Acerbic and hilarious but with heart, The Patron Saint of Used Cars and Second Chances will appeal to readers of David Sedaris and Nick Hornby.

In the course of one nine-month period, filmmaker Mark Millhone’s youngest son nearly died from birth complications, his father was diagnosed with prostrate cancer, his mother had a heart attack and passed away, a freak illness claimed the life of a friend, and his career imploded. As a result of his membership in what he calls the tragedy-of-the-month club, his marriage begins to fray.

Millhone responded to the chaos as many men might: he logged on to eBay and bid on a vintage BMW, his fantasy car, but not exactly an easy fit with his family's finances. As if sharing the news that he'd won the auction with his already-peeved wife weren't bad enough, it turned out that he had to travel from New York to Texas to collect the car. His estranged dad joined him, and they embarked upon a dysfunctional road trip, a comedy of errors lending Millhone the perspective he needed to save his marriage and to understand what was really important in his life: his family.

Mark Millhone is an award-winning filmmaker, men's health columnist, and screenwriting professor at NYU Film School. He won an Academy Award in 1997 for best student film (Christmas in New York.) His first major motion picture, Serenity Falls, starring Omar Epps is in process.