I enjoy the Robin Lockwood series. She was an MMA fighter who was knocked out in a sorely uneven fight, which convinced her to give up fighting and become a lawyer. Now she is assigned to defend Mandy Kerrigan, the woman who knocked her out, who has been charged with the murder of the Finch family.

The FInches had a lot of people who hated them. The mother was the attorney for a mob that made money by staging accidents. One accident went wrong and killed a woman. Her husband, a former Special Forces sniper wants revenge. She also has a brother and sole heir who was recently released from prison. And the Finches don't have a will that covers the loss of the entire family (very unusual if written by a competent attorney). The dad owes a lot of gambling money and was manufacturing drugs in his basement. His son was selling the drugs, including the performance enhancing drugs that Mandy took and were incorrectly promised to be untraceable in post-fight drug testing. The daughter had a very bad mean streak and bullied a classmate until the girl killed herself. They were not a very pleasant family.

All in all I enjoyed the book, but there were a few things that keep me from giving it 5 stars. First. the police missed some pretty obvious evidence/clues that only Robin seems to have caught. Even the killer, who had access to the house and could have retrieved some of the evidence, missed it. It did not seem that hard to find as Robin quickly noticed it.

The second part, which really bothered me, was that although Robin is presented as a tough woman, the same cannot be said about a female police detective, Carrie Anders. She is introduced by this piece of misogyny: "Anders, whoo was many years younger than her partner, was a large woman who topped six feet and was as strong as some men". Wow. I would venture to say that pretty much every woman alive is as strong as some men. Later she is introduced by another police officer as "this is homicide detective Roger Dillon and his partner, Carrie Anders". No title is given to Detective Anders. I was pretty surprised to see both of these sentences in a book that otherwise showed strong women.

As I said, I did like the book and will be looking forward to the next in the series.

"The knock-out punch is always the one you never see coming." (Aimee Mann)

Robin Lockwood should know. Ten years earlier, Robin was a professional fighter in the MMA while working her way through law school at Yale. She peaked in the top ten until she was flattened by one of the best, Mandy Kerrigan. When the lights go out, you have plenty of time to recharge your career goals. Law took precedence over fists......a far different form of combat.

Robin never thought that their paths would ever cross again. But Mandy has now been accused of murder.....mass murder to be exact. The four bodies of the Finch family were found early one evening in their suburban home. Mandy had had a run-in with Ryan Finch, their son, the night before. She beat him up in a parking lot in front of witnesses for some bad drugs that he was dealing on the side. It's not looking good for Mandy. The family was murdered with a Glock 19. Mandy owns one.

But the circle begins to widen as Robin makes connections to Nathan Finch who owed mega money to a bookie with no signs of being able to pay it back. Margaret Finch, an attorney, had ties to the Russian mob in Portland. She represented quite a few questionable cases over the years. Currently, the mob was pushing an insurance scam where an innocent woman was killed. The Finch family was living on the shady side of the street.

To add more intensity to this case, Robin had just started dating Tom McKee, the deputy DA, who was assigned to this case. She and Tom have vowed to remain neutral in this case. And how will this all affect their relationship?

Betrayal reads as a standalone even though it is the 7th in this series. Margolin sets crime scenes and courtroom scenes with the air of intensity and skill. His female lead character of Robin Lockwood is humanly flawed at times. But Robin is circuited with an analytical mind that she puts to great use. Margolin is wise to bring the reader along in the shifting clues and circumstances as Robin hones in on the smallest of details that may make or break her case. Exciting, clever, and creative......don't miss this one.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books and to the talented Phillip Margolin for the opportunity.

2.5 Stars 🌟

It's been quite a while since I last read a Phillip Margolin book. So, I was excited to be awarded this ARC. I do remember reading several of the Robin Lockwood books, but I know I haven't read all of them. I do remember, however, liking his books. That is why I was so surprised by this book.

The characters in this book were well done. Robin has been well developed as a character and this book continues in that direction. Where I felt like this book went off the rails was the actual plot.

First of all, the case that we are given was crazy. There was absolutely no reason, nor sufficient evidence for an indictment to occur from the evidence we were given. That was the first thing.

Then, the whole storyline about the trial, how it ends, the result and then the final ending.....it just wasn't believable. I LOVE legal thrillers and enjoy the authors who do it well - Steve Cavenaugh and Robert Dugoni come to mind. So, when it falls flat, it is really disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Robin Lockwood, famed defense attorney and former MMF fighter, is defending the woman who defeated her so
badly in her first and only professional fight. Mandy Kerrigan is faced with 4 charges of murder in the brutal slaying of the entire Finch family: mother, father, older son and teen daughter.
Robin believes she is innocent but proving it just may take all the skills she possesses.
Margaret Finch. the mother and a lawyer herself. had ties to the Russian Mafia & they want this case to be
an open and shut one.
The twists and turns are good but the story is still laid out very methodically in the usual
Margolin style.
Great characters and a good solid plot that does not confuse or bore in any way.
Robin is her usual unflappable and compassionate self & her empathy makes her a very likeable lawyer.
That in itself is always a draw.
Definitely 5 stars for me - great legal story with suspense, danger and touches of real ordinary life.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I have never read a Phillip Margolin book, but I have wanted to because I like the genre and I happen to be from Portland, Oregon, where the book takes place. His son, Daniel, was my daughter’s fathers attorney many years ago.

The book was an easy read and I enjoyed how it did keep me on the edge of my seat. There were several logical possibilities, which made it suspenseful. I didn’t put the book down and stayed awake til the wee hours of the morning to finish it. I wish he had tied up a few loose ends at the end, but it was still enjoyable.

I did feel like the courtroom scenes were a little too simple. But I understand that most readers don’t really want to read all the courtroom dialogue that isn’t relevant to the story. I think it would’ve given the book 4 stars if there was a little more complexity to the characters and storyline. I might see if some of his other books offer that complexity that I’m looking for.

But if you want to read a book that is fast-paced, keeps you guessing, and an easy read then this book is perfect.

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me a digital copy! I truly appreciate it!

I havent read this author in years but I always loved his books. The story centers around the defense of an old opponent of the protagonist during her short-lived career as an MMA fighter. The defense seems hopeless as the evidence mounts up against her client and the interplay between Robin and the prosecutor (a man she is currently dating) is fascinating. There are subplots involving gambling and drugs all woven together to effectuate a great thriller with an extremely satisfying conclusion. #netgalley #betrayal

In Margolin's latest addition to his Robin Lockwood series Robin goes to bat for an MMA fighter that 10 years before caused Robin to decide to go full time law student and give up a career in MMA after losing to Mandy Kerrigan. What brings her to take on a down on her luck MMA fighter she'd not seen for 10 years is the death of a family of four, the Finches. Mandy Kerrigan was seen at the Finch's front door at the time the medical examiner fixed the time of death. Just after she walked away the bodies were discovered by a teacher who came to talk to the family. Now the Finch family were not the nicest people in the world, Mrs. Finch was an attorney who dealt with cases brought to her by a Russian mob boss defending people involved in the mob's insurance scams. Mr. Finch made designer drugs that his son sold and their teenage daughter was a very mad and nasty individual. Mandy unfortunately bought drugs from the son, failed a drug test and then beat up the son while observed by others. Everything points to Mandy but as you read you ask who else, and why, could have been the murderer. You walk the case with Robin.

Robin goes on the defense and works every possible clue for all the possible individuals that might have murdered the family. With the help of her staff and investigator they leave no leaf unturned trying to put it all together while up against the deputy DA who also had recently become part of her life. It's interesting how Margolin tells the story of a lawyer's quest for answers and case development. Details are not so in depth that you find legal language difficult to follow and you enjoy the story development. From the first book in the Lockwood series I found Robin a character I wanted to follow and Margolin never disappoints building a very likable attorney. This is a recommended read with good characters, good story, and a great conclusion summarizing what happened the night the Finch family died.

I just finished reading "Betrayal" by Philip Margolin. Here are my thoughts. First of all, many thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This book started of with a bang. A neighbour notices movement across the street of her home and then sees police cars. A family that lives across from her has been murdered. Then we find out about the murdered family-the Finches. They are not very nice, a mother who is a lawyer for the Russian mob, a father with a gambling addiction who makes drugs on the side, a son who is a loser and sells drugs for his father, and a daughter who is very young and is a bully in her highschool.

We also learn about a young lawyer who used to be a MMA fighter, and lost a fight many years ago to a superior oponent who is now accused of killing the entire Finch family.

There are many possible suspects and the lawyer (Robin) desperately tries to save her client. In court she has to face a smart District Attorney (who she is incidentally dating and must keep secret) and she thinks she has lost the case until...SURPRISE!

This book certainly. had a lot of promise, but it became bogged down with too many characters and uneccessary detail and information. I don't care what she had for dinner (things like that). There were so many characters that they were almost cardboardish (is that a word). And what exactly was the betrayal? The description of the novel says that Robin has to defend her old nemesis, but she literally fought her once. I don't think that qualifies her as a nemesis.

The ending was satisfying...but again, everything was wrapped up too quickly. I feel like this book started well but got caught up in unecessary detail and then ended abruptly and a little too perfectly.

All in all, I did finish it because I wanted to find out who the killer was...but I can't recommend it.

Happy Reading

I spent my Sunday afternoon reading this offering in the Robin Lockwood Series. In fact, completing this I’m current with Robin’s life and work. Thank you NetGalley for offering this ARC.

I like Robin as a unique character with a lot of fight in her, both in the MMA ring and the courtroom. Unfortunately, this book was just a little flat for me. I think the problem was that it took over 30% of the total before Robin really became involved. The majority of that third was spent delving into the ancillary characters, some of which I simply felt was too deep a dive. Once Robin and her team got down to work defending her old opponent it was Margolin in true form.

Robin Lockwood is a prominent defense attorney in Portland, Oregon who we find defending a talented MMA fighter against a multiple murder charge.
With her life in danger, Robin presses on with her team to find answers even though the case could go in multiple directions. Betrayal, lies, and greed are all evident as the case progresses. Robin must race to the end to try and keep her client off death row!

Phillip Margolin has been a favorite author of mine for several years. As a formal lawyer, he really knows how to write legal mysteries. His characters are believable and his stories move along quickly with a tidy wrap up by the end. That being said, this one was just okay. MMA fighter Mandy Kerrigan is accused of 4 brutal murders. Of course she claims innocence to her lawyer, formal MMA fighter Robin Lockwood. But is she innocent? Several alternative murderers are thrown into the mix. It's fun trying to figure out which one did it. I recommend reading this series in order though so don't start with this one, which is number 7 in the series.

As with most of his prior 6 Robin Lockwood legal thrillers, this seventh in the series is set in Portland, my home town. (It is great to read about locations I travel weekly, or even daily.) Lockwood is a defense attorney and former MMA up-and-comer. And here, Margolin meshes the MMA and the legal aspects of Lockwood's life explicitly.

This story involves Mandy Kerrigan a former MMA world champion and the fighter who ended Lockwood's fighting career ten years previously. In fact, we get some insight into the backstory of that bout and how it turned Lockwood towards her legal ambitions. In present day, after a fight in Portland that Lockwood attends with her new boyfriend, an assitant DA, Kerrigan finds herself accused of a multiple homicide. With no money and no one else to turn to, she asks Lockwood to be her lawyer. With Lockwood's boyfriend prosecuting the case, these two face off with only possible winner.

Margolin does a great job of character development throughout, and a solid plot that keeps things interesting, through the courtroom dazzle, right up to the last minute reveal at the 13th hour. Mixing drugs, Russian mobsters, and murder, even throwing in a little special forces action, this is a great read and a deserved addition to the Lockwood canon.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Finch family is found dead. How and why are they killed?
Robin Lockwood is a defense attorney in Portland, Oregon. She represents the woman accused of killing the Finch family. The woman is the same person who ended Robin’s career as a professional MMA fighter.

BETRAYAL, the seventh book in Philip Margolin’s Robin Lockwood series, is an exciting read. I must admit that parts of the book make me wince. Let’s just say—this book is not a cozy. I still recommend reading it and look forward to delving into other books in the series. My thanks go to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review the e-arc of BETRAYAL.

good mystery of who murdered the family. loved the romance and this is my 1st time reading this author about a lawyer who did fighting before going to law school. loved her co workers and figuring out who murdered them. Good book.

I binged this series over the last few weeks and was excited to get an ARC of the newest book to complete my catchup. This one is probably my favorite in the series, and a breath of fresh air after feeling very meh about the last couple of books in the series. The story was fast-paced and kept me guessing, which is exactly what I expect from this author. I was yelling at Robin about an obvious point that she missed, but otherwise have no complaints about this story. I great addition to the series.

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

Attorney Robin Lockwood is back in Betrayal, the 7th book in the series, and arguably the best. A family of four is found murdered, and a fading MMA fighter is charged with the crime. Robin is assigned to defend the fighter, who was also a one-time opponent of Robin’s when she fought years ago. This is a crisp, fast paced whodunnit/police procedural, with plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing until the very end. Can be read as a standalone, and there’s enough references to the backstory to keep new readers updated, and fans of the series won’t be disappointed in this one. Interesting plot, familiar faces and shady characters all add up to a winner. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Betrayal by Phillip Margolin from NetGalley.

I was thrilled to be able to read Betrayal early because I have become a huge Phillip Margolin fan. I recently discovered his Robin Lockwood series and quickly became hooked. Each book in the series is filled with thrills, suspense, and mystery. Each time I think I’ve solved the mystery, the author includes a twist that changes my mind and gets my heart pumping.

Betrayal is the latest in Phillip Margolin’s Robin Lockwood series. Robin is such a unique character that you not only root for but you also want to be best friends with. As a former MMA fighter turned lawyer, Robin is a tough woman with a heart of gold. In Betrayal, Robin defends a MMA fighter who assures her she is being framed. This story has so many intriguing twists and turns I couldn’t put it down.

A courtroom drama such as Law & Order mixed with your favorite thrilling mystery novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Betrayal and look forward to the next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Phillip Margolin, and St. Martin's Press for an ARC copy of Betrayal.

Betrayal by Phillip Margolin is a gripping legal thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The story revolves around attorney Robin Lockwood, a former MMA fighter turned defense attorney, who finds herself defending her old rival, Mandy Kerrigan, in a complex multiple murder case.

"Betrayal" combines elements of crime, suspense, and personal drama. Phillip Margolin's skillful storytelling and attention to detail make it an engaging and satisfying read. Its fast-paced, intricate plot and well-drawn characters made it difficult to put down and kept me guessing until the very end.

I am excited to read the next book in the Robin Lockwood series I highly recommend adding it to your reading list.

I won't lie I had not read books 1-6 I only read this one as a standalone. The story centers around the defense of an old opponent of Robin’s during her short-lived career as an MMA fighter. The defense seems hopeless as the evidence mounts up against her client and the interplay between Robin and the prosecutor (a man she is currently dating) is fascinating. There are subplots involving gambling and drugs all woven together to effectuate a great thriller with an extremely satisfying conclusion. This read had really good, creative characters I enjoyed this one for sure!

A very big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Phillip Margolin's Betrayal is book #7 in the Robin Lockwood series. It follows the story of attorney Robin Lockwood, who finds herself defending her old MMA nemesis in a multiple murder case with too many suspects, where success might cost her own life.

This is the first book I have read by Phillip Margolin and it will not be my last. It took me some time to get acclimated with the writing style of the author, in reference to the length of the chapters. However; Margolin does an excellent job with packing just the right amount of information into each chapter that you will find yourself amazed at how well the story moves along although the longest chapter may only be 6-7 pages long. My favorite part of the story was that each member of the Finch family had secrets dark enough to push someone to murder so it always kept me guessing as to who the true culprit was. I did have strong suspicions about who the murderer was, but the red herrings and plot twists were so good it had me doubting myself lol. The ending was very QB throwing a hail mary but I did not mind and even found it quite comical.

Some things I did not really love was that the dialogue between the characters sometimes felt very meh, the repetitiveness of the facts presented and at times it felt overly descriptive unnecessarily so. My biggest critique would have to be how the author tokenized Loretta Washington during the chapter where she had to meet with Annie's friend Beth, who is black. I felt uncomfortable reading the exchange because Robin basically tells Loretta that they are not above playing the race card while also trying to reassure her that she's there based on merit and not race, which was a lie. In my opinion it was proven to be a lie when in a later chapter Robin meets with another student from Annie's school who happens to be a white male and Loretta is not asked to accompany her *shocker*. Lastly, having Loretta say "Yes Massa" to Robin was out of line.... no ifs, ands or buts about it.

All in all this was a good whodunit that I would definitely recommend to those who love to be kept guessing until the very end!

**3.75 rounded