A Matter of Life and Death

November 1, 2020
OK, so the premise is a little tenuous: a homeless man's opponent dies in a staged fight, and the fight's organizers force the homeless man to rob a house. Soon he's arrested for the murder of the house's resident. The case seems open-and-shut, but former MMA fighter Robin Lockwood, now a defense attorney working her way up through the ranks, believes the man was framed. Unfortunately, proving that could be difficult, because she has no evidence to suggest a frame-up. The situation seems hopeless, but Margolin, a veteran legal-thriller writer, excels at hopeless situations. Starting from nothing, Lockwood builds an increasingly persuasive case, zeroing in on the real villain and exposing secrets that certain people would kill to protect. The Lockwood series is still in its infancy (this is the fourth book), but it has a lot of potential, and legal-thriller fans should keep an eye on it.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 15, 2020
Portland attorney Robin Lockwood takes on the defense of a homeless boxer who's been framed but good for murder. Joe Lattimore has a bad feeling about allowing himself to be drafted into an illegal no-holds-barred fight, but the $300 he's offered would settle his wife and baby daughter in a motel room for a few nights while he looks for work. Things go from bad to worse when he apparently kills the man he's fighting and agrees to burgle a stranger's home as his price for the recording of the fight. Inside, Joe finds the corpse of Elizabeth Carasco, the wealthy wife of Judge Anthony Carasco, whose life has changed in dramatic ways ever since he was picked up by escort Stacey Hayes. Joe swears he's innocent, but the cops have his fingerprints inside the house and a pair of witnesses, one of them Judge Carasco, who saw a man who looks a lot like him fleeing the scene shortly after the murder. It's an ideal case for Robin, who's not only a dab hand in the courtroom, but a former mixed martial arts warrior who, in a rare dead end, expresses an interest in returning to the ring undercover in order to expose the culprits who arranged the illegal fights and a whole lot more felonies. Margolin keeps the story steadily absorbing, replacing whatever surprises you might have expected with new revelations of the plotters' ever more violent and treacherous behavior that make you nod with appreciation. Everything purrs along until one character too many gets killed and Robin suddenly finds herself wrestling with a genuine whodunit. "I feel like I'm in a movie sequel," the presiding judge observes, but there's nothing wrong with that.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 11, 2021
In bestseller Margolin’s lively fourth Robin Lockwood mystery (after 2020’s A Reasonable Doubt), former professional boxer Joe Lattimore, who’s now homeless and desperate to provide for his wife and young child, accepts an offer to participate in an illegal no-holds-barred fight. When Joe’s opponent dies during their bout, he finds himself at the mercy of the fight promoter, who pressures him into robbing the home of circuit court judge Anthony Carasco and the judge’s wealthy wife, Betsy. Joe enters the house only to find Betsy’s battered body. Despite the massive evidence piling up against Joe, Portland, Ore., defense attorney Robin believes his claim that he’s been set up. Prosecuting attorney Vanessa Cole, who views the “high-profile, sure-winner, death penalty case” as a way of keeping her position come election time, provides a perfect foil for Robin. Chicanery, sexual peccadilloes, and plenty of two-fisted action keep the plot moving steadily along the road toward justice. Those who like to see despicable people get their comeuppance will be more than satisfied. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary.