The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco

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. (Sept.)