Man, this is my kind of Christmas story. There's nothing like a great holiday book filled with mistletoe, Santa Claus, zombies, angels, parties and good cheer.

Take one murdered Santa, mix in a misguided angel who loves barbecue and pinochle, stir in a pot-smoking town constable and his wife, a retired B-movie actress who still thinks she's Kendra, Warrior Babe of the Outland, and you've got (some of) the new book by Christopher Moore. It's called The Stupidest Angel (A Heartwarming Tale of Chirstmas Terror). Oh, and did I mention the zombies?

The angel Raziel is given the assignment of granting a Christmas wish to a child. So, he comes to earth ("dirtside") to look for one. Unfortunately, the one he finds has just witnessed the murder of Santa Claus. When he wishes that Santa were no longer taking a dirt nap, Raziel sees this as the mission he was sent to fulfill. He grants the child's wish, but uses a little too much Moxie in the spell. While standing in a graveyard, he commands "he who does not live" to rise up, celebrate and feast... and well... soon the place is crawling with hungry zombies with an IKEA fetish.

While certainly not a deep, meaningful read, this is a very entertaining book. I was reminded a lot of Good Omens. It has a similar irreverence and deadpan style. You don't need a warped sense of humor to enjoy the book, but it helps.

I don't mean to say it's "Omen-lite," though. It's a very funny book in its own right. And where else are you going to hear the bored commentary of a bunch of dead folk while a couple has sex in the graveyard? I think Santa should consider putting this book into the stockings of a great many sick little girls and boys this year.