The New York Times Best SellerA Barnes & Noble Best Fiction Book of 2020A Goodreads Choice Awards FinalistSteel 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.Bonus features: • Reading group guide for book clubs • Hand-drawn map of … 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.
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The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is funny and warm and it’s genuinely creepy and disturbing. Grady re-creates a time and place without the dangerous, distortive lens of nostalgia.
Pitched as “Steel Magnolias” meets Dracula, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is everything a reader like me—who grew up simultaneously reading The Babysitter’s Club and Goosebumps—has been waiting for. Thank you, Grady Hendrix, thank you.
Set in the 1990s, former-nurse-turned-disaffected-housewife Patricia Campbell is bored. Life as a stay-at-home mother to two children and a husband that works too much is unfulfilling, to say the least. If it weren’t for her book club and her troupe of mismatched girlfriends, Patricia might simply fade into the wallpaper of her well-cared-for home. Luckily—or, more aptly, unluckily—things are about to get a lot more interesting (and bloody) in Charleston’s quaint, and usually very safe, Old Village District.
Even though Patricia and the other ladies of her book club—wacky Kitty, uptight Grace, religious Slick, and somewhat ambiguous Maryellen—can’t get enough of the very-murdery true crime they read about, none are prepared when a handsome young stranger moves in with an elderly neighbor. Nor are they ready for the series of spiraling, odd events that begin when the seemingly mad old woman attacks Patricia—chomping off one of her earlobes in the process.
After an ominous warning about “the man in the ice cream suit” from her mother-in-law, Miss Mary, who suffers from dementia, and a series of odd occurrences that start to slip from strange to surreal, Patricia (slowly) begins to realize that her new neighbor isn’t at all what he seems. And, there’s danger afoot: children are missing, being preyed upon by some Big Bad that inhabits the woods outside Six Mile. Unfortunately, not only is no one listening to Patricia’s warnings as she begins to connect the pieces to something not only sinister but otherworldly; they think she’s caught up in her gory book club reads and maybe a bit loose in the head to boot, making the horror of this story not just atmospheric but personal. Which is worse: the monster Patricia sees in James Harris or the suspicions that lurk in her own head, eating her away from within? The only trouble, Patricia’s already invited the darkness in, and there’s no getting it out—not without a fuss and a good bit of scrubbing, anyway.
From cryptic warnings to the lurid romanticism associated with blood drinkers, plus ghosts, rats (dear gods, the rats!), and the special kind of nightmarish terror that waits for mothers in the dark when their children and families are threatened, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires does not disappoint, offering an entirely unique approach to established vampire lore in a tale as warm as it is chilling. A master of nostalgia, Hendrix slays in his latest—and so does a very unlikely group of heroines.
I love a good Vampire book and this was that. But it was also a stunning telling of what it was like to be female in the 1990’s. I loved the diverse characters and what it means to be a community. Not just your average horror story. It reminded me of Needful Things (King) in the way the author looks at the way evil seeps into a community and what it takes for the community to fight back. LOVED IT.
THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES, by Grady Hendrix, is a book I’ve seen so many reviews on already, I’m not sure what more I can add. Patricia Campbell, her husband, Carter, and two children begin our tale. The nostalgia of the 1980’s and early 1990’s shines through so well, and the details rang so true!
“Clearly Carter didn’t speak the same secret language of parenting.”
This begins as a very slow-burn, tension-building-to-horror, with a few graphic scenes in between, story. I felt the majority of this novel focused on the women–all homemaker’s–and their roles in the family/community. When a new neighbor moves in–with very suspicious activities–it’s astounding how differently the characters view him.
“. . . He’ll tell you whatever you want to hear, but you’re the fool if you don’t believe what you see . . . ”
My one problem was that I really didn’t feel the “connection” between Patricia and the women in her “book club”–supposedly her best friends.
Overall, a very enjoyable read that brought into focus so many past memories, with some very intense scenes added for good measure. Grady Hendrix has a fantastic writing style, and I have honestly enjoyed everything I’ve read by him to date.
“. . . Let me tell you something . . . there’s nothing nice about Southern ladies.”
Highly recommended.
This book opened with an all-too familiar dilemma. Our hero is to lead the book club discussion, and, because of her many obligations, she hasn’t read more than the opening paragraph. How I laughed in sympathy! This poor woman tends her home, cares for her (Criminally undeserving) husband, their children, and her mother-in-law (who suffers with worsening dementia). One evening, her hitherto docile elderly neighbor attacked her, which leaves her deeply scarred. As her world spirals out of control, she meets her new neighbor, a slick, concerned fellow she first thought was dead. Yes, she performed CPR, with amusing results.
When she discovers children have gone missing or committed suicide and that her mother-in-law might be more lucid than credited, she becomes convinced the kindly newcomer might be a bit more than he seems.
This book is quite a romp through Grady Hendrix’s imagined world. He set out to pit “Dracula against his Mom.” The result makes me propose a toast to women more capable and intelligent than belied by their “housewife” designation and another to the author who recorded their eventual triumph.
What a ride this book was.
If ever a book sucked me in and made me think– if I was to face a vampire this is just how I would act- it’s this one. Talk about making you believe it! Realistic fantasy at it’s best. A group of housewives- bored as hell- create a book club and devour true crime novels (my kind of book club!) and then James comes to town. You have your suspicions, but you just don’t know. What starts out as just a new guy in town ends with- what in the hell did I just read???
So realistic you can smell the blood. You can see yourself doing just what these ladies did to save your loved ones from a monster. I loved this book, and couldn’t put it down. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t even reading. Nothing cliche about this vampire novel at all. It stands out, and it’s simply wonderful.
Highly recommend!
The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires divulges a book club like no other that searches for intellectual stimulation in the form of famous macabre books. True to form, reality is horrifically stranger than fiction. Grady Hendrix writes an unbelievably suspenseful account of a family spiraling uncontrollably into eternal darkness. With his relentless plot twists, Grady dominates the reader in a submissive grisly writhing hold, and constantly delivers at every lurking corner. This book begins and ends with a bloodcurdling punch to the unsuspected reader. 5 Stars !!!
Holy shit — this was my first Grady Hendrix book and I’m definitely a new fan! This book was creepy and gory, funny and dark, OTT in the best horror way and completely entertaining. It legitimately scared me — kept me up a few nights for sure, so read at your own risk
Wow, that was awesome! I tried to read this on my Kindle last summer (2020), but I must not have been in the mood for it. I stopped reading about 10% in. Then, I saw the hardcover at the bookstore a couple of months ago and decided to give it another try. I bought that copy and once I started, I didn’t want to put it down.
I loved everything about this book. It had me so wrapped up in frustration and anger at the husbands) and fear for the children, and damn that James right to hell!
Fantastic storytelling, an amazing emotional journey, some serious social commentary, and the ending was perfect.
My only complaint was that Hendrix writes James Harris 99% of the time, rather than just “James”. After the first couple of chapters with him in it, we knew who he was. Minor complaint, not a dent in the rating.
5 stars all day!
This is quite a mash-up: one part women’s friendship fiction, one part vampire horror story, one part social commentary. Somehow, it works really well (for me, maybe not for everyone). I loved the mix of genuinely entertaining writing that still serves up a powerful message: we risk our very souls when we turn our backs on evil just because we ourselves are comfortable.
This is a book that, I suspect, will either be loved or hated. I happen to love quirky stuff so it brought me great joy! It is the book I wanted to read without knowing it. I had heard about the book but was ambivalent about putting it on my TBR. I enjoy witty books. I enjoy horror, (usually in September and October). I love Dracula, the Sookie Stackhouse, (or True Blood), series, Salem’s Lot, Interview With A Vampire and various other vampire books. I was thinking of all of those named at some point or other while listening to this book. I also loved Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes which the ladies in this book club and the community reminded me of.
It starts off innocuous enough. I laughed out loud at leading the discussion for a book you haven’t read. I think everyone I know that has led a book discussion has come up against that at least once. So we are a bit lulled with getting to know the characters, family and community. Then things take a turn. Patricia, the character I felt the most like, begins to suspect that the man who moved in next door may be a bit more dangerous than anyone thinks. The worst for her is that she invited him in her home, introduced him to her family, her children. When she tries to tell others, things go badly for her. Then for everyone. This is when things go to the dark side. If you aren’t into intense scenes and some gore, you should probably stop reading about this point in the book. If you continue, you are in for a heck of a ride!
I was planning to listen to this book over the course of three days. I listened to until the wee hours of the morning, falling asleep sometime during the final chapters. Once awake, I went back a few chapters before where I suspected I fell asleep and finished the book. Well within a 24 hour span. I honestly could not stop! Bahni Turpin does a fabulous job narrating this book. This is one book I am overwhelmingly happy that I chose the audio version as my reading form. I am not sure my head could have done the characters better.
This is definitely going on my favorites of 2020 list. I hope, if you choose this book, you enjoy it as much as I did and will, (I am planning to listen again as part of my Halloween reading).
What on earth did I just read? It’s chock full of horrific things; missing children, death, suicide, gore, and rats, lots and lots of rats! Oh, and I loved every minute of it! I don’t know where to start with this review or how to categorize this book. It was satire and humor mixed with horror and carnage. Darkly disturbing yet laugh out loud funny. This is a book that truly suits this girl’s eccentric personality.
It centers around a Charleston housewife, Patricia Campbell, in the 1990’s. Her doctor husband is obnoxious and condescending and has saddled her with his elderly mother. Her children take her for granted. Her only reprieve is the monthly book club she shares with her friends where they talk books, drink wine and share gripes.
A stranger, James Harris, moves into the neighborhood and things start to get weird. At first Patricia is friendly and helpful but is soon suspicious that he is behind all the strange occurrences. She begins to suspect he is a vampire. Do not mess with this Southern momma as she decides he must be stopped! I won’t divulge any more, you really must read it for yourself, but hang on to your seat!
I have never heard of Grady Hendrix before this book, but now my curiosity is piqued. I must read more of this author! I give this book five bloody stars!
This is a book that will not appeal to everyone.
If Stephen King scares you, this will freak you out. If disturbing gore bothers you, skip it.
If you love a good southern book about the “little” women of the south in the nineties and their book clubs, casseroles, and subservience to their husbands and the humor…then the first chapters are for you…only the first.
There is laughout loud humor and the women use it to survive their husbands and roles as the wives, moms, and church going ladies.
But this book slides into a dark, creepy, slithering mass of trauma. If Buffy the Vampire Slayer married, moved south and lost her power, then Patricia is her. Meet Patricia, Slick, Grace, Maryellen, Kitty and the others reading true crime thrillers and sharing tips on cleaning. They do have spirit, hoodwinking the men and reading inappropriate books.
But when Patricia is attacked, not far in the book, it is surreal, gross, and you can’t NOT read it!
Then you meet James and things escalate. Patricia and the group are stifled by the husbands and it’s downright scary to see it play out.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Greene, a hard working black woman is trying to keep her community safe…black children are disappearing, suicides, odd deaths but the white children seem safe.
Three years go by and James is now in all their lives. And like Buffy, Patricia finds herself trying again to right wrongs and teams up with Mrs. Greene to kill James……if the bookclub can help. The last half of the book will raise your pulse, blood pressure and you will lose all sense of time……because it is mesmerizing, scary beyond belief and do NOT read this late at night. Quirky, original, odd to Stephen King and to strong women.
5 stars
I struggled with the rating of this book between three and four stars (so 3.5). I loved the opening, the voice of the character. The story was light and engaging. The characters are unique and the repartee real and enjoyable. I knew the premise of this book going in. I have always said that I will read anything-any genre as long as it is written well. Having said that I am not a big fan of vampire stories (although I truly loved The Passage and that was a vampire book of sorts). This author is great at his wordsmith and has solid writing craft.
For me the opening of the book should be a contract with the reader as far as what the rest of the book is going to be like. The story starts off light and fun and then quickly devolves into horror. This story is more of a crime drama with a serial killer with an amateur or reluctant sleuth and is not for the faint of heart. The story is a little too predictable.
So basically I had been expecting a different kind of vampire book one a little light and fluffy (if that’s possible with a vampire story) and a character with a great voice. The voice is there and the light part is for the first half. Love the cover by way, great construction and graphics.
If you love vampire books I highly recommend this one.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson Series.
This book was a wild, horrifying, and super fun ride. In THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES, Patricia believes herself to be your average housewife, juggling familial responsibilities and housework until there’s no time left for herself—except, that is, when it comes to her book club, a group of other housewives who read and discuss true crime. Enter James Harris, a mysterious stranger who sweeps into town and soon turns Patricia’s world upside down. Drawn to him at first, she soon realizes, as people go missing and children turn up dead, that there may be some similarities between James and some of the monstrous men her book club reads about. Only, as it turns out, James is a monster of a different kind, and he’s already found a way to embed himself in Patricia’s town—and her family. This book is incredible. I know a book is something special when I completely lose track of page numbers while I’m reading. Usually I’m so aware of how much I’ve read or how much I have left, but with this book, I’d glance at the page number by accident and be surprised that I’d read 50 pages in a very short time. Now, fair warning: there are a few GRUESOME scenes in this book—some that I will never be able to forget—so if that’s not your thing, this may not be your book. But besides the horror in the story, there’s so much to admire: a palpable sense of setting, characters worth rooting for, characters worth gasping about, an exploration of privilege along racial and class lines, and a strong feminist story overall. I was actually surprised that the author, Grady Hendrix, is a man, given how powerfully feminist the book is. Hendrix shows us how deeply society has failed and underestimated women through the lens of how this one southern community views, treats, and often steamrolls over the housewives in their town. He also deftly explores the strength that comes from having someone to fight for—and someone to fight alongside. And then there’s James Harris—such a creepy, unsettling, memorably chilling character, who somehow manages to charm and disarm the reader, even as we know he’s no good. This book will definitely go down as one of my favorites this year.
I waited months and months for this book. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. the story went to places I did not expect. Things happened to characters I never saw coming. I don’t know what else I can say about this one that hasn’t already been said. It’s great, I loved it, you should most definitely read it.
This was exactly what I needed. Some fantastical horror and a group of mighty strong women.
“With this book, I wanted to pit a man freed from all responsibilities but his appetites against women whose lives are shaped by their endless responsibilities. I wanted to pit Dracula against my mom. As you’ll see, it’s not a fair fight.” (Grady Hendrix, Author’s Note)
I opted for the audiobook for this one because of the amazing Bahni Turpin, and I listened to it in one day. Could not put it down, and I foresee re-reads in my future. It’s vulnerable, woke, thrilling, and damn engaging. It confronts both gender and race issues, and earns double respect from me. Check it out!
Evil in a small town is one of my absolute favorite horror tropes and THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES aces it!
Set in the 90’s, we begin with a southern lady’s book club, (surprise!), that turns from reading fiction to true crime. These are rather old fashioned ladies for the 90’s, they’re stay at home wives, some with children and they feel their lives are complete. Until one day, one of them, (Patricia), is attacked by an elderly neighbor. Patricia is okay, but the neighbor later dies. Soon thereafter, the neighbor’s nephew comes to town and so begins this terrific tale of a vampire in a small town. Will Patricia and the rest of her book club survive? You’ll have to read this to find out!
I couldn’t help but be reminded of Salem’s Lot while reading, but I have to say, in many ways, this book was better than that one. 400 pages never went by so fast for me. Also, we didn’t have to sit through a lot of description about the town and all of its inhabitants. There was just enough so that the reader has a good idea of what life is like for the town’s inhabitants-those on both the good and bad sides of town.
Even though most of the horror here is quiet, there were a few scenes that definitely reminded me of horror’s heydey and authors like James Herbert; and even the “quiet” scenes were filled with suspense and dread. I think Mr. Hendrix has this horror thing down pat.
I’ve been a fan of Grady Hendrix since PAPERBACKS FROM HELL came out and with this book, he has made me his bitch. I will read anything this man writes from here on out. He has the writing chops, his work always seems to have a bit of humor and in a way, some of it seems like an homage to those authors from the horror boom of the late 70’s and 80’s. To that, I say Huzzah! (And keep them coming!)
My highest recommendation!
*Thanks to Edelweiss and Quirk Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
This is definitely not a book for everyone. It reminded me of a cozy mystery with a little vampire twist. The story takes place in a small neighborhood of Mt Pleasant SC, where families live their normal, idyllic life. But this perfect life ends quickly when a new neighbor moves in and kids start slowly disappearing. Will local housewives be able to solve this mystery?
I picked this book because of two reasons – I liked this author’s previous book “Horrorstor” and because it takes place in Mt Pleasant/Charleston, SC which is my favorite city in the US. It was a quick read but know that the ending maybe a little too brutal and gory for some. I don’t think this is a typical horror genre but is typical Hendrix style.
Grady Hendrix has cemented his place as a literary luminary with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. Hendrix has taken his genuine affection for housewives and their work, and folded it seamlessly into a horrifying story of social decay and community betrayal. Cancel your plans and lock your doors — you won’t be able to stop reading this one until the very end.