The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel
"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 Now in paperback, 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.
- 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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Readers say *The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires* offers a unique blend of Southern culture and horror with well-developed female chara...
Pretty wordy and gorier than anticipated. There were a lot of lull moments/chapters. It felt like all of the action happened in the last 5 chapters (there’s over 40). If you’re expecting your typical take on vampires or something like Twilight, this isn’t it. Book title is a bit of a misnomer - there’s very little reference to or story about a vampire. Was not one of my favorite reads. I did appreciate the way the author wrote a “stream of consciousness” of the main character in the first few chapters, very relatable thinking. But like I said the title is a bit of a misnomer.
Horror is not my usual choice, but this was fantastic! I had a few friends recommend this, and I'm so glad they did. I liked that the heroes were women without complete male bashing. The characters were relatable and well developed, and the book club dynamics were spot on. Patricia's submission to her husband and social norms didn't quite fit the personality of a "good nurse" in my opinion but I decided to let it slide. 1 - it's fiction, 2- it would have been a short book otherwise! Very occasionally, I could tell it was a male writing a female character but not to the point of distraction. Being the wuss I am, I did have to pause a couple of times when things got intense. Overall, I loved this and highly recommend.
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