Another fantastic Philip Margolin legal thriller featuring Robin Lockwood. Please see my complete review at www.reviewingtheevidence.com

There’s a lot happening in this book. Almost too much, to be honest. It felt a bit jumbled with everything happening. I did enjoy the case and the characters. Overall a fun, quick read but one that made me feel a bit overwhelmed.

Robin Lockwood book #7

A Legal Thriller

In a few words:

Robin, MMA fighter turned Portland, Ore., criminal defense attorney takes on the case of a former rival, Mandy Kerrigan, who has been charged with murdering a family of four. Though Mandy maintains her innocence, witnesses saw her banging on the door of the Finch family home after beating up the Finch’s oldest son, Ryan, at a bar when the performance-enhancing drugs he sold her showed up on a drug test. Robin is convinced she’ll find answers about the Finches’ enemies that will divert blame from Mandy. But this case turned not to be a cake walk.....

Defending her old nemesis in a multiple murder case with too many suspects, where success might cost Robin’s life, is not simple. To complicate matters, she is dating the DA.

My thoughts:

I am a long-time fan of Phillip Margolin and I am always eager to read what he has in store for us.

The court scenes maneuvers sucked me in from the start, although fictional this legal drama sounded real to me. I was captivated by the setting, Portland Oregon, where it seems you can pull off random murders, well at less according to this thriller. Mr. Margolin knows how to spin a case where the stakes are high and the truth is elusive, where fact twists the case in all directions, he surely does that with aplomb. Maybe trial attorneys can poke holes into this story but I think following the antics was exciting and suspenseful. I agree with some who think the Russian mafia connection is weak and really didn’t ring true, but what the heck it made for a very captivating read.

Definitely this story is characters driven. With its snappy dialogue and short chapters to help push things along, I was eager to see how this case would turn out.

It is a page turner no doubt in my books.

This is a good novel and one of Mr. Margolin I enjoyed the best.

Robin Lockwood is a charismatic character in Betrayal by Phillip Margolin. She's smart, strong, and doesn't give up even when there are so many twists and turns before the case is solved as in Betrayal.

Another great Margolin legal suspense! This was my first in the Robin Lockwood series, and it reminded me why I enjoy legal fiction so much. Part police procedural, part legal strategy, part investigation, and part mob threats. Makes for a killer read!

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Phillip Margolin, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

A long-time fan of Phillip Margolin and this great legal thriller series, I was eager to see what Robin Lockwood would be doing. Building on Robin’s past work as an MMA fighter and stellar lawyer, the story works to merge the two and show how a murder could bring many motives to the surface. Margolin proves his worth and shows how gripping a writer he is when given the chance to let all the pieces fall into place!

Robin Lockwood was once an established MMA fighter on her way up the ranks. After clashing with Mandy Kerrigan a decade ago, Robin’s fighting career came to an abrupt end and she turned her focus to law school, where she excelled and became a lawyer of some regard in the Portland area.

When Mandy reemerges in Robin’s life, things could not be more different. Her career on the literal ropes, Mandy has been arrested for a quadruple homicide, when the entire Finch household is found slain in their home. Mandy turns to Robin to defend her, a Herculean task if ever there was one.

As Robin tries to make sense of the case before her, she comes to realise that the Finches had many enemies. From mother, Margaret, who had been doing some legal work for the Russian mob; father, Nathan, who has racked up many debts with his gambling addiction; and Ryan, the ne’er-do-well son, selling designer drugs that are supposed to be untraceable. These drugs were detected during one post-fight test and have left Mandy suspended, providing the prime motive in the case. There is also the teenaged daughter, whose calm exterior hid a vicious side that had her bullying a fellow student, who ended up committing suicide.

While Robin knows that DA has a slim case, it makes more sense than anything she can muster together. When she presents her facts to a jury, things are not as effective as she might have liked, leaving little doubt about her client’s fate. However, the legal system is full of twists and should one of them tun in Mandy’s favour, Robin and her legal team will be there to pounce. Margolin weaves a wonderful web of deception, betrayal, and legal maneuvers in this piece that is sure to keep the reader flipping pages well into the night.

I can count on a strong piece of thriller work whenever Phillip Margolin is writing. The narrative foundation is always full of keen perspectives and provides the reader with something solid on which to rely as they make their way through any legal matter. The dialogue and short chapters push things along, leaving the reader eager to see where things are headed, as the story’s excitement increases with each new revelation.

Strong characters prove to the cornerstone to this piece. Not only is there a great development of the protagonist, but those around Robin Lockwood show great resolve and flavour the story effectively. There is some development here in Robin’s personal life, though it is not overshadowed by the legal matters. The numerous perspectives presented in this piece allow the reader to see things from a variety of angles and understand how the story emerges as one of Margolin’s best.

Any legal thriller worth its salt will have some great twists throughout story to keep the reader on their toes. Legal matters turn swiftly and Margolin knows how to insert these changes at the right time to ensure maximum impact. Margolin does well to leave the best for last, as the final reveal offers up a moment that few will see coming. though the attentive reader will have seen the clues laid out through the story’s climax. I cannot wait to see what Margolin and Robin Lockwood have on offer with the next instalment in this series.

Kudos, Mr. Margolin, for keeping things sharp and exciting.

Betrayal by Phillip Margolin is a well-written and suspenseful legal thriller. It’s the seventh book in the Robin Lockwood series. Robin is a well-known and distinguished defense attorney in Portland, Oregon. However, ten years ago she as a ranked mixed martial arts fighter until she was knocked out and concussed in a fight with Mandy Kerrigan. Now, Kerrigan is nearing the end of her career and is arrested for the quadruple murder of the Finch family. Her court appointed lawyer is Robin.

Robin has a sense of humor, but is lonely. Mandy doesn’t know what she will do when her fighting career is over. She has no family she can ask for help and begrudgingly accepts Robin’s help. However, Robin will be facing deputy district attorney Tom McKee, the man Robin had just started to date. That means their personal lives must be put on hold until after the trial.

The plot is solid with plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings. There’s plenty of drama both inside and outside the courtroom. However, one of the keys to the case was a little too easy to identify. Themes include murder, corruption, scams, grief, friendship, assault, and much more.

Overall, this was an engaging, fast-paced, and intense novel which kept me turning the pages. While this is the first book that I have read in the series, I had no trouble learning the characters and rapidly coming up to speed. I enjoyed it and can’t wait until the next book in the series is available.

St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Phillip Margolin provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for November 07, 2023.

4.5 stars.

Betrayal brings Robin Lockwood back for one of her most challenging and unique cases yet.

Robin is defending a fellow MMA fighter who is charged with a mass murder of an entire family but insists she is innocent.

In order to defend Mandy, Robin has to put her personal life on hold and she just happens to be newly dating the prosecutor.

Can Robin trust her client's story as evidence points right back at Mandy.

Phillip Margolin always gives us a solid story with twists and turns and red herrings that have you guessing to the end.

Betrayal is no exception and the court room drama is so well done you think that you are sitting right there.

Highly recommend Betrayal and if you are new to the Robin Lockwood series you will want to read them all.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for a page turning suspenseful read.

This is my very first book by Philip Margolin so since this is 7th in its series, I felt lost most of the time. There were a lot of characters to keep track of but I did enjoy this thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Looking forward to reading the others.

Betrayal by Phillip Margolin
Robin Lockwood Series Book 7
Hooray! Rockin’ Robin is back in previous form. I was so bummed by the prior book in this series that I could not believe it. It was completely ridiculous. It was practically a gothic novel with a secluded lodge, werewolves and a locked room murder. This book is much more like earlier books in the series and I enjoyed it immensely. It wasn’t really too hard to spot the culprit but I didn’t care. And to top it off, Robin has a new romantic interest. A minor complaint is that there is a main character called Mandy and a minor character called Amanda. Just made me have to stop and think for a second when Amanda was mentioned.
Looking forward to the next book in this much loved series.

This book is the latest and the Robin Lockwood series. She’s an ex fighter turned lawyer. She’s smart, she’s fearless, she takes no sh!t. She’s a female protagonist we all want to be.

In this book, she’s coming off of the death of someone very close to her and trying to figure out where she goes from here. Trying to put the pieces of her almost happily ever after, back together.

As usual, she has another complicated case, with lots of twists and turns. Legal thrillers, or something that Philip Margolin excels at, especially in this series. I’m not someone who is very big on series because I get bored after a while but I love Robin Lockwood’s character so much that I could totally see myself reading this series, even if it goes on and on forever.

This is one of those books that as I’m listening to/reading it I can actually picture everything in my mind as if I’m watching a movie and I just forget that I’m reading.

I highly recommend this series. The books are quick reads, and you’re gonna love all the characters. One thing I missed in this book was Regina Barrister. She was such a great character. I have a terrible memory, but somehow I remember her character so well. I loved the relationship she had with Robin Lockwood.

I highly recommend this book and I think you’ll love it too.

The author continues the Robin Lockwood series. In this edition she ends up defending someone she knew from her MMA fighting days solving who actually committed the murder of an entire family. It is fast paced and a quick read.

BETRAYAL is a book you won't want to miss out on. This is a fast-paced murder mystery thriller. I enjoy a good courtroom trial and this one had it. Robin was such a strong character and I liked her determination to prove her clients’ innocence. I didn't predict the ending and that was just an added bonus. Betrayal is book seven in the Robin Lockwood series but it can read as a stand-alone.

Many thanks to Macmillian Audio and NetGalley for my gifted ARC
This review will be shared to my Instagram @coffee.break.book.reviews closer to publication date.

This book will keep you guessing from the first page, a great story with an interesting cast of characters. There is a twist at the end that came totally out of the blue for me. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This book was a great installment to the series. I was especially intrigued by the relationship Robin has with the prosecutor and how their professional sides interact. A solid mystery.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Don’t you just love a solid, legal thriller?🏻‍♀️

I’ve been reading Phillip Margolin’s books for years. His series reads are the perfect lite, legal romps I crave in between my darker storylines. And once again he hit a home run!

An entire family is murdered in their home and the police are lazer-focused on MMA fighter Mandy Kerrigan. She had motive and was seen in the area. Of course, she swears she didn’t do it.

And she just may be telling the truth, given that this was one family everyone hated. The list of potential suspects was a mile long!

Let’s see, there’s….
The Russian mob
A widower of an insurance scam gone wrong. Did I mention he is a top army sniper?
The family of a girl that was cyber bullied.
A loan shark that no longer wants to wait for his payment.

And that’s just the short list!

If you ask…did this book me guessing? My answer would be an emphatic YES!
There are load of characters and a swarm of people with grudges, but it’s easy to keep them all straight so not to worry!

The defense attorney representing Mandy Kerrigan is none other than Robin Lockwood who just happens to be a former MMA fighter herself! Can she get her fellow fighter off a murder charge? Or has she met her match? (Couldn’t resist)😜

Ready for a Perry Mason ending?

The courtroom action ramps up, filling the final 25% of the book and keeping me super-glued to every page!

If you enjoy lite legal thrillers don’t miss out. Even though this book is part of a series it can easily stand alone!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the copy of Betrayal by Phillip Margolin. Robin Lockwood continues to be a great character, and I look forward to reading more about her. The whole story was good, but the things that happened weren’t plausible. They made for a suspenseful story, but really didn’t make sense, so it was hard to overlook how ‘convenient’ they were. If you can suspend belief, you will really enjoy this one.

Just wow! My first Phillip Margolin novel but definitely not my last. It’s great to discover a new to me author. The book was totally captivating with a cast of fabulous characters. It was so full of tension and twists and a great reveal. Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley, Phillip Margolin and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

With plenty of suspects, this intricately-plotted legal thriller kept me engaged right up through the twists and turns and eventual chilling ending.

The horrific murder of an entire family, - mom, dad, adult son and teenage daughter - has the Portland, Oregon community reeling. When Robin Lockwood, criminal defense attorney, finds her way onto the case, her biggest challenge is avoiding the death penalty for her client. Robin, a former professional MMA cage-fighter, has her work cut out for her, as her team looks for additional context, investigates insurance fraud and cyber bullying, battles the Russian mob, and faces more than one episode of personal peril. Which is all the more complicated in the face of Robin’s growing attraction to the handsome Tom McKee, the DA and her opponent on this case.

Part of an ongoing series featuring the main protagonist, this was my first read from this prolific author (himself a former criminal attorney) and easily enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

*** three and a half stars

I am a fan of Phillip Margolin, and Betrayal is a great addition to the Robin Lockwood series. Margolin is a great author to add to your must reads if you love stories about quick thinking lawyers solving crimes!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books for this ARC.