The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
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- Create Date：2021-10-13 09:54:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Grady Hendrix
- ISBN：1683691431
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Summary
Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend。
Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life， but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother， Patricia's life has never felt smaller。 The days are long， her kids are ungrateful， her husband is distant， and her to-do list is never really done。 The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club， a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction。 In these meetings， they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood。
But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood， the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer。 Patricia is initially attracted to him， but when some local children go missing， she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved。 She begins her own investigation， assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy。 What she uncovers is far more terrifying， and soon she—and her book club—are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community。
Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life， but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother， Patricia's life has never felt smaller。 The days are long， her kids are ungrateful， her husband is distant， and her to-do list is never really done。 The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club， a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction。 In these meetings， they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood。
But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood， the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer。 Patricia is initially attracted to him， but when some local children go missing， she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved。 She begins her own investigation， assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy。 What she uncovers is far more terrifying， and soon she—and her book club—are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community。
Reviews
Ffion Till
，
Another fun exciting adventure written by a very talented， and soon becoming one of my favourite authors， Grady Hendrix。 This book is just fantastic if you’re looking for a wholesome humorous horror。 I really appreciated how Grady Hendrix interwove classism throughout the book and we were frequently reminded how selfish people can be and how that can be our undoing。 How we need a community and friendships and to look out for each other if we’re ever going to survive life in general and also if w Another fun exciting adventure written by a very talented， and soon becoming one of my favourite authors， Grady Hendrix。 This book is just fantastic if you’re looking for a wholesome humorous horror。 I really appreciated how Grady Hendrix interwove classism throughout the book and we were frequently reminded how selfish people can be and how that can be our undoing。 How we need a community and friendships and to look out for each other if we’re ever going to survive life in general and also if we ever find ourselves needing to slay a vampire。 。。。more
Phoebe Spahn
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I read this book in one sitting， and that could almost be the whole review。 It had me totally on the edge of my seat and dying to know how things ended。 And the ending made me cry， which not a lot of books do。 I loved this book！！
Shannon
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This book had me stressed out the whole time。
Carolyn Keenan
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Incredible read！ I seriously wanted to take a personal day from work to finish it！
Magaly C。
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Set in the South in the 1990s， this book follows Patricia Campbell and her book club friends。 Brought together by their appreciation for thriller， true-crime， and mystery novels in a casual white-wine book group， the women encounter real-life horror when a stranger moves into their small town。 James Harris is a Ted Bundy-type （with a splash of Charles Manson） and Patty refuses to be Anne Rule--not seeing the monster for who he is--and she begins an investigation into his life。 He is the archetyp Set in the South in the 1990s， this book follows Patricia Campbell and her book club friends。 Brought together by their appreciation for thriller， true-crime， and mystery novels in a casual white-wine book group， the women encounter real-life horror when a stranger moves into their small town。 James Harris is a Ted Bundy-type （with a splash of Charles Manson） and Patty refuses to be Anne Rule--not seeing the monster for who he is--and she begins an investigation into his life。 He is the archetypal villain: charming， smooth， duplicitous， feigned helplessness， and throw in a creepy white "kidnapper" van with tinted windows。 As his dark deeds emerge， Patty is painted as an obsessed and paranoid housewife--bored with nothing to do--and her friends and family begin to turn on her。 But it is her book club， and their novels， that she she must rely on to un-mask James。Now， the first few pages/chapters are everything I expected with this title; however， the final half of the book is very different from the title--not so much a "guide" but a reluctant group of women spurred on by Patty。 The characters were flawed， but the women had redeeming qualities--unlike their male counterparts/husbands who were either abusive， alcoholics， or unfaithful--that made them more empathetic。 This book is super gory to the point where I was reminded of campy horror movies， which I didn't hate， especially in the climax scene。 This book mixes old horror with true crime and some humor （in the beginning） with a tonal shift after the passing of three years。 So the elephant in the room: none of these people cared about what the villain was doing because he was killing Black children from the "bad side of town。" That is， until， he harms citizens and children in "Old Town" where the main character lives。 Mrs。 Green （the few Black characters with a name and the only one we get to know） is the catalyst in Patty's revived obsession with getting rid of James and not given enough credit in the most climactic moments。 I definitely see a lot of '80s and early-90s influence from horror movies in the book so it wasn't a great revelation that BIPOC characters would be supporting roles/primary victims in this book。 Overall， I enjoyed the book: it was a quick read， gory， gave me lots of physical visceral reactions， and painted the picture of what life was like in this small， fictional town。 Maybe the title needed to have been different。。。BUT I'm a fan of horror movies， so it was my cup of tea。。。I liked it （3）， but wasn't a game-changer。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 DNF。 I really don't like horror at all， but I wanted to give this book a chance for book club。 Unfortunately， it's a big NOPE from me。 The setup was kind of interesting and fun， but once I reached the part with the rabid racoon-eating lady， I was like。。。 what the hell is going on？ Lol。 The whole incident was disturbing， as it was meant to be， but what I found even more disturbing was what Patricia did after she was attacked。 I mean， I understand you're looking for a little excitement in your lif DNF。 I really don't like horror at all， but I wanted to give this book a chance for book club。 Unfortunately， it's a big NOPE from me。 The setup was kind of interesting and fun， but once I reached the part with the rabid racoon-eating lady， I was like。。。 what the hell is going on？ Lol。 The whole incident was disturbing， as it was meant to be， but what I found even more disturbing was what Patricia did after she was attacked。 I mean， I understand you're looking for a little excitement in your life， but how crazy are you， woman？ I kept reading up until Miss Mary and Mrs。 Greene were attacked by rats， and then I skimmed the rest of the book。 I read enough sections to understand what moved the plot forward and then read the ending。 Going off of the title， I was hoping for a kickass story about a tight-knit group of ladies slaying vampires， and I was let down on that front。 Patricia made it seem like the book club ladies were all great friends， but to me， it seemed like they just tolerated each other because they were interested in the same books。 I couldn't remember which book club member was who， and from the parts I did read， it seemed like Mrs。 Greene was the only one with a backbone。 And then there was the sexism， racism， abuse， gaslighting， pedophilia-like grooming of Patricia's children。。。 UGH。 Just no。 。。。more
Gfoyle
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The novels promising concept suffers greatly from several dispassionate and heavy handed allegories， leading to a disjointed， underwhelming narrative。
Derek
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Uncomfortable。 In the way that we all were。 As teens， addictively consuming horror films。 The shock of quick plot turns。 The unexpected screams， and shadowy figures where you expected the boyfriend to return， but it’s someone more nefarious instead。 And every now and then a rubber body part， relieving us of our anxiety。 We are seeking scares， but acting cool， embracing the soft， corny bits。 The film inviting us to teenage giggle: “We weren’t scared at all。” A charming and unclassifiable book。 Ye Uncomfortable。 In the way that we all were。 As teens， addictively consuming horror films。 The shock of quick plot turns。 The unexpected screams， and shadowy figures where you expected the boyfriend to return， but it’s someone more nefarious instead。 And every now and then a rubber body part， relieving us of our anxiety。 We are seeking scares， but acting cool， embracing the soft， corny bits。 The film inviting us to teenage giggle: “We weren’t scared at all。” A charming and unclassifiable book。 Yes， it’s a book。 To that we can agree。 It’s otherwise horror/bestseller/family/memoir/southernliving/romance/retro/supernatural/religious/humor/thriller/Etc。 Note on my Goodreads scoring rubric criteria here: I give a star or two for overall writing， because it works ok。 5 stars for the names and characters （Horse， MaryEllen， Kitty， Blue， Slick， and on and on…。）。 Averaged out with many additional stars for the categories of weird， whimsy， and whynot？ 。。。more
Carlos Navajo
，
Aunque es una novela lenta -se toma su ritmo para presentar personajes y avanzar en las tramas， a veces de una forma demasiado lenta-， cada página engancha más y quieres saber más de las aventuras de Patricia y su club de lectura。 Lectura muy recomendada。
Lori
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I have so many feelings in this book but I’m not going to share them because I haven’t met with my book club yet to discuss this book。 But I will say， I think this book will lead to a great discussion！
ellie！！
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i could not put this book down！！ the only reason it took me 2 days to read was because i had to do things otherwise i would’ve finished it in one go。 so suspenseful and made me so angry sometimes but it was great！
Krista Wilson
，
Fantastic read。 I loved getting to know the women and following the mystery that was James Harris。 I got mad several times and really appreciated that once the shit hit the fan， it just flew！
Sabrina
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Why u do that to the dog！！！
Krystal
，
I had a fun and gory time with this one。 Not sure my book club would be up for this challenge。 I listened to a majority on audio as Bahni Turpin turned it out again。 Love her。
Thinker Belle
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"We’re a book club，” Maryellen said。 “What are we supposed to do？ Read him to death？ Use strong language？"For a book titled The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires， I expected more slaying and more badassery in general。 For most of the story we're simply following our main character Patricia desperately wringing her hands trying to convince someone to do something about the vampire dude living in their neighborhood。 It's only at the very end that things finally get going。 Until then i "We’re a book club，” Maryellen said。 “What are we supposed to do？ Read him to death？ Use strong language？"For a book titled The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires， I expected more slaying and more badassery in general。 For most of the story we're simply following our main character Patricia desperately wringing her hands trying to convince someone to do something about the vampire dude living in their neighborhood。 It's only at the very end that things finally get going。 Until then it's mostly a lot of hemming and hawing， to do or not to do。 I also found the tone of the book odd。 At first it seemed like a campy， lighthearted and humorous read。 Sometimes it read like a small town drama。 At times， a horror novel。 There were many parts that were scary and gross。 I found the playful title along with the fact that so many people describe this book as "funny" a bit weird。 This contains rape， murder and sexual assault of minors。 It was disturbing to read。There were a few positives。 The author accurately portrayed the frustrations of the women of the era。 Their lack of agency。 The various class and gender biases。 The rampant sexism， gaslighting and violence that would go on under the facade of familial bliss。 I liked how these women bonded over a shared love of crime books and formed their club。 I wish we had been shown more of that though。 I would have liked to see a more tightly knit group。 Here the friendships felt half hearted and other than Mrs。 Greene and Patricia， the others acted wishy washy for most of the book。 I understand the whole thing is meant to be satire but it simply didn't work for me。 Rating: 2 stars 。。。more
Tye
，
DNF@67%Okay， I really never do this， but I just can't finish this。 I am not having a good time。 I really， really wanted to enjoy this book， and it was recommended to me a lot when I was looking for something to read for spooky season， but I just can't do it。There's plenty of reviews here explaining the issues I am having with this story （sexism， racism， abuse， the gaslighting， the treatment of mental health and suicide， the treatment of female friendships， etc。） so I won't go into detail， but I DNF@67%Okay， I really never do this， but I just can't finish this。 I am not having a good time。 I really， really wanted to enjoy this book， and it was recommended to me a lot when I was looking for something to read for spooky season， but I just can't do it。There's plenty of reviews here explaining the issues I am having with this story （sexism， racism， abuse， the gaslighting， the treatment of mental health and suicide， the treatment of female friendships， etc。） so I won't go into detail， but I felt the need to explain my rating at least a little。 。。。more
Elin Streiffert
，
I really enjoyed this one。It's not for everyone。 There should be several Trigger warnings。 Sexual assault; gore; slasher; sexism; children being hurt。Even though it had a bunch of stuff I normally don't like to read， and sometimes I even stop reading because of TW。 But this was so much fun to read。 Definitely gonna read more from this author。I liked the point of view， a housewife who joins a book club and then meets a man who seems fine but she believes he is dangerous。 Everyone just thinks she I really enjoyed this one。It's not for everyone。 There should be several Trigger warnings。 Sexual assault; gore; slasher; sexism; children being hurt。Even though it had a bunch of stuff I normally don't like to read， and sometimes I even stop reading because of TW。 But this was so much fun to read。 Definitely gonna read more from this author。I liked the point of view， a housewife who joins a book club and then meets a man who seems fine but she believes he is dangerous。 Everyone just thinks she is bored and is making stuff up。The helplessness women sometimes feel when trying to get help from men was well written。 Sometimes though， the conversations were a bit on the nose。 Especially the last chapter。 But overall it had a nice flow， a good balance between gore and story。It did get scary for a while。 I'm not sure I thought the climax was as good as the rest of the book， but it was totally okay。 The mystery was scarier than the reveal。 The scariest part was actually early on the book when the children thought they heard someone walk on their roof and they were alone with their mother。 。。。more
Scoozer
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This one was not for me。 I gave it three stars for the writing， which was good。 But the story wasn't a good fit for me。 This one was not for me。 I gave it three stars for the writing， which was good。 But the story wasn't a good fit for me。 。。。more
Jonathan
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As an avid Stephen King fan， I have pretty high expectations when it comes to the horror/thriller genre and this book was good， like really really good。 It had all the classic Vampire twist and turns you'd expect， but enough differences that Hendrix made it his own， but the most important thing is it had the scare factor！ To me， a book is always way more terrifying when you read it and are left thinking "yeah that could happen。" Now I'm not going to sit here and dive deep into my thoughts on Vam As an avid Stephen King fan， I have pretty high expectations when it comes to the horror/thriller genre and this book was good， like really really good。 It had all the classic Vampire twist and turns you'd expect， but enough differences that Hendrix made it his own， but the most important thing is it had the scare factor！ To me， a book is always way more terrifying when you read it and are left thinking "yeah that could happen。" Now I'm not going to sit here and dive deep into my thoughts on Vampires truly existing， but the way it was so naturally woven into the everyday life of these women truly sent chills down my spine。 Nothing over-the-top gory （well except for the ending I guess would for sure make the movie version jump from PG-13 to R）， just a great take on a classic concept that is brought into the modern world without making it feel too campy like "Twilight" and "True Blood" did。 I've always said "Salem's Lot" is one of the scariest King reads， but this book gives that vampire novel a run for its money。 。。。more
Ambie
，
Very good！ It did get quite dark and upsetting as it progressed which made me need more breaks than I usually would。
Bonnie
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I don’t know where to begin！ Alternating between terrifying and hilarious， this story was so much fun to read！ It probably helped that I’ve read all the true crime books referenced…ha！
Denise
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3 1/2 :）
Jackie
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this was so fun！ and spooky！ love to have fun and be spooked！
Alaina Christine
，
What a suspenseful， horror trip！ Trigger warnings for gore， sexual assault， and suicide。 I’d give this 4。5/5 so rounded up to 5。
Rhys
，
This one really threw me for a loop！ I think I was expecting the tone to stick mostly to dark humor， but it ended up just being straight up dark at times。 I understand why Hendrix took it there， but I did have to knock a star off for the inconsistent tone。I would recommend taking a look at a content warnings list before diving into this one， I'm glad I did！ I might update this review with my own list once I've processed this one a bit。 This one really threw me for a loop！ I think I was expecting the tone to stick mostly to dark humor， but it ended up just being straight up dark at times。 I understand why Hendrix took it there， but I did have to knock a star off for the inconsistent tone。I would recommend taking a look at a content warnings list before diving into this one， I'm glad I did！ I might update this review with my own list once I've processed this one a bit。 。。。more
Pamela Lawver
，
Took a little bit longer than expected to get to the "good" part of the book but it was a decent read。 Took a little bit longer than expected to get to the "good" part of the book but it was a decent read。 。。。more
Sandy
，
I enjoyed the first half of the book very much and would have said it was one of my favorites but the story bogged down on the second half of the book。 Some of it was slow going but all and all was an enjoyable read。
Angela
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This one was disappointing。 Based off of the title and opening chapter， I thought it was going to be a fun， campy read but that's not the vibe。 It wasn't particularly scary either， just frustrating to read with some gross details thrown in。 The marriage dynamic between the husbands and wives was more 1950s than 1990s。 The female "friendships" and characters in general were shallow。 The book club takes forever to get on board despite all the evidence。 Some reviews say this book was feminist， and This one was disappointing。 Based off of the title and opening chapter， I thought it was going to be a fun， campy read but that's not the vibe。 It wasn't particularly scary either， just frustrating to read with some gross details thrown in。 The marriage dynamic between the husbands and wives was more 1950s than 1990s。 The female "friendships" and characters in general were shallow。 The book club takes forever to get on board despite all the evidence。 Some reviews say this book was feminist， and that the main villain was a symbol of the patriarchy and a symbol of racism， but if so it wasn't well done at all because it doesn't actually explore any of those issues。 Some details that came off the wrong way for me: Descriptions of black characters include living off the state， drinking kool aid and smoking menthols， I don't see what that adds to the story。 A female character says she gained 11 pounds and is waddling and stumbling around under her extra weight， like what？ The villain is said to have good hearing and can see in the dark， but doesn't hear or see Patricia trying to hide in his attic while he's also in the attic？ 2 stars because it started off strong and I still wanted to finish it。 。。。more
Val
，
This started out really good but started to drag a little in the middle。
Liz Horton
，