The Last Good Place

By: Robin Burcell

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Robin Burcell has worked as a cop, hostage negotiator, and as an FBI-trained forensic artist. She's also the author of award-winning thrillers. Now she uses that unparalleled experience to continue Carolyn Weston's groundbreaking series of books, which were the basis for the hit TV show The Streets of San Francisco.

Sgt. Al Krug and his younger, college-educated partner Casey Kellog are investigating a string of strangulation killings when another victim is found at the Presidio...but a surprising, violent incident at the crime scene makes them wonder if everything is what it seems. The two mismatched cops, with sharply conflicting approaches to detective work, are under intense pressure to get results. It's a race-against-the-clock investigation that propels them into the deadly intersection of politics, real estate, media and vice...the fertile, fog-shrouded killing field of a ruthless murderer.

©2015 Brash Books LLC (P)2017 Brash Books LLC

Critic reviews

"Robin Burcell has expertly updated the Krug & Kellogg series for old and new readers alike. She knows her stuff and puts it to good use in this entertaining and authentic police procedural." (Alafair Burke, New York Times best-selling author of All Day and a Night)

"A whip-smart, fast-paced tale with more twists and turns than a San Francisco street, The Last Good Place is a terrific read. Robin Burcell is a true pro!" (Alison Gaylin, USA Today best-selling author)

"Burcell brilliantly revisits Weston's cop duo and delivers a modern, dark, twisting tale of murder and deception with a puzzle that will keep you guessing until the end." (Jamie Freveletti, author of Robert Ludlum's The Geneva Strategy)

Excellent

Wow! I really enjoyed reading this book. I haven't seen a single episode of the TV show that I remember and I never picked up any of the original books in the series so this was all new for me. I enjoyed every page of it. I read police procedurals very often.. This book hooked me right away and I had a very hard time putting it down. I actually ended up reading the entire novel in a single day ..
I would highly recommend this book to fans of police procedural novels.

A good, solid cop procedural...

The Last Good Place by Robin Burcell was a good, solid listen. Al Krug and Casey Kellog make a solid team, though they are far from the same school of thinking. Casey is pretty much the main character in this novel and I found he and most of the other characters likable and well developed. The characters that I didn't care for were bad guys, so I think it's safe to say that isn't a bad thing. There are multiple facets to the whole story and I liked how Ms. Burcell tied them together throughout the novel. At first I thought that the Presidio murder was going to be the main focus of this story, but quickly learned otherwise. I'd definitely recommend this book if the summary and reviews intrigue you!

Travis Baldree did a good job with the narration. He read with the perfect amount of emotion as needed and his cadence, various character voices,etc. was all great. I'd definitely listen to another of his performances again in the future. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

Thank you

Thank you for a great "cop" story. Thank you for great narration. This story has good tempo and not filled with a bunch of extraneous filler but not so simple as to be boring. Enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Love all the different voices that bring the characters to life.

Whodunit?

I really enjoyed this book right from the beginning and it kept my interest to the very end.

The characters of Krug and Kellog were well developed and likable. Krug's the seasoned detective and Kellog the smart, ambitious upstart whom Krugs calls "college boy" work well together. When they are called to a scene, Kellog is all over it.
Possibilities of connecting the death to a serial killer and having a few more suspects, keeps you guessing as to who really did it.

Narration by Travis Baldree was good. He kept the character voices distinct and recognizable.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Great Read!

Fast-paced, completely plotted police adventure story with likeable characters! I have missed the Fargo series and look forward to Robin's future books.

I can't say enough good things about this..

This is an absolutely thrilling novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end. I finished this audiobook in less than a day! A jealous/ unstable wife, a scandalous neighbor, and a copycat murder. Who did it? It might seem obvious at first, but is everything what it seems?

The author did an amazing job of character and storyline development. I loved the pairing of the young hotshot detective with the old grizzled veteran detective. It follows not only the original murder, but a serial murder case and how they might be connected. Adding the (non-partisan) political element and how politics can affect am investigation, was fascinating and a great addition.

I'm very impressed with the narrator, he really brought the characters to life. Every character is believable and the portrayal of everyone, from young women to old men, was on point and I believe the narrator's talent is what made this audiobook go from a really good novel to a great piece of performance art. I'll definitely be looking into both narrator and author for my future purchases.

*This audiobook was provided to me at no cost in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The Last Good Place at Streets of SanFran

The Last Good Place was a decent listen. It had everything I'd expect from a crime/police procedural although it was a bit dry. I remember the television series and enjoyed revisiting the characters of Al Krug and Casey Kellog. There was a lot of dialogue which was good.

The narration by Travis Baldree was excellent. Every characterization including Jen was perfect. He had exceptional voice inflections and I think he was the perfect reader for this story. What I loved was that he made this audiobook sound noir-ish. Overall I'd recommend checking this one out.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review."

Decent mystery

Note: I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

I listened to this a couple months back but didn't get around to posting a review until just now - sorry about that. :/

Anyway, this was a decent enough mystery. I sorta had it figured out when it was towards the end, so the reveal wasn't a huge surprise, but it did leave me guessing for a good while. The characters are alright, but not too deep or compelling. The narrator did a decent job too, but like the rest of the book it was just ... OK. Not sure this is a series I'll return to.

One Hundred Gold Stars

Any additional comments?

This murder mystery thriller is an absolutely fantastic listen. From diverse, dynamic characters to an off-limits romance, to a well conceived of and written story, this book really has it all. Unpredictable twists abound - I finished this book in a little over one day, I really couldn't put it down. Robin Burcell hits the nail on the head for this genre (not surprising, as she's a former cop, hostage negotiator and forensic artist) and left me hungry for more stories by her. Travis Baldree does of wonderful job of bringing the characters to life, I was very impressed by his narration. I would recommend "The Last Good Place" to anyone who enjoys a mystery/thriller - this truly is an awesome one!

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Excellent Cop Drama

I went into this not realizing that it was a show, or a previous set of books, and now I'm excited to read more about Krug and Kellog! This was an exiting and fast paced crime drama. It felt very authentic. The narrator does a great job at pacing, and giving voice to multiple characters. His voice feels very serious, which pairs nicely with the tone of the book. I would really recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good crime drama/mystery! It will keep you on your toes!
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher. I received this title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.