*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was quite the read! I would love to read more from this series and maybe even reread it when i come to it in the series, would recommend

Betrayal is the latest in the Robin Lockwood series from Phillip Margolin. Robin is a defense attorney in Portland, Oregon who has made a name for herself as honest and one of the best. Back in college, she was a MMA fighter who got one too many concussions and was forced to focus on law school. Years later she goes to see a fight with the fighter who knocked her out that last time, Mandy Kerrigan. Mandy is past her prime and gets in trouble for using "undetectable" performance enhancing drugs. The same night as this fight a family is killed (mother, father, adult son, and teenage daughter). Kerrigan is arrested for the murder because she beat up the son for selling her drugs that were not undetectable. Robin takes Kerrigan's case and soon discovers that not a single member of this family is innocent and there are several people who could have killed them. Mom was a lawyer involved in an insurance fraud scheme with the mob. Dad was a chemist who was recently fired and has such a big gambling problem that he makes designer drugs that his son sells for him. Even the daughter is not in the clear as it turns out she is a bully. Can robin figure out who the target was and which of their enemies killed them?

I love that this series focuses on a defense attorney who is very honest. So many crime thrillers/mysteries focus on the detectives or if it is the lawyers then they are bent in some way. Margolin gives us a set of characters who do not look for the win no matter what. The other nice thing about this series is that there a lot of personal growth and development over the series, so it is not just the change in the case you get but you find Robin at different places in her own life with good things and tragedies along the way. It is the best blend of crime and literary fiction. Betrayal is the best of the series in a few books and I look forward to where her story goes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Betrayal by Phillip Margolin in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This is book #7 in the series and you do not need to read the prior books to understand what is going on however I will warn you that you will WANT to read all six of the earlier books as they are just that darn good! This has lots of suspense and twists and turns that will keep you gasping page after page! Read it ASAP!

The Robin Lockwood series is a good one to get lost in, and she is quite likable. This was an interesting plot and I was surprised by the culprit’s identity. Easy to get involved with the story and it flowed right along. I’ll pick up another one with this character.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the ARC to read and review.

Legal Thriller

Betrayal by Phillip Margolin is a legal thriller that follows attorney Robin Lockwood as she finds herself defending her old nemesis in a complex multiple-murder case. The plot is intricately woven, with numerous suspects and a series of twists that keep the reader engaged from start to finish. The story delves into themes of murder, corruption, and deception, all while exploring the intricacies of the legal system.

Overall, Betrayal is a compelling read that will appeal to fans of legal thrillers and mysteries. Its strengths lie in the well-drawn characters, intricate plot, and Margolin's adept handling of legal themes. However, some readers may find the abundance of suspects and plot twists a bit overwhelming. Despite this, the novel's suspenseful and engaging nature makes it a worthwhile addition to the Robin Lockwood series.

For those interested in a legal thriller that combines intense courtroom drama with personal and ethical dilemmas, Betrayal by Phillip Margolin is highly recommended.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this book. I received this book in exchange for my honest review.


In this book Robin Lockwood is defending the woman she once fought in a UFC fight that made he stop fighting and continue her studies. Robin works hard to figure out who really killed the Finch family. The mother was a lawyer who defended members of a Russian Mob, father and son made and sold drugs, and the fourteen year old daughter was a bit of a bully and made a girl commit suicide. A teacher named Arthur Proctor found the Finch family and was actually the one who murdered the family. Arthur was having an affair with Annie Finch and killed her and her entire family because she was blackmailing him with panties that had his semen on them. This book was very interesting and I can’t wait to read the next one.

Robin Lockwood is now a prominent defense attorney in Portland, Oregon but a decade ago, she was a ranked and rising MMA fighter. Her career came to a quick end when she was knocked out and concussed in the first round by Mandy Kerrigan, a much more talented fighter. Now the situation couldn't be more different, with Kerrigan on her last legs, her career nearly over, arrested for the quadruple murder of the entire Finch family...and Kerrigan's only possible friend is the attorney she beat so many years ago. For Robin, it's no simple case: Margaret Finch was a lawyer working for vicious Russian mobsters, and was in the cross-hairs of both the mobsters and the widower of a woman a client killed; her husband Nathan Finch was deeply in debt to a bookie who threatened his life; her son Ryan was the one who sold Kerrigan illegal performance enhancing drugs and was beaten severely by her when Kerrigan failed her drug test. To complicate matters further, the DA that Robin is facing is the man she's just started dating, the first person she's begun seeing seriously after her husband was killed. In a case where the stakes are high and the truth is elusive, where each new fact twists the case in a new direction, there is seemingly no way to win or direction to turn that will leave Robin Lockwood unscathed. There are several books in this series and they just never get old. Lots of twists and turns in this one with a very satisfying end.

Betrayal by Phillip Margolin is the seventh book in the Robin Lockwood series. Robin is a well-known and distinguished defense attorney in Portland, Oregon. Ten years ago, while going to University, she made a living as a mixed martial arts fighter. She gave that up when she was knocked out and ended up with a concussion. The fighter that knocked her out of the profession was Mandy Kerrigan. Kerrigan is at the end of her career, but when she is arrested for a quadruple murder. When Robin finds out that she will be using a court appointed lawyer, she requests the judge give her the case. Robin is sure that Mandy didn't do it, and with her investigator and herself, she follows all the evidence and her intuition to do her best to prove that someone else could have been the murderer.

Betrayal is a well written and plotted legal thriller. I have enjoyed all the books in this series, and although each story is contained within the covers of the book, I recommend you read them all in order to follow Robin's personal and professional growth. In a previous book, Robin's husband was killed during one of her cases and she is finally ready to date again. As the investigation plays out, there are more than a few suspects. The family has a lot of flaws and there could have been any number of people who wanted one of more of them dead. Of course, once a case goes to trial and someone has been indicted, the police stop looking for anyone else, but that doesn't stop Robin. There are plenty of twists in this one with several red herrings. I was invested in this story and wanted to know who killed the family. The evidence seemed to lead in one direction, but knowing Phillip Margolin, the obvious killer would not be the one. I was surprised at the final reveal. I love how Robin puts things together, and how her brain works. This was another enjoyable Robin Lockwood story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.
I have enjoyed all of the Robin Lockwood books and this one did not disappoint. She is a smart and gritty character! She was the epitome of a bad ass in this book.! The mystery was kind of weak and obvious in my opinion but I still enjoyed the book and the other characters in her world in Portland. I am really happy to see Robin moving on with her life after suffering such a terrible tragedy in an earlier book

Another great addition to Margolin’s body of work. I had not read him recently and I was not disappointing. Gripping from start to finish.

Margolin delivers another Robin Lockwood compelling, legal thriller. I think what I liked most about this book is that I like the characters, especially Robin Lockwood. I liked the mystery, actually thought I solved it early but didn’t expect the twist. This is a nice addition to the Lockwood series. To legal thriller fans who haven’t picked up this series, this book 7 can be read as a stand alone, but you will get more out of the story reading the earlier books first.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood finds someone from her past when she was a MMA fighter. They need her help because they have been accused of murder.
This is the second book that I have read by this author and really enjoy them.
Thanks to publisher Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for the ARC.

DNF’d at 50

I was so bored out of my mind while reading this book. Also it never mentioned any where it was part of a series.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I love the Robin Lockwood series. It’s such a good legal thriller series and I just can’t wait for the next book!

These books satisfy my Law and Order loving heart.

What I Liked:

I LOVE how these covers look. So eye catching.

Robin Lockwood. I’ll say it a million times- that woman gets shit done. She’s a great character.

How the series is evolving as Robin’s life has changed. Robin’s had some hard knocks the past couple or so books and the series is slowly evolving to take that into account.



Bottom line: Legal thriller fans, you gotta check out the Robin Lockwood series!



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for this ARC!
I didn’t realize this book was a part of a series when starting it. I felt ask though it was all over the place but that may have been the result of coming into the Robin Lockwood series at book 7. I think I would have liked it better if I knew more backstory of the main character. Overall, it was just okay for me.

Attorney Robin Lockwood put herself through law school while she was a very good MMA fighter. It is now a decade later, and her latest client is a woman she fought in the ring, Mandy Kerrigan. A family of four has been brutally murdered, and since Mandy has the means, motive and opportunity, she has been arrested and will soon be tried for the quadruple murders. Robin has to put her feelings aside when it comes to defending Mandy.

For Mandy, there are a lot of reasons why her arrest moved to a trial. For one thing, her career is fizzling. Also, she had an altercation with the father of the family that was witnessed by many. It might be that the intended victim was Margaret Finch, but now Robin is determined to find out why the rest of her family was murdered.

Robin's reputation in the courtroom is legendary, but the prosecuting attorney is a man that she is drawn to. will Deputy District Attorney Tom Marks and Robin have a chance to get together now that they will be pitted against one another in the courtroom?

Betrayal is a fabulous book and an excellent addition to a winning series. I have read all of the books in the series, but have scheduled this series for a reread as I want to spend more time with Robin before book eight is released.

Many thanks to St. Martins/Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Really enjoyed this new book.. I liked the way the characters were introduced and how the connections between them Became more apparent and interlocked as the story progressed.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an ok read for me. The story felt a little jumbled at times and slow moving. I'm glad I pushed through because overall it was a good story.

I enjoyed this story, but found it a bit jumbled in my opinion. This may be because this was my first Robin Lockwood book, and this is #7 in the series, so there are probably things others that follow this series would understand where it was confusing for me. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with the MCs. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

Gritty and intense! Complex and compelling! An edgy mystery full pulse-pounding suspense, damning secrets and one shocking surprise after another! The fast pace of the of the twisted, wildly-captivating plot kept me swiping the pages feverishly long past my bedtime.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.