Patience, My Dear

Lewis debuts with this irreverent, jumbled comic thriller, in which a young woman is chosen by God to prevent the end of the world. The Lord wants Patience Kelleher to stop the construction of an energy plant that could ultimately destroy all life on Earth, and he’s not willing to take no for an answer. Worse, he only communicates by text message. With the aid of her rich bad-boy neighbor, her gun-toting uncle, and God’s cryptic commands, Patience embarks on a scheme to discredit a pop singer turned political figure, in the hopes of resolving the issue without bloodshed or grenade launchers. As things go horribly wrong, she must overcome a crisis of faith, open her heart to romance, and cope with God discovering Rickrolling. There’s a solid core to this off-kilter tale, but it’s undermined by too many disparate elements, wacky twists, and Patience’s continuing reluctance to play nice with the Lord and his mysterious ways. A sweet romantic undertone and the entertaining premise don’t disguise this story’s unfocused, muddled nature. (Mar.)