This was such a fun and quirky murder mystery! Fans of the Finlay Donovan series will love this book!

I enjoyed the story of Capri who is the granddaughter of a serial killer who runs a company dedicated to giving murder of San Francisco. I liked how Capri gets involved in solving a copycat murders that includes her ex mother in law and all the situations she finds barrack in. I really enjoyed how Capri works too solve the current murders while also trying to clear her grandfather's name from the cold case of the Overkill Bill case.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the performance.

Such a great read! It’s got a great true crime feel. Capri is a great character with great determination. Everything comes together really well. The past and the present collide, and she just figures out both. These two times hold such great significance to her and her family. Amazing read! I’d love to read more from this author.

The Serial Killer Guide' to San Francisco is about Capri, who makes her living, giving serial killer tours of the city. She has been interested in the topic since she was a kid, when she first discovered she's the granddaughter of serial killer William ‘Overkill Bill’ Sanzio. She believed in his innocence, though she's never really reaserched it.. since her dad refused to talk about him..

..That is until a copycat killer emerges, and one of the victims happens to be her ex-mother-in-law, Sylvia. Capri and her daughter Morgan are considered possible suspects as they both had heated exchanges with Sylvia the day of her death. Capri's efforts to reveal the real killer will unravel numerous family secrets,

I was drawn to this book because I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for quite some time and have been curious about going into the mystery genre for a bit. So I thought why not read a mystery solving search for justice story set in SF?

It was a bit slow developing for me so I almost put it down and moved on to something else, but it definitely had me on my toes wondering what's going to happen next, what's the real story, guessing who actually did it. As a mom and wife, I could empathize with different part of the story, the depth of the love of a parent. Cheating comes up in this book a few times and I didn't love the attitude of the men feeling like it wasn't a big deal. I know a lot of people may actually feel like that, but in my mind, it's definitely not cool and their attitude bugged me. I liked the twists and turns in the story but it just might be that mysteries and thrillers aren't my favorite cup of tea.

Narration: I thought the narration with multiple voices by one narrator was great! I tend to listen to books on 2x most of the time and her voice was perfect at 2x speed for me.

Thank you Net Galley for my ARC copy of the audiobook!

Loved this fun feel good mystery.
Such an easy listen, and equally easy read. Loved the pace of the book, the characters, and the colorful San Francisco history.
This story is told from the main character, Capri’s point of view. She is such a fun and well developed character, and makes you immediately care about what is going on with all the players in this story.
Capri is a tour guide in San Francisco, and is the granddaughter of a famous serial killer. When someone close to her turns up dead, she has to figure out why and if there is some kind of connection to her past.
Loved the way she was investigating murders in different time periods. The flow of this book was just so easy. Would totally recommend!
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the AAC

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco is the perfect book for folks who can't get enough of Only Murders in the Building. The book introduces us to Capri, granddaughter of supposed serial killer "Overkill Bill" who has started her own business as a serial killer tour guide.

Present day, a couple of copycat murders take place and Capri can't help but feel pulled to try to solve these mysteries and her grandfather's case, especially because she's deeply connected to both.

The book was as lighthearted as a book about serial killers could possibly be. I enjoyed the narration and story very much.

I loved this book so much. Everything about this audiobook production was top tier, to the point that a few notes into the music at the beginning of the book I paused and saved it for last because I knew it would be my favorite of the ones I had at the moment.

The story is a cute cozy mystery that has a ton of not only San Francisco but also serial killer history in it. The lead character was warm and funny, and I want to hang out with her sometime. The side characters had a lot of personality and depth. I appreciated how this book showed different sides of and reactions to grief as well. I won't give spoilers, but people responded in array of ways to loved ones passing, and this book really demonstrated well how you can't tell from how someone grieves just how much they are hurting.

I'd highly recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers and true crime lovers (even if it isn't REAL true crime). I'll definitely be re-reading this one.

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard. I needed a different type of book to break up the heavy books I have been reading. I really enjoyed this audiob0ok. It kept me engaged and I wanted to see how it ended. There were a lot of moving part in the middle, which made things a bit confusing but the ending was great!

Thanks Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook.

3.81 stars.

I started The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco after DNFing not one but TWO different audiobooks because I couldn’t get into them. This one did the trick and hooked me right away. It’s a super quick and enjoyable cozy mystery. While the mysteries aren’t ground breaking, the quirky characters and their relationships with each other kept me hooked. It gave big “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advance For Murderers” vibes — both are cozy mysteries set in SF that really bring the city to life. Overall, I’d recommend this one if you enjoy cozies and/or love reading books set in SF.

Big fan of the narrator’s performance. Her voice is appropriately emotional and I really liked her different male voices. The old man voice in particular is really effective. It was easy to tell it apart from other male dialogue without being overly exaggerated or caricatural.

Overall ratings
Exact star rating: 3.81
10-pt star rating: 4
5-pt star rating: 4

Attribute ratings
Characters: 3
Atmosphere/Setting: 5
Writing Style: 3.5
Plot/Pacing: 3.5
Intrigue: 4.5
Logic: 3
Enjoyment: 4

This was a fun, engaging story. I truly enjoyed the characters, setting, plotting, and pacing. The mystery was double-layered, as there were the past murders and the present-day murders to solve.

The additional element of the serial killer tours with lots of history and background about San Francisco and the various historical killers was interesting and added to the experience for sure.

I did the audio version and the narration was brilliant; she has distinct voices for the characters and the sound mixing was flawless.

I will recommend this title to folks who like cosy-ish mysteries such as Arsenic and Adobo or similar, to folks who like dual-timeline stories like Fiona Davis, or anyone who is looking for a light, enjoyable audiobook mystery.

This is a cute, cozy read with lots of backstory and location details on San Francisco and its notorious murderers throughout time. I listened to the audio and really enjoyed the narration. There’s a lot going on with a solved (but possible not correctly?) old case and current murders alongside family drama and business building, but it all actually worked really well. I don’t know if this is the start of a series, but I hope so. Our main girl, Capri, had some sparks flying and I’d love to watch that potentially progress. There’s mixed media with podcast recordings and snippets of the tours Capri guides, so I always felt engaged. Definitely recommend.

This was a fun ride through the streets of San Francisco with a dash of true crime sprinkled in! Capri is a solid lead who believes her grandfather was wrongfully accused of some pretty horrific murders. She decides to start a podcast to clear his name and make some extra cash after her mother-in-law decides to cut off her daughter's school tuition payments. The setup is clever—Capri turns her knowledge of the city’s dark history into a true crime tour, and we get to tag along for the ride!

The story has an easy flow, and the fabulous narrator really brings it to life. Capri’s dynamic with her daughter is both sweet and believable; it’s refreshing to see a character balancing the role of a parent with some good ol’ crime-solving on the side! I especially loved the little tidbits of true crime facts that popped up throughout—like hidden Easter eggs for crime junkies.

While the book's premise is unique, the execution sometimes felt like it was just shy of being truly gripping. Still, it’s worth a read if you're into podcasts, true crime, or just want to get lost in the foggy, eerie streets of San Francisco for a while!

Interesting premise. Trying to clear one family member can point to others closest to you. The narrator was fabulous.

I"m so glad I went to San Francisco with the Serial Killer Guide! Chouinard really captures the feel of San Francisco, and the mystery was compelling, too. Capri is the granddaughter of a convicted serial killer and a tour guide for a company she created that gives tours of the important places in the lives of serial killers. When her ex-mother-in-law is found murdered in a manner similar to the way Capri's grandfather murdered women, she sets about figuring out what happened. I listened to this as an audio book and found myself looking forward to my car rides so I could find out what happened. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

The Serial Killer’s Guide to San Francisco is the perfect sharp and witty mystery for fall! While the content is “tame” compared to a psychological thriller, I would still highly recommend this book to fans who like a female MC you love to root for. Capri, granddaughter of a convicted serial killer who has had to use her background (not quite begrudgingly) to make money giving serial killer tours of SF. We meet Capri 10-years post divorce and still actively raising and support her young adult daughter. She’s dealing with complicated family dynamics, financial woes, and more that make her relatable — then toss in murders starting closely around her that copy her grandfather (who’s still behind bars) style and signature. There are lots of things I clocked along the way as “clues” for the mysterious plot, but it still kept me guessing!
I highly recommend checking this one out on audio if you’re a book listener. The narrator’s tone and inflection is perfect for Capri and really brings her to life. It’s been awhile since I’ve wanted to finish a drive and just sit in my car to keep listening!!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an early copy to read and review!

The granddaughter of a convicted serial killer finds herself in the center of a present-day murder investigation in the The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco.

Capri Sanzio has always believed in her grandfather’s innocence. Growing up, her grandfather was a banned topic in the household, but the suppression of those discussions only fueled Capri’s curiosity more. Now in her 40s, Capri has spun that interest in her grandfather’s alleged guilt into a tour business: she offers serial killer tours of San Francisco.

When her ex-mother-in-law cuts off funding for Capri’s daughter’s grad school tuition, Capri needs additional income to help out. She starts digging more into what happened when her grandfather was convicted so long ago, hoping to both prove his innocence and make some money from creating a podcast and writing a book in the process.

Then a copycat killer strikes in San Francisco, and Capri finds herself trying to figure out the culprit in those original murders and the ones impacting her family today.

This book ended up falling somewhere in the middle for me. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it.

It’s not a long book—in print or on audio—but it ended up feeling long to me. I liked the setting and setup but wasn’t enamored with the pacing and delivery of information. I liked when you get glimpses of information shared on tours as interstitials and would have loved to have seen more of that. I also wish that some of the details from the original murders had been included in a podcast format instead of getting into the weeds as Capri discovers that information.

I liked the hint of a budding romance but wish the little details and interactions had been played up a bit more.

Side note: I will admit that I am too much of a scaredy-cat to go on the serial killer tours based on true crimes in the book, but if that tour agency were to put together the Alfred Hitchcock tour that's discussed, I would gladly go on that.

Stephanie Németh-Parker’s narration kept me engaged in the story, and I liked her voices for all of the characters. It was easy to keep track of which character was speaking.

I had an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

This book was an interesting mystery, with light-hearted moments threaded throughout serious family drama. While the premise of the book was kind of cozy-fun ( a girl runs a serial-killer tour company), the issues throughout felt real and important. This kept the book from being flighty and cheesy. There were layers to the mystery and there ended up being a couple of puzzles needing solved. I enjoyed the characters and the way the mysteries unfolded. It was an easy read and I would read another by this author. San Diego was a neat setting. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

What a mystery to listen to! I really enjoyed the past and present mysteries, and how they wove and tied together through the story. It was also fun to listen to serial killer facts and sprinkles of Alcatraz mixed in with Capris tours. I thought the whole thing was unique and original and I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC in exchange for my honest feedback!

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco was not what i was expecting. By the cover I thought it would be more of a comedy type book(like Stephanie Plum or Finlay Donovan). But I did really enjoy the book. I enjoyed the digging into the past investigation of Overkill Bill more than the in present investigation. I thought I had it down, who the killer was for the past but I was wrong, but I was right for the present one.

Overall, It was a great book. And if you do the audio, the wonderful Stephanie Nemeth- Parker is the narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out strong, but really lost steam as it went along. I think for me, I got sick of Capri and that really colored the rest of my reading since it was first person. It was fun, but I ended up being pretty bored and over it as I went through.