Legal Mystery Review: Betrayal | Phillip Margolin | Robin Lockwood #7

After reading Murder at Black Oaks, I was excited and surprised by the next book in the Robin Lockwood series, Betrayal. While Murder at Black Oaks followed a legal spin on a locked room mystery format, Betrayal is more of a classic legal mystery and thriller. An engaging case and great character development around Robin Lockwood as well!

About the Book | Betrayal

10 years earlier

Robin Lockwood is a first-year law student at Yale and rising the ranks as an MMA fighter, something she developed a passion for as a young girl growing up with brothers who participated in wrestling. Though Robin is a rising star, she isn’t in the very top of the league just yet.

Until her manager Bruce Dowling tells her that the #2 ranked contender in her weight class Mandy Kerrigan is set to fight for a spot in the championship, but her opponent got injured and had to drop out. Robin is ranked #9 and eligible to take the injured fighter’s place. Against Dowling’s advice, Robin jumps at the opportunity to prove herself in the televised fight. But Dowling’s warning is fortuitous, as Robin is knocked out first round and it ends her career in professional MMA fighting, solidifying her path to become an attorney.

Present day

Robin is a successful defense attorney and she is slowly moving on from the death of her fiancé Jeff over a year ago. When District Attorney Tom McGee asks Robin out, she realizes she’s ready to try moving on with dating finally. They agree to take things slowly, but it seems promising from their first date.

When a prominent lawyer and her family are assassinated in their home, the prime suspect is none other than Mandy Kerrigan, the MMA fighter who ended Robin’s career ten years ago. Mandy shares that she beat up one of the victims after he gave her drugs that resulted in a suspension of her career, and she was seen at the home around the time of the murder. Robin agrees to help Mandy’s defense team, feeling some kinship with Mandy over their shared history.

But things become complicated when Robin learns Tom McGee is the DA assigned to the trial. Robin quickly informs both Mandy and Tom of the complication, and they agree to put their relationship on hold until the trial is over. The case is made more complicated in that it is up for the death sentence if Mandy is found guilty. Robin will need to use all of her wits to help Mandy avoid conviction and a probable death sentence, but the victims have some ties to the mob that may put Robin’s own life in danger…

Review | Betrayal

One thing I’ve enjoyed about Phillip Margolin’s Robin Lockwood books is that the pace is kept fast and the story is tight. Legal thrillers can get bogged down explaining complicated legal nuance related to the plot, but Margolin doesn’t fall into this trap. He explains things in a manner that is easy for non-lawyers to understand and doesn’t spend too much time on the intricacies of the law, unless it is directly related to the case.

The victims in this case are the Finch family, and its revealed that any of the family members could have been the primary victim. This family had some skeletons in their closet that quickly come to light. The son Ryan Finch is the one who dealt the drugs to Robin and led her to beat him up, so the police initially seem to believe he is the target and the family may have been collateral.

However, it soon comes to light that the Finches have several enemies. Ryan’s mother Margaret Finch is an attorney for the local mob, suggesting that one of the high ranking mob members could be responsible. She also has been involved with protecting her clients from legal scams they have executed and there are several victims of these scams that may have it out for Margaret. Her brother was recently released from prison and the Finches have turned him away when he has asked for help getting back on his feet. The daughter Annie has several altercations at school that come to light.

Soon after beginning her investigation, Robin learns there were so many people who may have a problem with the Finches. This was a family that lived tangential and sometimes fully imbedded in corruption and scandal. Still, Mandy is an attractive suspect and it was easy to see why the police narrowed in on her. In addition to her motive, she was seen at the Finch house not long before the murder by a neighbor. The door being locked suggests that no one else came or went through the front door after she left, leading to the conclusion that she must have committed the murders.

Mandy herself is a tough character. But as Robin knows better than anyone, a client being rough around the edges or having committed some crimes doesn’t make them a murderer. Robin believes Mandy, but she knows that it will be difficult to get her a not guilty verdict. She also worries about a possible death sentence, so she approaches the case with both the verdict and sentencing in mind.

I liked the relationship with Tom McGee and their connection. Robin has been single for a few books now so it felt organic for her to begin moving on from Jeff finally. When it becomes clear that Robin taking Mandy’s case may be a conflict of interest because of her blossoming relationship with Tom, Robin and Tom are both quickly professionals about the situation. They agree that they will pause their relationship until after the trial, and they also agree that they want a fair trial and will respect whichever side wins.

I was pleasantly surprised that their relationship, though central to the plot, was handled without unnecessary drama for the plot. I never worried that Robin or Tom would change how they tried the case due to their relationship. At the same time, I did feel the tension that comes from separating work and personal life, and I respected how it was handled. Sometimes that sort of drama can be fun for a plot, but it would seem disingenuous to Robin’s character if she had allowed it to interfere. At the same time, if Tom hadn’t handled it well it would have been a sign that he wasn’t a good partner for Robin. Robin is passionate about justice and she wouldn’t want a relationship with someone who made her feel pressured to undermine her values.

A hallmark of Robin Lockwood books is not just about if she wins her cases, but also her quest for the truth above all else. Betrayal is no exception, and I enjoyed the way the pieces of the puzzle came together. Robin’s connection to Mandy is small, but still helped her take on the case since we learn Mandy wouldn’t be able to afford Robin’s fees.

A fascinating case, quick pacing, and an unexpected conclusion make this a great book, whether readers are new to Robin Lockwood or have read the whole series.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author | Phillip Margolin

Phillip Margolin is an attorney specializing in criminal defense and a writer who originally grew up in New York but has had the majority of his legal career and writing career in Oregon. Phillip was the first Oregon attorney to use the Battered Women’s Syndrome to defend a battered woman accused of murdering her spouse. In 1996 he published his first book, and has gone on to have a successful writing career.

About the Series | Robin Lockwood

New York Times bestselling author Phillip Margolin’s Robin Lockwood crime novels follows a young female attorney and amateur sleuth seeking justice in the courts of law. In the first legal courtroom thriller in this winning series, Robin Lockwood’s case of a sexual assault committed by a college-football superstar overwhelmingly looks like a slam-dunk, even backed by DNA evidence, until she’s faced with The Perfect Alibi.