I had the happy experience of hearing author Dan Klefstad last year when he read an excerpt from “Shepherd and The Professor” at Lit by the Bridge in Aurora, Illinois. 
I think even Dan has some trouble describing the book to would-be readers. But knowing him and his situation lends the book credibility. Dan lives in DeKalb, Illinois, home of Northern Illinois University, where he received his Master’s Degree and has been host of the radio station’s Morning Edition since 1997.
It’s no coincidence that “Shepherd and the Professor” takes place at fictional Otto Kerner University in Northern Illinois. Nor is it any surprise that one of the main characters is a radio personality at the college station. But there are still plenty of surprises in store for readers.
Clever and funny – I guess one could say it’s tragicomic — the book is presented as the manuscript of Susan Shepherd, gulf war veteran and community cop, a single mom forced into desperate circumstances. She’s been shot on the job, taken advantage of by her peers, and faces suspension or worse; her daughter has taken up with a drug dealer; campus police are dealing with a school shooting controversy and scandal in the university administration. Her former lover, the “Professor”, a convert to Islam, becomes entangled with her in the middle of the mess.
And that’s not the half of it. To make matters more interesting, parts of Shepherd’s story are narrated at times by the Professor, the reporter, and a possibly deranged student. Fast-paced, with short episodes and quick shifts of scene, it’s a quick read without sacrificing depth of characterization and a plot of complex situations. There’s a lot going on but it’s not hard to follow. There are plenty of surprises along the way, in spite of the comfortable feeling as you get to know these stressed-out characters in a small Midwestern college town. For local readers, the setting will seem familiar. For any readers, the story will seem new and fresh.
R. G. Ziemer 