Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouinard Narrator: Stephanie Nemeth-Parker
Series: The Serial Killer's Guide to San Francisco #2
Published by MacMillan Audio, Minotaur Books on September 23, 2025
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 352
Length: 10 hours, 3 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
Capri Sanzio knows that when you give serial killer walking tours for a living, unexpected situations are more common than San Francisco's famous fog. So, when one of her guests claims to see a woman being attacked during a tour, Capri remains unphased. The police search the apartment in question and find no evidence of anything amiss, so they chalk it up to a false report from a true crime fanatic looking to be a part of a case. And Capri thinks they might be right, since lately her tours have been attracting even more obsessives than usual--as it turns out, finding the actual serial killer who committed the "Overkill Bill" murders didn't stop the constant questions about her grandfather's supposed crimes, it only intensified them.
I loved the debut of this The Serial Killer’s Guide to San Francisco Mysteries series last year and it continues to be fabulous. Our main point of view and teller of the story is Capri. She is a divorced mother of a graduate student daughter, Morgan. At the time of her divorce, she had to develop a way to support them and came up with running a tour company about serial killers in San Francisco. It’s been successful. She is also doing a true crime type podcast, as well as writing a book about the famous murders solved in the first book.
Capri is a smart investigator. She and the police detective had an attraction and in A Tour to Die For they begin dating. I enjoyed watching them work through sticky issues of values and approaches to crime -solving. With some thoughtful adjustments, they do well. Capri does need to think more seriously about self defense.
Capri goes through another round of horrible ex-husband. It’s worse because her adult daughter is sort of in business with him. So she needs to warn Morgan about his financial shenanigans. Capri never wanted to tarnish Morgan’s opinion but as an adult she needs to know the truth.
There was an interesting play on how much is coincidence here. The crimes committed were tragic, as crime often is, but forced through deceptions. Capri and her sister do end up in serious danger. Thankfully, they are smart and lucky.
This was delightful in many ways, including that Capri drives a Volt. I won’t say more for fear of spoiling the mystery and investigation. It had some tense moments. I recommend this read highly!
Narration:
The narrator continued from the first book. I really appreciated her clear and distinct voices for characters. The emotional tones added to the performance which was a pleasure. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to the clip: HERE
About Michelle Chouinard
MICHELLE CHOUINARD is the author of The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, and under M.M. Chouinard, the USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of nine previous mysteries. Michelle has a Ph.D in developmental psychology from Stanford University and was one of UC Merced’s founding faculty members. She enjoys caffeine in all forms, amateur genealogy, baking, and anything to do with Halloween or the zombie apocalypse.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
This sounds fabulous. I’m glad the second book was so good!
Thanks Tammy. So good. Good books just make me happy.
Now, this sounds like a fun series. Glad the narration is so well done.
yes narration can make all the difference. I really liked the world and character building details here too.
I’m almost finished with this and I’m loving it! All the locations in San Francisco are fun. I’ve seen a bunch of them, but didn’t know a lot about the history she includes. Happy to see you loved it!
Thanks Rachel. Something about how smart and layered it is just really works for me.
I enjoyed this one, but I had a few moments when I got irritated with Capri. I was so glad to get this second book and seeing her progress with being a sleuth and with the relationship.
Thanks Sophia. It just hit me right with so many good world and character developments.
Oh, my daughter read the first book this past summer. I’ll have to let her know the next book is out.
I hope she loves it.
Wonderful review, Anne💜 I’m taking a second look at this series.
Something about it just seems fresh and modern, yet with great layers of mystery, romance, business, family and friends.
I remember when the first book came out and thought it looked intriguing. This looks like a fun read.
These are so smart and fun.
I love the sounds of this. 🙂
It feels very fresh and modern.
I love the covers on this series, but they sound really good too. Sounds like this one was a real winner for you too! Great review!
Thanks Lisa. I really enjoy how smart her business is with the tours, and podcasts and now books.