The Southern Book Club’s Guide For Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
This novel was my introduction to Grady Hendrix, and oh what a treat. (A nostalgic, funny, gory, graphic, absolutely terrifying treat.) The supernatural thriller has been described as “Steel Magnolias meets Dracula,” revolving around Patricia, a frustrated Southern housewife, and her quirky true crime book club in the ‘90s. Their lives are pretty standard — suburban squabbles over curb appeal, who’s the best hostess, whose life is secretly the most miserable, etc. — until Patricia begins to suspect that their handsome new neighbor is either Ted Bundy, or a full-fledged vampire. It remains my favorite of his books to date, genuinely scary and gory, with touches of well-placed humor.
Oh, and if you’re looking for another summer horror recommendation and you’ve already read this book as well as Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House (referenced earlier on this round-up), you might as well add his 2025 novel Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, which envelops its story in boiling hot, sticky summer scenery at a home for pregnant young women in the depths of Florida. I’m sweating just thinking about it.
🔗Read my full review of The Southern Book Club’s Guide For Slaying Vampires here🔗
