The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

By: Grady Hendrix

Bored and neglected, 1990s Southern suburban housewife Patricia Campbell has little in her life that truly brings her joy. Her days are filled with caring for a senile mother-in-law named Miss Mary, a doctor husband, Carter, who spends much of his time working, and two teenage children, Korey and Carter Jr., aka "Blue," who are growing up and are distracted by their own interests.

Patricia's sole escape is her book club, which has recently splintered into a new group that focuses on true crime. The group includes Grace, Kitty Scruggs, Slick Paley, and Maryellen. The book club is a chance for these women to escape their domesticity and talk about things other than their husbands and children. However, everything changes when Patricia is attacked by an elderly neighbor named Ann Savage. Following the attack, Patricia meets Ann's nephew, James Harris. James seems dashing and is good at investments, but he harbors a little secret. He's a vampire.

Patricia's suspicions about James are confirmed by Ursula Greene, a woman who had previously worked for the Campbell family. Mrs. Greene tells Patricia that James's white van was seen in her neighborhood, and ever since, black children in the area have gone missing or are killing themselves in horrific ways. It starts with 8-year-old Orville Reed and his cousin, Sam. Mrs. Greene is fearful that the disappearances will continue. When 9-year-old Destiny Taylor starts showing odd behavior, Patricia wants to get involved and try to stop James before it's too late.

The police refuse to take the disappearances seriously, and even worse, Patricia's book club doesn't believe her at first. As strange disturbances continue, the book club eventually has no choice but to get involved. As a result, they discover not only supernatural evil but also systematic racism and "misogyny, rage, anger, and the indignities that women had to endure in order to survive, to be respectable, to be considered proper women."