**Thank you, Net Galley + St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!**

I want to preface this by saying this is my first time reading Philip Margolin. “But this is book 4 in the series!” I know, I know. However, I didn’t realize this until halfway through! The good thing is that from what I could tell, the previous installments in the “Robin Lockwood” series didn’t impact my comprehension of “Murder At Black Oaks!” So if an atmospheric house, like Gallant by V.E. Schwab became a closed-door murder mystery/legal thriller, this one is definitely worth your time.

“But what is it about? Come on!!!!!”
Ok, I hear you, we start off watching Frank Melville prosecute (and successfully help convict) Jose Alvarez at the height of his career. Though, something doesn’t feel right… Shortly after, Frank changes paths, working in torts. Jumping forward 30 years later and adding some trauma to the Melville’s, Robin Lockwood is summoned to Black Oaks, a replication of the eponymous mansion from England haunted by the curse of a werewolf that invokes tragedy to all who reside. Here, Robin’s goal is to help uncover whether Jose Alvarez was wrongfully convicted when murder strikes. Between opening cold cases, and determining who the murderer is, Margolin does an excellent job of keeping the pace and maintaining my *short* attention span.

Murder at Black Oaks isn’t like anything I’ve heard about or personally ever read which I loved. Closed-door murder mysteries usually don’t hit the mark for me, but this nod to the iconic writers incorporated a legal thriller seamlessly. I was especially a fan of Margolin including a focus on wrongful convictions for those underrepresented coming from typically marginalized communities. The trial scenes also reminded me of Mickey Haller from Michael Connelly which I enjoyed as well!

I need a preface for the next thing I’m going to say. This is an unfinished copy, so this critique isn't concrete. There were some times when I felt that the dialogue felt a bit flat— where there was info-dumping when I would’ve preferred information withheld. Additionally, there were times when it felt like the dialogue homogenized the characters; where the things they said didn’t feel like it was different characters speaking, or responses felt unlike something *I* would expect them to say.. It’s important to note that this didn’t detract from the overall story, and didn’t make me pull my hair out! I’m also not familiar with Margolin's work, so if this is commonplace, it’s not something that’s a deterrent from reading his other work.

Philip Margolin does an exquisite job with legal thrillers. He has several character series I've read; Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood is one of my favorites. She a former MMA champion and a brilliant legal mind. In all the books of this series, she comes up with clever solutions for her clients even Perry Mason wouldn’t think of. In Murder at Black Oaks (Minotaur Books 2022), Book 6 in the Robin Lockwood series, she is asked by the DA who put an innocent man in prison thirty years ago to free him. There are extenuating circumstances why the DA couldn't reveal the man's innocence long ago, all of which complicate Robin's job. Robin performs her legal magic, manages to free the man, but for some unknown reason, the DA is murdered. Now, Robin and her investigator end up involved in solving that mystery along with the police.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite the occasional labored writing such as:

“Mrs. Raskin had stopped in the hallway when Robin was showing the tapestry to Jose. When Robin turned away from the tapestry, Mrs. Raskin continued down the corridor. Robin, Ken, and Jose caught up with Mrs. Raskin when she stopped in front of the staircase and the elevator. Mrs. Raskin went into the elevator, and Ken followed her. Jose started to follow Ken, but Robin stopped him. “

“Melville’s wheelchair was motorized, and he maneuvered away from the table and toward the hall. The other guests started walking toward the stairs to the upper floors. Frank had just entered the corridor outside the dining hall when the door from the kitchen opened and the caterers, a man and a woman in their late twenties, and the two waiters, walked into the corridor.”

Because I've read so many of Margolin's excellent legal thrillers, I almost think this sort of monotonous description is purposeful, maybe the voice Margolin wishes to create.

If I could change one thing about the book, it would be the ending. A reason I love reading mysteries and thrillers is to collect the clues sprinkled throughout the book and connect the dots before the lawyers and police do. Occasionally, and this is one of those, I spend an entire 350-ish pages doing that only to have the author throw a gazillion new clues in the last five pages that change everything. So while I thought I knew stuff, I didn’t know squat.

But that didn’t change my 5/5 rating.

I really liked this book. Though I felt some parts of it were a bit obvious for a mystery, I felt that the characters were quite intriguing. It did have a few twists and turns and it was quite fun and easy to read. For those of you that like Cozy and camping mysteries, you will really enjoy this book.

Well written with a lot of suspense and action that keeps your interest till the end. The characters are believable with great dialogue. I highly recommend this book as a great read.

I really enjoyed this mystery. Lots of murders with lots of killers....or are they?
A haunted house....a fascinating cast of characters.the road goes out. No cell service. No way in or out.

I never saw the ending coming.
A well done whodunit.
Thanks to netgalley for the arc

This was Scooby Doo for grown-ups! So much going on and it all worked! This was a legal thriller/cheesy 80's psycho-killer horror movie/locked room mystery/old school black and white horror movie complete with an Ah-Ha! Rip-off -the -mask type reveal reminiscent of Scooby, Shaggy and "those meddling kids" all rolled into one! Such a blast! I have been a long-time Phillip Margolin fan since the early 90's when I first read Gone But Not Forgotten. Still one of my all-time favorite thrillers, and I have read everything from him since then. When you think of Phillip Margolin's stories though, "fun" does not usually come to mind. This one changed all that and is definitely my favorite in the Robin Lockwood series We have our heroine trying to free a man wrongly sent to prison. Everyone ends up in a spooky mansion on a hill up the mountain from an insane asylum. Oh yeah, and it's during a terrible storm! What could possibly go wrong? Murders and mayhem ensue. I don't want to give anything away so I will just stop at highly recommending this one, although for optimum enjoyment, I think reading the whole series would definitely be worth it, although you don't have to.
On a side note, I was very pleased with the development of Robins' character. I was on the fence with the developments in the previous book and not sure how everything would go from there. This also eased my fears with that. Well done, Mr. Margolin!! Waiting not so patiently for more!

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC that I was more than happy to read and review! Also thank you to Phillip Margolin and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur books!

I love all the Robin Lockwood novels and am so sad to see the series come to an end! When a former DA calls Robin to come to his house, she shows up at a strange place. Black Oats, the estate, has a dark past. Robin meets with the man and they discuss how he put a innocent man in jail. Throughout the book, Robin helps get the guy out of jail, but misfortune falls on Black Oats once again. Margolin did not disappoint!

As a fan of Phillip Margolin’s novels, I eagerly attacked his latest effort, Murder at Black Oaks. The book has a very promising beginning with two separate trials and central to the theme is the doctrine of attorney/client confidentiality. The reader is led to a time 30 years later when an innocent man who was found guilty of a crime he did not commit is released from prison.
The prosecutor is now wheelchair bound living in a mysterious house known as Black Oaks where attorney Robin Lockwood is invited for the weekend along with the recently freed inmate and a Hollywood actor whose wife was murdered. Several others are at the house which is near a hospital for the criminally insane-from which an inmate escapes during a storm.
There are murders at Black Oaks and this reader just didn’t care who the guilty party was. Most of the characters are uninteresting and not likable. Robin Lockwood deserves much better treatment!
I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy of this book.

Robin Lockwood is at it again! The story reads like an Agatha Christie novel (even references it) and like the classics, the ending will surprise you! Keep bringing back this character!

I have been an avid Phillip Margolin reader for over 20 years. He paints a vivid picture of place, in this book against the natural beauty of Oregon, and treats the reader to well-developed characters, both heroes and villains, that are mostly relatable at some level. “Murder at Black Oaks” assembles a varied and interesting cast of characters for a modern version of the classic locked room mystery. The story plays hard on the theme of redemption; is it possible and if so, at what cost? It also examines how the idea of “having it all “ ties into personal satisfaction and the feeling of having had a life will lived. Unfortunately for one of our main characters, Frank Hardy, his quest for redemption ends tragically when he is murdered with a household filled with people providing a plethora of suspects. When the murderer is finally revealed, thanks to the analytical thinking and keen observations of “Rocking Robin” Lockwood, our main heroine in this series, the result is a tragic commentary on love, trust and family. I have greatly enjoyed this series and am particularly grateful to NetGalley for making this advance copy available to me.

While I thought this book would be better, I'm sure there are many people who will enjoy it. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

First off, isn't this cover fantastic? I love the dark colors and mysterious house on a cliff. This book was very fast paced and definitely keeps you on your toes and wanting to know more. I found the legend and the setting very spooky and mysterious which I loved. I would say, though, that I wish that the characters were more fully developed as I did not really connect with any of them or really get to know them all that well. I also found that this book was extremely action packed which I loved but also found a little too much. The book starts off with Frank Melville prosecuting and convicted a prisoner to which he later found out was innocent. Wracked by guilt at sending an innocent man to prison he hires a lawyer, Robin Lockwood to help him overturn the case. At a celebration, Frank himself is murdered. This leads to two other stories coming out. I would have liked each story to be its own book and getting to know the characters better. Overall, this book was enjoyable to read.

Amazing!

Another well-crafted book by Phillip Margolin. I think I’ve read all of his books over the years, and the man hasn’t lost his ability to capture the reader’s attention and hold on tight!

The first half of the story is purely legal, as prior books are. The main character, Robin Lockwood, former MMA fighter turned lawyer, uses her legal expertise to get a man out of prison who was wrongly convicted and spent 30 years behind bars. The next 30% takes a page from Agatha Christie (it even is mentioned in the story), well done! The remaining part ties the rest up neatly.

This isn’t a book where you’ll figure out whodunnit quickly. Twists and plot turns keep the reader guessing until the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this, read in two sittings.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

It is a credit to Margolies that this newest Robin Lockwood novel combines a hokey Gothic tome with a modern mystery. Wow, such a good read. I like the series and enjoyed these weird elements of a haunted house, a curse, Robin is retained to ensure that an unjustly convicted man would be set free. Much of the action takes place in a “haunted” castle. Robin is confronted with several murders, an escaped mental patient and a group of mysterious residents.

This is not a typical Lockwood book, but it was fun!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I really really enjoyed this book. It hooked me from the very beginning and kept me hooked the entire time.

This book is written by a gifted and talented author who weaves an ingenious story. It reads like true crime. The protagonist takes on a task that seems to be unsolvable...she does it...then murder...who did it? why? The characters are not lovable but this is a murder mystery. The setting is dark, dreary, and frightening. The story does move slowly, at times, but comes to a satisfying end. When reading this book, I wondered how many times this has happened in real life...This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review.