The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco

April 1, 2024

Capri Sanzio, the granddaughter of a supposed serial killer, hopes to cash in on her family legacy with a podcast and book. When her former mother-in-law is murdered by a killer who was following her grandfather's methods, Capri and her daughter become prime suspects. Chouinard writes best-selling mysteries under a different, unrevealed name. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2024 Library Journal

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2024
The guide who launched the SF Killer Crime Tours turns her attention to sleuthing, bolstered in both capacities by a most improbable qualification. Capricorn Sanzio's grandfather, William Sanzio, was convicted years ago of being Overkill Bill, a serial killer who took an exceptionally thorough approach to his profession. Now, years after her grandpa died in prison still protesting his innocence, it looks very much as if someone is imitating Overkill Bill's not-just-dead-but-really-dead approach to homicide. When Sylvia Clement, the old-money mother of Capri's cheating ex, Todd, announces that she's done paying tuition for her granddaughter Morgan's graduate school, Capri, desperate to raise money, hatches the idea of writing a true-crime book about Overkill Bill and his copycat. No sooner has Capri reached out to homicide inspector Dan Petito to get his take on the murder of socialite Katherine Harper than the copycat claims a second victim: Sylvia Clement, whom both Capri and Morgan had abundant reason to want dead. Once Capri's motive switches from financing Morgan's education to keeping her daughter and herself out of prison, her detective skills get sharper, and she's willing to learn from any source, even a YouTube tutorial on picking locks. Despite its trendy title, this is really a story about family ties, and the complicated connection that emerges between murderer and murderees is both ingenious and deeply felt. Capri even gets another crack at solving the mystery of Overkill Bill in an epilogue that's as heartwarming as it is anticlimactic. Just the thing for readers who want to learn about all those other hearts that got left in San Francisco.

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October 7, 2024
A true crime tour guide tries to track down a killer in this fleet-footed whodunit from Chouinard (the Jo Fournier series, as M.M. Choinard). Capri Sanzio, 49, owns and operates SF Killer Crime Tours in San Francisco. She was drawn to the job in part because her grandfather, William “Overkill Bill” Sanzio, was a convicted serial killer who died in prison, maintaining his innocence until the end. When socialite Katherine Harper, wife of software genius Steve Harper, is found with her head bashed in and her throat cut, the press and police are quick to label it a copycat crime, since it duplicates the extreme methods favored by Overkill Bill. Then Capri’s arrogant ex-mother-in-law is killed in the same fashion, and the SFPD takes a hard look at Capri and her 24-year-old daughter, Morgan, given their family history and their fascination with Bill’s fate. To clear their names, Capri starts snooping around, hoping that what she finds will also exonerate her late grandfather. Capri is a winning protagonist, full of quips and fascinating tidbits about the history of San Francisco, and Chouinard provides her with a fast-paced plot with plenty of moving parts. A sequel would be welcome.

August 1, 2024

Capri Sanzio (the granddaughter of a convicted serial killer nicknamed Overkill Bill) runs SF Killer Crime Tours, showing tourists where some of the city's most infamous crimes have occurred. When Katherine Harper, the wife of a tech scion, is murdered near the Palace of the Legion of Honor on a foggy night, the brutal crime brings the late Overkill Bill back into the headlines. It also brings unwelcome questions for Capri, who believes her grandfather was innocent. When her ex-mother-in-law suddenly cuts off Capri's daughter Morgan's grad school tuition payments, then is killed in the same way as Katherine Harper, Capri and Morgan are prime suspects. Capri must use her research skills to clear their names and, in the process, find out whether her grandfather really was guilty. The investigation uncovers some very unsavory family secrets and nearly costs Capri her life. Chouinard's lively style keeps the story moving and takes readers on a tour of San Francisco, traffic jams included. VERDICT This intriguing mystery from Chouinard ("Detective Jo Fournier" series) features strong women characters and gives research a leading role.--Barbara M. Bibel

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.