Book Review: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this ’90s-set horror novel about a women’s book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town, perfect for murderinos and fans of Stephen King.
Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime. At these meetings they’re as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are about their own families.
One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor, bringing the neighbor’s handsome nephew, James Harris, into her life. James is well traveled and well read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn’t felt in years. But when children on the other side of town go missing, their deaths written off by local police, Patricia has reason to believe James Harris is more of a Bundy than a Brad Pitt. The real problem? James is a monster of a different kind—and Patricia has already invited him in.
Little by little, James will insinuate himself into Patricia’s life and try to take everything she took for granted—including the book club—but she won’t surrender without a fight in this blood-soaked tale of neighborly kindness gone wrong.
Book Details
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
Fiction / Thrillers / Supernatural Fiction / Southern
Published April 7th 2020 by Quirk Books
Hardcover, 404 pages
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Review
THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES combines southern charm with 1990s horror. In this story, author Grady Hendrix pits middle-aged housewives, who share a passion for true crime books, against a vampire.
Nothing they have read before could prepare them for the real-life monster they are about to meet, nor prepare the monster for the discovery of just how badass southern ladies can be.
“I wanted to pit Dracula against my mom. As you’ll see, it’s not a fair fight.”
Like an overripe peach—sweet, gooey, and just about to go rotten, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires fills the senses with warm nostalgia and creepy-horror. I loved every moment of it.
“Sometimes she craved a little danger. And that was why she had a book club”
This page-turning, Southern Gothic literature was such a refreshing read, but don’t misunderstand me, this book packs as much gore and dark atmosphere as it does heartwarming female friendship.
“He thinks we are what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something…there is nothing nice about Southern ladies.”
This book is smart as well as it artfully imbues the story with elements of repression and racism. I was embarrassed and frustrated. Hendrix definitely weaves into the book the question of who really is the monster in the story, and there is more than one.
From southern etiquette and book club love to grisly cockroaches, rats, and vampirism—The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix was just the escape read I needed. It kept me on edge and put a smile on my face.
