a magical mystery tour of san francisco

Capri Sanzio has a unique view of San Francisco, and she enjoys sharing it with tourists and residents through her tours of the city. She opened her tour business after her divorce, and she’s done well. Her serial killer tour is particularly popular, as it should be. She has special expertise on serial killers, as her grandfather was convicted and imprisoned as William “Overkill Bill” Sanzio.

Capri had studied journalism in school, but she put that aside to raise her daughter. Now her daughter is in graduate school, studying forensic psychology, when her grandmother called her up to let her know she was not going to keep paying for her school. Capri was furious at her former mother-in-law Sylvia for pulling the rug out from under her daughter like that. Her husband’s family was old school money, which Sylvia had always held over Capri’s head while she was married, and now she’s suddenly cutting off her daughter’s education?

Capri decides that now is the time to put together that book on her grandfather she’d always wanted to do. If she can put together some new tours, add blog posts, do a podcast, and write a book about Overkill Bill, she should be able to earn enough money to keep her daughter in school until she gets her degree. Especially when there is a new murder, echoing the style of Overkill Bill.

The original women targeted by the serial killer were prostitutes, and this new victim is not. She was married to a tech millionaire and doing everything she could to breakthrough to the old money elite. She was getting involved with charity events and trying to impress all the right people. Her death was a surprise to her husband, to the police, and to the city. Once again, Overkill Bill is front and center on everyone’s minds.

But when there is a second murder, Capri’s research gets even more personal, as it’s Sylvia who is the latest victim of the copycat. Now Capri is investigating her former mother-in-law as well as her grandfather, and what she finds shocks her. But there is one person out there who knows the truth already, or at least part of it. The killer knows who Capri is and what she’s investigating. Will she be able to find the answers before the copycat runs out of patience and makes her their third victim? Or will she figure out a way to save herself and her beloved city from another murderer?

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco is an interesting perspective on a serial killer story. The intelligent charm of Capri and the people who work with her on the tour guides adds some humor and heart to what is a dark story of deceit, fraud, and old money. The mystery is complex and seductive, and well paced through this novel.

I listened to The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco on audio, with narrator Stephanie Nemeth-Parker spinning a convincing story in the voice of Capri. I thought she did an excellent job of bring Capri and her investigation to life.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but there is a lot going on in this story. I actually wanted to slow some things down and get more details from time to time. I thought this could have been broken up into two books. I would have loved to read the transcripts of Capri’s podcast and maybe some of her blog posts. I would have loved to go on more of the tours, to be with her and her team as they bring the city to life. These details would have slowed down the mystery solving, but I think they would have added rich details. But the book is what it is, and I still really loved listening to it. Capri is a good character, and I hope there are more books about her adventures in my future.

Egalleys for The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco were provided by Minotaur Books and a copy of the audiobook was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.