This was not what I expected, but found it to be an enjoyable, quick, easy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was purchased by our library and reviewed on our Facebook Page.

Funny, quirky and I wish it was a series.

As a true crime and mystery fan, this was an unexpectedly fun mystery about the granddaughter of an incarcerated serial killer who now runs a tour agency in San Francisco focused on local killers (I've gone on a few Jack the Ripper tours myself). I enjoyed the characters and the mystery, though there were a few surprisingly serious subjects in the book, too, that might have been treated just a bit too lightly.

The narrator was great and it was definitely a book that kept my attention.

Book: The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco
Author: Michelle Chouinard
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fiction, Crime/Mystery
Places Featured: San Francisco, California, United States
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded up)

I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t my favorite. It people ask if they should read it, I would say yes, just not YES!

Honestly, this one was a little underwhelming. It’s definitely not that it’s bad, it just wasn’t all I thought it would be. It was still a solid listen!

This is a fun and engaging read. I like Capri and the way she found a way to turn her passions into a livelihood. The mystery itself is complex and interesting. I appreciated all the little tidbits about San Francisco. It’s clear that the author knows a lot about the area. This felt appropriate since knowing random facts about SF is literally Capri’s job.

The audiobook is narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker. She did a great job bringing Capri and her investigations to life. I thought the fun intro/outro music was a nice touch.

What a delightful read, even though it was a murder mystery, it maintained a fun tone thanks to an exceptional narrator who drew me in immediately. The story was also exceptionally well-crafted and unique within the genre, providing a refreshing change of pace. I was particularly impressed by Capri’s bravery, even as a young girl, as she consistently stood up for what she believed in. I believe this series has the potential to be developed further, and I think it could have been set up in a more intriguing manner.

Granddaughter of the famed serial killer, "Overkill Bill," Capri makes her living by guiding serial killer tours in her hometown of San Francisco. Capri has been simultaneously haunted and fascinated by her family's dark past throughout her life, despite her father's insistence that it be left alone. When a copycat killer emerges in town and it becomes clear that both Capri and her daughter are primary suspects, Capri takes matters into her own hands to clear her family's name and find the true killers from both past and present.

I loved this book from the get-go! It was easy to root for hard-working, single mom, Capri, and the twists and turns in the plot kept me glued to my earbuds (I used the audio format). The feel of the book reminded me a bit of "Mother Daughter Murder Night" or the Finley Donovan series but held its own as a unique story.

I've listened to several books narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker and always enjoy her style and voice.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an advanced audio copy!

What to Expect:
🔪cozy mystery
🌁SF serial killer history
🔪slow paced
🌁divorcee rebuilds her life
🎧audio preferred over e-book
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Overall I enjoyed Capri’s journey of building up her serial killer history tour business, deep diving into her grandfather’s story (an imprisoned serial killer), while investigating her ex-MIL’s murder. With so much going on, I expected to be more captivated the entire time, but they lost me a bit by going into nitty gritty business details. So listening via audio where I could bump up the speed was preferred. I would have loved more from the budding romance, but that was still a nice touch. I think true crime lovers would especially enjoy the snippets of actual serial killer history included in each chapter.

🎧 Thanks, Macmillan Audio, for the #gifted audiobook. #macaudio2024

Based on the cover and a brief description skim, I expected a fluffy and maybe silly mystery. Instead, I loved this procedural investigation into a double copycat murder. While this was light on the angst and heavy on following the investigative rabbit trail, it was perfect (for me). The audiobook was a great way to read the book, with clear narration and an easy-to-follow storyline and character dialog.

Capri runs a “Serial Killer Tour of San Francisco,” capitalizing only a little bit on the fact her grandfather was a convicted murderer. But when a copycat killer pops up (killing her ex-mother-in-law in the process), she and her daughter are the prime suspects. To clear her name (and scratch the itch of a mystery complete with clues, hidden rooms, and old newspaper articles), she dusts off her amateur sleuthing skills and gets to work.

Expectations management is critical here. I didn’t have a ton of emotional investment, but I enjoyed following the clues with Capri while receiving a virtual tour of a city I’ve yet to visit. I appreciated the clean, clinical, and systematic evolution of the story. I could see this turning into a series.

👉🏻For my friends who like a clean, cozy mystery with amateur sleuthing and virtual tourism.

This was a fun read, it’s not a literary masterpiece but I was interested the whole way through. Even though I figured out what the mystery was pretty early one I still enjoyed the story. The romance aspect was also really well done. I thought the portion of the story about Capri’s family history wasn’t as well done as the current murder but it didn’t take away from the entirety of the book. The narrator did a great job with the audiobook, and I listened to the whole thing in one sitting. I think this would be really fun for someone familiar with San Francisco as there’s a lot of cool facts and locations mentioned.

Thanks to NetGalley, Michelle Chouinard and Macmillan Audio for the ALC

Such a fun set up! The uniqueness here for how the story was told really pulled me in. Perfect fall thriller/mystery read.

Adored the audio narration.

Capri Sanzio not only gives true crime tours of San Francisco, she is also the granddaughter of a convicted serial killer who insisted on his innocence until the day he died. When Capri's ex-mother-in-law and another local socialite are murdered by an apparent copycat of "Overkill Bill," Capri and her daughter Morgan fall under suspicion for the deaths. Capri now has to work to clear their names, while also digging deeper into her grandfather's case to prove that he didn't kill anyone.

This was a really unique murder mystery full of humor and heart, and I enjoyed it a lot. The ending is somewhat predictable, but I enjoyed this book from start to finish. Great narration once again by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker.

🎧 Audiobook Review: The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard 🎧

I loved every chilling moment of this darkly fascinating book! Michelle Chouinard has crafted a spine-tingling journey through the streets of San Francisco, blending true crime with mystery in such a captivating way. The atmosphere is eerie yet so vivid, it felt like I was right there in the heart of the city. And the narration? Absolutely spot on! It kept me hooked from start to finish.

Huge thanks to @MacmillanAudio for the opportunity to listen to this gem! If you're a fan of suspense and want to take a sinister tour of San Francisco, this one is a must-listen! 🖤🔪

#AudiobookReview #TheSerialKillerGuideToSanFrancisco #MichelleChouinard #MacmillanAudio #Bookstagram #Thriller #TrueCrime

Wow! What a fun book! A great read. A lot going on in his fast paced mystery. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and the idea of this story. It was fairly original and fast read but parts were a bit unbelievable. Character development could have been better in some and was great in others. I thought Capri was such a well rounded and written character but I wanted more for others.

The mystery was definitely twisty and better than your average popcorn thriller. I really liked the idea of the tour guide for Capri.

The audio version of this story was phenomenal. The narrator did a great job representing all the different characters with multiple tones and inflections. Her tone was smooth and the story flowed well even between chapter breaks. Audio is definitely my preferred way to ingest this story!

I thought this would be a book with quirky humor. It was much deeper than that and was more than I expected it to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this. It was one of those fun reads where you can’t wait to get back to the story. Just like always, I was so sure I had it figured out, but I was wrong. Closer than I’ve been before though!

I thought the overall plot was fresh and interesting.

The narrator did a great job—my only issue was a couple of distracting mispronunciations of foreign words. Otherwise, easy to tell characters apart and easy to listen to.

I’d definitely read more from this author.

I was originally drawn to this book just based on the title and went into it completely blind! So glad I did because I enjoyed every minute of it. The granddaughter of a serial killer having to solve a copy cat murder that just keeps getting more messy the more you dig… Living for the drama! And perfect for spooky season! Highly recommend!

Take one part cozy, a pinch of city mystery, a dash of historical whodunit, and a smattering of true crime and you get The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco. The story felt both familiar and new all at the same time. I can't really think of one particular element of The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco that was 100% original (except, perhaps, when Michelle Chouinard interspersed true crime synopses into an otherwise fictional story). It was the way she spun all of these familiar elements that made the story so engaging. Having a main character that I could identify with didn't hurt, either. Capri came across as someone who could exist in the real world. As for the plot, elements of it might as well be true crime.

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco also has the distinction of being added to my list of books that make me proud to be a poor white trash introvert. Someone cue Good Charlotte, because "lifestyles of the rich and the famous, they're always complainin'." (Heather had some valuable thoughts on this matter.) Another moral, pointed out by Capri, is that how many conflicts could be avoided by trusting people, letting them in, not trying to imitate Atlas.

My understanding is that #SKGSF is going to start a series. If this is indeed the case, though, I feel like the ending was rushed. I figured that the Overkill Bill story would be a common thread tying the series together. Imagine my surprise when it was "solved" in the final pages. That said, there were some plotlines that were left open-ended. Luckily, none so unresolved that they annoyed me. Not only would I enjoy catching up with Capri and co. again, but moreso if we could get some resolution to some of the unanswered questions. (Like, maybe, justice for Margie Francis?)

Stephanie Nemeth-Parker's narration was solid; no complaints here. The voices were distinct enough for me to keep the characters straight and she made Capri feel extra-real through her inflections.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook. Four stars easy and I look forward to the next installment!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC!

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco has a very interesting protagonist: the family member of a convicted serial killer. It also takes place in one of the most interesting cities in the world, not least because of the true crimes of its past. It was a solidly constructed book with plenty of humor to offset the darkness, and I would definitely recommend it to cozy crime enthusiasts.