A fast paced who did it story. I liked the past and present part of this story. Very entertaining read. The narrator was pleasant to listen to.

Thank you NetGalley for the early audiobook copy to review!

The book had a catchy beginning and I loved reading in Capri’s POV. About midway through I felt like the story was dragging and there were a lot of business components being brought up that didn’t hold my attention (sorry I’m not business savvy I suppose). Could’ve been shortened a little and paced differently to keep my attention more. 3/5

Of course, the first thing that caught my attention about this book was the title. It grabbed me and I'm glad I requested an ARC of the audiobook.

The story is about a woman named Capri who runs themed tours of San Francisco. Mostly about serial killers. In fact, she herself is the granddaughter of one of the Bay Area's most notorious serial killers, Overkill Bill. In the back of her mind, she has always believed that her grandfather was innocent. She wants to prove this, but hasn't really had the means or full motivation to do so. When a tech mogul's wife and her ex-mother-in-law are murdered in the same style of the Overkill Bill murders, she is drawn into the police investigation since it seems to involve her grandfather.

I really liked the characters in this book. They were relatable and well-developed. I also think the pacing of the story was good. It never got too boring or skipped details to make the story move along.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A murder mystery set in San Francisco that falls on the "cozy" side of things - there's no thriller tension until the very end, and for the most part, the approach to the writing and the case is more light than dark, and the mystery itself, while definitely layered, ends up much less on the tense side of things. For the most part, it's a snappy, quick mystery, moving through leads and reveals in a way that keeps your attention and keeps you guessing, but never quite reaches "tense".

I enjoyed having a protagonist later in her life and having built up her life out of her passions and interests, but the rest of the characters felt a little one-note and flat. I was also hoping for a little more of a reason for the setup and the introduction of a copycat killer than what we got. It made the killer feel like they turned from opportunistic to suddenly far more cunning than they were presented as.

I enjoyed how much of San Francisco got woven into the story, even if a lot of it did feel a little off - there's a lot of focus on the tension between old and new money and the newcomers to society, but the way it's presented and introduced feels unbalanced and particular to a specific enclave of that society, which is the French families, which while present, are definitely a niche.

I also wish we got more of a wrap-up on Capri's grandfather's case - it's a clean explanation, but almost a little too clean and neat for how long and how affected everyone was by it.

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco 
Michelle Chouinard 
9/24/24

4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

This was such a funny little mystery that kept me giggling and guessing and just feeling overall content. (I guess that's why the term "cozy mystery" is so fitting ... )

I guessed how things were going to turn out at the end, right around the 25% mark - but that didn't alter my enjoyment of the rest of the book whatsoever. And I always figure out the end of novels early ... probably a really of reading so many thrillers, horror and mystery novels.

(And I didn't have ALL the pieces exactly in place, so there were still a few surprises.)

I really cared about the characters, and enjoyed following them on their sleuthing journey. 

A truly fun novel that I'll be HIGHLY recommending. 

(My mom and her B&N bookclub are going to LOVE this one. 

If you like a good mystery with fully developed characters, thrilling elements, realistic dialogue, and humor, chances are you'll dig this book. 

(Will post full review on date of publication)

This is a cozy mystery about Capri, the granddaughter of a serial killer. As a copycat killer appears in San Fran in present day, Capri and her daughter come prime suspects for the newest victim and they must beat the clock to prove their innocence. I found this a funny and light hearted mystery book on audiobook.

Thank you Macmillan audio and netgalley for the ALC.

A fun and clever story for fans of murder mysteries! Capri makes her living giving serial killer tours in San Francisco (think Alcatraz, etc). It’s a topic she’s been fascinated about since she was a kid, after learning she was the granddaughter of famed serial killer Overkill Bill…someone she believed to be innocent. Years later, a copycat killer is on the loose and the latest victim is close to home. Now involved in a police investigation, Capri is dedicated to solving who is responsible for these copycat deaths…but also who may have framed her grandfather decades before.
This was a fun murder mystery and while I guessed one of the culprits early on…there were still some big surprises along the way! The narrator also did a great job at bringing this story to life with humor and suspense.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan audio for this advanced audiobook. This was fun cozy mystery about a granddaughter of a serial killer who leads killer tours in San Francisco when she gets caught up in a murder mystery of her own and ends up finding whether her grandfather really was the killer he was made out to be. This book was fun and spoke of different parts of San Fransisco. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I listened to this one in one day! What a fun book. Some suspense and mystery with a bit of humor thrown in as well.
Great mystery and also very creative. I enjoyed the characters and the narration was great.
I definitely want to listen to or read more by this author.

I enjoyed a lot of things about this book, but it still came in mediocre at best.

Having a mature, self-employed woman as the main character was refreshing and lends possibility in storytelling and plot options. The observations were certainly more interesting, as well as the dynamics of the character's life and relationships.

However, this read very much like the first draft of a first novel. The relationships were too convenient. The explaining-plot-points-to-the-friend instead-of-the-audience was uninspired. The stumbling, bumbling, inefficient amateur sleuth bit was annoying and not entertaining. For the cherry on top, the MC's solving of the decades old murder by conveniently reading one article and just....thinking a bunch....was groan inducing and supremely lazy.

I would read other books in this series with a hope for more polished plots moving forward.

This was a breath of fresh air in thriller arena. It was slightly more intensive than a cozy mystery but still gave me cozy mystery feels. I would love another book to follow Capri.

Capri grew up knowing she was the granddaughter of a highly known serial killer. But as her grandfather had always claimed his innocence and her father refused to talk about it. This lead her deep into a fascination with true crime and journalism. So much so that she created a tour guide company focused on crimes in San Francisco. When a murder occurs seemingly copying her grandfather's supposed Murders this pushers her to find the true killer, but thing hit too close to home when her mother in law becomes one of the victims.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

This was such a fun who-done-it mystery that I found myself completely immersed in!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?

I was all in from the very beginning of this multiple mystery story as I tried to sort through the clues and red herrings. The interplay between the characters, clues, drama and past mysteries kept the story moving and highly engaging. Oh, and of course, having a possible copycat serial killer kept me on my toes.

I also loved how I got to tour San Francisco and learn some of the fun history and serial killers of the past.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:

Mysteries
San Francisco
Family Drama
Amateur Sleuthing

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

The audio was fantastic and it made my road trip fly by! I absolutely love listening to mysteries and thrillers because it heightens the emotions and suspense so much more and this story was no different. The characters came to life even more, and I also feel like it makes the story go so much faster.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?

I cruised quickly through this one as the pace was rapid and everything unfolded in an exciting way.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

I was completely entertained from start to finish!

Thank you Minotaur Books for this gift to copy and exchange for my honest opinions

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
4.5 🌟
-
Now, this is how you write a good murder mystery! I devoured this audiobook, literally in one day. I just couldn't stop listening. The storyline is highly intriguing and interesting, and it caught my attention the entire time. This book was a breath of fresh air!
Capri makes a living by giving serial killer guided tours around San Francisco.
Capri has been interested in the topic since she was a kid when she discovered she's the granddaughter of serial killer William 'Overkill Bill' Sanzio. She's always believed in his innocence, though she's never taken the leap to fully dive into the case. But now an Overkill Bill copycat has struck in San Francisco. The case is back in the news, and the police will be looking to understand the past to catch a present-day killer. Capri could finally uncover the truth about Overkill Bill—documenting the process with a podcast and a book—and hopefully earn some money.
The audiobook is phenomenal. The narrator, Stephanie Nemeth-Parker, did a great job! Her different voices made it very easy to tell which characters were which. She was also easy to listen to, and I highly enjoyed listening to her.
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Sept.24
-
Thank you, Netgalley, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this one! I think murder mystery on audio is my jam!
Our MC gives serial killer tours around San Francisco and tours to Alcatraz. She’s an expert in the subject of serial killers because her grandfather was a famous serial killer in the area a long time ago. Except he says he didn’t do it. So she’s showing interest in his case and asked the sfpd for old records. But unfortunately for her a copycat has struck and our MC is looking real suspicious. It’s excellent, absolutely recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

A light yet very informative murder mystery with interesting serial killer facts hidden inside. When the first interview happens after the murder I thought for sure I was going to end up disliking this book. I have a major pet peeve of MC's who make asinine decisions, but she actually handled things extremely well and with logic. The narrator had a great pace and helped the book to be an easy listen while helping you to get absorbed into the story and the mystery of who dun it. Plus its a 2 for 1, not only do you get to figure out who committed the copy cat murder you also get to solve the case of the original murder. Capri has been known her whole life as the granddaughter of a serial killer, overkill bill. She has embraced it and now does guided tours around San Francisco showing tourists other famous murder sites. When a copy cat murder occurs though, not only does it resemble her grandfathers case but it is also happening to people close to her. Immediately all she can think about is how she is suspect number 1 and what she needs to do to fix that. Luckily she knows these cases better than anyone and she is determined to find the truth not only to this case but also who was really guilty for the murders her grandfather was accused of.

The novel follows Capri Sanzio as she delves into her grandfather's past, questioning whether he was wrongfully convicted, while simultaneously dealing with a series of copycat killings that affect her family.

From the start, this book captured my attention with its engaging and well-crafted narrative. I was particularly impressed by the depth of thought the author put into developing Capri as the main character. Her journey through the plot was compelling and added significant depth to the story. By the conclusion, I appreciated that there were no loose ends; the story felt thoroughly resolved. Overall, Capri's character and the dynamics within the plot made this a truly enjoyable and complete listening experience.

The Serial Killef Guide to San Francisco is a fun light murder mystery, that’s actually two mysteries in one (past and present, with a quirky and determined female protagonist in Capri, who wastes no time getting to the bottom of things, even as she deals with family dramas along the way.

I enjoyed this story, though it did start to lag a bit in the middle- not for too terribly long, thankfully, moving to a decently satisfying conclusion. A nice beach read with a light dose of suspense and a side of humor.

Stephanie Németh-Parker did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Michelle Chouinard, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cute mystery about murderers. Which is weird to say. Capri is a likeable character with a steady head on her shoulders. She pretty much did all the work for police. Her "love" interest, if you can call him that, has zero chemistry. I do wish there was a bit of spice, just a little. A flutter or something. Other than that, I enjoyed the old money versus the new money background.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the free ALC. My opinions are being left voluntarily. This was a wild ride. I loved the podcast my family member is a serial killer and how it was solved. Many twists you could see coming, some were timed a tad too late. It felt it should have been a bit shorter.

3.5/5☆

3.5 stars

This cozy-ish mystery has a fantastic setting and setup, and while the execution fizzles a bit, there's enough intrigue to make this worth the read.

The m.c. is named Capri, and her ex-husband was born into San Francisco society. His mother - Capri's former mother-in-law - is at the heart of an investigation that also centers both Capri and her daughter, Morgan. Now, having had some odd but very much interior connections to SF society for a number of years, I can say that it's a nuanced little culture, and while there are elements of that coming through here (including a strange, frequent referencing of deb life), this background makes for an absolutely bizarre oversight in this novel. If these folks are so dialed into SF and, specifically, to SF society, why does the protagonist, whom readers are supposed to find more relatable because she married into this world instead of being born into it, insist on constantly using outdated terminology for sex workers? One can play a drinking game and find themselves quite addled based on the frequent appearance of the wrong word (and another option that may be even worse once or twice). This may seem like a small detail, but for a writer who's going to acknowledge the vegan and gluten free meal options likely to be found at some of these events, it's an important one. This choice - especially the repetition of it - made me question whether the writer has any knowledge of this particular enclave as well and completely distracted me every time it appeared. Again, I suspect most readers won't be as aware or put off by this, but I could not stand it.

Readers should come to this because they are interested in a relatively light and uncomplicated cozy that ties up loose ends a bit cleanly. If they are looking for relatable characters or other elements of authenticity, this may not be the best option.