has been charged with the theft of the canine mascot belonging to archrival Saint Illuminatus, enraging powerful alumni--including the crooked cop who found the missing dog behind Marcus's apartment and the crabby judge who will try the case. And then the middle-aged heiress from whose estate the dog was stolen and who may have had a thing for Marcus (although Maeve swears she's gay) takes three bullets, and Marcus, who was seen with her and who has blood on his sneakers, is the lead suspect in her murder. Gordy needs considerable help from the talented boys in his band to sort out clues that lead back to a big drug deal in the '80s and involve Marcus's foster father, a prominent black politician in a town that is ready to riot over the charges against their young sports hero. Overlong, and the constant references to Manilow songs will result in persistent, uninvited theme music for readers of a certain age. Still, Seegerman remains likable. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.