SISTER NORTH

A Chicago divorce lawyer seeks solace from an unlikely divine source after a tragic shooting in this funny, touching second novel. On the surface, Sam Gamett is a decidedly unsympathetic protagonist; a handsome, callow lawyer who marries a less attractive woman for her money. Gamett finds himself bereft when his marriage falls apart and his practice begins to slide; matters come to a head when a deranged, gun-toting client walks into Sam's office and inexplicably kills his sweet young secretary, Maureen, after threatening Gamett. Wondering why he wasn't chosen for death, Sam searches for answers. After watching an inspiring TV advice show hosted by a placid nun named Sister North, Sam makes the decidedly odd decision to drive to her studio in Lake Eagleton, Wis., to meet the nun in person. Unfortunately, Sister North is off traveling when he arrives, but Sam finds himself attracted to the woman who handles her affairs, Meg Lodge, even as rumors of the nun's death cast a pall over the town, which revolves around her status as a TV celebrity. Kokoris's gift for comic dialogue and his ability to create damaged but funny characters sustains the unlikely conceit, although the narrative momentum stalls occasionally due to excessive focus on the dilemmas of the harebrained secondary characters. Sam's romance with Lodge isn't always plausible, but his charm and his slow-growing awareness of his flaws overcome the problems of pace and plotting. Kokoris's sophomore effort doesn't quite reach full potential, but the author fulfills much of the promise he showed as a humorist and character writer in The Rich Part of Life . (Oct.)