The Darkest Place – Phillip Margolin

Profit, Oregon Police officer Marjorie Loman hurries to answer the front door, only to find two detectives waiting to advise her of her estranged husband, Joel’s death. Startled into laughter, she explains to the astonished detectives how her husband had stolen all of the money from their personal accounts as well as embezzled from his company while taking up with another woman. Shortly thereafter, she receives a visit from two men, claiming that Joel owed them money – they now expect to collect from her. Fearing for her life, Marjorie uses an assumed name and leaves town.

Newly engaged Attorney Robin Lockwood is admiring her new engagement ring, just bestowed upon her by boyfriend, investigator Jeff Hodges, when the phone rings. It’s Judge Wright, asking Robin if she will consider providing representation to a very reviled rapist, who allegedly left his victim with brain damage. Reluctantly she agrees. The prosecuting attorney has an airtight case, so Robin hopes to negotiate a plea deal and be done with him. But someone else has other plans and the sentencing goes horribly wrong.

Needing solace, Robin leaves Oregon and heads home to Elk Grove, a quiet midwestern town, where she spends some much-needed downtime re-connecting with her family. Nearby, a family is awaiting a surrogate named Ruth to give birth to their long-awaited child. An error in hospital protocol leaves the infant to bond with the surrogate post-birth, leaving Ruth desperate enough to do anything to get the child back that she believes is rightly hers – including kidnapping.

After Ruth’s apprehension and arrest, Robin is invited to join her defense team in Elk Grove. Intrigued by the case, Robin agrees to assist – they also learn that Ruth has another name – that of Marjorie Loman – and that she has a murder charge pending back home in Portland. As Robin and her new colleague work to suppress the release of Marjorie’s other pending charge, and establish a credible defense, Robin finds herself drawn in by the woman’s sadness, and ultimately agrees to lead her defense on murder charges, upon return to Oregon. But she can’t help but wonder – is she defending a victim of circumstance, or is Marjorie playing a much bigger game?

This was my second novel featuring Robin Lockwood and I found it every bit as good, if not better than the first! Robin is a spunky, first-rate attorney and her innovative courtroom strategies as well as her personal experiences keep the reader well immersed in the storyline. Throughout the book, I struggled with Marjorie’s innocence or guilt, and most definitely cheered at the unexpected, but very satisfying ending. Well worth the hours of sleep I lost reading this one cover to cover! If you love Scottoline, O’Shaughnessy & Grisham, be sure to add Margolin to the list!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & St. Martin's Press in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Blog will publish on 3/3/2022

I'm never disappointed when I get a chance to read a new Robin Lockwood book. This is the 5th book in the series and it's a definite winner. Robin is one of my favorite protagonists. She's tough, smart and completely dedicated to her clients and those she loves. This book starts with a tragedy for her and the reader can see her fight her way back. This book is well written with plenty of thrilling twists and I'll be anxiously awaiting the 6th book in the series.

Fantastic thriller with plenty of twists and turns. I can’t wait for more by author. Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for chance to read and review the ARC.

Another great legal mystery by a favorite author. I haven't read all in the series but, it read easily as a standalone.
Robin Lockwood, a successful attorney in Portland, Oregon, is faced with a devastating loss. She heads back to her hometown, Elk Grove in the Midwest, for her family's support as she grieves.
An old acquaintance and fellow attorney, Stan McDermott, approaches her for assistance on a complicated legal case.
After exhausting other options, Emily and Caleb Lindstrom meet with attorney Darrell Holloway to arrange a surrogate to complete their family. The attorney is shady, but then the surrogate is not not who she claims to be, she goes by Ruth.
Marjorie Loman (alias, Ruth Larson) a deputy sheriff in Profit, is accused of multiple crimes.
Her husband, Joel, was murdered. He was having an affair with Kelly Starrett, his partner at a profitable wealth management firm.
Ruth needs money so she agrees to be the Lindstrom's surrogate. Circumstances result in her changing her mind about giving up the baby. Her actions land her in jail facing serious charges.
Robin agrees to co-counsil with Stan to defend Marjorie (Ruth) on these charges. This case will certainly take her mind off her grief.
This story has an array of topics, something for everybody! There is kidnapping, murder, assault, surrogacy, shaken baby syndrome, theft, divorce, postpartum depression, embezzlement and stolen identity. The legal strategy used by the defense was novel. There are multiple relevant issues and much food for thought, some outcomes I'm still mulling over.
The legal case is very well written, interesting and detailed. There are researched technical expert witness testimony and state specific law explanations. It was like a Perry Mason mystery!
There are plenty of viable suspects for Joel's murder. There's the missing money he embezzled. There is no question Marjorie (Ruth) committed some crimes and is guilty. However, things aren't always black and white in legal cases. The twists kept coming and the secrets and lies are exposed.
This book was well worth the read, I highly recommend to anyone that enjoys legal mysteries and plenty of suspense. I would read both the author again and can't wait for the next in series. 
Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance digital copy of "The Darkest Place" A Robin Lockwood Novel by Phillip Margolin and to Minotaur Books,  St. Martin’s Publishing. These are my personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

The Darkest Place by Phillip Margolin is a mystery that's a treat to read. The characters are so well crafted that the reader feels very involved in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"The Darkest Place" by Philip Margolin is the 5th book in the Robin Lockwood legal thriller series.
I have been lucky to have been able to read all 5 books in this series & 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 unexpected twists.
I hope Mr. Margolin continues writing this series.

Robin is a top defense attorney. When her fiancé is murdered she goes home to grieve and gets drawn into a local case where a surrogate kidnaps the baby and is also accused of abusing the child. Later the same defendant is accused of murdering her husband. As the case moves along Robin learns things about her client that make her doubt whether she is innocent or not. The author is good at making the reader feel they are actually in the court room. The book moves at a good pace that will keep you turning the pages. The only issue I had was the last chapter, I felt it could have been left out. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

The Darkest Place by Philip Margolin is the fifth book in the Robin Lockwood series, however I was able to read this as a standalone. Defense attorney Robin Lockwood is very good at her job. Almost too good. When she is initially called by a judge requesting she take on a pro bono case for a rapist no one else wants to represent, she hesitantly takes the job. A Yale graduate, former pay per view MMA fighter, there aren’t many things that frighten her, but this new client is repulsive. Her decision to accept this case turns out to be the worst decision of her life. After a personal tragedy, Robin returns to her hometown in Elk Grove to surround herself with her family and heal. She runs into an old friend and agrees to help him take on a difficult case, Marjorie Loman, a surrogate, is accused of kidnapping, abusing the baby she carried and assaulting the infants mother. The question isn’t if she committed the crime, it’s if she is guilty of the crime, or is there another explanation for it? As Robin defends Marjorie, her secret life starts to unfold, and everything is not what it seems. Robin is dragged into another case involving Marjorie, a more serious crime, and once again, the answers are not black and white. Robin proves she is one of the best defense attorneys in Portland, but she questions if she is truly doing the right thing, the investigators don’t think so.

Although this is the 5th installment in the Robin Lockwood series, it is the first book I’ve read, so it can be read as a standalone. But I don’t recommend it, only because it really is a great novel. The chapters are short and so descriptive. The author does a fantastic job of accurately describing how surrogacy works, and helps the reader feel like they are in the courtroom listening to an actual trial. The character of Robin Lockwood is strong, smart and relatable. All the characters are well defined and the ending is truly twisted. I look forward to future books in this series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Macmillan Publishing for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This was really a great fast paced crime thriller.

The Darkest Place is the 5th book in the Robin Lockwood series, featuring criminal defense attorney Robin Lockwood. The book opens with a bang, leaving you wondering and waiting for what comes next for Robin and how she will be able to move forward. With twists and turns throughout and the story constantly moving back and forth to make connections, you are on the edge of your seat throughout the entire book. If this is your first time reading a book in the Robin Lockwood series, The Darkest Place is definitely one that will make you want to go back and read the rest.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

In 1993, I read a book by Philip Margolin, recommended by my sister, and since then have enjoyed nearly all of his 20+ books. Legal thrillers are among my favorite genres, and he is often referred to as “the master of the courtroom thriller,” so I was pleased to receive a copy of The Darkest Place from St. Martin’s/Minotaur and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Margolin has several series with female protagonists (the “plucky heroine”), including the Amanda Jaffe series and the Dana Cutler series. I was looking forward to reading another in the Robin Lockwood series, and this one sounded particularly interesting: Robin is a former MMA fighter, Yale graduate, and increasingly prominent criminal defense attorney in Portland, Oregon. In a reeecent book, Robin agreed to do a favor for a judge and take on a pro bono defense of a horrible man charged with truly reprehensible crimes.

That case brought on a number of life-altering experiences, leading Robin to take a leave from her job and go home to the small Midwestern town of Elk Grove. Another woman from Oregon, a police officer named Marjorie Loman, has also recently come to Elk Grove after her husband was murdered. She takes on the “job” of surrogate, carrying a baby for a childless couple, then changes her mind, kidnaps the baby from them, and assaults the adoptive mother in the process. Yes, she clearly did these acts, but is she guilty of the crimes? That’s Robin’s challenge. Things are complicated when Robin learns that the woman she is defending is hiding in Elk Grove under a fake identity and is actually wanted for her husband’s murder back in Oregon.

I appreciate the way Margolin has created several strong female protagonists who meet both everyday life events and extraordinary challenges with strength and some humor (without being over the top like some recent Nelson deMille books). Margolin’s many years of legal experience shine once again, as he makes the investigation, courtroom, and legal wrangling both interesting and entertaining. Four stars.

I have read many books by Phillip Margolin over the years and he never fails to disappoint me. This book centers around his Robin Lockwood series, a brilliant attorney. In the first part of the book she takes on a case reluctantly which lands up ending in a devastating personal loss. She takes time off to go home to recuperate only to be asked by a local attorney to help him with a case about a surrogate mother who doesn’t want to give the baby to the parents after the child is born. She then kidnaps the baby, a trial begins but this women also has a past which connects back to where Robin practices law in Oregon. The chapters are short, the book moves quickly and is quite enjoyable with an ending that is quite satisfying. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher as an ARC for an honest review. Great mystery and I highly recommend this book.

Moments after the verdict is read in a case, an unimaginable tragedy plunges attorney Robin Lockwood into a deep depression. She returns to her childhood hometown in Elk Grove to recover and eventually becomes involved in a new challenging case with ties to her home in Portland.

This case is complex. In Portland, Marjorie Logan, in the middle of a divorce, learns that her husband is dead. She’s thrilled until she discovers that he has embezzled millions from his company and two beefy guys threaten her with violence if she doesn’t hand over a quarter of a million dollars.

In Elk Grove, Caleb and Emily Lindstrom learn they can’t have children and begin a search for a surrogate. Ruth Larson volunteers to carry their baby.

These two seemingly unrelated plots weave together into a very satisfying mystery. Phillip Margolin is a master of plotting and character development and The Darkest Place does not disappoint. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Phillip Margolin for this ARC.

I’ve read and enjoyed several Phillip Margolin books, but it’s been quite a while. I am so happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. If anything, I became a fan all over again.

In lawyer Robin Lockwood, PM has produced a strong female lead who is weathering the heartbreak of her fiancé’s death as she defends another strong female in Majorie Loman. Is Majorie a killer or the sympathetic mentally unstable victim of her ne’er do well almost ex-husband? Margolin skillfully leads us and Robin to the answer.

Along the way PM also gives us some fictional insight into shaken baby syndrome and post partum psychosis. Although a fictional read, it appears that some good foundational research was done. I really like an author that does his homework. Margolin is that guy.

Great read! Thank you Net Galley and Phillip Margolin.

Robin Lockwood, book 5 does not disappoint. This is another story packed full of courtroom drama as Robin works to defend another client who appears innocent of not one but two misdeeds.
She'll use all of her skills to ensure she gives her client the best possible outcome.
This is such an interesting character and enjoyable to read. Even if you haven't read a book in this series it is still very easy to follow along.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for this advanced copy.

I love this series! Phillip Margolin has written several series, but this is my favorite. Robin is a very interesting character, and no spoilers, but this was a shocker! I loved the stories, two main storylines, both very interesting. Get this book, you won't be disappointed! Highly recommend.

This was a very good legal thriller. It was apart of the Robin Lockwood series It was ver exciting and keep my attention.
I read it in 2 days. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for ARC

This was my first book to read by this author but I hope to read more soon! The characters and the story stay with you long after you finish it. Good, fast read. Highly recommend!!

This was a really good, solid, Phillip Margolin book. I am rarely disappointed by his books, and I certainly enjoyed this one.

Not only was the writing excellent, but the storyline was really interesting. I actually found myself seeing both sides of this case and feeling bad for everyone.involved.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

3.75*
Another great addition to the Robin Lockwood series by Phillip Margolin.

Robin Lockwood has finally found her happy place. Her law career is taking off and she is engaged to the love of her life. You know what they say about things being too good to be true….

Well the unimaginable strikes. And Robin is left to put her life back together. The best way is to keep your mind on other things. Perhaps a new challenging client being charged with assault and kidnapping…just for starters.

I have been reading Phillip Margolin’s books for years. They are great lite legal dramas that you can escape into.

The chapters are short and you will be on the edge of your seat wondering how it’s all going to come together. Mr. Margolin weaves a twisty tale with a very explosive and satisfying ending.

Already looking forward to his next release.

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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by St. Martin’s Press and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A legal drama worth your time.