Krug and Kellog Books in Order

The Krug and Kellog books are tied to a long San Francisco crime-fiction line, and Robin Burcell's The Last Good Place works as both a continuation and a fresh starting point. The duo began with Carolyn Weston's novels, which inspired The Streets of San Francisco. Burcell picks up the partnership in a modern setting, keeping the core appeal intact: two homicide detectives with very different instincts trying to solve brutal cases under public pressure.

Sgt. Al Krug is the older, tougher, more old-school half of the team. Casey Kellog is younger, college-educated, and less inclined to trust tradition just because it is tradition. That contrast gives the series its shape. Krug and Kellog are not opposites for comic effect. They are two working cops with different habits, different tempers, and different ideas about how to get results.

In The Last Good Place, the case starts with a string of strangulation killings and another victim found near the Presidio. Then the scene turns stranger, and what looks straightforward stops looking straightforward very fast. Burcell uses that setup to pull the detectives through politics, real estate interests, media pressure, and the vice-ridden corners of the city. The result is less nostalgic throwback and more modern police novel with old bones that still work.

Because this is a continuation rather than a total reboot, there is some legacy built into the setup, but the book gives new readers enough room to step in cleanly. Burcell's law-enforcement background helps the series feel grounded instead of merely reverent toward an older franchise. She updates the rhythms of the procedural while keeping the pleasure of a mismatched detective pair working the same case from different angles.

This is a cops-on-the-clock series.

If that sounds appealing, The Last Good Place is a solid entry point. Expect a procedural with momentum, a city that feels lived in, and a partnership built on argument, experience, and hard-earned trust. San Francisco does a lot of heavy lifting here: the fog, the geography, the wealth gaps, and the public visibility of a major homicide case all shape the story. Readers who like murder investigations with atmosphere and institutional pressure should get plenty out of Krug and Kellog.