Where to Start with Andrew Shaffer
If you are new to Andrew Shaffer’s sharp-witted, satirical bibliography, the absolute best place to start is with the Obama Biden Mystery series. Beginning with Hope Never Dies (2018), this series blends classic noir mystery tropes with the real-life pop culture phenomenon of the Barack Obama and Joe Biden 'bromance.' It is the perfect entry point because it showcases Shaffer's unique ability to write high-concept parody with surprising warmth and genuine mystery plots.
If you prefer outrageous literary parodies, your best starting point is Fifty Shames of Earl Grey (published under the pen name Fanny Merkin). It is a laugh-out-loud lampoon of the erotic romance craze that put Shaffer on the map as a master of parody. For fans of holiday horror with a comedic twist, Secret Santa (2020) offers a fun standalone experience that feels like Stephen King meets 1980s workplace satire.
Obama Biden Mysteries: Recommended Reading Order
This is Shaffer's most famous series, and it should be read in order of publication. The series follows a fictionalized, retired Joe Biden and Barack Obama as they team up to solve crimes in their post-White House years. The progression of their friendship and the light serial elements make reading them in order highly rewarding.
- Hope Never Dies (2018) – Joe Biden, feeling left behind in his retirement, teams up with Barack Obama to solve the mysterious death of a favorite train conductor along the Amtrak line.
- Hope Rides Again (2019) – The duo reunites in Chicago, this time navigating the wind-swept city streets to track down Obama’s missing cell phone and solve a high-stakes crime.
The Cozy Political Spinoff: Feel the Bern
While not starring Obama and Biden, Shaffer's 2022 novel Feel the Bern: A Bernie Sanders Mystery acts as a thematic companion. It features Senator Bernie Sanders and his Gen Z intern, Crash Robertson, investigating a murder in a small Vermont town. Because it shares the cozy, lighthearted political satire style of the Obama Biden books, it is highly recommended for readers who finish the main duology and want more of the same tone. It can be read entirely as a standalone.
The Standalone Novels & Parodies
Outside of his main cozy mysteries, Shaffer has written several standalones that skew heavily into satire, pop culture, and literary parody. Since these books do not share characters or continuities, they can be read in any order you choose:
- Fifty Shames of Earl Grey (2012) – Writing under the pseudonym Fanny Merkin, Shaffer parody-skewers the romance genre through the bizarre, BDSM-themed relationship of Earl Grey and Anna Steal.
- The Day of the Donald (2016) – A satirical thriller set in a future where Donald Trump has won the presidency, following a tabloid reporter trying to write his official memoir while solving a White House murder.
- Catsby: A Parody of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (2019) – A short, absurd reimagining of the classic novel featuring a protagonist who throws parties in a giant cat costume.
- Secret Santa (2020) – A horror-comedy about a publishing assistant who receives a creepy, cursed doll for her office Secret Santa swap, leading to holiday chaos.
Non-Fiction, Humor, and Poetry Collections
Andrew Shaffer is also a prolific non-fiction writer and humorist. His non-fiction works deal with literary history, philosophical gossip, and pop culture survival guides. There is no chronological order to these books, so you can pick them up based on your personal interests:
- Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love (2011) – A humorous look at the disastrous romantic lives of history's most famous thinkers.
- Literary Rogues: A Scandalous History of Wayward Authors (2013) – A witty historical overview of the rebellious, hard-drinking, and eccentric lifestyles of classic writers.
- How to Survive a Sharknado and Other Unnatural Disasters (2014) – A tongue-in-cheek tie-in survival manual for the cult-classic film franchise.
- It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like F*ck This (2014) – A collection of cynical, anti-holiday poems and humor.
- Ain't Got Time to Bleed: President Trump's Guide to Real Manhood (2017) – A political humor book written in the parodied voice of Donald Trump.
- Let's See Them Poems (2020) & Look Mom I'm a Poet (2021) – Illustrated chapbooks and collections of light, humorous poetry.
- Oh My Goth: Jokes for When You Feel Dead Inside (2023) – A collection of goth-themed humor, jokes, and puns.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into Andrew Shaffer’s works, it is helpful to keep a few things in mind. First, his fiction relies heavily on pop culture and real-life political personalities, meaning the humor is highly topical. The books are designed to be fun, fast-paced escapes rather than deep political commentary. Second, while the characters in his cozy mysteries are real people, the portrayals are entirely fictionalized, playful caricatures. If you approach his books looking for SNL-style humor, lighthearted mystery plots, and fun pacing, you will find exactly what you are looking for.