I am usually a big fan of Phillip Margolin's books, but this one was a disappointment.  Too many characters to keep track of and a lot of jumping around.  I found it hard to follow the story.

Oh, but, I was looking forward to reading this......a magician linked to several murders and suspicious deaths years ago, disappears within his act.....

However, I found the story confusing and slow and I’m afraid I really struggled to finish it.
There are some strong characters, it just didn’t flow well.

Overall, I didn’t really enjoy it, so, an OK read from me.

I’m grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview.

The magic elements in A Reasonable Doubt by Phillip Margolin were interesting. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and the back and forth between timelines caused some confusion for me.

I did like the main character, Robin, and Margolin did a great job of portraying the magician as a bad guy, which kept my interest in whether he was innocent or guilty. 

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. The mystery was good and kept me guessing on what had occurred, but I felt the responsible person was a bit convoluted and a stretch of my imagination.

Overall, I would give the book a 3.5 out of 5.

Y'alllllll.... READ IT!! Wow, Phillip Margolin did a wonderful job and never letting my attention go away from this book. Seriously it was fantastic and the characters will truly make you want to read it in minutes!

This is my second Phillip Margolin book dealing with former UFC fighter and current top lawyer Robin Lockwood, and I loved it more than the first.

The book weaves together several timelines dealing with the fortunes of a stage magician who had been accused of murder and is now making a comeback after disappearing for years. In this way, I also got to know Robin's former boss Regina Barrister. I loved the way the book focused on the story from so many perspectives. 

The book was enthralling, and I loved the magic angle. In addition, I find Robin to be a believable, interesting character.

I am already looking forward to the next Lockwood book.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and www.NetGalley.com for my ARC.

This is the 3rd book in a series but can be read as a stand alone.  Robin Lockwood, the central character, is a top criminal defense attorney.   The story takes place over many years but it is all tied together neatly at the end.  I have to admit I didn’t see the ending coming.  Some of the characters in this book aren’t very likable, the defendant and an incompetent Deputy DA to name 2.   There are quite a few twists in the book.   Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Phillip Margolin has been around for years and can always be relied upon to write an excellent legal thriller. Hopefully I am not damning him with faint praise as he is an exceptionally skilled wordsmith who knows how to draw the reader in with the plausibility of his plotting, his wide knowledge of the US legal system given his own legal background and the likeability of his main characters.

This is his third Robin Lockwood novel and they keep getting better. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in couple of days.

Highly recommended.

A Reasonable Doubt by Phillip Margolin  – 5 Stars
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press 
ISBN: 9781250117540 
  
A magician who disappears when he debuts a new illusion is a description that grabbed my attention. It has a unique twist. Robert Lockwood, the missing illusionist, is certainly an unlikeable man with a dark past. He is a womanizer, cheat, thief and maybe even a murderer. There are many people who have reason to hate him.
The story has a steady pace. There are lawyers and legal maneuvering but no lengthy trial proceedings to slow the plot down. It is a tangled web and fun to read. 

Reviewer: Nancy

A livelier mystery than Margolin's usual best sellers, maybe because the author's long-time interest in magic and the illusionists who make a career if it is the focus  It's also a milieu that attracts more than its share of creeps and con men, one of whom is Robin Lockwood's past and present client's. She got him off on murder charges once before, but when he turns up as the victim of the stage magic he conjures up with great fanfare, she has to see through her own illusions to solve not only his murder but a strong of others. Not a show stopper, but a diverting read.

This is a very interesting mystery, though I like Margolin’s writing and most of his novels, I don’t have any interest in magic or magicians, so this book didn’t hold as much interest for me as his other novels. 

I like the character of Robin Lockwood and look forward to reading more about her. 
It did hold my interest. I enjoyed the connection to earlier events and the sense of closure.  

Thank you Netgalley for this book.

I need to read more Phillip Margolin books! I really enjoy them and A Reasonable Doubt was no exception.  Although this is the third book in the Robin Lockwood series, I had no trouble reading this as a stand alone. Full of twists and turns, it will keep you engaged.

What happens when an attorney meets a magician?!  You'll have to read this well crafted book and find out. I've enjoyed all the books in this series and Robin Lockwood is one of my favorite characters. She's tough, smart, and devoted. If you enjoy a book with plenty of twists and turns this may be one for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press /Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

A spellbinding novel of mystery, magic and intrigue. Whilst this is my first experience of reading a Phillip Margolin novel, 'A Reasonable Doubt' has ensured my lifelong devotion to this eminently talented author's works. This is a real page-turner of the very literal variety. Tautly-plotted, the very definition of readable, and written in perfectly calibrated prose, this book is a definite candidate for thriller of the year. Also, unlike many novels of this type, 'A Reasonable Doubt' is blessedly free of many of the hackneyed old tropes associated with this genre. It is the very originality of Margolin's novel, with its memorable meta-character of Robin Lockwood, that drew me in from the first page. For British readers, you may find parallels between Margolin's novel and the BBC series 'Jonathan Creek', with its emphasis on the illusionary nature of reality and the proverbial smoke and mirrors associated with the art of the true magician. This is twisty mystery, indeed, one that is imaginatively-plotted with considerable verve and style. In this book, Lockwood is in the unenviable position of trying to solve the riddle of the mysterious disappearance of a magician by the name of Robert Chesterfield. Whilst Chesterfield only came to Lockwood looking to patent an illusion, he has since disappeared. The magician, has a chequered past, however. He has been accused of murder - not once but twice, and was implicated in the death of his first-wife. What does Chesterfield's subsequent disappearance mean, and is he killer or victim? You can only find out by reading this epic book. No spoilers here!. Original, compelling, imaginative and cerebral - Margolin is a master of his art.

I have been a Phillip Margolin fan for years and this is a good read.

Robin Lockwood has taken over the law firm of her mentor, Regina Barrister, after her retirement. Robin is fast becoming a successful criminal lawyer and one of Regina’s former clients, a magician, seeks her out for a possible criminal case?

The story is full of twists and turns and I couldn’t put it down.  Highly enjoyable, excellent character development, and a tight plot. 

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

I read the prequel to this book and liked it a lot. This one was disappointing. I felt the story was weak and the characters did not engage. Sometimes it is better to let a novel be a stand alone. The original cast is not strong enough to carry a new mystery. There are so many books in this genre that are better written and developed. I lost interest half way through.

"A Reasonable Doubt" is the third novel in Margolin's Robin Lockwood legal thriller series.  Robin is a young Perry Mason type criminal defense lawyer in a firm with a retired mentor Regina known as "the Sorceress" for how she won unwinnable cases.  Robin is also a former MMA fighter who fought during law school.  And she's dating her investigator.  In this novel, we enter that sacred realm where law interacts with magic or more specifically a magician who somehow finds himself charged with murder.  Magic tricks add an exciting element to the story.  This is a quick-turning novel that can be finished in quite a short time.  And light enough for a beach or airline read.  Nevertheless, not quite a favorite.

Criminal defense attorney, Robin Lockwood, meets with, Robert Chesterfield a magician and client of the former head of Robin’s law firm. Robert is looking for a patent on one of his tricks, an illusion. When Robin looks into Chesterfield’s past, she discovers he was arrested for two murders, an attempted murder and was a person of interest in his former wife’s death. He was acquitted, and now after performing his newest illusion, the magician himself disappears. Robin must determine whether Chesterfield has gone into hiding, or whether his past has finally caught up with him. As always, Margolin provides a unique and twisted mystery