The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires follows woman named Patricia Campbell. Patricia once worked as a nurse before giving up her job to become a housewife. Patricia’s husband Carter is a workaholic who’s busy chasing after a promotion and is rarely home. She’s left alone with her two teenage kids, Blue and Korey, who rarely have anything to say to her. Besides taking care of the home, the kids, the dog, and her elderly mother-in-law, Patricia is also part of a book club, where she and the other housewives indulge in true crime.
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One evening after returning home from book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by her elderly neighbour, Ann Savage. After Ann’s passing, her nephew James Harris moves in and things start to take a turn for the worse. James is handsome, well-spoken, and incredibly charming. He easily wins over Patricia and her family. However, when children from the other side of town start to go missing and all arrows point to James, Patricia is the only one willing to investigate.
This story is set in the ’90s and takes place in the same neighbourhood as Hendrix’s other book titled My Best Friend’s Exorcism. Both stories are separate, so you don’t need to read one to understand the other. It’s just a cool nod to his previous work. There were plenty of moments in this story that made my blood run cold, twist my face in disgust, and yell in frustration because no one was listening to or taking Patricia seriously.
The husbands in this story were quick to say that their wives had wild imaginations due to the “morbid” books they read. The other housewives sided with their husbands in fear of sounding crazy, leaving Patricia wondering how she would handle this on her own. James was quick to befriend and charm his way into each household. This made him the ultimate villain and you often wondered if he would ever be defeated.
This was the most graphic horror book I’ve read to date. While I was able to get through it and ultimately enjoyed the story, this is a dark read and there are a lot of content warnings to look out for. Book Trigger Warnings does a great job outlining them all. If you are a fan of the horror genre and enjoy stories about vampires, I definitely recommend this book. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is available now on Amazon.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Genre: Horror
Pages: 408
Rating: 4/5
Wow, that sounds like such an interesting novel! Thanks so much for the detailed review, too. 🙂
Thank you for reading Caleb!
We’ve seen a lot of reviews for this one, but haven’t read it yet! It sounds like we’d enjoy though.
I hope you get a chance to check it out. Thanks for reading!
I’ve heard such great things about this book – it’s definitely on my TBR pile! Great review 🙂
mia // https://beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com/
That’s great to hear! I hope you enjoy it Mia. Thank you for reading!
I haven’t heard of this before. You have written a great review sharing your thoughts. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Lauren!
Sounds like a really good, and interesting book. Thanks for sharing!
`Michelle
https://michellescrazybusylife.net
Thank you for reading Michelle!
It sounds like a strange plot, but in a good way. I feel like women and never taken seriously in horror/paranormal or even everyday books/movies so it’s interesting to read how you felt uncomfortable when she was ignored. Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to check it out!
It definitely is a very interesting plot. Thank you for reading Loren!
Good to get a horror novel recommendation. It’s perfect for the season. Usually, I see a lot of rom-com novel reviews so it’s refreshing to get another genre. Based on your review, I’ll have to check it out now!
I hope you enjoy it Nicole. Thank you for reading!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this one. I’m not one for horror but I’m glad that you enjoyed it.
Thank you for reading Jodie!
What a great book for Halloween. I love that the cover looks so ordinary.
Thank you for reading Wendy!
This sounds like a lovely book to read in October and I love that, while it is linked to a previous book, it makes for a perfect standalone. The title tickles my creepy bone too. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for reading Jaya!
This book sounds like a perfect Fall read! I love thrillers, horror and I’m currently reading a book by Stephen King, so I definitely enjoy these kinds of stories. Thank you for the recommendation and the amazing review! You made me want to read this one for sure! 😀
Thank you for reading Dora! I’m happy you enjoyed the review.
Sounds like a cool read. Would like to check it out. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Fadima!
This sounds like a gripping and interesting read, and I’m glad you enjoyed it for the most part 🙂 great review x
It definitely was! Thank you for reading Eleanor!
Graphic Horror doesn’t bother me, in fact, the scarier the better, so this sounds RIGHT up my street! It’s been a long time since I read a really good Horror, so I’ll have to add this to my TBR. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
You will LOVE this book. I’m glad you’re adding it to your list. Thank you for reading Jenny!
Stories that make your blood run cold can be very entertaining. Great review!
This book definitely was! Thanks for reading Jamie!
This looks like an interesting read! Great post.
Thank you Anke!