Phillip Margolin - Reasonable Doubt

Saturday June 20 at 5:00 PM Phillip Margolin presents A Reasonable Doubt , please check the date with us as the June comes closer.   Phil always puts on a good show! His New York Times Bestselling mysteries owe a lot to his years as a criminal defense attorney in Portland Oregon arguing death penalty cases.  There is a feeling of reality and knowledge about the workings of the law that add depth to his novels.

Mystery, magic, and a complicated puzzle make A Reasonable Doubt fun to read!  The pages fly by!  If you enjoy a good mystery, do not pass this up! 

Robert Chesterfield is a master magician with a posh British accent, but not a nice guy.  He was charged with killing two people, he walked because he hired the best, attorney Regina Barrister.  Known as the sorceress for her brilliance as a defense attorney, Regina effortlessly left the prosecutor in tatters, her client cleared of the crime. 

Decades later, Robin Lockwood, Regina’s protégé, is contacted by Chesterfield because he may find it convenient to have a criminal attorney on retainer in the near future.  Robin isn’t thrilled with the client, but she has a life long fascination with magic, so she accepts.  Invited to his palatial home on the Oregon Coast for a special showing of his new illusion, the Chamber of Death.  Robin is present when the magic goes awry and the magician disappears.  His timing is good, he goes missing leaving behind a string of debtors, including a mobster who takes running out on a debt as a sign of disrespect. 

Years later, the Portland papers announce the debut of Robert Chesterfield’s Chamber of Death at the Imperial Theater.  The illusion again ends differently than anticipated.  This time Robert Chesterfield is not going to escape, he is seriously dead, murdered in front of a full theater of people with no one the wiser as to who put an end to the magician.  In the audience are a plethora of Chesterfield’s enemies, and the two defense attorneys, Regina Barrister, now retired, and Robin Lockwood. 

A magician killed in front of a crowd with no one aware of the crime or able to identify the killer!  What a great mystery! 

Second in the series, The Perfect Alibi, is a page turning thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page. A well regarded attorney is brutally murdered, when suspicion falls on his equally popular partner, Robin Lockwood is called on to defend.  A young woman from a background lacking in financial wealth is raped by a popular athlete, on his way to a brilliant career, from one of Portland’s wealthiest neighborhoods.  Robin is hired to represent the woman in a civil suit for damages.  Margolin’s years as a successful attorney, arguing death penalty cases before the Supreme Court, is evident as he takes the reader inside the busy office of a highly capable attorney.  With quick, sharp sentences he moves the cases along, Robin delving relentlessly for the path best suited to meet the needs of her clients while adhering to a strict moral code. Fascinating.  Lots of fast paced action, multiple murders, and DNA results that are contradictory in the extreme.  Margolin has a gripping thriller that also touches on such serious topics as reliance on forensic evidence, the difference in the way societal classes are treated and bullying.  And, oh boy, does he ever have the twists and surprises!  Great reading. 

 Robin Lockwood was introduced in The Third Victim.  Whisper Lake is a small community in rural Oregon where the population swells in summer when the owners of vacation cabins enjoy the lake.  Winter it is deserted and quiet.  Caleb White is shocked when a woman stumbles out of the woods in front of his vehicle, disheveled, blood caked, mud covered, and incoherent.  His cousin is a local cop, Caleb is happy to turn the woman over to his care.  Meredith Fenner was held in a remote cabin and repeatedly tortured.  She bonds strongly with Detective Harry White, relying on his kindness and assurances that she is safe now. 

Meredith lived, worked, and was abducted from Portland; the case becomes even darker when a powerful attorney, the owner of the cabin, is identified as the prime suspect.  The evidence against Alex Mason is convincing; Meredith identified his cabin, there is physical evidence inside, and the man’s wife attests that he is sexually sadistic.  He can afford the best, and being a local attorney he knows Regina Barrister is as good as it gets.  

Regina just hired Robin Lockwood who will be helping with the defense.  Robin was clerking for Oregon Supreme Court Judge Stanley Cloud when she was offered the job, it was an easy choice. Regina had long been her hero, a role model the younger woman aspired to following,  At times watching Regina, Robin feels fortunate to be learning from the best, but then there will be odd things, actions that make her uneasy. 

This is a thrilling mystery with devious twists that will keep you guessing to the very last page, a masterful  puzzle.  However the heart of this story is the bravery of a woman at the top of her game realizing that something is not right in her thought process.   Margolin shows these two incredibly strong women, Regina and Robin, one at the pinnacle of a career she loves, the other just getting started and filled with bright promise.  One must come to terms with the future she faces, the other must find the courage to confront her boss, her hero, and lay out her concerns over what she has seen as erratic behavior.  They both maneuver through some very difficult times with grace, Margolin’s compassionate and realistic exploration of this human drama is heartfelt.

There will be refreshments served and drawings for prizes. This will be a ticketed event requiring purchase of the book, check with us for details by calling 541-593-2525, emailing sunriverbooks@sunriverbooks.com, or stopping by Sunriver Books & Music.

Event date: 

Saturday, June 20, 2020 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm

Event address: 

57100 Beaver Drive
Sunriver Village Building 25
Sunriver, OR 97707
Staff Pick Badge
A Reasonable Doubt: A Robin Lockwood Novel By Phillip Margolin Cover Image
$30.79
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9781250117540
Published: Minotaur Books - March 10th, 2020

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The Perfect Alibi: A Novel (Robin Lockwood #2) By Phillip Margolin Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9781250118875
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: St. Martin's Paperbacks - October 29th, 2019

Staff Pick Badge
The Third Victim: A Novel (Robin Lockwood #1) By Phillip Margolin Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9781250118868
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: St. Martin's Paperbacks - October 30th, 2018