This was a great book. I do not seeing myself using it for education, but definitely will recommend for those looking for something good to read.

"Murder at Black Oaks" by Phillip Margolin is a gripping addition to the genre, featuring the skilled lawyer Robin Lockwood as the central character. In this novel, Lockwood finds herself entangled in a complex web of deceit and danger as she takes on the case of a prominent attorney accused of murder. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the exclusive community of Black Oaks, where dark secrets lurk beneath the surface.

I really enjoyed listening to this book filled with suspense and mystery. I really like Robin and would love her as my lawyer if I ever had that need. I loved all the twists and turns. I loved how spooky Black Oaks seemed. I loved the narrator. I received an audiobook of this story from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

The dark setting of black Oaks lends a great darkness over the story, not that it needed it.

The heartbreaking original crime was dark and horrible enough to make the rest of the story deep and sad. So many people destroyed. But then it just gets worse.

Usually the thing that occasionally annoys me in listening to a story is not remembering who so and so is. Oddly, in this case, I was annoyed by sentence construction. It hardly ever bothers me because of the storyteller’s voice doesn’t bother me. Like THAT.

I hadn’t known the Robin Lockwood stories before but this is certainly a series to follow.

Thank you to Netgalley for this audio book.

I was given a NetGalley widget for this one a year ago and I just got around to reading it and dangit it was so good. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have consumed this wildly relevant fictional tale, which felt not at all fictional, more like historical fiction, due to the times. The cover initially was what drew me in, but I'm so thankful to have stuck with it because the outcome was magical. I always love listening to audiobooks and when they sweep me off my feet, I'm just utterly captivated! I always really enjoy multi-cultural thrillers, for I embark on a journey through a land unknown to me, while still getting spooked. I didn't realize this one was a series.

Murder at Black Oaks is the 6th Robin Lockwood novel, but this one was very different from the previous books I have read and/or listened to in this series. In this book, an innocent man was convicted and the prosecutor that tried the case defends a man who admits to the crime. Due to attorney/client privilege, he can say nothing. He is so distraught, he quits practicing and dedicates his life to freeing wrongfully imprisoned people. When the real murderer dies, he hires Robin to free Jose Alvarez. She is invited to his home, Black Oaks, a gothic mansion that has several stories attached to it. Robin does what she is asked and Alvarez is freed. Francis Hardy invites Robin, her investigator, Alvarez and some others to his home to celebrate and ask Robin to work on some other cases for him. Shortly after they all arrive, Hardy is dead. Who killed him and why?

This was a mystery story more than a crime thriller, but there is some twists and gripping moments that make this a thriller for me. I continue to enjoy this series and I love the characters of Robin Lockwood. She is dealing with the loss of her partner in business and life after his death in the previous novel. She works through her grief thus keeping herself sane. The stories of werewolves and murders in Black Oaks keeps the gothic feel going and keeps Robin guessing about the culprit. This was a fun closed door mystery, but the legal questions make you think about some of the rules within the legal profession that do not work in the best interest of the client and those accused of a crime. I have been enjoying the audiobooks narrated by Thérèse Plummer and she does such a wonderful job. I recommend this series, but probably not best to start with this one, as it is very different from the rest of the series.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a legal thriller so I really enjoyed this one. My only minor complaint is that there were so many subplots in such a short novel. They were all interesting and exciting but each could’ve been explored more or given it’s own book. And of course I had no idea this was book 6(!!!) in a series so I’m interested in reading the first five.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't see the end coming at all and found it kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't realize that it was a part of a series, but it stood on it's own.

Thank you for the ARC

Probably more like 3.5 stars. This was an easy book to listen to. Honestly, it didn't really provide a lot of intrigue, though. The first half of the book delved into the wrongful conviction of a client that has been on death row for 30 years and then the second half of the book addressed the topic of the book's title. The two topics seemed to get lost a bit in their merging and the "whodunit" fell a little flat.

Not realizing that this was the the book in a series, I thought it stood alone just fine. A dark mystery thriller that kept me engaged and turning the page. I found the characters to be well fleshed out and the author did an excellent job setting the "feeling" of the story.

3.5 stars

In this 6th novel in the 'Robin Lockwood' series, the attorney searches for a killer in a gothic mansion. The book works fine as a standalone.

Author Phillip Margolin is a fan of the Golden Age mysteries, and wrote 'Murder at Black Oaks' as an homage to the writers who penned those tales. Thus the story contains an unusual murder, a haunted mansion, secret passages, an escaped madman, a werewolf curse, and more. It's an old fashioned story, but it's good fun.

*****

In 1990 Oregon college student Jose Alvarez is convicted of murdering his girlfriend Margo Prescott and sentenced to death. The prosecutor in the case, Frank Melville - who's convinced Jose killed Margo - considers it a job well done.

Then in 1997 prosecutor Melville learns that a man named Archie Stallings murdered Margo Prescott. Frank is desperate to 'out' Stallings, but is prevented by attorney-client privilege. So Jose Alvarez is left to rot away on death row, and Frank's life is marred by intense feelings of guilt. As a result Melville makes it his mission to free convicts who've been wrongly imprisoned.

Thirty years later Archie Stallings dies and Melville, who's now in a wheelchair, hires attorney Robin Lockwood to find a way to reveal the truth about Archie Stallings and get Alvarez freed. Robin manages the feat with the help of her investigator Ken Breland, and Jose is released from prison. Afterwards, Melville invites Robin, Ken, and Jose to his mountaintop estate, called Black Oaks, to celebrate.

As it happens, Black Oaks - which was commissioned by Frank's deceased wife - is a brick by brick replica of an English mansion named Black Oaks that was built in 1673. The English manor has a reputation for being cursed because all its residents came to horrible ends amidst rumors of witchcraft, devil worship, orgies, werewolves, etc.

Robin Lockwood and her party brave torrential rainstorms to drive up the mountain to Black Oaks. Also present on the estate are Melville's daughter Nelly; Melville's research assistant Sheila Monroe; washed-up actor Corey Rockwell, who hopes Melville will finance his comeback movie; attorney Justin Trent; housekeeper Mrs. Raskin; and butler Luther.

As the guests are finishing dinner, a soaked man knocks on the door and introduces himself as Detective Carl Samuels. Samuels explains that Victor Zelko, an inmate at a nearby hospital for the criminally insane, has escaped. The detective was looking for Zelko when his car slipped off the road, and other police can't make it up the mountain until mudslides are cleared in the morning.

So now we have a classic setup - people stranded in an isolated house with a maniac on the loose. Needless to say, a murder occurs in spooky circumstances....and it's followed by more homicides.

Robin and her investigator Ken help search for the killer, which is tricky in the labyrinthine Black Oaks estate. Astute mystery fans may guess some of the twists, which just adds to the pleasure of reading the story.

I enjoyed the novel, which is a fine tribute to Golden Age mysteries.

Thanks to Netgalley, Phillip Margolin, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review Murder at Black Oaks.

Author: Phillip Margolin
Narrator: Thérèse Plummer
Published: 11/08/22
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

This is a short, likable story. The main character is an attorney, and Margolin wrote her well. She is smart, clever and appeared to have class. Upon completing, I saw this is book #6 in the series. I didn't feel as if I was missing anything. I enjoyed this well enough to consider locating the previous five, and starting from the beginning of the series.

The narration was good.

I liked Robin and I liked the storyline. Without spoiling or copying the synopsis, a young man is placed on death row, and following the conviction the real killer confesses to his attorney, holding him to confidentiality, and the story begins.

This is a nice book to end 2022 on.

Coming from the Robin Lockwood series, Murder at Black Oaks is completely enjoyable as a stand alone murder mystery.
Mansions, curses, and murder, Oh MY! Good story and entertaining narrators for a weekend listen.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for access to this audiobook. All opinions are mine.

This book is way too dark for me. The cold open is about many people’s lives being ruined by a terrible man. I can’t get to the fun Murder mystery. Someone with a higher tolerance might enjoy

#NetGalleyThis was a great book and I couldn't stop listening! The story really reeled me in from the get-go and I couldn't wait to see where it was heading. It's a small snapshot into our justice system where the system is absolutely NOT just or right. One lying client ruined many, many lives. And none of it was able to be put somewhat right until he died. We should be able to do better! I loved the fact that the attorney Robyn was a take-no-prisoners woman and got shit done! I was even happier when I realized that this was a series and that there were more books about her to read!
#NetGalley

An unusual story
Story is a combination of a legal thriller, murder mystery with a bit of reminders to an Agatha Christy story feeling or the Alfred Hitchcock legacy. I didn’t realize this was the sixth book in the series till I ended the story and checked what else this writer wrote. This book can be easily read as standalone and I don’t think it had any negative effects that it was the first book I read. I did enjoy the style and might buy some of the previous books.
Through the story you get some suspicions but you feel it can’t be so. This is a good reason to finish reading the book.
We see a lot of different aspects. Wrongful imprisoned for 30 years on dead row. A replica of an English Estate with curse attached, unexpected visitors, blocked access road and plenty of possible murderers all around.
The ending was a surprise but fitting to the story.

With an invitation to visit Black Oaks, attorney Robin Lockwood, finds herself in the midst of a murder or two. Robin is invited by Francis Hardy, a former attorney to Black Oats, to work on a case that went back a number of years. It was the murder conviction of Jose Alvarez, a man who Hardy learns was unjustly convicted of the crime. Unfortunately, it was another client of Hardy's who did the deed, but because of attorney client privilege, Hardy could not reveal what he knew. When the client dies, things change and Hardy can now tell what he knows and free an innocent man.

As the guests arrive in Black Oaks, not only do they arrive, but also a terrible storm hits as well. Trapped inside Black Oaks, a home that not only houses Hardy and his daughter and staff, but also terrible legends about of all things werewolves and the death of previous owners. And then the closed door murders occur.

This was a quick read, one that kept me occupied while the turkey cooked. Eventually, I would like to have a look at the previous books in this series, although I felt this book could very well be a stand along story.

Thanks are extended to Philip Margolin, Minotour Books and NetGalley for a copy of this tale which published in November of this year.

The first half was awesome. The second not so much. I was drifting in and out by the end of the book. It lacked the cohesiveness and relatability.

Quick moving closed room murder mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie. While part of a Robin Lockwood series, I didn’t find it necessary to have read any of the previous entries. I have previously enjoyed Margolin’s writing, and while this novel was entertaining, it didn’t seem to be at the level of past works.

Recommended for fans of Margolin.

This was the first book by this author that I have read. It was really the title that caught my eye. I am not usually a procedural/legal thriller fan, but I found myself taken with this book from the get-go. We use the comparison of mystery novels to the great Dame Agatha quite often. I am not comparing the writing perse, but the plot. A spooky mansion, a murder in a locked room mystery, and multiple suspects, gives this novel the Christie/Clue Effect.

I also love the back plot of this book, the innocence project, helping to get innocent people out of prison, that were falsely accused and bringing the real criminals to justice. After the first part of the book, I wasn't sure how this was going to go but it definitely took a path of mystery.

I will surely go back and read the previous books in this series.

I adore Therese Plummer and her narration.