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)
