Thin Blue Smoke by Doug Worgul

LaVerne Williams is an ex-big league ballplayer with an attitude problem and a BBQ joint to run. Ferguson Glen is an Episcopal priest and fading literary star with a drinking problem and a past he's running from. A.B. Clayton and Sammy Merzeti are two lost souls in need of love, understanding, and another cigarette. Thin Blue Smoke is an American redemption tale. Set in a fictitious Kansas City BBQ joint, this is a story of love and loss, hope and despair. Hilarious and heart-rending, sacred and profane, this critically acclaimed book marks the emergence of a vital new voice in American fiction.