The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Grady Hendrix

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

By Grady Hendrix

  • Release Date: 2020-04-07
  • Genre: Horror
Score: 4
4
From 543 Ratings

Description

“This funny and fresh take on a classic tale manages to comment on gender roles, racial disparities, and white privilege all while creeping me all the way out. So good.”—Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of The Other Black Girl

Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this New York Times best-selling horror novel about a women's book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town.

Bonus features:
   • Reading group guide for book clubs
   • Hand-drawn map of Mt. Pleasant
   • Annotated true-crime reading list by Grady Hendrix
   • And more!
 
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.

Reviews

  • Slow start but MAN what an ending!!!

    4
    By Emm.boyd
    I had a hard time getting into this book at first… but once I was in the meat of it.. captivating. Could not put it down!! You’ll hang on every word. Not for the faint of heart. Definitely descriptive and grotesque, but you feel as if you’re in it with the characters!

  • I wish I could unread this

    1
    By Anonymous205
    I get that this book is horror, and I’ve read Stephen King and Dean Koontz. But this. This set off every single trigger I have. I wanted was a hilarious romp where Towanda finds and kills vampires, like if Buffy went to the country club. What I got was a lot of weak women who acted far too late, in my opinion. TW: kidnapping, assault, rape, murder, gaslighting.

  • Pure Enjoyment

    5
    By AtomicCoug
    LOVED this book. Purely enjoyed every single minute spent with it.

  • A spooky southern delight

    5
    By peylol
    I loved the humor, the accuracy of 90s housewife life, and the shocking horror that came out of nowhere. Also, if you like true crime- the cases interwoven with the plot will make you love it even more!

  • Quick thriller!

    5
    By Alden0700
    Silly & fun horror novel! Read it at the beach and it was a perfect read!

  • Loved it

    5
    By bobbjean52464
    I loved this book! Couldn’t put it down!

  • Interesting Read

    4
    By SRVLVR
    I read this around Halloween. I found it a unique take on the vampire genre. I found myself frustrated with the main character and how she related to her husband and children at times (but I don’t want to give too much away). Overall I liked it.

  • Woman-hating Book

    1
    By Sencilla
    If you think that all women are weak and foolish, this book is for you. All six of the main female characters are portrayed as living meaningless, shallow lives with no ability to think or do for themselves. Their decisions are so incredibly nonsensical, the reader is left wondering if the author has ever met or spoken to an actual woman. I read this book only because it was the only reading material I had on a long airplane trip. Pass this one up if you don’t want to support misogynistic writing that demeans women.

  • Tim Burton Meets House wife

    4
    By Asharie92
    This book was surprisingly good! There were times I really felt like it dragged, but I’m glad I stuck with it and held on until the end. I read it in about two days. I really imagine a motion picture of this being a Tim burton type. There were instances in the book that I should’ve been shocked, but I laughed instead. I felt like the author did an excellent job creating the characters, but I feel like the title is a little misleading. There is a book club, but it doesn’t really focus on these people, and when I was reading, I was expecting the gossip circles that met every week and were super nosy. You get that somewhat, but it wasn’t as developed as I had expected it to be. I was also a little disappointed In the solution. He built up this villain so well, and the demise wasn’t as exciting as I expected it to be. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil the book. These are slightly nit picky things, but All in all, I recommend it. You won’t be able to put this down!

  • Hilariously creepy with terrific characters!

    5
    By bitchincamaro
    I absolutely loved this book! As a mom, wife and lifelong fan of anything vampires, the colorful cast of characters is truly appreciated. As I read this book, I could imagine it being adapted to the screen and even pictured actors for every main role. I finished it in a day because I could not put it down. So glad I discovered the brilliant writing of Grady Hendrix and will be reading everything he’s done!

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