The Ways of Grace

Manhattan trauma surgeon Jack Berenger, the hero of Linda Francis Lee's The Ways of Grace, is a poor imitation of ER's Doug Ross, but dippy Grace Colebrook falls for his brooding charm anyway. Shortly after running out on her own wedding, Grace lands in bed with Jack, her new neighbor. Filled with regret the next morning, she vows to avoid him, but when she loses her job, she seeks solace in his arms once again. Their relationship continues in this manner for much of the novel even though it's never clear why Jack is drawn to the addlebrained Grace in the first place. Clich d hospital scenes, which feature Jack pulling patients back from near death, do little to enhance the story, but Ruth, Grace's young charge, adds humor and heart to Lee's (Nightingale's Gate) trite tale.