The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix is a horror novel set in the 1990s that follows Patricia and her book club as they discover a possible vampire living in their neighborhood. Hendrix's writing style of blending humor, absurdity, and horror together make this long book fly by as Patricia tries to figure out what is actually going on in her neighborhood. The book starts out with newcomer James moving in to the neighborhood and how he insinuates himself in to neighborhood, but especially Patricia's family. Soon though, there are rumors of children going missing and Patricia soon begins to suspect that James might be responsible for their deaths. Patricia must enlist her book club to help her get to the bottom of what James is up to and how they can protect the children in their town.

While this book was certainly fun to read, it was a bit gruesome in parts so the squeamish might not enjoy it as much as your more average horror reader. This book takes place in the deep south and that even though it is the 1990s, the divide between the white characters and the black characters is extreme. While it does accurately reflect society, it can be a bit difficult to read, especially through Patricia's white narration. The children being killed were black children and Patricia and her book club were seemingly completely unaware of these missing children until it was brought right to their doorstep. Even then, some of her club members didn't want any part of it because it wasn't directly affecting their own families. I think that this aspect will make for good discussion points about society and how often we turn a blind eye to issues as long as they don't directly affect us. Also, for me personally, it was evident that this was a male author writing about the struggles of a 35ish year old housewife but I still overall really enjoyed the book and the journey of Patricia. While I did enjoy the book, the pacing felt varied throughout the book with a slow, but interesting start and then a random and slightly jarring 2 or 3 year time jump about 75% of the way through the book. I would recommend this book to fans of horror and his previous books and also fiction readers looking for a fun book that's also a bit gruesome. I liked the character of Patricia and how she evolved throughout the book and the horror and humor elements mixed together. I also listened to the audiobook while reading and Bahni Turpin is a favorite narrator so she really added a lot to the book, so I would also recommend the audiobook of this as well.

Wow. Quite simply, I loved this book. I'm from the south (born and raised in Georgia!), and vampires have fascinated me since I was about five, so I knew this would be right up my alley the moment I saw it. The author did a fantastic job of incorporating traditional "southern" elements to the story, without playing into the "Awww, shucks! Bless your lil heart!" stereotypes. The author blended horror and comedy seamlessly, and I genuinely had a hard time putting this one down. 4.5 stars, easily- cannot wait to see what Grady Hendrix writes next!

Thank you to the publisher for this advanced copy. Grady Hendrix applies humor and horror in a highly enjoyable combo once again. Highly recommend.

I absolutely loved this book. After picking up ‘My Bestfriends Exorcism’ I have been waiting to see what Hendrix pulls out next and this definitely did not disappoint. The cutting wit is threaded through even the simplest dialogue between characters, done so well you can feel the unease in the room when the women discuss feminist literature. Funny, smart with a plot that you don’t want to end. Brilliant.

I assume that the author is from the South. They are able to capture the "steel magnolia" factor of southern women and blend it well with descriptive, icky horror. Great observations of women of a time's relationship with their husbands as well.

It’s the early 90s in South Carolina, and Patricia Campbell is a housewife with two kids in a nice neighborhood. Along with a number of other local ladies, she is a member of a book club that meets monthly. Their husbands think it’s a Bible Study group. Really, they read a lot of true crime. And if there’s one thing those books have taught her, it’s that you probably shouldn’t trust the good-looking man who comes to town in a tinted-window van and ever-shifting accounts of his past. Especially if he claims to have a health condition that means he absolutely can’t go out in the sun, so you only ever see him after nightfall. And really, really especially if children start disappearing.

No one’s going to believe a bunch of book club ladies who say a vampire has moved in down the street. They’re going to have to take care of this themselves.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is a thriller with a core of steel magnolia feminism and 90s nostalgia. It was the perfect Halloween read for me, particularly since I recently finished a re-read of Dracula (by way of the Audible version with Simon Vance, Alan Cumming, and Tim Curry). There was at least one oh-I-see-what-you-did-there moment for me before the Big Reveal.

I used to be a big horror reader as a teen, then became the wimpiest wimp to ever wimp as an adult. Even I couldn’t resist this book, and I’m so glad I didn’t.

Content warnings for racism (both the racism and the classism of the time and place figure in the book, not uncritically), harm to children, harm to animals, and violence of a variety of kinds.

Delightfully odd. That is the only way I can describe this! It was so much fun and such a ride to read, but the plot sometimes had me scratching my head and wondering what was really happening. It reads *almost* like a parody of a horror movie, with themes that are serious in nature. By the end, I was glad I picked it up, but unsure whether it had any lasting impression.

4.5*

THIS WAS SO GOOD. For those who have not read horror before, I do think this is a good place to start, the horror elements were intense, descriptive but they were not too much.

The plot was intense, it built up and built up and there were often times I did not know where it was going. I liked how we were interwoven into the women's lives, and bookclub. It was like we were really there, and the town that Hendrix builds is really imaginative.

The characters were really well written, and they were so vivid. I love vampires, and this was really good in terms of vampire description.

I couldn't put this down and I would highly recommend.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I am not really sure what genre this book is supposed to be and how many of the characters were supposed to actually be "bad." Most would describe it as "Southern Gothic," but to me, it didn't quite hit that mark either, because instead of feeling disturbed, it really just made me angry. I am not sure if that was Hendrix's goal or not. And the main characters that are supposed to find redemption and kick ass take ridiculously too long to do it.

Grady Hendrix has created an engaging and strong group of characters in his Southern Book Club, and I could not stop listening to hear how they were going to figure out this mess in which they found themselves. I received this as an advanced copy in the springtime, but only got around to listening to the audiobook in October, and there is no better time for this story than the "spooky season". Bahni Turpin's performance is spot-on - I never wanted to turn this off.

There are heavy topics discussed within this novel, and graphic depictions of horrific scenes, but the merits of this novel include the pacing of the plot and the fortitude of the characters. The reason I love Hendrix's writing is that he can turn my stomach on one page, and then bring it back to the characters on the next, which will make me keep moving through the story to see how it turns out.

I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. Had a very strong beginning, a drawn out middle, and a good ending.

The characters were pretty meh though, unfortunately.

The book had a mostly satisfying ending, but so many characters were so infuriating, that I'm not sure I consider the effort to get to the end worth it. I wanted more camp and humor, and I thought the book would be a bit more like the Sookie Stackhouse books in terms of tone. But the overwhelming feeling I was left with was just wanting that dang vampire to slaughter the smug husbands.

Maybe it's time to revisit Sookie and my preferred fictional vampire, Eric Northman.

My review can also be found at www.bookbrowse.com.

Grady Hendrix's novel The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires revolves around Patricia Campbell, a 1990s small-town matriarch. The stay-at-home mother of two lives an unremarkable existence, going about her day driving the kids to school, cleaning house, catering to the whims of her successful husband and caring for his elderly mother. Her social circle consists of other women living similarly constrained lives who get together once a month to ostensibly discuss true-crime books (but really to drink white wine and gossip). Their predictable world is disrupted by the arrival of James Harris, a handsome, charismatic stranger who quickly insinuates himself into their community. As bizarre attacks occur and children from the poor section of town start dying, Patricia begins to wonder if James could be responsible or if, as her husband insists, she has simply been reading too many books about mass murderers. She enlists her fellow housewives to help her investigate—with unexpected and harrowing results.

One might expect from the book's title and description that this would be a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek take on the well-worn vampire and horror genres, and indeed, the novel starts out in that vein. For example, in describing an early encounter between two of the women, the author writes:

Patricia knew that Maryellen was a Yankee from Massachusetts who told everyone that she was a feminist. And Kitty was one of those big women who wore the kind of clothes people charitably referred to as "fun" – baggy sweaters with multicolored handprints on them, chunky plastic jewelry. Patricia suspected that getting entangled with women like this was the first step on a slippery slope that ended with her wearing felt reindeer antlers at Christmas.

This narrative style continues on for the first quarter of the book, and it's entertaining enough to keep the reader engaged. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the author's technique, though, is the way he gradually transitions the story from what seems like a horror spoof to a true horror story with characters and a plot in which the reader becomes deeply invested. As the plot darkens, there are passages that are humorous but terrifying at the same time, a tricky balance to achieve but one Hendrix manages with remarkable success.

Several passages are quite gory. The author warns readers in the prologue that "this story ends in blood" and that's certainly the case—there's a lot of blood in the middle as well. Given the somewhat frothy tone of the first part of the narrative, the "ick-factor" of these encounters was initially shocking; the level of violence seemed out of synch with my expectations for the novel. While I came to anticipate these sections, I was nonetheless repulsed by the author's excessively detailed, no-holds-barred descriptions. They're for the most part skimmable but not entirely avoidable, so those who are bothered by intensely gruesome books will want to give this one a pass.

That said, if you don't mind the occasional explicitly violent scene, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires is a great escape; its compelling characters, fast pace and unique modern take on vampire literature make it a worthwhile read. I'd recommend it for book groups, as it raises good discussion questions surrounding friendships, spousal relationships and community responsibility.

As a huge fan of Grady Hendrix, I was already interested in The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. While I expected a fun horror novel (and that it was) it was also surprisingly serious at times about issues in these women's lives. A complex read that is funny, horrifying, but all around enjoyable!

I really enjoyed reading this book. A monster has moved into the neighborhood and only the local Book Club wives are capable of stopping him. Despite the horror I was surprised at how much I laughed. I really liked the Southern setting and the characters, even though many were amazingly stupid and naive . It is a fun quick read, gross and funny. Perfect for this time of year Enjoy

This is not written like your typical horror, it has an ebb and flow to it with alternating "lows" where live goes back to normal for the characters and the "highs" where is all goes crazy in varying degrees of horror and gore. I enjoyed the peaks of "WTF" moments and then being lulled back into a sense of "no, everything is okay".

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but really enjoyed it!
I received a free copy from the the publisher and Netgalley.

<i>*Advance Review Copy generously provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*</i>   
Okay, so this was a light-hearted (for a vampire novel) and easy read. This read like a 90's movie for me. I was entertained throughout and especially loved the ending. BUT, I will say I struggled with the representation of the black characters in this, they came off as cliche and disposable and that was disheartening. I know, I know, it does take place in the south and in the 90s, but still would have been cool to give these characters something more. Was the author staying true to the times? Maybe? That being said, I know there some supposed sexism in here but honestly, I didn't let that bother me. I thought overall it was a fun take on the horror genre.

Incoming rant on how much I LOVED this book!

Let me preface this with the fact that I've never been one of those "Vampire" horror fans. Yes, I read and obsessed about Twilight when I was but a wee child like everyone else my age, but other than that? I've never been into vampires. I'm ashamed to admit that even though Mr. Hendrix is one of my favorite horror authors, as soon as I heard that it involved vampires, it was not the highest on my TBR list. I could slap myself now, having finished this.

A Trigger Warning for some folks going to read this, though: There is the description of a rape scene later on in the books. I wouldn't say it was extremely graphic, but I wasn't exactly expecting to read that even though this is a horror novel.

The CHARACTERS? Fantastic. Amazing. Well-written. They were all so believable to me that I could hear their accents and picture them in my head. I love that our main group of characters are southern housewives! Patricia had me from the first page; she was so relatable to me and my experiences with my own book club. Our vampire-ish friend James Harris is so interesting, as well. I love the different take on how James sucks blood from his victims. This was just such a great book, and I'm very happy to have gotten my hands on it. It rightfully was on the NTY Best Seller's list for a while, as well! Congrats to Mr. Hendrix on that awesome accomplishment.