By Grady Hendrix
This book is about the battle between a true crime book club of Southern Ladies vs. the vampire that moves into town. These five ladies get tired of reading “great literature” in the established Book Club in town, and informally break off to read the books that interest them: Helter Skelter, In Cold Blood, The Bridges of Madison County and the like. Their opinions are as fun to listen to as their book list!
Soon after the “not really a book club” forms, James Harris moves in to his great-aunt’s house next door to main character, Patricia Campbell. Though he initially seems sickly and inept, requiring the aid of Patricia to set up the basic tenets of residency, he quickly recovers. He becomes tall, dark and handsome with almost supernatural speed, and begins ingratiating himself to the husbands of the group, and the rest of the town of Mt. Pleasant.
Attacks begin, children go missing, and smaller animals begin acting very strangely. Only Patricia seems to see the signs and where they point, or rather to whom they point. She brings her less-than-airtight facts to her close circle of friends. They really want to believe her, but the financial and social pressure James has created around them, especially through their husbands, makes it difficult.
Fortunately, James did not realize the power in a Southern town lies not in the husbands, but in the housewives. They thrive on difficult, know how to pay attention to all the essential details, and will not tolerate any threat to one of their own. Unafraid to get their hands dirty, and very bloody, these ladies prove that against a well-read, well-bred Lady, even supernatural creatures don’t stand a chance.
I devoured this book in under a day. My six year old even stated she wanted to read it, and “put it away” on the bookshelf in her room. While a super cute endorsement, I definitely had to take it back and put it away on a really high shelf elsewhere – this is not appropriate for six year olds! But as I am a wee bit older, I loved it!
Soundtrack
- Simply Irresistible by Robert Palmer
- I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett
- Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi
- Livin on the Edge by Aerosmith
- I’d Do Anything for Love by Meatloaf
- The River of Dreams by Billy Joel
- Wannabe by Spice Girls
- Lovefool by The Cardigans
- WooHah Got You All in Check by Busta Rhymes
- Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve
Pros & Cons & Potential Spoilers
Pros
- A difficult to kill, new kind of vampire
- Love the books referenced throughout the story
- Inner strength and community, the ability to rely on your circle for anything are big themes
Cons
- There are a lot of chauvinistic, domestic abuse themes, but they are for a purpose and not forever
- Quite a bit of violence and predation of children – again, for a purpose
- You will lose faith in each character at some point – but don’t give up!