Author: Grady Hendrix
Genre: Comedic Horror
Pages: Hardback, 404
ISBN: 978-1-68369-143-3
Opening Lines: "This story ends in blood."
Rating
"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. Jame is well traveled and well reda, 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."
~ Jacket copy
According to the author himself, this book is the adult version of My Best Friend's Exorcism. However, he makes it clear it is not a sequel, per say, rather, it is his homage to his mother's book club. All you need is the author's note to leave you with warm-fuzzies.
To be honest, the only things I knew about this book were the title and the author. After reading We Sold Our Souls, Grady Hendrix turned into one of those authors I will read without question. (Side note, if he follows in the footsteps of Joe Hill, I shall swear off horror and favorite authors!)
This book is truly hard to dig into without giving away the story. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions that ranged the gamut of outright rage to grief. During chapters 21 and 22, I was threatening to throw the book across the room. Yes, Hendrix was intentionally calling on stereotypes to make a point; however, he wrote them so well, it was . . . Yeah . . .
Parts of the book were predictable, but he was able to still keep me surprised at the end. The characters were rich and well-written. And the pacing was excellent! Toward the end, I found myself wondering if everything happened too quickly with James and if he waited too long for the climax. However, he used the time to draw the reader into the story. And it made me realize that it was less a vampire story and more of a book celebrating friendship/loyalty.
This book was just . . . Wow! I absolutely loved it!
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