I loved watching True Blood on TV. It had all the things I loved- romance, thrills, chills and great dialogue! There was also a sense that even has the plot lines got more and more outrageous, the show runners would often insert a little “wink and nod” showing even they knew this was over the top! I got that same feeling reading this book by Hendrix. He certainly does a great job in exposing the hardships and ingratitude for women in the 1990’s but he also creates this chilling and horrifying plot line that keeps you compulsively reading just to make it all stop!

Patricia Campbell is a mother of two and wife to a mostly absent workaholic husband. Her life revolves around taking care of her senile mother-in-law who lives with them, and her children, while doing all the  things one must do to manage a household. For Patricia, her book club is the one place that she can go to shed her various roles and worries and spend time with other women, talking and sharing about something they had read.

One evening in early summer, on her way back from book club, Patricia is suddenly attacked by her senile, elderly neighbor. This event brings Jamie Harris, her neighbors nephew into her life. Harris is charming, well-traveled and Patrica is flattered and intrigued by his seeming interest in her. But as the summer wears on and rumors of children going missing in another part of town begin to swirl, Patrica begins to suspect Harris. Gathering her book club members together, Patricia tries to get the police to focus their investigation on Harris, but when that fails, these ‘steel magnolias” take matters in their own hands to save their town and their children from the monster living in their midst.

Hendrix does a great job in describing in detail the challenges many women face and continue to face in raising a family, creating a home and working at home or outside the home. His depictions of the misogony and sexism of thirty years ago are quite shocking but accurate and it makes you realize how far we have come and still need to go! There is some graphic violence, this is after all a book about vampires, so readers should beware, but all in all this was a fun and compulsive read!

Brenda’s Rating: **** (4 Out Of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian, Lauren and Keith

Book Study Worthy? Of course!

Read in ebook format.