Another day, another murder!”

Another terrific courtroom drama, mystery and suspense by Phillip Margolin, “The Third Victim,” is a spicy adult contemporary fiction filled with enough lies, deceit and S & M kink to keep readers turning pages trying to analyze this story and solve the mysteries of off-kilter victims and their alleged abusive murder suspects. A sensitive portrayal of a brilliant trial lawyer facing early onset dementia / and or Alzheimer’s Disease is also well presented in “Victim.” Cudos, Margolin!

TheBookMaven graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Phillip Margolin, and Publisher St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books for this Advance Readers’ Copy (ARC).

A gripping story that made me almost read the book in one go. A lawyer unexpectedly becomes the perpetrator of crimes and swears he is innocent whilst all the proofs say he is not. A defending lawyer and a team that has discorded views on the crime. Great story and plot as I would expect from Mr. Margolin!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for the copy of this book.

An Excellent Start To A Series

A man driving in an isolated country road slows down for deer crossing where too many accidents have occurred. He discovers a severely beaten and tortured woman sprawled on a rural road. He takes her to the hospital and calls his cousin, a detective at the county sheriff's office. She is treated at the hospital but does not want to talk to the detective about the attack or the attacker. The main storyline rapidly grows from this start.

The main storyline is wonderfully engrossing. There are three basic threads; (1) Robin Lockwood transition from clerkship to private practice; (2) a police detective’s corruption; and (3) Alex Mason’s murder and abduction investigation and trial. These threads overlap and have many subthreads supporting them. These threads have many twists and turns that often affect multiple threads. Some of them made me rethink about what is happening. Tension is maintained as Alex Mason will face a death sentence if found guilty. This aspect is enhanced as his lawyer’s mental acuity is noticeably deteriorating. While there are many concurrent threads, the presentation was not confusing to me but was a rich and multifaceted story that quickly captured and maintained my interest all the way to the end.

The B-storyline has one major thread that consists of Lockwood’s interaction with Regina Barrister, a renowned defense trial attorney, as Lockwood joins her firm and observes Barrister’s mental deterioration. In addition to her personal interactions, she enlists the other associate and investigator in preventing any errors by Barrister or ensuring that any errors created are minimized. These combined with the background of how Lockwood became a lawyer, made her character quite well developed.

For the aspects of novels that are objectionable to some readers, there are not intimate scenes but some before and after. There is some vulgar and rude language. Most are spoken by the criminal elements in the novel and are context appropriate. Violence often is described in the more edgy way as it occurs. Overall, these aspects did not rise to a level that bothered me.

As for me, there were not any aspects that bothered me. I really liked was the complexity of juggling several cases seemed quite realistic for me along with the complexity of the main case. I really did not want to stop reading this novel. For loose ends, there were not any in the main storyline at the end of the novel. I was quite happy at the ending. All of these resulted in a reading that I thoroughly enjoyed. I am looking forward to reading further books/series by this author. Based upon the two novels, which I have read, I have placed this author in my Must-Read category. If you interested in this genre, I recommend reading it. I rate this novel with five stars.

I received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from St. Martin’s Press. My review is based only on my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

The Third Victim is the first book in a series featuring Robin Lockwood and other people in the firm she joined recently. The book begins with her mentor Regina Barrister, a renowned criminal trial lawyer, asking Robin to join her firm as an associate. Though things start at a high note, Robin starts noticing that something is wrong with Regina and tries her best to keep that from interfering in Regina's defence of Alex Mason in a murder trial.

Amidst all these concerns, Robin also feels that the case against Alex doesn't make sense in certain points. Is Alex Mason really the culprit? Are the firm able to provide him the best defense?

The story started off in a good note and the intrigue elements of the story make it quite interesting. The people featured in the book seem very real and human with their various flaws and virtues. The way the book addresses the advent of a mental illness using the backdrop of a law firm is impressive. It made me feel for the character very much. But the other characters in the book were not given enough space and so they fail to make an impression on the reader.

It is a fairly entertaining read but just not very impressive. I recommend this book to people who like to read a courtroom trial drama filled with suspense and intrigue but don't mind the characters not having enough depth.

I didn’t have a chance to read this one before it was archived but I heard great things about it and hope to read it soon!

I start by thanking NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review. A good mystery/legal thriller. I would go so far as to call it a beach read novel, quick, light, simple read, not too intense or complicated, entertaining. I expected more, maybe the courtroom is my trigger for disappointment? I have read other Phillip Margolin novels that were far better reads.

I recently read the latest book in the Robin Lockwood series. I liked it so well that I went back & read the first book to learn more about Robin's story. This book introduces Robin. I find her character extremely interesting. A lawyer that was an MMA fighter is an intriguing character. The mystery in this book is a good one. There are lots of suspects & a couple good plot twists. I enjoyed the writing style & found the endings to be satisfying. I will definitely try other books by this author. I received a copy from NetGalley & am voluntarily leaving a review.

Phillip Margolin's "The Third Victim" is an intelligent, gripping and immersive legal thriller. While there are multiple characters and narrations, Margolin does a fantastic job of keeping the reader on their toes with unforgettable twists and turns. There are explicit parallels between Alex Mason being charged with the murder of two victims and an attempted kidnapping, a corrupt police officer with a twisted sense of power and Robin Lockwood receiving an opportunity of a lifetime to advance her promising legal career. All these plots are cleverly woven, making this fast-paced read memorable and enjoyable. While the ending became fairly predictable as the pages turned, it didn't take away from the realistic portrayal of the characters. Do not skip this one if you're a fan of legal thrillers and suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Another excellent Robin Lockwood thriller by Phillip Margolin. This one has you guessing from the onset. Set in a creepy old home in Oregon, which adds to the mystique. I devour each one of these (as I have all his books). This is a definite must read!

Alex Mason had been arrogant, conceited, and argumentative when he was on the stand as senior partner in one of Portland's biggest law firms. But when he was placed under arrest for the murders of women and kidnapped and tortured Meredith Fenner, he claimed he is innocent from the start and that someone must be framed him.

He appointed Regina Barrister, one of the nation's best defense attorneys. Together with Robin Lockwood and Jeff Hodges make the duo characters are so lively and start a full-scale investigation of an impossible task.




Another 5 ⭐️ reading for me with good premises and twisted plot. What I like the most is the great insight into how dementia affects attorneys. The author has worked for 25 years as a criminal defense attorney so that makes it worth reading. Surprisingly, Goodreads left some bad reviews.

Thanks to @netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for providing an earc.

This book released in 2018 and I can't believe it took me this long to find it. An interesting premise and setup for a thriller. The action starts right from the go.

There are multiple characters and perspective shifts. We also have some sub plots which go in parallel. Overall an interesting read if you are looking for a legal thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for the digital copy in exchange of my honest opinion.

The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin was published in 2018 and I read it back then but decided to do a re-read since it was offered by Netgalley. It is the first book in the Robin Lockwood series and book six comes out in the Fall.
It’s not a big intellectual challenge and the twist was telegraphed but so what. It was short, dramatic, and enjoyable. There was a bit of an info dump about Alzheimer’s but some readers may have needed that info. i like this series and will continue with it.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the electronic copy. Mystery and intrigue...subjects that are explicit...some language...although the book is intriguing, the story does move slowly...this is a story for those who are into crime shows...

Been a while since I've read a Phillip Margolin book.
Good interesting mystery . My only small dissappointment not
much of a twist or surprise ending.
Thanks to Netgalley for advance copy.

Margolin did a great job on the characters of Regina and Robin. Regina is one of Oregon’s best attorneys and he did a beautiful job introducing her illness yet not replacing her on the jury. He does equally well talking about Robin; her potential in the field, her agony watching Regina struggle in the courtroom and her search for answers in the final chapters. Who really tortured three young women and how do you change a jury’s decision after the case has been decided? A very good legal thriller. I appreciate receiving a copy of this book from netgalley in place of an honest review.

4.85/5
Let’s be honest here, the title completely caught my eye. As somebody who is drawn to any plot revolving around a murder mystery, I requested this title IMMEDIATELY. I would recommend this book if you like an easy and enticing read. The character developments were quite shocking & lead to a conclusion I didn’t see coming!! I enjoyed how the author intertwined a heart warming romance to balance out the gruesome murders. It is a MUST for your bedside table. This book will leave you satisfied, happy, and shocked!!

Enjoyed the book tons of twists and turns regarding abduction, abuse, murder,deception and Alzheimer’s!!

The Third Victim is the first book in the Robin Lockwood series by Phillip Margolin. I have had this book and series on my TBR for a few years and finally got the chance to read this one. It is a legal thriller dealing with a brutal crime. A woman is found on a dark rural road in Oregon having been tortured, battered, and bound. She says she was kidnapped and tortured, until she managed to escape. Two other women were not as lucky and were killed. Se identifies the house/cabin she was held at and the owner, a well known lawyer, Alex Mason was arrested. He insists he is innocent and that he was framed. His wife shares that he was a sadistic lover and some of the things they did matched the story from the victim. The house has physical evidence as well, enough to convict. He contacts and hires Regina Barrister is a legendary criminal defense attorney, who agrees to take the case. Her second is Robin Lockwood, who has just recently been hired. As the case progresses Robin becomes worried her boss's behavior and the details in the case against their client don't quite add up. With the help of Regina's investigator, Robin uncovers evidence and information that might just clear Alex Mason.

This is a gripping story. There are courtroom scenes, but a lot of the story involves the investigation of Alex, his wife, the victim and some other characters who are involved in the case. The story is told from various points of view as the story unfolds. The storyline has many twists and turns and I listened straight through with minimal breaks. The chapters are short, which always make a book go faster for me. There is a lot going on in this book, whether out searching for clues or in the courtroom, but it is easy to follow and I always knew what was happening. I did have an inkling of what really happened but I was not sure until it was revealed in the story. I liked the way Phillip Margolin doled out bits of information sparingly until we get all the facts laid out before us. I am a big Margolin fan, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

The Third Victim by Phillip Margolin
This book starts off good and only gets better as you read. Twists and turns I didn't expect kept me turning the pages and was not disappointed! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher St. Martins for this ARC and letting me leave my opinion. I would highly recommend this book,

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I have read books by Mr. Margolin and looked forward to another. These books are pretty much summer beach books, hard to put down, and one races through them.
This was different. A murder happens, the defendant isn't likeable, the reader knows early on who did it, and the defence attorney has a health issue that she doesn't want to address. So the mystery really is how are they going to prove who did it, and how sick will the defence attorney get, and will it affect the case.
That's a lot of balls in the air.
In the hands of a really good writer (think Kate Atkinson), all these threads might be fascinating. But I had a hard time caring about these characters with the exception of the defence attorney's second seat. I had a hard time finishing the book. Maybe I'm too naive but everything except her health issue was unbelievable. I don't care about unbelievable when it is written well--Make me care and believe these things could have happened. But, in this book, Mr. Margolin didn't succeed in selling me this complicated story.