Capri does serial killer tours of San Francisco. The business supports her and her daughter, so it’s worth fielding a few questions about her grandfather, nicknamed Overkill Bill, to the tourists. However, when a copycat killer emerges, Capri realizes she’ll be a suspect, so she vows to do everything she can to solve the murders. With a premise like this, what mystery reader wouldn’t jump right in? Well, the plot is excellent, the execution is not. This story both has too much and too little going on at the same time. For example, there is over explaining of technology: cloud services, memory cards, AI, algorithms, and there’s a ton of detail when Capri does laundry or drives her car. The actual plot points are delivered with little detail. Good mystery novels allow readers to figure things out as they’re shown carefully crafted scenes. This book though just tells the reader everything. A complicated ending scene was even followed up with only a few short sentences that spell out that actually everything is okay, the bad guy was caught and all of the other bad is good now. It was infuriating. Unfortunately, this is just not worth the long time it takes to read.

This book was a very quick read for me. And I loved it. Being semi close to San Francisco it was fun to read something based there.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a mystery novel about Capri who makes a living by giving murder tours to tourist around San Francisco. Her whole life has involved murder since her grandfather was convicted for being a serial killer. Capri always thought her grandfather was innocent but could never talk about him growing up due to her father. Present day, Capri gets tangled up in murders that are copy cats of her grandfather’s and has to try to figure out who the killer is.

Overall, this is a fun quick read if you are in the mood for a mystery. The beginning starts off strong and then is a little slow but picks up again. It has some twists and turns you don’t expect. The characters were lovable and easy to root for in the end.

Rounding up 3.5.

I expected a bit more serial killers and quite a lot scandal. I don't think that's the author's fault, I just had different expectations for where the plot would go based off the summary.

So I didn't totally hate Capri, but I think it was a tad annoying how she handled everything. Especially with her ex, her daughter, the cop, well... everything. Sometimes I feel like characters are secret detectives in a former life, and sometimes it works. But here, it didn't.

I don't know why I'm rating it high when it was just okay. I'm glad it got wrapped up at the end with her grandpa because I didn't really want to read another book explaining if he was the serial killer or not. I dunno. Decent debut, a little corny with writing, but I'll still try this author in the future.

"The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco" by Michelle Chouinard is such an exciting murder mystery that keeps readers on the edge of their seat. The main character, Capri, was a refreshing main character who was easy to root for and support throughout the story. Capri , granddaughter of a convicted serial killer (Overkill Bill), is a 49 year old divorced mother and business owner who is sucked into the investigation of a Overkill Bill copy-cat killer when it hits close to home and now must solve the mystery before she becomes the next target.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I thought it was easy to become invested and the I appreciated how Michelle painted the scenes in a way that transported you to the story. There were a couple hangups for me, 1- The solution felt a little too neat. It seemed like the author finished the story and then just chose a random person who could be the killer. I wanted to see more bread crumbing along the way so when the big reveal happens it makes sense in retrospect and isn't confusing. There were a few loose ends that really didn't feel resolved by the end of the story, I'm assuming its because there will be a sequel, but I hope in future books there will be a little more development. 2- This could be a me issue, but I felt like sometimes in the story the idea of 'show, don't tell' was missed. There were just a few parts that were overly explained by a character rather than shown to us through the writing of the story.

I would read this book again and will recommend it to my friends as well! This clean mystery was a pleasant surprise and I am looking forward to keeping an eye on this author in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute story on the surface, a light hearted mystery with a lot of family drama.
I enjoyed Capri’s backstory and why she was interested in serial killers in the first place, it’s what drew me to the book.

This was a unique story that ended up falling in the middle of the road for me. I think it will appeal to those that aren’t the biggest fans of intense thrillers, but in the end it moved a bit too slow for me which caused me to not fully love it.

With a title like "The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco," I was immediately intrigued by the book. I thought it would be similar to Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Although both based in San Francisco and both involving, you guessed it, murder, the books were quite different. This story focuses on a woman trying to solve a copycat serial killer murders while avenging her grandfather's name. I liked the story, but felt like it was a bit slow at times.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I almost gave this book 3 stars if it wasn’t for how slow it was.. It was a lot of repetition and lack of a plot to me. Things were solving itself out without the extra fluff I feel. Personally, I need something more fast paced especially for a mystery thriller.

The Serial Killer Guide To San Francisco was a longer read but was pretty interesting. I would classify it more as a mystery than a thriller. I like how the MFC, Capri Sanzio, was trying to solve 2 different mysteries, she was re-investigating her deceased grandfather's murder, convictions as well as trying to solve the recent copycat murders. The present mystery itself was quite complex but I really enjoyed the major plot twist at the end!
The dynamic between Capri and head investigator, Agent Petito was entertaining and the witty banter between them was sometimes humorous. This was my first novel by Michelle Chouinard and I would definitely be interested in reading others!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Michelle Chouinard for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Id classify this as a little bit of a darker cozy mystery. I loved the plot and serial killer details, and San Francisco setting was great. I really enjoyed this one and it kept me interested the whole time. I will definitely pick up this author's works in the future.

I love finding a new thriller to enjoy that doesn’t have a similar plot line to anything I’ve read recently. Serial Killer tours was a new one for me, and I loved it! 5 stars for a lighthearted fast paced thriller.

This was a slightly different take on the cozy mystery genre. Capri owns a tour company focused on the darker past of San Francisco, and it ties in well given she is the granddaughter of a convicted serial killer. As she decides to take a closer look at her grandfather’s conviction she learns of her ex-mother in law’s murder. And the murder seems to be a copycat of her grandfather’s crimes. There is a bit of back and forth between the two sets of crimes to determine if there is a connection. Capri does a lot of research and there are multiple angles she pursues, and it does get to be a little complex at times. But it all comes together neatly in the end and I can see Capri’s podcast become the catalyst for how she becomes involved in solving future murders. And I’m curious to see what happens between Capri and Detective Petito.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the arc.

This book was not terrible, but I just could not get into it. This was not what I expected. It took me a while to complete.

This gripping page-turner follows Capri Sanzio, a San Francisco tour guide specializing in the city's dark history of notorious serial killers, as she finds herself entangled in a present-day murder investigation with eerie ties to her own family's sinister past.

The foggy, brooding atmosphere of San Francisco provides the perfect backdrop as Capri, desperate for money to pay her daughter's tuition, decides to finally investigate her grandfather's decades-old murder conviction in light of a brutal new killing spree by a copycat. But when her former mother-in-law Sylvia turns up dead, Capri and her daughter suddenly become the prime suspects.

The author's meticulous research into real-life cases shines through, lending a disturbing authenticity to the story's twists and turns. Capri is a complex, relatable protagonist - an intelligent woman haunted by her family history who finds herself in over her head. The compelling dynamics between Capri, her troubled family, and the ghost of her notorious grandfather add rich emotional layers to the central mystery.

Fast-paced and cleverly plotted, "The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco" is an addictive thrill ride that will make you see the City by the Bay in a chilling new light. Chouinard has crafted a taut, satisfying puzzle of a novel that proves impossible to put down. True crime aficionados and mystery lovers alike will devour this bone-chilling page-turner. Highly recommended.

This was a cute, fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the story was unique. Even better to read ahead of an upcoming trip to San Fran!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I loved the premise of this book, as well as the first 50 pages of the book. However, it seemed to fall short for me. I felt like SO much of the book was about telling about research, but not showing any actual action. It also felt like the stakes weren't super high either. like it was all just a research project. I'm not sure why I should be caring about the people/ storyline.

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Not my usual style of book but the cover was just too good to resist! Shockingly I really enjoyed this book and loved the plot of it. The characters just flowed perfectly on the page and the overall book itself was wonderfully written. Thanks so much for letting me ARC!

3.5☆

I enjoyed this a lot! The writing was light and humorous while also keeping me intrigued in figuring out the mysteries. Even though I'd hate the matter at times, I loved all the drama and the mistrust. I was kept on my toes and the author kept me guessing and questioning my own theories. I just wished we'd gotten more about the podcast. I understand that wasn't the center of the book but I love books that include podcast excerpts and wished we'd gotten a little of that along with the alt chapters (which I found to be quite entertaining. I love little facts like that.). I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a thriller that possesses a comedic element.

Thank you NetGalley for access to this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Capri Sanzio has eked out a career for herself giving walking and virtual tours of San Francisco's most notorious serial killers and their former haunts. And she's a bit of a subject matter expert, because she's the granddaughter of notorious serial killer "Overkill Bill" William Sanzio. So when a tech money San Franciscan socialite is found murdered in a copycat killing, Capri offers herself to the investigating detectives as a person who may have special insight into the Overkill Bill murders. But when a second murder victim is discovered, and it's Capri's ex-mother-in-law, she finds herself and her daughter at the center of the investigation...as prime suspects.

This is an easy, fun read for fans of cozy mysteries. It's a fascinating look at San Francisco history and landmarks through the lens of mayhem and murder.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.