I don't know what I expected from The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, but this was not it. I want more of the touring aspect and the grandfather's plotline. The story was fine, and I know several people enjoyed this, but I thought the author tried to incorporate too many plot points. It resulted in clunky pacing, and I lost interest at several points in the book. Also, I can't believe I am saying this, because this usually bugs me, but there needed to be more suspects or red herrings. It was too easy to figure out who the culprit was.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a creative and captivating murder mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. The storyline is well crafted, blending family drama with suspenseful twists and turns that kept me hooked from start to finish. The book is an entertaining read, and I highly recommend it.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy for an honest review.

Note to self: Pay a little more attention to book blurbs instead of just looking at a cover and thinking, "Oh, this will be a cute mystery romcom!" It was not a romcom. Nor was it very cute, as there were a lot of descriptions about serial killers—Michelle Chouinard did a lot of research into them, which I found very interesting. THE SERIAL KILLER GUIDE TO SAN FRANCISCO has a good mystery in it. I had a lot of fun reading and trying to solve it with Capri Sanzio, the FMC.

I enjoyed the book so much because it reminded me of THE VACATION MYSTERIES by Catherine Mack and the FINLAY DONOVAN series by Elle Cosimano. Both are fun and a little intense, and there's always a surprise at the end, just like this book was! I found this book to be slightly heavier and a little darker than the other two series, but I still laughed, and I'm happy there will be a second book!

I read and listened to it. Reading with my eyes was wonderful, but listening to the book was exceptional! Stephanie Németh-Parker was an excellent narrator as Capri and all the background voices. Definitely recommend listening if you can't decide!

Thanks, Minotaur Books, for the arc!

Content warnings: murder, death (graphic descriptions), classism, infidelity, gaslighting, familial death

Mother of one and the granddaughter of a serial killer, our heroine is in her perfect job as a tour provider for Serial Killers of San Francisco”.
Then her ex mother in law and another woman are killed using very similar methods as the ones purportedly used by her grandfather. OVERKILL BILL.
She becomes involved in an attempt to solve the crimes when the police name her and her daughter as potential suspects.
A very good, relatively short novel with all the parts one requires in a mystery .
Very enjoyable, with the ends tied neatly at the ending. Enjoyed this very much.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.

I thought this story was pretty fun. The mystery/crime was a little underwhelming. I really liked the main character though she kind of reminded me of Finlay Donovan, who I love, so that was super fun! However I wasn’t super into this story as a whole and found myself a little bored with it. But, overall it was an enjoyable experience. *I ended up doing the audio version of this story. The narrator was excellent!

This book description grabbed me right away and I was eager to dive in, unfortunately it just fell flat for me and didn't grab my attention. I think there was just too much plot for one book.

I was so excited for The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. It had to much going on at once. I found it hard to stay connected to both cases at the same time. For that reason I will be dnfing this one 50% in.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for sending me an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was really interesting.
It was slow to start, but then i got invested!
I liked how there were two mysteries to solve instead of the usual one.
I also didn't really expect the first killer, so that was interesting.
I also really liked that the main character was the supposed granddaughter of a serial killer. It made for an interesting POV. I also liked how she gave tours regarding serial killers and crimes.
The romcom lover in me also appreciated the smidgen of romance at the end!
Overall, it was an interesting book, and I would definitely recommend it!

Capri Sanzio runs a tour company specializing in San Francisco's dark history of serial killers, a topic close to home as she's the granddaughter of convicted killer "Overkill Bill." When a copycat murderer emerges and her daughter's grad school funding is cut off, Capri decides to investigate her grandfather's case, hoping to turn it into a profitable true crime podcast and/or book deal. But before she gets far, police discover another copycat victim—and suddenly Capri and her daughter become prime suspects in the copycat killings.

I flew through this book! I kept forgetting I was reading an e-book and would repeatedly go to Libby to start the audiobook version (which I don't have)—a testament to how engaging the story was. I think it would be fantastic as an audiobook with the right narrator!

This felt like a faster-paced cozy mystery with sequel potential (one is already coming later this year). It was refreshing to encounter a cozy mystery set in a large city with an entrepreneurial female main character in her 50s. While I enjoyed Capri's interactions with her coworkers Ryan and Heather, they seemed primarily there to move the plot along and provide explanations for the reader's benefit. I would have appreciated more depth to these supporting characters, though perhaps we'll get that in future installments.

I'd recommend this book for fans of Simone St. James's "The Book of Cold Cases" (though The Serial Killer Guide isn't as spooky) and Benjamin Stevenson's "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone." It's perfect for readers who enjoy true crime elements mixed with mystery and family secrets.

Big thanks to Michelle Chouinard, Minotaur Books (St. Martin's Press), and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I liked this book. The combination of the murders from the past and the murders from the present made for a fun read! The plot was a little slow, but the likable characters kept me engaged in the story to the end.

This was a fun read! I liked the mystery and the true crime feel to it. It’s a pretty quick read that kept me interested to see how the mystery would play out.

3.75 rounded up!! This was a quick and fun crime story, and while I don't want to call it "cozy," it was definitely more light-hearted than your typical mystery. As an amateur sleuth, Capri was very likable, and her progression throughout the story was realistic and well-paced. The stakes felt appropriate and held my interest consistently from start to finish!

While not as funny, I'd recommend this to fans of the Finlay Donovan series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a DRC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. We follow a woman who is the granddaughter of a famous serial killer. She gives serial killer tours of the city and she is trying to reexamine her grandpa's case because she thinks he is innocent.

This book sounded right up my alley but it just didn't keep my attention. I felt so bored throughout and nothing was really going on. The pacing was just off as well.

I hope others love this one.

Engaging murder mystery! Capri is a smart and strong woman and I appreciate that she is not a young 20 something main character. I really enjoyed her sidekicks, Ryan and Heather and look forward to more of their presenting future books.

This one had me really intrigued until I got to the reveal and the resolution. I will say that I had a feeling about it, but was hoping that I"d be wrong. The ending felt very California-y if that makes any sense.

What a great first book in a series! I was hooked from the first chapter and did not want to put it down until I ended. While I did end up having to take breaks, they were few and far between.

I enjoyed that the FMC, Capri, is in her 40s, a mother, and is just trying to do her best in life and provide for her kid. She's a flawed character, doesn't always follow the 'rules' in order to protect her loved ones, is determined, intelligent, and refuses to just trust the system to protect her daughter when she becomes a suspect for her grandmother's murder.

The mystery was well-developed and I love how it paralleled the true crime tours that Capri does, and the little stories that would be shared between chapters.

I found that the clues planted led to a conclusion that made sense and didn't come out of nowhere, so I felt like I was able to consider all of the clues alongside Capri and try to figure out whodunnit with her.

I also liked the hint of romance we got and hope to see this included in future books.

I'll definitely be reading more books in this series!

A Serial Killers Guide to San Francisco

Hmmm idk 🤷🏻‍♀️ I feel pretty meh about this book. I mean it took me 3 tries to get thru the whole thing. But upon looking at reviews, it appears I might be in the minority here so that makes me feel better! I know this book has an audience, it’s just not me and that’s okay!

Here’s where I got lost a little bit. The whole book is about a serial killer and San Fran it’s right in the title. But I felt like we didn’t get much in the way of either. After finding out capri had a murder tour business, I was expecting her to visit all these places famous murders happened in the city & relate it to the current murders. And surprisingly, that’s not what happened. Her murder tour barely came up in the plot. 🤷🏻‍♀️ another thing that just isn’t for me is something I’m gonna call “business mystery” for lack of a better term. I tend to check out when there’s a business mystery or a tech company with shady characters get thrown into the mix. That’s more of a personal preference tho so you might like that!

Overall, I thought it was fine. I personally just wanted more out of the gimmick of the title! More fun! More murder! More mystery! 🤷🏻‍♀️

This book was a fun time! I found it funny and extremely entertaining. I love a mystery that keeps me laughing and this one was it. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

Fun and campy, this novel was thoroughly entertaining. Some parts got a little preposterous, but overall it was an enjoyable mystery with a new and different twist!

The plot is filled with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing, especially with the mystery surrounding Sylvia’s murder. The mix of Capri's personal stakes and the larger investigation makes for a compelling story, and the family dynamics—especially her complicated relationship with Sylvia—add emotional weight to the suspense.

While the mystery is intriguing and the pace is fast, the writing occasionally dips into melodrama, with some of the twists feeling a bit over-the-top or predictable. However, the overall suspense, the strong central character, and the compelling hook of the podcast and true crime elements make this a solid and entertaining read for fans of mystery and psychological thrillers.