It has been a while since I read a Phillip Margolin book and I was excited when I was approved to read A Reasonable Doubt. Little did I realise that this was the 3rd book in a series. For the most part I followed the story ok but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the earlier books.

Robin Lockwood is a very different character. She is a lawyer in a relationship with one of her colleagues. She is also an ex MMA fighter. When a former client of her former boss Regina asks for help she starts looking into his shady past. Robert Chesterfield has a colourful past and is now working as a magician.

The story jumps around in time telling Roberts story as well as Regina's This was a little confusing at times,

Thanks to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

Absolutely LOVE this series. Sometimes legal thrillers can be a bit dry but I highly enjoy this authors style of writing and engrossing story line.

Phillip Margolin is a solid, reliable writer, the sort that even a picky reader can make a habit of, reading each new legal thriller as it comes out. Recurring characters become like family members, and each reunion is sweet (or bittersweet, as with Regina Barrister's advancing dementia and the decline of her brilliant mind.)

This book is the third in the Robin Lockwood series. Robin is a lawyer, the protege and eventual partner of the aforementioned Regina. This novel was more of a mixed bag than most of Margolin's books -- but there's no such thing as a bad Phillip Margolin story!

In the plus column, there are the smart, ethical characters. There is the stellar Portland, Oregon setting (I'm biased -- it's my hometown.) The writing is always intelligent, and readers always gain insight into the law's complexities along with their entertainment. This time out, there was the fascinating thread of magical illusions through the plot line, thanks to the perhaps-nefarious Lord Chesterfield, magician extraordinaire.

I was a bit put off by a couple of longish passages explaining arcane legal principles, and more than one reference to a client blowing a "point eight" on a Breathalyzer (of course, it's expressed in law enforcement circles as point oh-eight, for .08 percent BAC).

But the biggest hitch for me was the alternating timelines, where I lost my place a few times and didn't know whether I was in 1997, 2017 or 2020. Of course, it only slowed me down a matter of seconds, but it broke my flow.

I'm still a big Margolin fan, and will continue to seek out his books as long as he writes them. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an advance readers copy.

Phillip Margolin is one of my favorite authors. I have loved nearly all of his books. They are generally well written, interesting, and full of mystery. Unfortunately, this one just didn't hold my interest. I don't know if I can blame it on the magician aspect of it? I did enjoy the main character a lot. Even though this was just average for me, I will definitely continue reading this series and any other book written by Margolin.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the 3rd book in the Robin Lockwood legal thriller series.
I have been lucky to have been able to read all 3 books in this series.
It was great to have the gang back together again.
I found the book to be a smart, twisty, fast paced and entertaining read that kept me interested the entire book.
I hope the author continues this series.

Loved this book so much!! Anything Phillip Margolin writes instantly becomes my favorite. She gives me a "Book Hangover" every time!

Robin Lockwood has an unusual background for an attorney- she was an MMA fighter. Although that doesn't figure as much in this third installment of the series (easily accessible as a standalone), it's always something to keep in mind. She's reluctant to take on Robert as a client when he shows up and wants her help with an issue regarding his magic show but he becomes more intriguing when she discovers his back story with her mentor Regina who defended him against murder charges. Regina has early onset Alzheimers now (a great loss). When he disappears during one of his shows, Robin, along with law enforcement (of course) need to find the killer. There are multiple threads here, some of which don't quite gel, but I liked the magic aspect of the story and I'm a fan of Robin. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. For readers who enjoy legal thrillers that are really mysteries.

In the prologue, Robin attends the debut of her client's new illusion. Flashback to 2017 when she first met Robert Chesterfield when he showed up at the office to hire Robin's former mentor Regina Barrister. The reader is then taken back 20 years to when Regina defended Robert on murder charges. Returning to 2017, Robin is invited to Robert's mansion to see his new illusion before it premieres to the world and he disappears at the end of the trick. Back in the present, Robert is back to debut his great illusion and things don't go as planned. What follows is several twists and suspects.
I found the story a bit convoluted and it had too many side characters. Not one of Phillip Margolin's best but still a decent read.
Thank you Netgalley and macmillan for this ARC.

This is a traditional/procedural crime mystery from the perspective of main character Robin, a kick ass defense attorney. Robin is put on retainer by a magician of questionable character who doesn’t call on her services until years later. The whole book has an extra air of mystery due to the magic tricks involved that I really enjoyed.

Having read one of the other books in this series (The Third Victim), I was familiar with all the main characters and able to easily dive right into this story. I felt there was appropriate backstory to remind readers of who everyone is and their connection to each other if you hadn’t read any others.

What I liked: I enjoyed this much more than The Third Victim. The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing until close to the end, when I had a hunch that ended up being correct. That piece was a little predictable once everything started coming together, but there’s still lots of paths that throw you off from start to finish, making for a very enjoyable read. The premise of this story is unique and like no mysteries I’ve read before. The pacing was good and kept me intrigued. I appreciate that it’s not a super graphic thriller as well.

What didn’t work for me: There are some plot similarities to The Third Victim (the classic “you have the wrong culprit but we’ll find the right one at the last minute”) that fell a bit flat for me. And I agree with others who have shared there are some plot lines and minor characters that don’t add much to the main storyline. I didn’t find it too hard to follow, however - the time stamps on different sections oriented me.

All in all, this was a mystery that swept me in and kept me reading in all my free time so I could finish. I’d recommend it to those who like procedural mysteries or those who want a change of pace from the super heavy suspense/ thriller mysteries out there.

Terrific book. Absolutely loved it. Compelling characters and story line. Kept me interested the entire time.

I have loved Margolin's previous novels and I love magic so this seemed to be a perfect fit! I did not realize, however, when I requested it that it was number 3 in a series of Robin Lockwood books. That was my mistake. While I enjoyed the storyline, there was so much action (always a good thing) and so much dialogue that I didn't get to know the characters well enough to really care about any of them. I do love a good book that has introspection so I feel connected to someone. So yes, it was a great plot and did keep me guessing, I just wasn't the best audience as I wish I'd read the previous two first. That being said, Margolin is still one of my favorites!

Thank you to St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third installment of the Robin Lockwood series by Phillip Margolin. This series gets better with every new book added to the series.
Robin Lockwood is approached by a former client of Regina Barrister who once again requires the services of a lawyer. Robert Chesterfield has developed a new magic trick and is looking into having it patented and asks Robin for her help in accomplishing this. This won't be his only need of Robin's legal skills.
I really liked that this book gives us an insight to Regina's early career as well as her present situation dealing with dementia.
The combination of magic and murder adds another layer of intrigue that has the reader questioning not only who committed the murder but also how did they do it. This story covers a large chunk of time and involves a lot of suspects that are all tied together by past and present events. You'll never guess the outcome of this investigation. Even with the number of characters, long timeline and events the story is tightly woven with a surprise twist at the conclusion.
Great read for anyone looking for a good legal thriller.

“A reasonable doubt” is the third installment in the “Robin Lockwood” series and although it can be read as a stand-alone I pretty much recommend reading first the previous novels if only to learn about these characters’ stories from the beginning.

Of all the three books in the series, “A reasonable doubt” was my favorite one. The premise, a magician killed during one of his illusions in front of hundreds of witnesses, was a fantastic one and at some moments it gave me serious classical mysteries vibes. The story goes back and forth through several years, learning about the dead guy backstory. I found that this structure made the story flow nicely. Even though in some parts there’s a bit of legal jargon it is explained simply enough to not lose interest. Also there’re some minor characters of whom we learn too much backstory that doesn’t add much to the plot.

While I could not guess how the Chamber of Death illusion worked, I had a theory about the killer practically from the beginning and I was proven right, but that didn’t make the reading any less enjoyable.

Fast and light mystery with a touch of legal and a dose of magic that will sweep you up from chapter one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've followed this series from the beginning and I'm not certain this is really a stellar addition. One of the firms former clients shows up with a request. He wants patent protection for an illusion. He is a famous magician and he has a major new trick he’s about to debut. As Robin looks into him it seems he has more than a checkered past. Then he disappears. There a several characters in this story that receive far attention that they deserve and that becomes a distraction. Robins actions and the plot development seem to be really similar to the previous books so I had a sense of almost having read the book before. It wasn't a bad book but it just didn't quite work for me like the other two. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Margolin’s latest entry into the Robin Lockwood series ties into the shenangians of magician Robert Chesterfield highlighting his latest trick Chamber of Death. Earlier in her career Regina, the former head of Robin’s law group, was Chesterfield’s lawyer in a murder case. Introducing the character in early chapters, Margolin takes the reader back to Regina’s story before bringing the story back to Robin’s legal interaction with the magician. There are many characters and many elements along with twists and turns that require the reader to keep track of all things magic and Chesterfield. I enjoyed Regina’s story and the legal actions and explanations needed to understand her client’s case but missed the more detailed legal actions on the part of Robin who is more the investigator than the lawyer this time around. An enjoyable addition to Lockwood’s story but not quite as good as the first two in the series.

A young lawyer in Portland, Oregon is asked to represent a magician and is murdered soon thereafter. Because of her own interest in magic, she is intrigued by the case. The characters are fairly one-sided and not very interesting and the dialogue is mundane. The development of the actual murderer is clever but there were too far too many characters introduced than was necessary.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to its publication.

This is a nice but not great addition to the Robin Lockwood series. There are just enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing about who committed a series of murders, but the mystery isn’t very deep and the characters and dialogue skim the surface just a bit too often for me.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Chesterfield is a magician who has been linked to three deaths. He hires an attorney and is cleared -
He is developing a new magic trick to perform when he suddenly disappears.
Did someone kill him? Who would hate him enough? And when you find the answer you may be shocked!

Fantastic book with a refreshing storyline of a magician in the heart of the story. Fast-paced, tight writing style and sentences, simple English, excellent plotting, red herrings thrown in, twists and turns made this book a page-turner. The plot is a bit complex and there are many characters in this story but they are very easy to keep track of as they all got a role to play.

I always like Phillip Margolin books as they never disappoint. He is not overly descriptive which gels very well with my reading preference and also he doesn't write unnecessary scenes so his books are always very readable and enjoyable.

He is truly a master of suspense. I finished this book in two days which is a major feat as I normally finished a book in 4-5 days or a week. His other book, "Sleeping Beauty" was also very good. I still can remember the story after 10 years and now I am starting the first book 'The Third victim' in the Robin Lockwood series. I am already liking it very much. A Reasonable doubt is the first in the Robin Lockwood series.

A Reasonable Doubt is the third in Phillip Margolin's legal mystery series starring young criminal defense attorney Robin Lockwood, a Yale Law graduate and ex-MMA fighter.

This time the villain is a professional magician and this convoluted, intriguing puzzler is all about misdirection.