Phillip Margolin is a go to author for me, so when I saw he had this new book coming out I was happy to grab it. This one is a stand alone rather than one of his series.

Description:
Charlie Webb is a third rate lawyer who graduated from a third rate law-school and, because he couldn’t get hired by any of the major law firms, has opened his own law firm, where he gets by handling cases for dubious associates from his youth and some court appointed cases. Described as “a leaky boat floating down the stream of life,” Charlie has led unremarkable life, personally and professionally. Until he’s appointed to be the attorney for a decidedly crackpot artist who calls himself Guido Sabatini (born Lawrence Weiss). Sabatini has been arrested – again – for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where it was displayed. But as Lawrence Weiss, he’s also an accomplished card shark and burglar and while he was there, he stole a thumb drive from the owner’s safe.

Not knowing what else Sabatani has stolen, Webb negotiates the return of the painting and “other items’ for the owner dropping charges against Sabatini. But the contents of the flash drive threatens very powerful figures who are determined to retrieve it, the restaurant owner (Gretchen Hall) and her driver (Yuri Makarov) are being investigated for the sex trafficking of minors, and there are others who have a violent grudge against Sabatini. When a minor theft case becomes a double homicide, and even more, Charlie Webb, an insignificant lawyer assigned to an insignificant case, is faced with the most important, and deadliest, case of his life. Going back to his long-time bestselling roots, Phillip Margolin returns with a brilliant standalone legal thriller in the tradition of John Grisham.

My Thoughts:
Fast-paced and tense, just the way I like them. Both the investigation and the court case kept my attention. Charlie Webb is the underdog character and it was easy to relate to him and want him to succeed. I felt kind of sorry for him, as this was much more than he bargained for when he started. The pace never stopped and there were a lot of twists and turns. Anyone who likes a good thriller would enjoy this one.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Charlie is considered a third-rate lawyer who gets most of his cases either through a motorcycle club or a court assignment. Charlie has won another trial for his motorcycle brethren. His next trial is a court assignment for an individual who has stolen a painting. This is not the 1st time that Guido, the accused, has done this He has had two other cases where he stole the painting because the individual that purchased it from him. The only reason that he stole it back because the buyer did not display it where it could be seen by the public. For this case, Guido also took something from the safe. This item caused Guido to come into danger.

Charlie got Guido out on bail and the D.A. said that if Guido returned the items, the charges would be dropped. Before the deal could be made, the owner of the painting and another individual were killed and Guido was arrested for murder. Charlie was once again assigned by the court to represent Guido once again. Charlie on meeting with Guido told him that he didn't have any experience with this type of trial so did not want to represent him. Charlie was convinced by the judge to take the case.

Read along and follow all the events that happened as Charlie prepared his case. Learn what individuals were behind the attempts on Guido and what actions one individual and the police took to keep Guido safe. Learn how this case led to another trial and how it was related.

The story is well done and kept my interest right to the end.

The story ending is well done. Don't miss out reading this book, you won't be disappointed.

Charley Webb is a struggling attorney who opened his own practice because of the lack of job offers from the big firms and takes a case representing Guido Sabatini on a seemingly simple breaking and entering. Guido had sold one of his paintings to Gretchen Hall, the owner of a local restaurant. However when she didn't display it for all to see in the restaurant, he broke into her office and stole it back off the wall where it was covering her safe. He happened to remember the combination when she paid him because his is genius level with numbers and opened the safe. He didn't steal any of the cash but did take a thumb drive that looked interesting in hopes he could blackmail her. Charley dives in trying to get him to return the painting and "whatever he took out of the safe" to get the charges dropped only to realize all is not as it seems. Gretchen Hall has just been indicted for luring underage girls for sex trafficking and things get complicated very fast. As people start dying, it becomes clear that the cases are related and there must be some pretty influential people on that thumb drive who will stop at nothing to make sure it disappears. Charley has stumbled on a very significant case that will take all he has to manage Guido who is not worried because God will protect him and somehow convince him to turn over the thumb drive before he gets killed. Guido is a crazy character and the story has tons of twists and turns that are a fresh and unique twist in a legal thriller that will keep you entertained.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
#NetGalley #AnInsignficantCase

In this legal thriller, Margolin introduces a new character, Charlie Webb, a small-time lawyer. The story builds quickly, there is action and twists holding my attention to the unpredictable conclusion. Another well-written story authored by our talented Phillip Margolin.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Phillip Margolin's legal thrillers, so when the opportunity to read his new one, An Insignificant Case, was offered, I jumped on it. While the premise was excellent, and the story itself was interesting and at times humorous, I was left feeling just 'meh' about the thriller, as a whole.

The characters were interesting, and Charlie, in particular, was someone I could really get behind and root for his success. He was not an overachiever, and while he wanted more success, his entire life had been kind of mediocre--the author described him as a 'C' which pretty much summed him up. As the story developed, however, his lack of insight into what was going on and his simplistic acceptance of events that should have been huge red flags became quite distracting, and as a reader, I wanted to shake him out of his complacency.

I also felt like the writing was not quite what I expect from Mr. Margolin. The conversations and some of the situations were unrealistic, and the court room scenes were far too brief for the complexity of a homicide trial. I expect better from Margolin.

I didn't dislike the book, though, and would recommend it as a quick, fun legal thriller. Like the main character, I would give it a 'C' grade, and I will definitely continue to read Margolin's books. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin. The opinions in this review are my own.

Phillip Margolin scores another win with this outstanding standalone! While I do love the Robin Lockwood series, it is nice to read this story, that I feel took me back to when I was first discovering this favorite author way back in the 90's with Gone but Not forgotten. Low-rung lawyer, Charlie Webb becomes the court-appointed attorney for a simple B&E involving client Guido Sabatini and a stolen painting. Or so he thought. The case turns out to be so much bigger, involving a sex-ring and murders. It was hard to put this one down, as there is something happening on almost every page. Can Charlie save the day. I really enjoyed Charlie and while I did appreciate a standalone, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he becomes a new series. Hint, hint.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Phillip Margolin and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication date of November 5th.

Book Review: An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin
Published by St. Martin's Press, November 5, 2024

★★★★★ (5.0 Stars!)

One of the first Phillip Margolin books I thoroughly enjoyed was his 1996 standalone novel, "The Burning Man", which features a young attorney, Peter Hale, who loses his job at his father's high-powered law firm and ends up as a public defender in a small Oregon town. In a high-profile career defining capital murder case, inexperienced Hale finds himself defending a mentally retarded client.

I find interesting parallels in the author's new book, "An Insignificant Case" (2024). Protagonist Charlie Webb, similarly unexperienced and moreover described as "third-rate", is saddled with the defense of Laurence Weiss accused of a double homicide. Weiss, who calls himself "Guido Sabatini", is irretrievably psyched into the delusions of his alter ego, convinced that he is someone who'd learned his craft as a contemporary of Renaissance icons Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Both novels are set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, as with most of Margolin's novels and legal thrillers.

// "An Insignificant Case" by Phillip Margolin (2024) //

It all begins as an insignificant case, comical, some would even say.

Ultra-talented Guido Sabatini sells one of his sublime Renaissance-style paintings to the owner of the Italian restaurant "La Bella Roma" - then subsequently steals it back. Why? Because his feelings were hurt. His artwork wasn't displayed in an appropriately prominent spot for viewing at the eatery. You could almost feel bad for the guy, who now will have his day of reckoning in court.

Enter Charlie Webb, appointed by the court to represent the eccentric 6'4" Sabatini, perennially clad in a floor-length turn of the Common Era caftan. Except the Renaissance art genius isn't "Sabatini", but an accomplished acrylic painter named Lawrence Weiss, who's also reputed to be a card shark, yegg and burglar.

Charlie Webb is average in every way. "If he were a grade, he would have been a C, which was the average grade he received starting in elementary school and ending in law school." He gets by in his private practice with such court appointments as handling a "Sabatini", and in being of counsel to family referrals, and to certain colorful personalities, all of whom so happen to be members of the "Barbarians", a motorcycle club.

In the meantime, the owner of restaurant "La Bella Roma" is implicated in a sex-trafficking ring, alongside a famous Hollywood movie producer. Teenagers were alleged to be lured by promises of movie acting roles, then drugged, and forced to have sex.

A close relative of one of the sex victims slips quietly in the mix, someone who just so happens to be a military trained sharpshooter, infiltrator - and assassin.

As for Mr. Weiss /Sabatini, it turns out the recovery of his painting wasn't the only item he retrieved from "La Bella Roma", as his other career as a burglar shifted into gear. The theft of a purloined item ensues in a double homicide for which Weiss /Sabatini is subsequently charged.

Thus the insignificant case morphs into a capital case nightmare, one for which even young Charlie Webb, Esq. himself, inexperienced, overmatched and in over his head, readily admits he is utterly unqualified...

-------

Prior to this novel, I've read all seven books of Phillip Margolin's recent "Robin Locke" series (2018-2023), featuring the 5'8" strong female protagonist, ex-pro PPV UFC cage fighter aka "Rockin' Robin", Yale Law graduate, from her tough beginnings through her rise to law firm partner; along with most of Mr. Margolin's earlier bestsellers also invariably showcasing female protagonists equally as indomitable, "Amanda Jaffe", "Dana Cutler"; plus many standalones.

Each and every Margolin novel refreshing, a respite from the noise of the mob, devoid of undercurrents of divisive issues, at times enthralling, harrowing, amusing, gripping, but always easy on the palate, agreeable reading.

Or in a word, unputdownable!

Review based on an advanced reading copy courtesy of St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.

Philip Margolin has written a suspenseful standalone legal thriller: An Insignificant Case. Carlie Webb is considered a third-rate lawyer who opened his own law firm when he couldn’t get hired by any major law firms in Portland, Oregon. He gets by handlings court-appointed cases as well as handling cases for friends and those his family refers to him.

When Lawrence Weiss, calling himself Guido Sabatini, is arrested for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where he is displayed, Charlie is assigned to handle his case. However, the painting isn’t the only think Guido stole, and the situation quickly becomes suspenseful and dangerous. But as the charges mount up, can Charlie handle the cases or will his inexperience lead to convictions?

Charlie is humble, empathetic, too trusting, and doesn’t gloat when he wins. Guido is a talented artist who is witty, eccentric, and a card shark. The other main and secondary characters have depth and felt true to their natures.

This was a fascinating premise and storyline. The investigation as well as the courtroom drama were well-done. The pacing was fast and kept me engaged and turning the pages rapidly. With exciting scenes and an antagonist that thinks on his feet, this is a riveting legal thriller. The story quickly hooked me and kept me engaged to the very end. However, the ending felt somewhat rushed.

Overall, this is an entertaining, suspenseful, and fast read with several plot twists and good characterization. I would love to see this turned into a series.

St. Martin’s Press and Phillip Margolin provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for November 05, 2024.

I have read and enjoyed a number of Margolin’s books but usually in the Robin Lockwood series. This one, as a standalone, creates what I hope could be the start of another great series.

Charlie Webb is definitely not caliber class attorney material. He barely scraped by from a third-rate school to become a third-rate lawyer. No problem, he opened his own office and, again, barely scraped by.

When he gets a file for Guido Sabatini, local artist and nut case, he takes it on thinking it’s a simple B and E. Of course, there is the small matter of his also lifting something from the safe while on a mission to steal back his painting.

It’s not the painting so much as the little device he stole from the safe that sets up a whole different case. He is badly in over his head, knows it, tries to refuse the case. Guido insists it must be he. I guess you have to start somewhere, but he has to find some help—quick.

As you might suspect, it’s a fast read, engaging with unusual characters, and quite entertaining. Yes, there are some twists and it’s possible that a reader who enjoys not only a legal thriller, but mysteries, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas would enjoy this as well. 4.5 stars

Decent read, entertaining . What I like about this book, even though its obvious who what its still very entertaining
Thanks NetGalley for advance copy

Margolin’s latest thriller is a reminder of why this genre, and his writing, is so powerful. Charlie Webb is a mediocre lawyer who is a court appointed attorney for Guido Sabatini, also known as Lawrence Weiss. Sabatini is accused of stealing a painting back from a restaurant so it can be displayed in a place of honor. While he does this, he also steals a flash drive and becomes mixed up in sex trafficking and homicide. Most enjoyable were the development of Margolin’s characters. While this novel is a stand-alone, I would be happy to revisit the characters of Charlie Webb and Lawrence Weiss/Guido Sabatini.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Phillip Margolin for the ARC of An Insignificant Case! I’ve read many Margolin books, and am a big fan of his work. An Insignificant Case takes is a legal thriller set in Portland, Oregon. Charlie Webb is a self proclaimed average attorney who has just landed his first murder trial. His client is an eccentric artist who thinks he trained under Michelangelo in another lifetime. The book explores the murder, and an underlying sex trafficking ring. It has action, courtroom drama, mystery, and a little romance. While the book kept my interest, it was not Margolin’s best work. I must confess - I’m an attorney. I love legal thrillers. My profession probably makes me a bit pickier when it comes to legal fiction. There were a few elements of this book that missed the mark for me. I am still a huge fan of Margolin, and look forward to his next book. I highly recommend reading his previous work if you like mysteries and thrillers!

An Insignificant Case is a solid mystery. The characters are reasonably well developed and are in sometimes tragic and sometimes humorous scenes throughout the story. A quick and entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.5 stars. The focus of this novel is small-time lawyer Charlie Webb, who inadvertently gets involved in a complex sex-trafficking ring. What ensues is a good mystery complete with murders to be solved and a decent amount of twists and turns. All in all, this was an entertaining, enjoyable and quick read. Although it was not my favorite novel by Margolin, Charlie is definitely an interesting character, and I have hopes that perhaps this may be the start of a new series in which he is featured.

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

I have long enjoyed the work of Phillip Margolin, particularly his legal thrillers. While he has had a great deal of success with his series, Margolin does well with standalone novels as well. This was one such instance, in which a seemingly straightforward case balloons into something out of this world. A simple lawyer thinks that he will be handling a case of break and entry with a mentally disturbed client. What happens soon snowballs out of control and a massive sex exploitation ring emerges, soon followed by a number of murders. How Charlie Webb will juggle all this is something he has yet to understand, though the action is too swift to let him catch his breath. A brilliant thriller by Phillip Margolin that made it hard to put the book down.

Charlie Webb never called himself a stellar lawyer. Scraping by as best he can, Charlie never got the attention of the big firms and so he hung his own shingle in Portland and tried to help those he could through some dubious recommendations. Such is the life he leads when a new client file lands on his desk.

When the case of Lawrence Weiss is assigned to him, Charlie is in for a real surprise. Weiss, who goes by the name Guido Sabatini, is a mentally ill young man whose painting career is astounding, but he also demands that the public take notice. When one of his paintings was not hanging where he felt it should, he removed it from a restaurant back room, as well as taking a flash drive from the owner’s safe. After he is detained, Sabatini agrees to return the painting and ‘other items’ to the restaurant’s owner, for a pledge. Little does Charlie know what this is all about or how intense things will get.

When the restaurant owner is implicated in part of a sex exploitation ring, all bets are that the intel that could help sink things can be found on that flash drive. Sabatini soon becomes a target to get the drive back, but things get even more troubling when he is let out on bail and someone begins hunting him down. As Charlie tries to protect his client, he is thrust into the middle of things, just as bodies begin emerging. Someone is trying to send a message and there is no time to guess what might happen next. Armed with his own third-rate intuition and a sense of justice, Charlie Webb seeks to manoeuvre through the webs of lies and deceit to get to the truth to save himself, his client, and the judicial process. A chilling story that had me hooked until the very last page turn.

I have long enjoyed the writing of Phillip Margolin, as it is not only entertaining, but usually on point with much that is going on. His novels find their legs early and the narrative carries the the reader for the rest of the journey. The story builds and the action takes over, adding depth with many great plot points along the way. Short chapters help add a sense of urgency and the reader soon cannot stop reading or face certain curiosity that must be quenched. Great characters, especially for a standalone, help provide entertainment and intrigue, while the setting never fails to impress as Margolin weaves his web to capture the essence of the experience. I cannot wait to see what’s next and how Phillip Margolin will rise the bar once more.

Kudos, Mr. Margolin, , for another strong novel that kept me hooked!

I don't know when Phillip Margolin started writing this book, but reading it in the same weeks that all the stuff about PDiddy and other Hollywood "elites" was quite the trip. Like, "wait was that something that I read in the book, or something real I saw on the news?" type trippy.

Current events aside, this was a fun, twisty, courtroom thriller. This is listed as a standalone, but I could see the author setting up Charlie and his crew for a series of books. That being said, as a standalone, I wish I'd gotten to get inside of the character's heads more. Charlie of course, but I felt robbed of a perspective from inside Mr. Sabatini's head....because what do you mean a regular man decided one day that he's actually a fifteenth-century painter...it's giving Michelangelo meets Rachel Dozeal.

There were a couple of twists that I saw coming, [Elin I knew you had something up your sleeve!], but through the rollercoaster of a storyline there was never a time I predicted the ending. This book was a quick, suspenseful read, definitely one to pick up if you like legal thrillers, investigation stories, or seeing what happens when someone takes justice into their own hands.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for sending me a free copy for me to review!

This was a fun, light read. The characters were interesting and the plot was entertaining.. it was very much a cozy mystery title in the simplicity of the story

Charlie Webb is a small time lawyer when he is appointed to represent a client who has trouble with reality. Charlie doesn’t think he is qualified to handle the case, a murder trial, so he asks to be excused. The client has taken a liking to Charlie and refuses to release him. This story has a lot of twists and turns. Some of the decisions Charlie makes don’t make a lot of sense, and the characters could have been developed further, but the story still held my interest. As he gets further into the case there are aspects that show there is more to this case than appears on the surface. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

From a Master of courtroom thriller we have another great legal drama hard to put down. Since discovering this author in 2011 and have been huge fan and his stories have never disappointed me. This latest is a standalone drama.

A little too long intro:

We are introduced to a new attorney, a third rate one who graduated from a third rate law school that couldn’t get a position at any major law firm so he opened his own law firm. Charles Webb takes on cases from dubious friends from his past and court appointed cases. Guido Sabatini, a talented artist and a nut job was his latest appointee to defend. Guido had sold one of his paintings to a restaurant owner and has liberated it along with a flash drive from the safe...At the time the restaurant owner and her partner were under investigation for sex trafficking of minors....With bargaining power knowing that the content of the flash drive threatens very powerful figures, Guido played all his cards but toying with criminals that wanted at any cost to retrieve the flash drive ...even going as far as murder may not be a good strategy.

It didn’t take long for the insignificant Charles to be plunged into more than a simple case defending Guido but into a sensational double murder....

My very long thoughts:

I simply love this story there is so much going on and so many twists and turns to face that I didn’t want to put the book down. I was so captivated by the coming and going and the many characters that crossed the pages many of them had important roles in both Charles and the defendant’s life that I didn’t want to miss a beat. This story definitely captured my attention from the start. Everything was so unpredictable even with some surprising reveals and outcomes. It was hard to predict anything....The characters were exceptional and I enjoyed how they played their parts in this drama. I admit at first I thought Mr. Margolin was rehashing the famous saga of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell but no to my relief a totally deferent spin and much more exciting.

This is an excellent read I give high score.

An Insignificant Case is a fast paced court room/thriller that will keep you guessing to the end.

We are introduced to Charlie, a third-string lawyer who is just really getting established in his field.

Until he meets and represents Guido Sabatini for breaking into a restaurant and stealing his painting back.

Guido however took more than that and people will kill to get it back.

Before he knows it Guido is up on a murder charge and Charlie is ordered to defend him by the judge.

Twists and turns, red herrings, dead bodies piling up faster than you count and some very corrupt people in high places..

Phillip Margolin always masterfully portrays that courtroom scene and An Insignificant Case is no exception.

I grew to love Charlie and I certainly hope he returns very soon in another book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press , Minotaur Books for the privilege of reading and reviewing An Insignificant Case.