A Reasonable Doubt: A Robin Lockwood Novel

Phillip Margolin

Mar 2020 · Robin Lockwood Book 3 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

A magician linked to three murders and suspicious deaths years ago disappears in the middle of his new act in New York Times bestseller Phillip Margolin’s latest thriller featuring Robin Lockwood

Robin Lockwood is a young criminal defense attorney and partner in a prominent law firm in Portland, Oregon. A former MMA fighter and Yale Law graduate, she joined the firm of legal legend Regina Barrister not long before Regina was forced into retirement by early onset Alzheimer’s.

One of Regina’s former clients, Robert Chesterfield, shows up in the law office with an odd request—he’s seeking help from his old attorney in acquiring patent protection for an illusion. Chesterfield is a professional magician of some reknown and he has a major new trick he’s about to debut. This is out of the scope of the law firm’s expertise, but when Robin Lockwood looks into his previous relationship with the firm, she learns that twenty years ago he was arrested for two murders, one attempted murder, and was involved in the potentially suspicious death of his very rich wife. At the time, Regina Barrister defended him with ease, after which he resumed his career as a magician in Las Vegas.

Now, decades later, he debuts his new trick—only to disappear at the end. He’s a man with more than one dark past and many enemies—is his disappearance tied to one of the many people who have good reason to hate him? Was he killed and his body disposed of, or did he use his considerable skills to engineer his own disappearance?

Robin Lockwood must unravel the tangled skein of murder and bloody mischief to learn how it all ties together.

Ratings and reviews

Magician Robert Chestfield appears in Robin Lockwood's office looking for help in acquiring a patent for a new illusion he has created. She's not sure she can help , but promises to look into it. What she finds is that Chestfield, once charged with two murders and an attempted murder, was defended by a former colleague of Robins ... Regina Barrister. The story takes place in back and forth fashion, so the reader gets detailed information about that time 2o years before, Regina did successfully defend him, and Chestfield went on about his life. Now, 20 years later, he debuts his new trick ... disappears from a coffin ...and never reappears. Is his disappearance tied to one of the many people who have good reason to hate him? Was he killed and his body disposed of, or did he use his considerable skills to engineer his own disappearance? There are many with reason to want the man dead ... including his former wife and present wife... collectors for a Las Vegas casino where Chestfield owes a large amount of money ... another professional magician whose most popular illusion was outed by Chestfield ..... a man who was embezzled by Chestfield and was never charged ... the daughter of his first wife after her mother died under suspicious circumstances .. the list goes on and on. This was not a well-liked man. A bit different from this author's earlier books, nonetheless, the plot was tightly woven with a story within a story. The man characters are skillfully drawn ... with most of the spotlight on Regina and Chestfield. Robin plays a minor part until closer to the end. The suspects are many and varied and they all bear watching very closely. Many thanks to the author / St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction/legal thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I received a free electronic ARC of this modern legal mystery/police procedural on February 22, 2020, from Netgalley, Phillip Margolin, and 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. If you love Oregon or don't know anything at all about it, you will love it by tales end. Phillip Margolin tours us through the best parts of Portland with warm descriptive passages that make you need to visit. Robin Lockwood had been the first girl in her state to place in a boy's high school wrestling championship and competed in her university fielded top NCAA Division I squad, she is an exercise guru and runner, and a top of her class legal master. You just have to root for her throughout this tale of woe. A Reasonable Doubt is the third in Phillip Margolin's Robin Lockwood legal thrillers. If you enjoy mysteries surrounding magicians, this book is for you. Robin has an intense and thorough legal mind and has been added to the firm of Portland, Oregon lawyers in the firm that originally included Regina Barrister, now retired. In March of 2017, British citizen Roger Chesterfield approaches the firm looking for Regina, to handle a 'little problem'. Regina had been able to help him out of another little problem years ago and he remembered her fondly. Finding her retired, he pays a retainer to the firm of Barrister, Berman & Lockwood to assist him in obtaining a Copywrite for his latest magic act, The Chamber of Death, before he began using it in his Las Vegas act. Oh, and he might be needing a 'top-flight criminal attorney very soon. Robin accepts a retainer on the copyright problem but does not commit the firm to any criminal work until she has some facts. Which was a good thing - everybody and his Uncle are after Roger Chesterfield, from Las Vegas mob boss and his debt collectors, ex-wives, and most of the magicians you can bring to mind. Currently, he is suspected by Westmont Country Club of cheating at cards, making passes at most of the staff and some of the wives, and expecting his current wife to foot all his bills. Jane Dowd is loved and respected by everyone who knew her and her super-wealthy deceased first husband, and the club is not slow in circling round to protect Lily. Unfortunately Lily cannot see through the charm, and the couple withdrew their participation in the Country Club, removing Lily from her circle of supporters. And Regina, though much is fuzzy in her current memory, remembers that the case she had covered for Roger - two murders in 1997-1998 - he slipped out of serving time for due to a technicality. Her advice to Robin - don't trust Roger Chesterfield. And then new murders start turning up, including one at the Westmont Country Club. Portland Police detectives Martin Quinlan and Roger Dillon are excellent in their coverage of these new murders and a couple of older ones, but brash Peter Ragland, the spoiled son of an old well-loved DA, manages to give the cases away through shoddy work. But then there are more dead bodies...

1st book of series good, 2nd book so-so, this 3rd book repetitious beyond belief to fill 200 pages.

About the author

PHILLIP MARGOLIN has written over twenty novels, most of them New York Times bestsellers, including Gone But Not Forgotten, Lost Lake, and Violent Crimes. In addition to being a novelist, he was a long time criminal defense attorney with decades of trial experience, including a large number of capital cases. Margolin lives in Portland, Oregon.