The Management Style of the Supreme Beings

This extremely entertaining standalone from Holt (The Good, the Bad and the Smug) is a fine example of his signature brand of adventure-farce, trolling his favorite targets of Christianity and capitalism. God, aka Dad, has been working since the Creation, and he’s never won a single management award. His son Jay’s a good kid, but second son Kevin is a millennial bust. Uncle Nick is on permanent vacation from Hell, leaving hapless human lieutenant Bernie in command. On present-day Earth, Jersey Thorpe, a burned-out Indiana Jones wannabe, ponders the unmistakable Christmas pudding he’s found in an Egyptian tomb. Dad’s existential ennui appears resolved when the Venturi brothers make a sweet offer, backed by an impeccable record of supremacy among the Andromedan worlds. The new religious regime ditches Dad’s outmoded repentance-and-prayer shtick for pop-up accountants demanding cash. Good behavior is suddenly rife, but oddly enough, no humans are happy. Also, where in the mortal realm has Kevin gotten to? The many story threads are slight but well-woven, and the brief chapters are dense; Holt’s verbal acuity simply does not falter. Though never above taking an obvious gag when it works, Holt bends each plotline in an unexpected direction, building a story that satisfies on multiple levels. (July)