Nice Southern Ladies - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

by Grady Hendrix

Synopsis: 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.

Who doesn't love a good vampire story? Throw in some sexism, racism, greed, mixed with Southern sass and you got this. The 90's setting is great. I loved the friendships. I loved the grit and determination these women have. 

This book is clearly about vampires but there are definitely other monsters in this book. 
Warning: there are some pretty gruesome parts! 
(There are also parts with quite a bit of dark humor and satire you may even laugh out loud like I did. )

from the Author's note

“He thinks we‘re what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. 
Let me tell you something…
there‘s nothing nice about Southern ladies.”