Dead Man's Road -- Joe R. Lansdale

Let me say right off the bat that I have a sad feeling inside when a character named Crider is killed off.  (The Mertz character deserved it, though.)

The Reverend Jebidiah Mercer first showed up in Dead in the West one of Joe Lansdale's earliest works, a zombie western that was way ahead of its time and that became highly influential.  Deadman's Road contains a considerably revised version of that novel to kick things off, and the novel is followed by four fairly long stories about the Rev.  As you'd expect, they're all grim, hilarious, outrageous, and entertaining.  I heard Lansdale read one of them at a convention, and it's too bad that all of you can't experience that treat.  But, hey, you can read them, and I'd suggest that you do.  This is great stuff.