Somebody Sing

Sandy Bayard, the manic, not-too-successful New York actor first met in Almost Like Being Here , returns with a new set of problems in a disappointing sequel. Now with his own cable TV show, Sandy is thrilled to be ``one-third famous.'' He is in love with Peg, who reciprocates, but she wants to get married and Sandy, afraid of ``relationship jail,'' doesn't. On a visit to Florida, Sandy finds out that his family's old housekeeper, Ann Wilson, a 69-year-old black woman, needs a heart operation. He brings her to New York for surgery and, when told of the $45,000 fee, decides that he--34, white and involved with another--must marry her so that his insurance will pick up the tab. Ann, however, takes her sacraments seriously. So Sandy has to deal with a platonic yet demanding wife, Peg's broken heart and justifiable fears of losing his TV show. There are some very funny sequences, but the writing is self-conscious and the book lacks the frenzied desperation that made its predecessor so enjoyable. (June)