Q
uick wit, clever banter and engaging characters grace the fiction debut of Rajah (How to Spot a Bastard by His Star Sign
). Sydney Welles, who covers for her alcoholic boss at an L.A. ad agency, gets dumped by her actor boyfriend for someone bustier and blonder, and buries herself in work. That entails landing the big new account to improve the Catholic church’s image while trying not to get too distracted by sexy priest Father Bernadi. Friend Anna is determined to hook Sydney up; Sydney’s bickering correspondence with columnist Charles Turner escalates; and, as she works the Catholic church campaign, Sydney e-mails God. There’s a predictable twist and some padding, but there are charm and cleverness to spare, particularly in Sydney’s funny and moving ideas for promoting the church. (July)
