This is my 5the book by Phillip Margolin and 5th in the Robin Lockwood series. I typically do not like series books, but I thoroughly enjoy this author’s writing style. With that being said, I didn’t think this book was as action packed and as exciting as the others but the ending definitely made up for it. Still a great read and I will be back for more!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy!

Robin Lockwood, MMA fighter turned lawyer, is one of my favorite characters in fiction. She's a strong female character who's always involved in interesting cases and mysteries. Phillip Margolin sure knows how to write a great book. In this installment, the fifth in the series, Ms. Lockwood has a shocking end to a trial which in turn, brings her back to her hometown. While there, she defends a client with some major secrets. The book just zoomed along and had a satisfying end. I look forward to the next book in this series.

This was a truly unique take on a court thriller, and I truly enjoyed the story!

Marjorie Loman has been accused of kidnapping the child she carried as a surrogate and assaulting the parents in the process. Robin Lockwood takes on the case after returning home to her small town in Elk Grove. While preparing for the case, Robin uncovers the truth behind Marjorie's identity and has to make choices that put her in a difficult position personally and professionally.

This legal thriller was very interesting and the surrogacy story line was truly engaging and interesting from beginning to end. Most of the story is focused on the legal case against Marjorie with a dual timeline story line that focuses on Marjorie's life before the kidnapping and trial and Robin's life before she went back home. While the plot has some unbelievable scenarios, I found the story line truly engaging and interesting and I could't wait to finish the book. It was a great book and will be reading more of this author's work!

I am really enjoying the Robin Lockwood series and this book didn't disappoint. In this outing, Robin has headed home to the small town of Elk Grove to deal with a devastating loss from her last case. She plans to hide out, and spend time allowing her family to help her heal. While there she is presented with an unusual case where surrogate, Marjorie Loman, kidnaps the child she carried and assaults one of the new parents while doing it. She doesn't deny what she did, but is she guilty of a crime. What could the possible defense be? Robin is taken in by the case and agrees to sign onboard with Stan, the local lawyer who brought the case to her, while she's there in Elk Grove. Robin is good at her job and digs in to get Marjorie off the hook, but can she help her keep her child? What other secrets is Marjorie harboring?

Robin is a great character. She is a Yale graduate, a former MMA fighter and a scrappy defense lawyer. She is also extremely smart and is able to find evidence and precedents to help her clients. Even though she is not working at 100%, Robin is a force to be reckoned with. As she investigates, she finds out that Marjorie is living under an assumed name and has secrets, some that could affect her life regardless of how this case plays out. I enjoy the short, snappy chapters that make the book move quickly. The legal drama is interested and the story is well plotted. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how this would play out. With some twists, this made for another satisfying legal thriller and addition to the Robin Lockwood series. I have the next book, Murder at Black Oaks, ready to go.

Robin Lockwood faces some of her biggest challenges, both professionally and personally, in The Darkest Place. Coerced by a judge to take on a pro bono case that no other lawyer would touch, the course of Robin's life is forever altered. As she comes to terms with her new reality, will Robin help a fellow lawyer with a case that is a long shot for success?

I had an issue with the situation that set the rest of the book in motion. Without spoilers, I cannot see how it would have all come to pass, especially considering the known threat level. The storyline about the surrogate was interesting, but there were too many side plots and issues related to the woman that muddied the book overall. The ending dragged on and lost my interest in the ultimate outcome. I liked the other books in the Robin Lockwood series, but this was a miss for me.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Darkest Place by NetGalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books. The decision to read and review this novel was entirely my own.

I haven't read the other books in this series but after reading this one I definitely plan to read them as well. The main character Robin is engaged to the love of her life and her career is taking off, but then tragedy strikes and she ends up taking a case in her hometown. The case involves Marjorie, a surrogate mother accused of kidnapping the baby she just gave birth too, as well as assaulting one of the parents in her effort to kidnap the child.
I liked how the chapters are short but they still draw your attention. I also liked how the courtroom scenes seem very realistic.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Another page turner. I found the plot well thought out and my interest was held throughout the book. The ethics dilemma's were well presented as was the story. I have read all of the books in the series and will continue to do so.

Phillip Margolin’s The Darkest Place is the story of Robin Lockwood, a defense attorney. After agreeing to take a pro bono case, things in Robin’s life start to take a turn. I voluntarily reviewed this complimentary book about secrets, deception, and murder full of twists and turns. A great read!

Prominent Portland defense attorney and former MMA fighter, Robin, ends up back in her hometown to recover from a tragedy. She's pulled into a surrogacy-turned-kidnapping case. The case tests Robin's legal chops, and the defendant finds herself in another case where she needs Robin.

The author filled this book with twists and turns, and it was fun trying to figure out where everything would end up. I thought Robin was a great character, and it's easy to follow along with her story.

There were certain places where I felt like there were too many things thrown at the reader all at once and I personally would have liked the pacing to be more even. The courtroom scenes also read a bit like transcripts, but overall this is a page-turner with a fun ending.

Thanks to #NetGalley, Philip Margolin, and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Darkest Place is the 5th Robin Lockwood legal mystery by Phillip Margolin. Released 8th March 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and available in hardcover, mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a well written legal thriller series with a strong romance element and lots of action. The plotline moves along very quickly (and generally not overly realistically). It's pure escapist reading and that's not a bad thing. The dialogue is choppy in places and I found myself yanked out of my suspension of disbelief fairly often by seemingly out-of-character and completely unrealistic plot developments. The antagonists were ridiculously incompetent and so thoroughly without redeeming features, they just seemed more appropriate for a comic book setting. That being said, the denouement and resolution were satisfying.

There were some really out-of-deep-left-field plot elements here. Some of them are potentially triggering (child loss, gambling, murder (obviously), bereavement, infertility, surrogacy, and torture for example). There was also one very difficult to read exchange in the book between titular protagonist Robin, and her mother, which was breathtaking in its wrongness. It literally colored the rest of the read for me. I felt the author was portraying the interchange in a positive manner and it was horrifying. ("Tough love" is neither tough nor loving).

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 6 hours and 1 minute and is narrated by Therese Plummer. She has an impressive vocal range and reads very well - however - there were directorial/artistic decisions made at some point in the process which meant that one of the character's voices was 90% screech (including snotty screaming crying outbursts). Much of the read was literally painful to listen to. I had to go back to the print format.

This might be a good choice for particular fans of legal / courtroom mysteries.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I absolutely loved this book! This has to be in the top 10 that I have read this year and I have read about 100. Highly recommended.

This author is new to me. What an amazing read! I was on the edge of my seat with each page! I can't wait to read more books by this author! Be prepared to lose some sleep, because you won't want to put this down!!

I have had the opportunity to read books by this author so I was looking forward to reading this. The book did not disappoint. margolins books always seem to have some interesting twists and this one did as well. The main character was charged with two separate crimes and somehow managed to get through these. With the help of her attorney Robin Lockwood. Robin was very effective in both cases even with a major setback in her personal life. The book takes a turn and things change significantly. I must admit I could see it coming and had my doubts throughout the book. Overall it was a good read and held my interest throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC. I've been a long time fan of Phillip Margolin and was not disappointed by The Darkest Place. It's an enjoyable legal thriller, one of my favorite genre's and this ongoing series about legal defense lawyer Robin Lockwood continues to be satisfying to read. I do believe it can be read as stand alone novel. The characters and varying cases Lockwood handles makes this series one I continue to enjoy.

In this 5th in an excellent legal mystery series, defense attorney Robin Lockwood deals with personal tragedy and takes on a client accused of two crimes in different jurisdictions.

As always, Phillip Margolin delivers a convoluted puzzler, with many fascinating strands, a very appealing lead, and fine characterization. He is a most accomplished storyteller.

A really good and enjoyable legal thriller by expert legal writer Phillip Margolin. Though this book is the fifth in the Robin Lockwood series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

In this novel, Robin defends a former police officer accused of both killing her husband AND running off with a baby she was supposed to be carrying as a surrogate, in two separate and seemingly unrelated instances. What I love about Phillip Margolin, as a trial attorney myself, is that his courtroom sequences are both realistic and legally accurate, while still being much more exciting and twisty than your everyday run-of-the-mill trial. This book is no exception! The evidence is fantastically twisty and wonderfully presented, both by Robin as the defense attorney and Margolin as the author. The plot motives at a brisk clip and there is never a dull moment as we try to figure out whodunit. The narrator also does a fantastic job with the audio version of this book. A highly entertaining listen. Margolin has yet to disappoint me. He's a strong legal thriller writer with a knack for twisty mysteries with a strong and realistic courtroom component. I am a fan!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Phillip Margolin and Macmillan Audio for this top notch legal read! Four plus shiny stars!

When Robin is hit with immense tragedy, she finds solace back home when she is asked to assist with a case. Marjorie Loman disappears from the Portland area after her husband is tortured and killed due to a visit from a couple of goons the same day she is notified of her husband's death. She turns up in Elk Grove, Robin's home town, and makes money by being a surrogate for a local family. But being a surrogate was hard than expected after a mistake at the hospital allows Marjorie to bond with the baby.

While in the throws of postpartum depression, the men she ran from appear at her apartment causing her to take drastic actions. Marjorie finds herself in court on charges of kidnapping and assault while also being searched for by Portland police for the murder of her husband (I guess you should not disappear right after being told a loved one is dead).

To Marjorie's benefit, Robin Lockwood is in town and has agreed to work as co-counsel on the kidnapping case. The long term question Marjorie needs to ask herself is if this really is for the best.

Because this series is not just about the case but very much about Robin, you do need to have read the previous books for the personal story. However, Margolin does do a short recap of who people are at the beginning and because this one takes place outside of Portland it revolves more around Robin and new characters and less about the ones you have already grown to know. This one was very refreshing and different than the previous books which was nice.

“ The Darkest Place” by Phillip Margolin came to me to read and review via Net Galley. Thanks to the author and publisher, and Net.Galley

“ The Darkest Place” is the fourth in a series of courtroom dramas featuring Robin Lockwood, a defense attorney located in Portland, Oregon.. The first few chapters of the book are composed .of the establishment of three separate memes. First, the police go to the house of Joel Logan with the sad duty to tell his wife that her her husband is dead, murdered. To the cop’s amazement, Marjorie Logan laughs. The two had been involved in a nasty divorce, with Joel, who was a successful high-flying financier, hiding all his assets from his wife. Love was long gone. Another story thread begins with Robin Lockwood requested by the city’s most prominent criminal court judge to please represent a murderer and rapist, a completely vile man whom no other lawyer wanted any part of. The judge thinks highly of Robin’s character and ability, so It was the kind of request the young lawyer could hardly decline. The final set up is of a childless couple halfway across the country who decide to consult a lawyer who has experience in arranging for surrogate to carry a child.
Now,I recommend that the reader carefully read and remember the details of these thread. They will come together to make an interesting story of deception and murder. Robin Lockwood’s life will change forever as she finds herself defending multiple actions involving the same client, a client she begins to doubt.
The courtroom scenes seem realistic to me, with details of the cases authentic, based on evidence the reader leans from testimony. Robin Lockwood is a sympathetic, likable character . The author has a sure hand , keeping the story likes Roger and moving the plot along at a good pace.
“ The Darkest Place” is a quick read and most readers should enjoy an evening or two of entertaining reading.

Thanks to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for my e-arc of THE DARKEST PLACE in exchange for an honest review. This one published March 8, so you can go grab a copy now!

I have now read 3/5 of the Robin Lockwood books. I haven’t read books 2&3 yet, but I own them… just have to read them 😅 While it is a series, you can read them out of order and not be too confused, but as usual, I recommend reading them in order!

I really enjoy this series! Detective Robin is a great MC- strong, smart, always cheers and fights for the underdog, and full of heart. This usually means she is out in situations that risks her own life, but that’s party of her job as a detective.

The Darkest Place had even Robin fooled as the “Victim” was VERY smart and almost got away with it. But Robin is very good at her job, and figured it out by the end. Even tho Robin is a strong female character, this book shows us that you don’t have to be the strong one all the time. I really enjoyed seeing this side of her.

TW: grief, loss of a partner, death, murder, child kidnapping.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I'll start out with, I LOVE THIS SERIES. I had started reading it before I was approved for this ARC and was so excited to get approved for it. The storylines are engaging, interesting, believable. They're legal thrillers which has the best of both worlds for me. Main female lawyer as the lead. The legal parts are actually accurate (unlike some legal fiction written by lawyers - won't be saying any names). Nonetheless, if you enjoy legal thrillers and want to start an interesting fast paced series, read these!