Another legal thriller by master Phillip Margolin. His trademark legal twists and turns are always so very satisfying. Robin is a tough attorney, a former MMA fighter who is now fighting in the courtroom. Love the way her brain processes information keeping five steps ahead of everyone else. She also seems to have earned respect and admiration even from those who oppose her. Joe won my heart while Judge Carasco won my utter disdain. Appreciated the tie in with the boxing world. Reads like this always leave me pondering just how much corruption exists with judges, attorneys, and police officers in the world today. I frequently find myself doubting some of the “evidence” brought up on nightly news channels. This read had me turning pages well past midnight. Keep writing Phillip Margolin. Many thanks to Phillip Margolin, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this fast paced thought provoking legal thriller.

This is the 4th in a series starring young criminal defense attorney Robin Lockwood. A Yale Law graduate and ex-MMA fighter, she's now a partner in a Portland, Oregon law firm.

Now, Robin takes on the case of Joe Lattimore, who's been set up for the murder of a corrupt judge's wife. It seems to be an airtight death penalty case.

Phillip Margolin delivers another convoluted, puzzling legal mystery. Robin Lockwood is an appealing lead, with a different set of vulnerabilities from the norm for the genre, and Margolin is an accomplished storyteller.

It has been quite some time since I’ve read a novel by Phillip Margolin, but I’ve always enjoyed his legal thrillers, particularly his earlier books. This book is the first I’ve read involving Robin Lockwood; and I really enjoyed it. It was a fast read, what I call “mind candy”. The plotting is solid. There are the usual nefarious characters including a corrupt judge ( which supports my position that judges should not be elected because they can be beholden to campaign contributors). The conclusion was a surprise, which I always appreciate. After finishing this read, I orders two of the earlier books involving the fascinating Robin Lockwood- a former professional fighter turned lawyer.

Thank you to NetGalley, Phillip Margolin and St. Martin's Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

After I read the first Robin novel I was an instant fan of Margolin's writing. I don't understand how he writes such an intriguing, fast pace and easy read about something that usually I don't enjoy - court and the law. These novels seem like little snacks, they are short and so fast paced that you just want to rush through to the ending so that you can find out what is going to happen. I really enjoy this one in particular because just when you think it's all tied up in a bow - something else happens and you are back to guessing who did it this time. Definitely recommend reading!

I loved this book!

Robin Lockwood is one badass attorney, and I pray to everything if I’m ever falsely accused of a crime I get a lawyer like Robin.

A very large nod to Philip Margolin for his little transgender awareness character!

I received an electronic ARC of this excellent crime mystery from Netgalley, Phillip Margolin, and an invitation from the publisher, St Martin's Press - Minotaur Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Phillip Margolin writes a tight tale that compels you to keep on reading long after bedtime. I am pleased to have found him. I love that this novel was seated in Portland, Oregon. It is nice to see some of these middle-sized communities spotlighted in current literature. Portland has long been on my bucket list.

This is the fourth novel in the Robin Lockwood series but completely stand-alone. The professionals of the Portland Oregon justice system represented by these characters are well fleshed out, compassionate as well as competent, and the plot though not really hidden is intricate and presented well. Fortunately, Phillip Margolin has plenty of works out there for me to read, several series that will keep me busy till spring. He is an author I will follow.

This new-to-me series features attorney and former professional fighter Robin Lockwood as she takes on a case of a man charged with murder who's facing the death penalty. He claims he was set up, and after reviewing what few details are known, Robin smells a rat as well.

The client, Joe Lattimore, is a former boxer with a wife and young daughter - and they're homeless. Desperate for money, he reluctantly agrees to participate in an illicit street fight in exchange for cash. The fight easily goes Joe's way until it doesn't; Joe is told that his blows killed his opponent and that there's a video of the fight. Later, he's asked to commit a high-end home robbery - with the threat of releasing the video if he refuses. Believing he has no choice, he does as asked - only to find a brutally murdered woman inside the home. Terrified, he runs out - leaving his finger and hand prints behind. To make matters worse, his victim's husband, a prominent local judge, returns home just in time to see Joe running away.

An anonymous call to the police conveniently identifies Joe's whereabouts, the and he's picked him up and tossed in jail. Joe knows of Robin from their days in the fight game, so he contacts her and begs for help. As she searches for evidence of Joe's innocence, nothing of substance turns up - but the smell of that rat doesn't subside. She keeps digging, expanding the hole to include several shady characters, more blackmail and yes, more murders - all adding up to an adventure with plenty of twists and turns.

If I have to nit-pick, I'll point to a little too lengthy and basic explanations of legal issues that we die-hard "Law and Order" or "Perry Mason" fans could recite by heart and that at times, it seemed as if Robin was playing a secondary role here. But overall, this is a well-written, exciting way to spend an afternoon or two (and for the record, even though this is the fifth in the series, it stands alone very well). Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"A Matter Of Life And Death" by Philip Margolin is the 4th book in the Robin Lockwood legal thriller series. I have been lucky to have been able to read all 4 books in this series and I thought this book was another great addition to the series.
I found it to be smartly written, fast paced, highly addictive with alot of twists.
I hope Mr. Margolin continues writing this series.

Book Review: A Matter of Life and Death (Robin Lockwood #4) by Phillip Margolin (Published by St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books, March 9, 2021)

4.5 Stars.

Portland, Oregon, majestic at the foothills of the Cascade mountain range, out in the distance, Mount Hood and Mount St Helens.

This is the bailiwick of Robin Lockwood, attorney-at-law, five eight, lean and muscular but hardly butch, a looker with short blond hair and blue eyes; ex-high school wrestler, ex-professional pay-per-view UFC cage fighter, Yale Law graduate, ex-clerk at the Oregon Supreme Court, ex-associate of the "Sorceress", legendary criminal defense attorney Regina Barrister, and now partner at the firm, Barrister, Berman and Lockwood.

Portland, the bastion of liberalism, with its notorious homeless problem.

This is where we find Joe Lattimore living in a Portland tent city, ex-Army, ex-boxer, his right cheek decorated with a reminder of a teenage knife fight, an out-of-job short order cook, now homeless with wife and child, hanging on by a frayed thread for dear life in an open-and-shut case.

Turns out, he'd killed another man in an illegal no-holds-barred fight organized by powerful men.

Or so they say.

Enter Robin Lockwood, fresh from winning another "open-and-shut" matter in the solicitation and gender reassignment case of Erika Stassen f/k/a Eric Stassen, now taking on Joe Lattimore's "MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH".

In the fourth iteration of the series, Author Phillip Margolin reaches further down into his old bag of tricks and pulls out an another ace - Amanda Jaffe, attorney and survivor of her own personal ordeals, fan favorite, a series mainstay from his extensive body of work, - to act as second chair to Robin Lockwood in the pro-bono death penalty case.

It is a case of a crooked judge married to an heiress with his finger in each and every dirty pie he can lay his hands on; of a hapless ADA born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth relishing each court victory (exactly two) as a validation of his worth; and of a stunning blond with a killer figure, the so-called honey trap.

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This reader of Phillip Margolin can only admire how the author entertains his readers with legal thrillers through the years, deftly touching every now and then on the hot-button issues of the times - rampant homelessness, death penalty cases, gender identity politics and LGBTQ issues - while strictly dwelling on astute legal points and inferring empathy (and his obvious personal sense of values) without ever pandering to the dictates of political correctness, known nowadays as "the woke".

Highly entertaining, great read!

Review based on an ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.

3.5 ⭐️‘s
Margolin writes great court room dramas. Books that have intriguing cases as well as outcomes. Living close to Portland, his books are fun to read because of the many local landmarks and areas. While I’ve read many of Margolin’s books, this was my first Robin Lockwood book. Even though there are others in the series, this book can definitely be read as a stand alone. With multiple cases and a great cast of characters, this book was a good read, but was a pretty straight forward lacking the edge of your seat suspense in Margolin’s previous books. Good, but not up there with his best.

In the preface the author talks about his own experiences defending clients in death penalty cases, in particular the mental and physical toll it takes to accept the responsibility to fight for these people’s lives. Having read this, I was actually more invested in the story. A young homeless man, married with a child is set up to take the fall for a murder. Of course the plot is far more complex than that. And Phillip Margolin is at his best and keeps us on our toes until the very end with a great story and some courtroom drama. He does not disappoint in this latest of the Robin Lockwood series (#4).
Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for this ARC.

Philip Margolin's books are always a puzzle. You start by being introduced to all the characters, and slowly you start to see how all the piece fot together to show you the final picture.
It keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat until the very end.
'A matter of life and death' was not an exception. I was not able to put this down!

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

Phillip Margolin has his newest legal mind, Robin Lockwood, in the middle of her most harrowing case yet. When a man is accused of murdering a judge’s wife, the evidence seems almost irrefutable. As the death penalty stares them in the face, Robin and her indigent client must do all they can to prove that this was not only a miscarriage of justice, but that there’s a larger scheme at play, even more dangerous than anyone might imagine. In A Case of Life and Death,, Margolin does a masterful job and keeps the reader enthralled throughout. Recommended to those who love a good legal thriller, particularly the reader who has come to enjoy the work of Phillip Margolin.

Things have not been going well for Joe Lattimore of late. Technically homeless, with a wife and little one, Joe is forced to scrounge for money wherever he can and remember his past as a boxer. When he’s offered a chance to make a quick buck, he takes it, though it’s a dubious venture. He’s told that there’s a fight club where he can make a decent amount of money, which Joe thinks might be the pot of gold for which he has long been waiting.

While he wins the fight, it’s no-holds-barred and Joe’s opponent is left clinging to life. Joe’s told the man died and is ushered away. Told that there is a video of the event, Joe knows it could be used against him should he not follow directions to the letter of the law. When Joe’s sent to a house and told to go inside, he enters, only to find the body of a woman who has been beaten to death. His prints are all over the walls as he tries to scramble away, only to be caught fleeing by the victim’s husband, Judge Anthony Carasco.

Once Joe’s been apprehended, after an anonymous tip, things go from bad to worse. The State has some damning and seemingly irrefutable evidence, pushing for the death penalty. Robin Lockwood, who knows Joe in passing, agrees to take his case, feeling that someone’s been pulling strings to frame an innocent man. However, nothing seems to add up and the evidence points strongly to Joe’s guilt. However, beneath it all, there are secrets that people are keeping, from the fight club to the victim’s suspicions about her husband, and even the judge’s alibi on the night of the crime. Robin knows that capital cases require not only dedication, but persistence in the face of adversity. She’ll need it all in this situation, as it’s the difference between a man’s life and his untimely demise.

I enjoy a well-crafted legal thriller at the best of time, something that Phillip Margolin never fails to deliver. I discovered his work primarily with the launch of the Robin Lockwood series, but have come to find that he is a master of the genre and has much to say without being overly repetitive. The plot is alluring and the writing hooks the reader from the opening pages. This is what a legal thriller should be.

Robin Lockwood does well as protagonist once again. Her presence adds something to the story and keeps the reader wanting to know even more. With a backstory as an MMA fighter, Robin knows the world of fame and glory, though is also keen to help those who cannot help themselves. Her legal acumen is second to none, as she finds one dangling thread and is apt to yank on it, hoping to unravel the truth. Gritty and all in, Robin works for her clients like no lawyer would, wanting truth to reign over the easy way out.

Margolin’s use of a handful of strong secondary characters in this piece helps to develop a great story that uses a few subplots to advance the larger narrative. There are those within the pages of this book who will impress the reader, while others will show their true mettle as the story advances. Everyone has their role, even if it does not seem apparent at the outset. Margolin’s development of these individuals helps keep the story flowing and the plot twists fresh in the reader’s mind.

The overall delivery of the piece was something I thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot say enough about Phillip Margolin or his work, both of which left me highly impressed. I like a story that is full of twists and a legal thriller that uses the law to peel back to the truth, both of which are on display here. The reader is treated to a quick narrative that pushes the story along, with some credible dialogue along the way. Short chapters force the reader to feel the momentum of the piece and get carried away as the story pushes towards a verdict where punishment is at the heart of it all. A little murder, some deception, and a handful of blackmail situations all create the needed intensity for the reader to see just how talented Margolin is with his writing. I cannot wait for what else this series has to offer.

Kudos, Mr. Margolin, for another winner. While some may need a comlex courtroom drama to appeal to them, your action-packed story has just what I needed to pass the time.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:

In A Matter of Life and Death (Minotaur Books 2021), fourth in the Robin Lockwood series, Robin Lockwood, former MMA fighter of repute, now puts her skills to defending clients. In this case, it’s Joe Lattimore, a homeless, unemployed, down-on-his-luck fighter who is so desperate for money to support his wife and infant child that he falls for a scheme he knows he shouldn't. The result is he's framed for the murder of the wife of a prominent but sketchy judge. The real killer beat her to death exactly as a fighter of Joe's skills would and then planted evidence against him that is hard to dispute. The optics of Joe's guilt are overwhelming but Robin is suspicious enough to take the case. It's too easy, too pat, too airtight, as though someone has planned it.

Besides being a well-drawn courtroom drama tale written by a master of this genre,, what really sets it apart is the procedural elements included. Here are some examples:

"In addition to an unlimited number of challenges for cause, each side in an Oregon death penalty trial was allowed fifteen peremptory challenges. These challenges could be made for any reason and were used when an attorney could not show cause but did not want a juror sitting on his client’s case."

"A defendant had no obligation to prove he was innocent. That meant that the defense was never required to put on evidence. If the state’s case was shaky but Joe made a bad impression when he testified, he could erase any reasonable doubts harbored by a juror."

"In 1972, in Furman v. Georgia, the United States Supreme Court struck down all of the existing death penalty schemes in the United States. In the course of writing the opinion, the court established the principle that “death is different.”

It is a joy to read a story that held my attention from start to finish. If you're hungry for this genre of story, you won't regret the time you spend reading this book.

I have read a number of novels by the author and this one did not disappoint. It continues the series based a Robin Lockwood, a criminal defense attorney. It well thought out and engaging read. Unlike many of books of this genre, I was unable to determine who was the culprit until almost the end. I was able to narrow it down to two, but unable to be definite until the end of the book. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys good crime fiction particularly those that take place in the northwest.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

What an absolute page turner! I had just started it and when I realized I was already halfway through!

Former MMA fighter turned attorney Robin Lockwood is back in the fourth installment in the series with a case that, as the title indicates, is a matter of life and death. When a homeless guy is accused of killing a judge's wife, Robin is convinced he's being framed so she must give it her all if she doesn't want an innocent to die.

This was action packed from page one. The author doesn't lose time with unnecessary details, going straight to move along the plot, encompassing what irl could take several months into just a few pages. It's a plot driven story and character development is at a minimum. That's why I seriously recommend to read first the other three books in the series to get to know Robin better. It felt as if I was watching a legal drama tv-show episode. While that made me keep flying through the pages, it also made me miss a bit more development in some scenes and characters.

Although the plot was pretty straightforward from the beginning and it was pretty clear who was responsible for the murder from the start, it was really interesting to see how the trial developed and learning about the differences between a death case and a "normal" one. I'm a sucker for courtroom dramas and there's nothing I like more than a good cross examination scene.

There were some twists towards the end that were tremendously satisfying (take that, motherf*****!).

Another great addition to the series, with a really entertaining plot and a pretty likeable heroine.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"A Matter of Life and Death" is a pretty good legal thriller. There are bits that do get a little questionable or dicey for Robin's behavior and ethics, but that is what fiction is for.

⭐⭐⭐⭐+ I should give 5 stars as I really enjoyed this !!!!
This is #4 in the Robin Lockwood series. I am a fan and this is #4 for me as well!
I love courtroom drama and since author Margolin was a long time criminal defense attorney with plenty of real life experience to share and Robin is perfect for his stories!!
Story starts off with nasty Judge Carasco who is known to be a womanizer is bored with his wealthy socialite wife Betsey and wants a more exciting young friend. Betsy his not happy with his behavior and is willing to divorce him but that means he will be cut off from her wealth.

Then the story shifts to ex-boxer Joe Lattimore; who is trying desperately to provide for his wife Maria and their baby daughter but has been forced to live in a Tent City, in Portland, Oregon.
As he is out jogging, a man recognizes him. The man offered down n out Joe an opportunity to earn $300 by boxing in an illegal fight. Joe figures he has nothing to lose, so agrees. Once the fight starts, the crowd goes crazy and roars with bloodlust and encourages Joe to keep punching. He finally stops as he is fearful that his opponent is seriously hurt. Hmm Joe is immediately whisked away. However, now the men have something on him and arrange for him to earn some more money; this time by breaking into a home. When Joe arrives at the house, he finds a dead woman ~ who just happened to be Judge Carasco’s wife! Hmmm!
Well we know Joe didn’t do it and ‘Whodunit’ seems obvious but some twist and turns kept me guessing.~ What’s next?
Love Robin and Jeff and look forward to Book #5

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only. Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 9, 2021

A Matter of Life and Death is the 4th book in the Robin Lockwood series, which I have not read, YET, even picking up this book, I was drawn right in. I love when an author is capable of doing that--having each book being so standalone that you're plunked right into the action and ready to read everything else in the series.

If I had to choose three words to describe this book it would be: twisty, suspenseful, with plenty of SECRETS.

In this book, Robin agrees to take on a death penalty case for a man who participated in an illegal fight, was blackmailed after his opponent died, and now is being framed for another murder. This book kept my attention, and I finished it in 2 days, which is saying something given I have a toddler at home.

Highly recommend.

A Matter of Life and Death is a fast paced book with twists and turns and an ending I did not see coming.

Robin is defending Joe on a death penalty case for killing a Judge's wife. Joe says he was framed but he is down and out on his luck.

Except Joe's luck changes when Robin agrees to take his case.

The pages fly by as you follow the clues and the trial .

Some very unlikeable characters and some you just have to cheer on

This is Book 4 in the Series, you can read it as a stand alone but I will say you will want to go back and read the first 3 books in the series.

Phillip Margolin is a born storyteller and A Matter Of Life and Death is a great read.

I will be first in line for Book 5 !

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press , Minotaur Book for the privilege or reading and reviewing A Matter of Life and Death.