This opens with an event that surprised me so much that I re-read the page to see if I read it wrong. It affected criminal defense lawyer, Robin Lockwood, enough that she went back to her small midwest hometown to regroup. The town also was sheltering a widow who was hiding from men that possibly killed her husband and were after the money they said he owed them. She was supporting herself by being a surrogate. When that didn't work well, she hires Robin to represent her.

This was very good. As someone who has enjoyed reading the series about Robin, I am still shaking my head a little about the big event at the beginning of the book, but I guess the author wanted to go in a different direction. I am looking forward to the next in the series to see how it goes.

The Darkest Place is the fifth novel in Phillip Margolin’s bestselling Robin Lockwood series. In this novel, Robin, as a favor to a judge, takes on a pro bono case which ends up having devastating personal consequences for Robin. She goes home to Elk Grove to recover and ends up defending a woman, Marjorie Loman, who is obviously guilty of kidnapping a baby she carried as a surrogate and then assaulting the mother. As the story continues, Robin stays in Elk Grove to finish the trial and uses some of her amazing tactics to win the case. There is also a murder trial involving Loman, and Robin agrees to represent her once again.

The Robin Lockwood series is one of the most true-to-form legal thrillers out there. Margolin knows his way around a courtroom and has the skills to make legal trials fascinating and believable. The Darkest Place is no exception, and readers will find themselves unable to put the novel down. There is constantly building suspense as the two separate plots are resolved, and as is Margolin’s style, the dénouement is a complete surprise. For those who have read the previous novels in the series, Robin’s character is known and loved. But for those just picking up this novel as a stand alone, there is enough in the novel to understand Robin and the supporting characters. Margolin does an excellent job of developing his characters, so it’s okay if readers don’t have the entire background.

This excellent book will make readers want to go back and read the previous books in the series. They are well-written and absolutely spellbinding. This is a favorite series and is highly recommended for anyone who loves a good legal thriller. Margolin has outdone himself again.

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

What a great book!!!!!!! Did not want to sleep till I finished the book! Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

I really enjoy this series! The Darkest Place is the fifth installment to the Robin Lockwood series, but I fell like it can be read as a stand-alone.

I originally picked up this series simply because the synopsis said that the protagonist, Robin, was a former MMA fighter and I love watching UFC! Such s small thing that led me to finding an enjoyable series. Robin is one of my all-time favorite protagonists. I love her bad-ass personality!

I do have to say that books one and two are still my favorites. Even though you can read this one as a standalone, I would recommend starting at the beginning just because I loved those books so much.

The Darkest Place was a page-turner! With so many twists and turns, I couldn’t put it down! I just had to know how it all played out so I finished this one in two sittings. And I definitely did not see that ending coming!

Another solid installment of the Robin Lockwood series!

CW: surrogacy; kidnapping

Robin Lockwood is an increasingly prominent defense attorney in the Portland community. A Yale graduate and former MMA fighter, she's becoming known for her string of innovative and successful defense strategies. As a favor to a judge, Robin takes on the pro bono defense of a reprehensible defendant charged with even more reprehensible crimes. But what she doesn't know—what she can't know—is how this one decision, this one case, will wreak complete devastation on her life and plans. I really enjoy this series and this character. Lots of twists and turns in this one...maybe one or two too many but all in all a thoroughly engrossing mystery and left me eager to see what happens to Robin in the next book. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Another Robin Lockwood book, which continues the work of highly the skilled lawyer who is based in Seattle. Her world is quickly shaken up which sends her back to her own small hometown. There she becomes quickly involved defending a woman, who had been a surrogate, accused of kidnapping and abuse of her child. The plot reels into too many coincidences and complications for me to take seriously.

I think this novel is simply over plotted, gathering too many incidents into the pages to fill them, rather than create anything that would real tension or suspense. So, I was disappointed and hope Robin moves on to a more believable land in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Robin is back and soon she heads out of town to stay with her family where she gets involved in an assault and kidnapping case. As the case unfolds, so does Robin’s expertise. When she returns home, she finds that the case has followed her as the client is now charged with murder. Excellent characters and a story that keeps moving at a good pace.

A quick engrossing read. Read it in two sittings. It was so good. Cunning characters and high entertaining emotions kept me turning the pages well into the night. Can’t wait to read more from Phillip Margolin.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

The Darkest Place is the 5th installment in the Robin Lockwood series, and Robin, in the midst of a personal tragedy, defends a surrogate mother accused of kidnapping. There are several plot threads in this book, all woven together in a quick and easy read. This is a standard legal thriller with no frills, but not a lot of suspense either. If you’re looking for a relaxing read for a few hours, this is it. The ending is a little predictable and abrupt, but entertaining nonetheless. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing book! Margolin has an amazing writing and he knows how to write a gripping plot as well. This book will catch you in the very first pages and will hold you thigh until the end! I highly recommend it!

I had high expectations of this new book by Phillip Margolin and I was not disappointed. A quick read that you won't want to put down until the very end and some great characters and plenty of twists and turns. As one problem is resolved, another pops up and you get a bang for your buck with this book. Surrogacy and shaken baby syndrome are at the forefront of the issues for this book and if these topics interest you then you'll love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I feel fortunate to have read it!

This book was sent to me by. etgalley on Ki doe for review…this is a quick read with several characters who are likeable and others not so much…the references to Perry Mason…fun…Robin, the protagonist…can’t wait to read more about her…red herrings…determining who did the murder…all enjoyable reading…

Wow! That was a crazy good book! The information about the case's were so so interesting! I feel smarter just reading this book!! Lmao! Seriously though, this book was so interesting for me!! The shaken baby info and how the case's went were crazy good!! One of the main characters was so sneaky good lol I will definitely recommend this book! The storyline was amazing to me! I really enjoyed reading this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!