Secombe (Limbo
) limply recycles a worn-out plot: a bet between God and the Devil has placed the world in jeopardy. God’s lack of interest in the bet’s outcome and his obsession with golf forces Archangel Gabriel to enlist depressed dentist Martin Gray to help uncover the Devil’s final scheme, with the only clue the word “Endgame.” Martin is an absurdly bad selection, but he does his best to assist while dodging an IRS agent, trying to patch up his marriage and attempting to connect with his teen son, Luke. There are some amusingly wacky moments, such as Frank Sinatra and Francis Drake ferrying souls to the afterlife and Gabriel, wearing only a loincloth and a trench coat, skulking around gobbling danishes, but readers will be frustrated by Secombe’s two-dimensional, clichéd characters and the tiresomely predictable story line. (Jan.)
