The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Synopsis

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 ever 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 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.

Loved

• The book club! On the outside, these women are the perfect southern housewives of the 90s- pretty, submissive, charitable and experts at cleaning. But these ladies are made of steel when it comes to true crime and having their children threatened. Each one of these women is relatable, quirky and lovable, even in her faults and moments of weakness. Watching them band together to help with casseroles, funerals, aged parents, carpool and tailgate parties is inspiring, but watching them work together to take down a vampire is downright satisfying. Their bond to each other is the glue of the book, and their quirky personalities are the sparkle.

• The suspense! The whole story is suspenseful because you know from the first scene who the bad guy is- and he's BAD. This is not like a mystery where you're trying to figure out the murderer, this is like a horror movie where you know what's going to go down, but you can't do anything about it. This story has one of my favorite suspenseful scenes I've ever read about where a vampire is on the ROOF trying to get in. It sent tingles down my spine in the most delicious way!

• Patricia. This poor woman. She gives everything to her kids, her husband and her friends, and no one ever believes her or takes her seriously. I have so much respect for her that she sticks to what she believes even when no one believes her and she even loses her marriage over it. She is selfless and brave, and gives everything for her children, which I really appreciate as a mother!

• The setting. This is set in the South in the 90s, which are both fun elements. The southern culture is so vivid, with cicadas at night, searing hot summers, barbecues, big hair, football games, and famous southern hospitality. The 90s also gives it a fun vibe since I was born in this decade and was picturing my family the same age as these kids. 

Didn't Love

• The frustration! This was one of the most frustrating books I've ever read because you know exactly what terrible things are happening and going to happen, but you can't do anything about it. And once the main character realizes what's going on, no one believes her! I also hated how the husbands treated these women, and it never really reconciles. Maybe the author was trying to make a statement about how women, especially housewives, are severely under-esteemed.

Content

• Language: 
• Two uses of "F***."
• Occasional uses of "damn" and "hell."

• Sexual content: 
• Kisses between spouses.
• The vampire sucks blood from women, teenagers and children. Two scenes of naked women (one a teenager) having their blood sucked, which causes them to feel sexual ecstasy. 
• Mentions of husbands having affairs and the girls they sleep with.
• Body parts described when women strip down to have their blood sucked.
• One woman is raped and body parts are described.

• Violence
• Many descriptions of strange deaths over the years, all centering around the vampire.
• Children are preyed on having their blood sucked and leaving wounds on their thighs. Mentions of some of them committing suicide.
• One woman is raped and he threatens to kill her family if she makes noise.
• Graphic descriptions of killing a vampire- extremely bloody and detailed.
• One woman is beaten by her husband off-page.
• Many threats, grooming of children, and suspenseful scenes.
• A disturbing scene where rabid rats attack the house and eat one woman.


• Other themes:
• Racism: A black man is blamed for the vampire's killing. He is buried alive by white men (happened 50 years before the book started).
• Sexism: Women are consistently threatened, put down, expected to be submissive, and one is beaten by her husband.

Overall Thoughts

Overall this was such a fun Halloween read and I could NOT put it down. I kept making excuses to do more chores around the house after baby went to bed so I could keep listening! It gripped me right from the beginning and I was hooked. The southern housewives are the perfect team to take down a vampire, and I love how relatable they are. So many jokes, comments and frustrations they had I totally related to as a stay at home mom, and I think that made the book even more thrilling because the setting and characters felt so close to home. The suspense was perfect, and the writing kept the book moving quickly. I do wish it hadn't been quite so graphic, especially in regard to children and teenagers. That was quite disturbing and I wish it had been toned down a few notches. It was also so frustrating that sometimes it was almost painful to read. But overall this is a fun, fast-paced southern thriller with a believable paranormal thread that all vampire lovers should pick up!