Beginning with a normal description of the affluent life of a bored southern housewife. Just before you think it is another dysfunctional family story, Patricia Campbell one of our five book club members and main character, is attacked by an elderly neighbor while putting out the garbage one night.. The elderly neighbor is put in the hospital as is Patricia. Then a handsome relative of the neighbor (James Harris) comes to stay at the house and help out. Patricia being the lovely southern lady she is feels she should take over a casserole and help out if possible. Patricia befriends James Harris and the book is kicked up to a higher speed.
My favorite Grady Hendrix book so fa. It not only has some surprises but also looks back to some of the classic vampire stories. Patricia Campbell the main character was very real to me as well as the book club she was in. The southern charm of the ladies in the book club rang true if not also a bit funny at times.

dang i don't even know what to say. of the ones i've read (Horrorstor is on hold at the library), i have yet to be disappointed by a grady hendrix novel. even when i can't stand the male characters so much i want to claw my eyes out. even when i get so frustrated with the events i feel hopeless and have no idea how the protagonists are going to get out of this. it's obviously because i care, and he's so good about making me care.

hendrix books all have a tongue-in-cheek, retro vibe that doesn't disrespect or mock the characters or their situation. his books are fun with alternating dark and touching moments. this one is no exception. loved it.

I've been a Grady Hendrix fan since Horrorstör, and I really enjoyed this new horror adventure. The story takes place in Charleston, SC in the 1990s, and centers around a housewife who suspects her charismatic new neighbor has caused the deaths of several children in the area. If you like a classic good versus evil story with some southern colloquialisms and female liberation thrown in, this is the book for you. My only complaint about this book is that it sometimes feels a little too similar to Hendrix's 2016 novel My Best Friend's Exorcism. Both focus heavily on female friendships; both are set in South Carolina in the late 20th century; both pit a female hero against a supernatural antagonist. It's still a really fun and suspenseful thriller, even if it does induce some déjà vu. I can't wait to see what Hendrix brings to the horror-genre next.

The first fiction entry in this list, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires sees a group of ’90s housewives pitted against an evil far more terrifying and insidious than anything they have read about in their monthly book club. Trigger warnings apply for rape, domestic abuse, drug abuse, and suicide.

Patricia is a wife and mother living in ’90s suburbia with a distant husband, increasingly sullen children, and the unwelcome responsibility of caring for her aging mother-in-law. She and her friends are all members of their local book club, which focuses on true crime and horror novels. When a new neighbor, James Harris, moves in, Patricia initially extends traditional southern hospitality, but she quickly grows suspicious of his motives as bizarre occurrences begin to happen and children in a nearby poor, black community start to disappear. When Patricia witnesses James attacking a young girl, she has to speak out, but her fears are laughed away by the men of the community who believe they know what’s best and she is quickly dismissed as mad. Eventually, Patricia must decide whether to stay silent and allow evil to flourish or speak out and risk everything.

In the introduction to this book, author Grady Hendrix states that he “wanted to pit a man freed from all responsibilities but his appetites against women whose lives are shaped by their endless responsibilities. [He] wanted to pit Dracula against [his] mom.” That idea of men having freedom while women are tied down is nothing new. How often have we seen the trope of the husband returning home to immediately crash onto the couch with a beer and the TV on while his wife runs around making dinner, cleaning up, and helping with homework? Here, though, it becomes something even more sinister as James leverages his freedom, and that of the men around him, to his advantage, knowing that the women who have figured out his secret are trapped by social niceties and a desperate desire not to rock the boat and risk their families and their social standing. In the end, though, it ends up being those very restrictions and their skills as “good wives and mothers” that help the women fight back.

Housewives are rarely the focus of books like this, seen as having too many responsibilities to spend our days fighting evil or having adventures, so it’s refreshing—if terrifying—to read a book where I strongly recognised myself as I am today in the main character. That being said, this was one of the hardest books I have read in a long time, to the extent that I had to ban myself from reading it before bed. Not only were the horror scenes truly horrific (anyone with a fear of rats may want to skip this one) but the reaction of the husbands was infuriating in their smug dismissal of their silly wives and their overactive imaginations, and I frequently found myself wanting to scream for reasons other than fear.

Grady Hendrix is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors, and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is another excellent example of his unique and disturbing take on the world.

There were some moments early on when I thought that this would be the prefect mix of humor and horror (a <i>Jude the Obscure</i> joke was the clue) but then, well... it didn't quite live up to that promise. It's not even really Southern Gothic horror, and it's not quite a vampire slaying group, although it does try to do both. The book group that Kitty. Patty, Grace, Maryellen and Slick form is tight knit and supportive, while their husbands are sexists Southerners who embrace golf and the Citadel, and a man's word and honor are paramount. Of course the newbie in the neighborhood , James, is going to help create even tighter bonds between the women and tighter bonds between the men... but you just know that something isn't Quite Right. There are also race issues, with the Book Club trying to help Patty do something about the black children disappearing from her cleaner's neighborhood and, well, it doesn't quite go the way it's supposed to.

The characters are very much people of their time (the 1980s) so attitudes and responses reflect that era. Anyone wanting different, more modern, versions, will be disappointed.

eARC provided by publisher.

*Disclaimer: I want to first start off this review with a huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher of Grady's dark comedy/vampire book, Quirk Books for an advanced readers copy for my honest review.*

Patricia Campbell is the typical, 39 year old bored, southern housewife who wishes she had it better, and better teenaged kids who appreciated her more. She is also a member of a group of southern women's local book club, who are obsessed with Ted Bundy, Ann Rule, true crime and suspense. When an elderly neighbor man dies suddenly and his extremely handsome grand nephew comes into town to take care of the funeral and his death, the book club becomes obsessed with him, James Harris.

Knowing beforehand of going into this book, I expected it to be quite a dark comedy and horror filled novel in the same vein of Hendrix's "Best Friends Exorcism" ( which I loved by the way!) but it wasn't. This almost could be called a sequel to that book being about the Parents of the teens from that first one, and what happens to them this time around. I have never been a great big fan of mixing horror with comedy, but I had high hopes for this one and it never took off for me. The horror aspects didnt even really get going until almost 45 percent into the book, and I was wondering if it was going to pick up speed....it didnt. Now I'm not saying I would not recommend this 100 percent to those who love their horror and love for vampires mixed with spoiled, gossipy and nosey rich people, because that is where Hendrix shines as an incredible author, that is just not my style, and I am not saying that this does not have horror in it, it has some creepy and very graphic depictions of blood and guts. There is one great scene where the 'mysterious stranger that comes into town' is on the roof of the house in the middle of the night that was very well imagined, and i actually felt like i was in there with Patricia and her girlfriends. With me living here in Sacramento CA I loved the parts of the women talking about their obsessions with serial killers and blood draining crazies such as The Sacramento Vampire of the 80's and even Ted Bundy, which was right from my own neighborhood where I grew up in Tacoma Washington! Hendrix had this nailed dead center in the bullseye of the true horrors of LIFE.

When I pick up a horror novel, even if it is mixed with satire and humor, the horror aspect has to take over the comedy and leave me with the feeling of unease and fear. I love to be scared and left with a reading experience that makes me think about who really lives next door to me, and what is lying dead in their basements. Enjoy.

This book absolutely ruled and I can’t wait to sell it at my store. This book makes vampires scary again. I ripped through this super quickly, and it’s absolutely my favorite of Grady Hendrix’s books

I loved My Best Friend's Exorcism and We Sold Our Souls, which made me confident that I would also enjoy The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. But I was unprepared for just how much I would enjoy this book.! The book sucked me in right away, and I had trouble putting it down. I could easily have finished it in two days if I hadn't had to do things like sleep and go to work.

The book is set in the mid-1990s, when I was in high school, and populated by a group of southern housewives who are about the same age I am now, so I appreciated little details like the clothes the characters wore and some of the material things they were concerned with. But I especially liked the invocation of the horror tropes of the day. When Patricia goes to the bookstore in search of vampire novels, her list of purchases reads like my summer reading list from that time period.

I really liked protagonist Patricia Campbell and her book club -- Grace, Slick, Maryellen, and Kitty. And I particularly like how they took the things they learned from reading true crime paperbacks and put them to good use against the stranger in town, James Harris.

While there is humor here, the book is also dark and disturbing. I was already a Hendrix fan, but this is definitely my new favorite Grady Hendrix book!

This is one of those most horrifying books I've read in a long time.

Yes, this book would be categorized as traditional horror--a Southern housewife pursues a vampire, after all, and--and the suspense and gore certainly fit within those parameters. But Hendrix also introduces domestic, social horror as well. The men are all (yes, ALL) irredeemably terrible and stupid, including the husbands and the villain himself, and the titular vampire preys on poor, Black neighborhoods because he knows he'll get away with it. I had to put this eARC down several times not because I was tired of it but because I wanted to scream at these men.

CW: rape, child abuse, domestic abuse, general gore

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I fell hard for Grady Hendrix after reading We Sold Our Souls, so when I heard he had another book coming out, I was interested. When I heard that book was set in the 1980s, I was very, very interested. When I heard that book was about proper Southern ladies fighting a vampire, I was OBSESSED.

(I have a thing for vampires.)

Patricia Campbell is your typical housewife, living in the suburbs of Charleston, SC. She cooks. She cleans. She drives carpool. She has a never-ending to-do list that keeps the lives of her husband and her two children running smoothly...all with little acknowledgement or appreciation.

She does have one thing for herself, though — her book club, where they read true crime novels and bond over the joy (and pain) of marriage and motherhood. They make each other laugh and hold each other as they cry.

So when she links the arrival of James Harris to a series of weirdly violent events and missing children, Patricia knows that she needs to stop him. And she needs her book club’s help.

They know he’s sucking the life from their hometown. He knows that they know, but he doesn’t care. Who would believe them?

In his author’s note Hendrix writes, “With this book I wanted to put a man freed from all responsibilities but his appetites against women whose lives are shaped by their endless responsibilities.”

This concept is a huge win for me! The evolution of these women from soccer moms into badass vampire killers was wonderful, especially Patricia. Hendrix shows the casual mistreatment and gaslighting that these women face (and overcome) in believable and relatable ways. He deftly shows how often good manners trap the women in uncomfortable, even dangerous situations. Patricia is a complex character who shows growth over the course of the book. The other characters are rather one-dimensional, standing in more as representations, but it works.

Hendrix’s style is a fun mix of pop culture, homage to old school horror, and satire. It’s a quick read and the writing is excellent. The essence of the 80s is well represented, with the book being described as “Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula.”

But this is no fluffy vampire romp. This is a gruesome, bloody, terrifying portrayal of a vampire slowly taking over and destroying everything these women love. And it’s also the story of the women standing up, slaying the monster, and saving themselves. Hallelujah!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. Thank you to Grady Hendrix and Quirk Books for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for my review.

Grady Hendrix has become one of favorites! Hendrix's flare for nostalgia and unique stories make For a perfect combination. SBCGSV' is one of those books that you will remember and recommend often. Wish there was book club , not a book club like this in my area.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

What scares you? Gory figures scuttling in the shadows? Cockroaches drilling in your ear? Losing your partner, your children, your sanity? That’s all here, and more, in Grady Hendrix’s Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
Patricia Campbell is an archetypical Southern housewife, both overwhelmed by her family’s demands and bored by her routine. Her guilty pleasure is meeting with her neighbors, also bored housewives, to discuss gruesome true crime books. Life in her well-manicured neighborhood turns sideways when she is attacked in her own yard. Everything spins out of control when she uncovers something horrifying about her new neighbor. Who can she turn to for help? Who are the real monsters?
If you’re looking for campy Southern belles sassing and staking their way through a cemetery, look elsewhere. Hendrix employs satire and a nostalgic nineties setting to ease the reader into a bleeding miasma of tribalism, racism, and vampire horror.

This review is based on an ARC, and appears on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3178745538

I stand by my initial assessment of this book on Goodreads: we don't deserve grady hendrix tbh.

I've been a fan of Grady Hendrix since reading <em>My Best Friend's Exorcism</em> for book club two years ago. His writing is engaging and accessible, and his ability to pull true horror out of absurd situations is unparalleled. In <em>The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires</em>, the themes are perfectly entertwined: the ennui of suburban motherhood, the feminine draw towards true crime, the systemic ignorance of predators in communities of color, and I'm sure a thousand things I've forgotten since I finished this book. Highly recommend, as with all of Grady Hendrix's books (I still haven't read <em>Paperbacks from Hell</em> but it's on my never-ending TBR list).

I love Grady Hendrix. Great book, turns the southern ladies and book club cliches on their heads. This book does it's own take on vampires and the effects they have on people.

I have not read a lot of horror and wanted to improve my reader’s advisory ability in this genre. This is the first title I read based on the summary on Net[Galley. Although set in the South, I kept picturing a neighborhood similar to the one found in the TV show Desperate Housewives where everything appears perfect but you never truly know who lives next door and what is going on behind closed doors. I really enjoyed the characters and rooted for the book club members as they navigated their daily lives, husbands, children and a vampire. It was creepy at times as well as funny and kept me turning pages until the very end.

If you took "Steel Magnolias" and "Fright Night" and mixed them together, you would get THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB'S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES. Once again Hendrix has managed to make a very fun and quirky idea both quite funny, and greatly upsetting. Patricia is one of his best protagonists, with her determination and spunk that combines with vulnerability and flaws to make a complex and relatable character. I also really liked a number of the book club members, especially Kitty, as they were a varied bunch that managed to move past their given stereotypes. And on top of that, I loved how the villainous role wasn't relegated to the vampire mythos (more on that soon), as Hendrix made some very hateful characters of the ladies's husbands, who don't take their wives seriously and would believe a man they've just met over their wives. Patricia's husband Carter almost beat out James the vampire for the character I hated most. Hendrix's vampire mythos was both rooted in some of the classics, but had some original and unique elements to it that I really liked. James is both frightening but also very appealing in a lot of ways, and I think that the appeal is what you need to make a great vampire villain. Also, props to Hendrix for trying to talk about social justice issues, as the children that the vampire targets are those from a poor, predominantly black neighborhood, so outside of their community no one is really paying attention (there were some clunky things with this side plot, however). I will also say that there was a scene that involved an implied rape and the aftermath, that to me felt unnecessary. There were other ways that we could have hit home the dangers of certain characters, so that didn't sit too well with me as someone who is sick of seeing rape and sexual assault used as a way to up the stakes within a plot.

All that said, I did enjoy "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires". Grady Hendrix is such a stand out horror voice because his ideas are so original.

WOW what an excellent book!! I love the idea of exploring the world built by My Best Friend's Exorcism. the characters were so flawed and beautifully real, and I haven't read a female protag written by a man this well in a long, long time. Well done Mr. Hendrix!!!

I went into this book expecting a campy tale of vampire destruction, e.g. the Buffy the Vampire Slayer film. What I got was a horror-filled psychological thriller with some humorous and heartwarming moments.

A Charleston suburb in the early 90's is the perfect setting as characters begin to question “How well do you really know your neighbor?”. Rats and other creepy crawlies feature prominently. However, the most chilling part of this book is how the vampire exploits the existing power dynamics in the community, whether it is a husband’s power over his wife or the white community’s power over the black community. Hendrix’s has written a thought-provoking and entertaining page-turner.

The way this book is written gives the reader such an easy path through a brilliant story.
I found myself excited to get back to it whenever I could.
Whilst the thought of another vampire book might put some people off, it shouldn’t. Not cheesy or twee in the slightest, this book for sure deserves to be read.

It's early in the year, but "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires" might be my favorite book of 2020. I was absolutely riveted the entire time, and couldn't stop turning pages! One moment, this thrilling new novel feels like chick lit set in the humid south, complete with the palpable pull and obligation of southern manners and hospitality, and descriptions of the region so vivid you can smell the marshes. On the very next page is a jolting left turn into classic vampire horror in all its bloody glory with exciting new twists. Grady Hendrix's characters are equally relatable, frustrating, and lovable in turns, and the novel's commentary on justice, class, race, and the societal milieu of the 1990s is spot on. Expect thrills, chills, commentary on the dark side of "domestic bliss," and plenty of southern charm in this surprisingly empowering book about women's unshakable will and ability to "go the distance."