Mystery Readers International has nominated Misdemeanor Man for a 2004 Macavity Award for Best Debut.

Mystery Ink Magazine has awarded Misdemeanor Man a GUMSHOE for Best Debut Mystery of 2004.

Misdemeanor Man was a BOOKSENSE TOP 20 Pick and a BARNES & NOBLES EDITORS' PICK

The Mysterious Bookshop in New York selected Misdemeanor Man as its FIRST MYSTERY PICK, June 2004.

Misdemeanor Man was one of the Kansas City Star's TEN BEST MYSTERIES OF 2004.

Misdemeanor Man was a POISONED PEN Mystery Bookstore selected FIRST MYSTERY, June 2004.



"[A] daffy, delightful first novel . . . . [M]ore than a few inspired plot twists . . . . Schaffer has a good eye for the oddities of human nature, a skeptical mind and a nice way with a phrase."

  - The Washington Post


""Misdemeanor Man" [is] a refreshing, happy surprise. . . . unusual . . . hilarious . . . . stands out from the pack."

  - San Francisco Chronicle


"Misdemeanor Man is one of the freshest and most original mysteries in a long time. . . . Schaffer writes with a sly wit and wonderful gift for characters. . . . If you're tired of the conventional legal thrillers that overflow bookstore shelves, do yourself a favor and try something with personality and panache. Misdemeanor Man is a gem of a novel that deserves to be discovered."

  - The Chicago Sun-Times


"[C]harming and original . . . a genre-busting legal thriller that's everything a normal legal thriller is not. . . . [I]t's poignant, smart and memorable. And, best of all, it's funny."

  - The Buffalo News


"Schaffer weaves a crackling mystery, with surprises at every turn, equal doses of humor and suspense and a refreshing frankness about the realities of the criminal justice system. "

  - Newsday

"[A] remarkable debut . . . . [A] memorable, frenetic comedy of errors . . . . A rambunctious . . . absurdly funny satire of the modern legal thriller."

  - January Magazine


"The best Barry Manilow mystery I've ever read."

  - The Kansas City Star

"Compelling . . . . fast moving, unpredictable, often hilarious romantic and irreverent legal thriller.."

  - Nob Hill Gazette

"Once there was Erle Stanley Gardner. Then there was Scott Turow. Then there was John Grisham. And now there is Dylan Schaffer–a talented new voice in that oft mined mystery sub-genre: the legal whodunit. . . . [Misdemeanor Man] is fast paced and hard to put down: the term I believe is page turner. . . . [Narrator] Gordy Seegerman is an original. Let’s hope he will be heard from again."

  - CompulsiveReader.com

One of the summer's "best new releases. . . . [A]n entertaining legal thriller . . . ."

  - San Francisco Magazine

"Those who like quirky comedy mixed with mystery will feel right at home" with Misdemeanor Man.

  - Booklist

"The thinking man's John Grisham. For a guy who isn't me, Dylan Schaffer can really write."

  - Kinky Friedman, author of The Prisoner of Vandam Street.

"San Francisco lawyer Dylan Schaffer's superb debut pits an engaging public defender against a stacked legal system in a case that shouldn't see the light of day. With a winning protagonist and a fast-paced plot, Schaffer is a fresh new voice in a crowded and highly-competitive field. It makes you hope that he can take time away from his law practice to focus on writing a sequel. Highly recommended."

  - Sheldon Siegel, New York Times best selling author of Final Verdict

"A terrific debut. With wit, compassion, and tremendous humor, Schaffer has created a lovable reluctant hero in Gordon Seegerman. Misdemeanor Man is the rare legal thriller that never forgets to tell the most compelling stories—those that occur outside the courthouse."

  - Alafair Burke, author of Judgment Calls and Missing Justice

"A terrific read — the best legal fiction I've read in years, hands down. Thrilling, funny, and heartrending in turn. A totally unique, genre-smashing page-turner."

  - Barry Scheck, criminal defense lawyer, and co-author of Actual Innocence: When Justice Goes Wrong and How to Make It Right