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Robin Lockwood #6
Murder at Black Oaks: A Robin Lockwood Novel
In Phillip Margolin's Murder at Black Oaks , Attorney Robin Lockwood finds herself at an isolated retreat in the Oregon mountains, one with a tragic past and a legendary curse, and surrounded by many suspects and confronted with an impossible crime.
Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood is summoned by retired District Attorney Francis Melville to meet with him at Black Oaks, the manor he owns up in the Oregon mountains. The manor has an interesting history - originally built in 1628 in England, there's a murderous legend and curse attached to the mansion. Melville, however, wants Lockwood's help in a legal matter - righting a wrongful conviction from his days as a DA. A young man, Jose Alvarez, was convicted of murdering his girlfriend only for Melville, years later when in private practice, to have a client of his admit to the murder and to framing the man Melville convicted. Unable to reveal what he knew due to attorney client confidence, Melville now wants Lockwood's help in getting that conviction overturned.
Successful in their efforts, Melville invites Lockwood up to Black Oaks for a celebration. Lockwood finds herself among an odd group of invitees - including the bitter, newly released, Alvarez. When Melville is found murdered, with a knife connected to the original curse, Lockwood finds herself faced with a how to find out who is the murder among them and how to stop them before there's another victim.
Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood is summoned by retired District Attorney Francis Melville to meet with him at Black Oaks, the manor he owns up in the Oregon mountains. The manor has an interesting history - originally built in 1628 in England, there's a murderous legend and curse attached to the mansion. Melville, however, wants Lockwood's help in a legal matter - righting a wrongful conviction from his days as a DA. A young man, Jose Alvarez, was convicted of murdering his girlfriend only for Melville, years later when in private practice, to have a client of his admit to the murder and to framing the man Melville convicted. Unable to reveal what he knew due to attorney client confidence, Melville now wants Lockwood's help in getting that conviction overturned.
Successful in their efforts, Melville invites Lockwood up to Black Oaks for a celebration. Lockwood finds herself among an odd group of invitees - including the bitter, newly released, Alvarez. When Melville is found murdered, with a knife connected to the original curse, Lockwood finds herself faced with a how to find out who is the murder among them and how to stop them before there's another victim.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 8, 2022
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July 17, 2022
3.5⭐
Are you looking for a light, legal-thriller this weekend? Well, this one should fit the bill perfectly!
Book six of the Robin Lockwood series but can easily be read as a stand-alone.
Robin is an attorney in Oregon hired by a former prosecutor and one time defense attorney, Francis Hardy. Her new assignment will be looking into one of his previous cases. Years ago he prosecuted a young man Jose Alvarez for the murder of his girlfriend. And Jose has been sitting on death row ever since. But hit the brakes. Now someone else may be guilty of that murder! Can Robin get Jose off death row before it’s too late?
I loved the beginning and was all in. But about midway the author veered off on a detour into the somewhat eerie and haunted home of Francis Hardy. Suddenly turning this read into a locked room mystery.
I wasn’t ready for the abrupt change in direction and personally would have preferred the focus stay on Jose. But hey... that’s just me!💁🏻♀️
Overall, another great addition to the series. And I always enjoy any book Phillip Margolin releases.
Hope you will too!
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books
Are you looking for a light, legal-thriller this weekend? Well, this one should fit the bill perfectly!
Book six of the Robin Lockwood series but can easily be read as a stand-alone.
Robin is an attorney in Oregon hired by a former prosecutor and one time defense attorney, Francis Hardy. Her new assignment will be looking into one of his previous cases. Years ago he prosecuted a young man Jose Alvarez for the murder of his girlfriend. And Jose has been sitting on death row ever since. But hit the brakes. Now someone else may be guilty of that murder! Can Robin get Jose off death row before it’s too late?
I loved the beginning and was all in. But about midway the author veered off on a detour into the somewhat eerie and haunted home of Francis Hardy. Suddenly turning this read into a locked room mystery.
I wasn’t ready for the abrupt change in direction and personally would have preferred the focus stay on Jose. But hey... that’s just me!💁🏻♀️
Overall, another great addition to the series. And I always enjoy any book Phillip Margolin releases.
Hope you will too!
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books
November 8, 2022
A quick murder mystery and legal thriller.
I finished "Murder at Black Oaks" in a day. I love the audiobook read by Thérèse Plummer. This was quite entertaining if you're looking for a fast pace mystery novel with a light legal storyline. This one deals with capital punishment and attorney-client privilege. Although it's book #6, it can be read as a standalone.
In 1990, deputy DA Frank Melville successfully put Jose Alvarez on death row for the aggravated murder of a fellow student and girlfriend Margo in her dorm room. Despite the victory, Frank had mixed feelings about it. Thirty years later with new information, Frank asked Robin Lockwood, a defense attorney from Portland to help the innocent Jose.
I LOVE the first half. Then the unexpected...
The author did a full 180. A locked room thriller at Frank's Black Oaks manor during an epic rainstorm ...entering a spooky zone with a killer on the loose and other cases to solve. It didn't flow well. I'm sorry, I don't get it. But that's me, you might find the second half as entertaining as the first.
I'm also knocking down half a star with regard to the execution spree under a certain administration. I was curious and did a search and I'm not seeing the spree.... Source link and graph under the spoiler.
Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for my ALC.
Published Nov. 8, 2022!
I finished "Murder at Black Oaks" in a day. I love the audiobook read by Thérèse Plummer. This was quite entertaining if you're looking for a fast pace mystery novel with a light legal storyline. This one deals with capital punishment and attorney-client privilege. Although it's book #6, it can be read as a standalone.
In 1990, deputy DA Frank Melville successfully put Jose Alvarez on death row for the aggravated murder of a fellow student and girlfriend Margo in her dorm room. Despite the victory, Frank had mixed feelings about it. Thirty years later with new information, Frank asked Robin Lockwood, a defense attorney from Portland to help the innocent Jose.
I LOVE the first half. Then the unexpected...
The author did a full 180. A locked room thriller at Frank's Black Oaks manor during an epic rainstorm ...entering a spooky zone with a killer on the loose and other cases to solve. It didn't flow well. I'm sorry, I don't get it. But that's me, you might find the second half as entertaining as the first.
I'm also knocking down half a star with regard to the execution spree under a certain administration. I was curious and did a search and I'm not seeing the spree.... Source link and graph under the spoiler.
Thank you, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for my ALC.
Published Nov. 8, 2022!
June 19, 2022
"I am not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels. I'm afraid of what real human beings do to other real human beings." (Walter Jon Williams)
Phillip Margolin clues us in from the onset. He's had fun with this one. Pack a few silver bullets in your pocket as we enter into the darkened halls of Black Oaks. Black Oaks is a replica of a towering 17th century mansion in England. Its twin has been built to exact specifications in the higher elevations outside of Portland, Oregon. And the curse? Well, that seems to have drifted in alongside the estate as well.
We'll meet Frank Melville, a retired deputy district attorney, who is burdened with a deep sin of the past. Back things up to 1990 where Jose Alvarez, an engineering student, has been found guilty of the murder of his college girlfriend. And Frank brilliantly set up the case against Jose with a perfect eye-witness. Done deal. Jose has been on death row ever since.
But Frank has since come eye-to-eye with the real murderer. Truth popped open like an exploding grenade. Frank hires Robin Lockwood to see what she can do in setting Jose free. After an auto accident and the death of his wife, Frank has been left paralyzed and in a wheelchair.....kinda like a hard sentence in itself. He's inherited Black Oaks from his wife while breathing in a wafting curse. And in the grand entrance is a tapestry of a vicious werewolf and a bloody dagger. Well, now.....
Admittedly, Margolin designed an atmosphere of the haunted, the cursed, and a trickle of Agatha Christie with a werewolf on a leash. It reads as a standalone and takes a wild ride from the usual Robin Lockwood novels so far.
As readers, we ponder the legal questions of whether wrongs can be righted and can restitution ever be fully rendered? We'll have a mansion packed with guests on a "dark and stormy night" with the trailings of a body found in an elevator. And Margolin has just begun.....
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books and to Phillip Margolin for the opportunity.
Phillip Margolin clues us in from the onset. He's had fun with this one. Pack a few silver bullets in your pocket as we enter into the darkened halls of Black Oaks. Black Oaks is a replica of a towering 17th century mansion in England. Its twin has been built to exact specifications in the higher elevations outside of Portland, Oregon. And the curse? Well, that seems to have drifted in alongside the estate as well.
We'll meet Frank Melville, a retired deputy district attorney, who is burdened with a deep sin of the past. Back things up to 1990 where Jose Alvarez, an engineering student, has been found guilty of the murder of his college girlfriend. And Frank brilliantly set up the case against Jose with a perfect eye-witness. Done deal. Jose has been on death row ever since.
But Frank has since come eye-to-eye with the real murderer. Truth popped open like an exploding grenade. Frank hires Robin Lockwood to see what she can do in setting Jose free. After an auto accident and the death of his wife, Frank has been left paralyzed and in a wheelchair.....kinda like a hard sentence in itself. He's inherited Black Oaks from his wife while breathing in a wafting curse. And in the grand entrance is a tapestry of a vicious werewolf and a bloody dagger. Well, now.....
Admittedly, Margolin designed an atmosphere of the haunted, the cursed, and a trickle of Agatha Christie with a werewolf on a leash. It reads as a standalone and takes a wild ride from the usual Robin Lockwood novels so far.
As readers, we ponder the legal questions of whether wrongs can be righted and can restitution ever be fully rendered? We'll have a mansion packed with guests on a "dark and stormy night" with the trailings of a body found in an elevator. And Margolin has just begun.....
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books and to Phillip Margolin for the opportunity.
December 27, 2024
3.5 stars
In this 6th novel in the 'Robin Lockwood' series, the attorney searches for a killer in a gothic mansion. The book works fine as a standalone.
Author Phillip Margolin is a fan of the Golden Age mysteries, and wrote 'Murder at Black Oaks' as an homage to the writers who penned those tales. Thus the story contains an unusual murder, a haunted mansion, secret passages, an escaped madman, a werewolf curse, and more. It's an old fashioned story, but it's good fun.
*****
In 1990 Oregon college student Jose Alvarez is convicted of murdering his girlfriend Margo Prescott and sentenced to death.
The prosecutor in the case, Frank Melville - who's convinced Jose killed Margo - considers it a job well done.
Then in 1997 prosecutor Melville learns that a man named Archie Stallings murdered Margo Prescott. Frank is desperate to 'out' Stallings, but is prevented by attorney-client privilege. So Jose Alvarez is left to rot away on death row, and Frank's life is marred by intense feelings of guilt. As a result Melville makes it his mission to free convicts who've been wrongly imprisoned.
Thirty years later Archie Stallings dies and Melville, who's now in a wheelchair.......
.....hires attorney Robin Lockwood to find a way to reveal the truth about Archie Stallings and get Alvarez freed.
Robin manages the feat with the help of her investigator Ken Breland....
......and Jose is released from prison.
Afterwards, Melville invites Robin, Ken, and Jose to his mountaintop estate, called Black Oaks, to celebrate.
As it happens, Black Oaks - which was commissioned by Frank's deceased wife - is a brick by brick replica of an English mansion named Black Oaks that was built in 1673. The English manor has a reputation for being cursed because all its residents came to horrible ends amidst rumors of witchcraft, devil worship, orgies, werewolves, etc.
Robin Lockwood and her party brave torrential rainstorms to drive up the mountain to Black Oaks. Also present on the estate are Melville's daughter Nelly;
Melville's research assistant Sheila Monroe;
washed-up actor Corey Rockwell, who hopes Melville will finance his comeback movie;
attorney Justin Trent;
housekeeper Mrs. Raskin;
and butler Luther.
As the guests are finishing dinner, a soaked man knocks on the door and introduces himself as Detective Carl Samuels.
Samuels explains that Victor Zelko, an inmate at a nearby hospital for the criminally insane, has escaped. The detective was looking for Zelko when his car slipped off the road, and other police can't make it up the mountain until mudslides are cleared in the morning.
So now we have a classic setup - people stranded in an isolated house with a maniac on the loose. Needless to say, a murder occurs in spooky circumstances....and it's followed by more homicides.
Robin and her investigator Ken help search for the killer, which is tricky in the labyrinthine Black Oaks estate. Astute mystery fans may guess some of the twists, which just adds to the pleasure of reading the story.
I enjoyed the novel, which is a fine tribute to Golden Age mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley, Phillip Margolin, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
November 8, 2022
"Murder at Black Oaks" is a really good book. It captivates the reader and at the same time is very suspenseful. Jose Alvarez is sent to prison on death row for killing his girlfriend, Margo Prescott when students at Randolf College. He was prosecuted by then deputy district attorney, Frank Melville .Frank leaves the DA and goes into private practice with an old friend Lawrence Trent. Seven years later Archie Stallings comes to his office and asks him to defend him in a rape case. Archie was one of the students who witness seeing Jose leave Margo's room at college. Frank becomes his lawyer and gets him off. When back in the office Archie admits that he really did rape this woman as well as he killed Margo Prescott. Because of client-lawyer privilege Frank is not able to go to the police. This is where his nightmare begins when he realizes he sent an innocent man to prison. When Stallings dies from a heart attack On Frank's behalf his daughter Nelly Melville, contacts Robin Lockwood who is a lawyer at Barrister, Berman and Lockwood.
Nelly tells Robin that her father would like to talk to her, He is not able to come to her office as he was paralyzed from a car accident and would like her to come to his home Black Oaks. which is situated in a remote area of Solitude Mountain. She agrees to come. Robin asks her associate, Loretta Washington to check out the new client. In doing so she tells Robin that the manor house is cursed, The reader reads in detail the story of the manor house and why it is referred to as "werewolves". The main part of the story with the supporting characters takes at the manor house.
Robin goes to the house and meets with Frank. He tells her his story and wants to save Jose and hopes Robin can do it. She tells him that she will get back to him after she reviews his research. When she gets back to the office she asks Loretta and the firm's investigator, Ken Breland to read the reports and if they have a chance to get Jose released. They take the case to court and are able to get Jose released.
Frank wants to meet with Jose .Robin, Ken and Jose go back to Black Oaks to speak to Frank and spend a few days there. Corey Rockwell, a movie star is also a guest at the manor. This is where the story takes off and lots of things start to happen. There is a rain storm with mud slides which make it impossible to leave the manor. Robin and Ken realized that one of the people who are at the manor must be the killer The police arrive and all the guests are allowed to leave.
Before Robin and Ken leaves Nelly gives them a report that her father was investigating pertaining to Corey Rockwell. A beggar, Yousef Khan is sleeping on the beach and is accused of killing her. She asks them determine that Corey killed his wife, Claire Winters. This becomes another part of the story in finding out if he did kill his wife. Ken follows the leads and the reader is taken on a journey to an exciting ending.
The story goes back to Black Oaks and the reader again is taken on another journey to the the exciting ending. I don't think I did this story justice in trying to tell it.
Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books and St. Martin Publishing Group for this ARC.
Nelly tells Robin that her father would like to talk to her, He is not able to come to her office as he was paralyzed from a car accident and would like her to come to his home Black Oaks. which is situated in a remote area of Solitude Mountain. She agrees to come. Robin asks her associate, Loretta Washington to check out the new client. In doing so she tells Robin that the manor house is cursed, The reader reads in detail the story of the manor house and why it is referred to as "werewolves". The main part of the story with the supporting characters takes at the manor house.
Robin goes to the house and meets with Frank. He tells her his story and wants to save Jose and hopes Robin can do it. She tells him that she will get back to him after she reviews his research. When she gets back to the office she asks Loretta and the firm's investigator, Ken Breland to read the reports and if they have a chance to get Jose released. They take the case to court and are able to get Jose released.
Frank wants to meet with Jose .Robin, Ken and Jose go back to Black Oaks to speak to Frank and spend a few days there. Corey Rockwell, a movie star is also a guest at the manor. This is where the story takes off and lots of things start to happen. There is a rain storm with mud slides which make it impossible to leave the manor. Robin and Ken realized that one of the people who are at the manor must be the killer The police arrive and all the guests are allowed to leave.
Before Robin and Ken leaves Nelly gives them a report that her father was investigating pertaining to Corey Rockwell. A beggar, Yousef Khan is sleeping on the beach and is accused of killing her. She asks them determine that Corey killed his wife, Claire Winters. This becomes another part of the story in finding out if he did kill his wife. Ken follows the leads and the reader is taken on a journey to an exciting ending.
The story goes back to Black Oaks and the reader again is taken on another journey to the the exciting ending. I don't think I did this story justice in trying to tell it.
Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books and St. Martin Publishing Group for this ARC.
December 6, 2022
Author Philip Margolin is known as a "master of heart-pounding suspense."
The first five books in Philip Margolian's Robin Lockwood series were intricately plotted, character-driven, and showcased Margolin's signature "heart-pounding suspense".
Unfortunately, "Murder at Black Oaks"(Book #6) lacked the cohesiveness, relatability, and "heart-pounding suspense" expected from a Philip Margolin thriller.
(What happened, Phillip Margolin????)
The book had a promising start, focusing on attorney/client privilege and wrongful convictions.
The book quickly lost its focus.
The storyline veered off in different directions when it should have stayed on course.
Too many characters were added and these characters were shallow and not fully developed.
The book's hocus-pocus, "legendary curse" element simply was not believable.
I listened to the audiobook and narrator Thérèse Plummer did an outstanding job with the narration.
Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The first five books in Philip Margolian's Robin Lockwood series were intricately plotted, character-driven, and showcased Margolin's signature "heart-pounding suspense".
Unfortunately, "Murder at Black Oaks"(Book #6) lacked the cohesiveness, relatability, and "heart-pounding suspense" expected from a Philip Margolin thriller.
(What happened, Phillip Margolin????)
The book had a promising start, focusing on attorney/client privilege and wrongful convictions.
The book quickly lost its focus.
The storyline veered off in different directions when it should have stayed on course.
Too many characters were added and these characters were shallow and not fully developed.
The book's hocus-pocus, "legendary curse" element simply was not believable.
I listened to the audiobook and narrator Thérèse Plummer did an outstanding job with the narration.
Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2023
After a promising beginning, I found this confusing. Perhaps if I read it again, I may get a better understanding, but I'm not counting on it. 2 of 10 stars
November 16, 2022
A defense attorney is enlisted to help free a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder and has spent decades on death row. After new evidence leads to his release, he and the attorney are invited to a house party at the home of the man who had prosecuted him.the
This was unlike other books that I have read by this author, including other books in this series. It was an Agatha Christie knock-off, with a murder and multiple suspects. In addition to the released convict, there is an actor suspected of killing his wife, a girlfriend with questionable motives and a escaped homicidal maniac. Oh, and the house also has a curse. Really, the whole thing felt cheesy and I was glad that it was very short.
This was unlike other books that I have read by this author, including other books in this series. It was an Agatha Christie knock-off, with a murder and multiple suspects. In addition to the released convict, there is an actor suspected of killing his wife, a girlfriend with questionable motives and a escaped homicidal maniac. Oh, and the house also has a curse. Really, the whole thing felt cheesy and I was glad that it was very short.
October 12, 2022
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Phillip Margolin, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
A long-time fan of Phillip Margolin and his work, I was eager to read this latest in the Robin Lockwood series. Margolin uses his strong ability with legal thriller and mixes in a murder mystery to create a doubly impressive piece for everyone. Full of great drama and some strong storytelling, Margolin impresses while never losing the momentum that this series appears to have with each new novel.
Frank Hardy was a stellar part of the DA’s office, able to push for convictions on many crimes. He even went so far as to put a man on death row for a heinous crime. After leaving for private practice, Hardy discovers that one of his clients was actually behind the murder, but knows the rules of attorney-client privilege keep anyone from being the wiser.
Years later, Hardy summons up-and-coming defence attorney, Robin Lockwood, to his palatial estate in the Oregon mountains. Hardy reveals what he knows and pushes Lockwood to see that justice is done, allowing an innocent man to go free. Lockwood does all she can, while also baffled about Hardy’s residence, the Black Oaks manor. Many a mysterious thing happened at the original manor, in the heart of England.
After Lockwood is successful in getting Jose Alvarez free from prison, they make their way to Black Oaks for a celebratory meal. Alvarez has made it clear that he holds a grudge towards Hardy for the delay in acting to set him free, even over the rational arguments made by his attorney. When Frank Hardy and others are murdered during the party, many wonder if the curse of Black Oaks has reared its ugly head. Robin finds herself scrambling to find a killer and try to piece it all together before too many others fall victim to a murderer and the curse of Black Oaks. Margolin dazzles with this piece and proves his versatile nature.
Phillip Margolin has proven his ability time and time again, luring me in with a well-developed story and a cast of characters well worth the reading time. This story moves things away from being strictly legal and into the realm of mystery, as if Robin Lockwood must temporarily resurrect a character from an Agatha Christie novel. Working on building a strong connection to the story and characters alike, Margolin proves he has what it takes to entertain the reader throughout.
Margolin develops a strong narrative and uses this to propel the story forward. With a strong foundation, the story clips along at a rapid pace, helped by short chapters and a handful of strong characters. The plot twists move the story from a legal thriller to a mystery, taking the reader along for an exciting ride. Building on a series that has already garnered a great deal of positive feedback by fans, Margolin is set to keep things flowing with ease, well into the future. I cannot wait to see what’s next for Robin and her legal team!
Kudos, Mr. Margolin, for a great piece that had me binge reading and enjoying every moment.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A long-time fan of Phillip Margolin and his work, I was eager to read this latest in the Robin Lockwood series. Margolin uses his strong ability with legal thriller and mixes in a murder mystery to create a doubly impressive piece for everyone. Full of great drama and some strong storytelling, Margolin impresses while never losing the momentum that this series appears to have with each new novel.
Frank Hardy was a stellar part of the DA’s office, able to push for convictions on many crimes. He even went so far as to put a man on death row for a heinous crime. After leaving for private practice, Hardy discovers that one of his clients was actually behind the murder, but knows the rules of attorney-client privilege keep anyone from being the wiser.
Years later, Hardy summons up-and-coming defence attorney, Robin Lockwood, to his palatial estate in the Oregon mountains. Hardy reveals what he knows and pushes Lockwood to see that justice is done, allowing an innocent man to go free. Lockwood does all she can, while also baffled about Hardy’s residence, the Black Oaks manor. Many a mysterious thing happened at the original manor, in the heart of England.
After Lockwood is successful in getting Jose Alvarez free from prison, they make their way to Black Oaks for a celebratory meal. Alvarez has made it clear that he holds a grudge towards Hardy for the delay in acting to set him free, even over the rational arguments made by his attorney. When Frank Hardy and others are murdered during the party, many wonder if the curse of Black Oaks has reared its ugly head. Robin finds herself scrambling to find a killer and try to piece it all together before too many others fall victim to a murderer and the curse of Black Oaks. Margolin dazzles with this piece and proves his versatile nature.
Phillip Margolin has proven his ability time and time again, luring me in with a well-developed story and a cast of characters well worth the reading time. This story moves things away from being strictly legal and into the realm of mystery, as if Robin Lockwood must temporarily resurrect a character from an Agatha Christie novel. Working on building a strong connection to the story and characters alike, Margolin proves he has what it takes to entertain the reader throughout.
Margolin develops a strong narrative and uses this to propel the story forward. With a strong foundation, the story clips along at a rapid pace, helped by short chapters and a handful of strong characters. The plot twists move the story from a legal thriller to a mystery, taking the reader along for an exciting ride. Building on a series that has already garnered a great deal of positive feedback by fans, Margolin is set to keep things flowing with ease, well into the future. I cannot wait to see what’s next for Robin and her legal team!
Kudos, Mr. Margolin, for a great piece that had me binge reading and enjoying every moment.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
November 27, 2022
With an invitation to visit Black Oaks, attorney Robin Lockwood, finds herself in the midst of a murder or two. Robin is invited by Francis Hardy, a former attorney to Black Oats, to work on a case that went back a number of years. It was the murder conviction of Jose Alvarez, a man who Hardy learns was unjustly convicted of the crime. Unfortunately, it was another client of Hardy's who did the deed, but because of attorney client privilege, Hardy could not reveal what he knew. When the client dies, things change and Hardy can now tell what he knows and free an innocent man.
As the guests arrive in Black Oaks, not only do they arrive, but also a terrible storm hits as well. Trapped inside Black Oaks, a home that not only houses Hardy and his daughter and staff, but also terrible legends about of all things werewolves and the death of previous owners. And then the closed door murders occur.
This was a quick read, one that kept me occupied while the turkey cooked. Eventually, I would like to have a look at the previous books in this series, although I felt this book could very well be a stand along story.
Thanks are extended to Philip Margolin, Minotour Books and NetGalley for a copy of this tale which published in November of this year.
As the guests arrive in Black Oaks, not only do they arrive, but also a terrible storm hits as well. Trapped inside Black Oaks, a home that not only houses Hardy and his daughter and staff, but also terrible legends about of all things werewolves and the death of previous owners. And then the closed door murders occur.
This was a quick read, one that kept me occupied while the turkey cooked. Eventually, I would like to have a look at the previous books in this series, although I felt this book could very well be a stand along story.
Thanks are extended to Philip Margolin, Minotour Books and NetGalley for a copy of this tale which published in November of this year.
November 1, 2022
This is the sixth in the attorney Robin Lockwood series. It is the third I have read. It would work well as a standalone.
In 1990, district attorney Francis Melville successfully prosecutes Jose Alvarez for a murder and Alvarez is sentenced to death. A few years later, as the result of a privileged attorney-client communique, Melville learns who the real killer is. After the death of the guilty party, Melville asks Portland Oregon’s Robin Lockwood to help exonerate Alvarez. All meetings with Melville take place at his desolate home, Black Oaks. A replica of a 17th century English estate, it comes with a long sordid history and a curse.
I have always liked Margolin’s books, and this one is no exception although it is somewhat different in that it includes a bit of spookiness and monsters. As I read it, I was reminded of Agatha Christie’s stories. Margolin acknowledged that attribution when a character said that they felt they were in an Agatha Christie novel. There were also mentions of werewolves and a hint of Frankenstein! What fun!
This was a quick, enjoyable read. There are parallel stories to the main plot, something that seems to be a feature of the Lockwood series. The one point that bothered me, though, was that I thought there was a flawed premise behind the unveiling of the motive of a killer in one of the side stories. I don’t want to say any more about that lest I reveal a spoiler.
Note:This was an ARC. In some descriptions of the book, Melville has a different name (Hardy).
November 8, 2022
I picked this book up because Phillip Margolin is an author I enjoy. Then I found that it is part of the Robin Lockwood series and I have read several others in the series and like the character and the situations she becomes involved in with her legal practice.
In this one, Robin is an attorney and she goes to meet a retired District Attorney, Frank Melville, at his home. He wants Robin to look into finding a way to free Jose Alvarez, who was convicted of killing his girlfriend. Melville had been the prosecutor in the case and later found out one of his clients was the killer - but he was bound by attorney/client privilege and could not ethically reveal his knowledge.
This is an intense situation and there's some courtroom drama. Then things turn dangerous when Melville is murdered in his home - a kind of spooky mansion with a curse. This is a fast paced mystery with good tension buildup. A good read!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on November 8, 2022.
In this one, Robin is an attorney and she goes to meet a retired District Attorney, Frank Melville, at his home. He wants Robin to look into finding a way to free Jose Alvarez, who was convicted of killing his girlfriend. Melville had been the prosecutor in the case and later found out one of his clients was the killer - but he was bound by attorney/client privilege and could not ethically reveal his knowledge.
This is an intense situation and there's some courtroom drama. Then things turn dangerous when Melville is murdered in his home - a kind of spooky mansion with a curse. This is a fast paced mystery with good tension buildup. A good read!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on November 8, 2022.
November 4, 2022
*3-3.5 stars. A fast-paced and entertaining read set in Oregon in an eerie, isolated mansion. Attorney Robin Lockwood is asked by former prosecutor Frank Maxwell to help find a way to overturn a wrongful conviction of a man held on death row for the past thirty years. Maxwell had learned the truth in the case years ago from the actual murderer but was prevented from revealing the truth due to the constraints of attorney-client privilege.
Maxwell is wheelchair-bound since the accident that killed his beloved wife, Katherine. Together they had built their home, Black Oaks, on top of Solitude mountain; it is an exact replica of an ancient English mansion with a haunted past--think werewolves, bloody deaths and hints of curses.
After the successful conclusion of the case, Maxwell invites Robin, her investigator Ken, and Jose Alvarez, the released prisoner, to his mansion to celebrate. Among those gathered there are Frank's daughter Nelly, her fiancee Trent, his assistant Sheila and Corey Rockwell, a former film star whose career is waning. No one could have predicted a powerful storm and the resulting mudslide cutting them off from the outside world...and locking them in the spooky mansion with a murderer!
This story has shades of AgathaChristie's And Then There Were None. Margolin says he wanted to write a homage to his favorite Golden Age mystery writers such as
Christie and Ellery Queen and he does succeed in doing that pretty well with the eerie setting, impossible crime and intriguing cast of characters he has created here.
I received an arc of this new mystery from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Maxwell is wheelchair-bound since the accident that killed his beloved wife, Katherine. Together they had built their home, Black Oaks, on top of Solitude mountain; it is an exact replica of an ancient English mansion with a haunted past--think werewolves, bloody deaths and hints of curses.
After the successful conclusion of the case, Maxwell invites Robin, her investigator Ken, and Jose Alvarez, the released prisoner, to his mansion to celebrate. Among those gathered there are Frank's daughter Nelly, her fiancee Trent, his assistant Sheila and Corey Rockwell, a former film star whose career is waning. No one could have predicted a powerful storm and the resulting mudslide cutting them off from the outside world...and locking them in the spooky mansion with a murderer!
This story has shades of AgathaChristie's And Then There Were None. Margolin says he wanted to write a homage to his favorite Golden Age mystery writers such as
Christie and Ellery Queen and he does succeed in doing that pretty well with the eerie setting, impossible crime and intriguing cast of characters he has created here.
I received an arc of this new mystery from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
February 24, 2023
Any of the Robin Lockwood legal thrillers are interesting & easy to read.. But for some reason this 1 just didn’t click for me the way the others have. There wasn’t much “legal,” & it all just fit together too neatly (including some pretty outrageous factors.) Still, I love her character & will look forward to the next 1.
December 3, 2023
Light. Entertaining. Fast-paced. Nothing incredible or mesmerizing. But fun all the same.
I like that this is a legal procedural!
3.5 stars.
I like that this is a legal procedural!
3.5 stars.
December 5, 2022
Here’s one way to come up with a plot for a book: Take 100 pieces of paper and on each one write a trope. Throw them all into a bowl and mix really well. Pull out 20 at random. Line them up at random. There you go. Instant plot outline.
As I was reading Murder at Black Oaks, I concluded that must’ve been how Phillip Margolin wrote this novel. We have two different cases of an innocent person on death row, an escaped murderer patient from a mental hospital, dark and stormy nights, a creepy mansion in a remote area with poor cell phone reception, an invalid who won’t leave the creepy mansion, a disfigured butler, a werewolf legend, a locked room murder, and more. It’s all very B-movie and reminiscent of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
One thing that angered me about this book is the ableism. One of the main characters is described multiple times as “wheelchair-bound” and is single because “how could anyone ever love a cripple?” That character has barely left the house in 30 years because apparently in 2022 in Oregon it’s too difficult to leave the house in a wheelchair. *facepalm*
Along this line, the butler is described as terrifying because he has burn scars on his face. And of course he’s evil, because, you know, that’s just the way it’s supposed to go when you want to use every cliché there is.
My further complaint is the cringey identification of anyone non-white in the novel. For instance, six police officers pull up to the mansion and the author makes sure to let us know that one is African-American and one is Hispanic. Why? Same thing with everyone in the court— a judge, another judge, and African American judge, a few more judges. So are we to assume all the judges whose ethnicities were not described are white? Because white is the default of all characters in a book unless the author describes them as otherwise?
I did finish the book because I was entertained enough to want to know who the murderers were and how the locked room mystery was solved. That part was clever. The main character, a lawyer named Robin, is interesting and likeable. I was rooting for her.
Thank you NetGalley, Minotuar Books, and Macmillan audio for giving me this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. I am giving Murder at Black Oaks two and a half stars rounded up to three.
As I was reading Murder at Black Oaks, I concluded that must’ve been how Phillip Margolin wrote this novel. We have two different cases of an innocent person on death row, an escaped murderer patient from a mental hospital, dark and stormy nights, a creepy mansion in a remote area with poor cell phone reception, an invalid who won’t leave the creepy mansion, a disfigured butler, a werewolf legend, a locked room murder, and more. It’s all very B-movie and reminiscent of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
One thing that angered me about this book is the ableism. One of the main characters is described multiple times as “wheelchair-bound” and is single because “how could anyone ever love a cripple?” That character has barely left the house in 30 years because apparently in 2022 in Oregon it’s too difficult to leave the house in a wheelchair. *facepalm*
Along this line, the butler is described as terrifying because he has burn scars on his face. And of course he’s evil, because, you know, that’s just the way it’s supposed to go when you want to use every cliché there is.
My further complaint is the cringey identification of anyone non-white in the novel. For instance, six police officers pull up to the mansion and the author makes sure to let us know that one is African-American and one is Hispanic. Why? Same thing with everyone in the court— a judge, another judge, and African American judge, a few more judges. So are we to assume all the judges whose ethnicities were not described are white? Because white is the default of all characters in a book unless the author describes them as otherwise?
I did finish the book because I was entertained enough to want to know who the murderers were and how the locked room mystery was solved. That part was clever. The main character, a lawyer named Robin, is interesting and likeable. I was rooting for her.
Thank you NetGalley, Minotuar Books, and Macmillan audio for giving me this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. I am giving Murder at Black Oaks two and a half stars rounded up to three.
June 12, 2022
Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood is invited by the retired District Attorney Frank Melville to his home in the mountains called Black Oaks. Frank needed help on a previous case and Robin helped him successfully. Then Frank is found murdered at a celebration party for the case, and all of the guests are suspects. Who killed Frank?
This one was right up my alley. The setting of a creepy old manor with a haunted history is perfect for me. And the story line reminded me of the TV show, Murder She Wrote, which I also loved. Brilliant writing from Phillip Margolin and I would definitely read more of his books in the future. In fact, MURDER AT BLACK OAKS is the 6th book in the Robin Lockwood series, but I read it as a stand alone and I loved it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
This one was right up my alley. The setting of a creepy old manor with a haunted history is perfect for me. And the story line reminded me of the TV show, Murder She Wrote, which I also loved. Brilliant writing from Phillip Margolin and I would definitely read more of his books in the future. In fact, MURDER AT BLACK OAKS is the 6th book in the Robin Lockwood series, but I read it as a stand alone and I loved it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
January 2, 2023
All I will say is this Robin Lockwood series is a must read. The mystery and the twists and turns. Just when you think you have it figured out, you are all wrong.
June 11, 2022
Philip Margolin does an exquisite job with legal thrillers. He has several character series I've read; Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood is one of my favorites. She a former MMA champion and a brilliant legal mind. In all the books of this series, she comes up with clever solutions for her clients even Perry Mason wouldn’t think of. In Murder at Black Oaks (Minotaur Books 2022), Book 6 in the Robin Lockwood series, she is asked by the DA who put an innocent man in prison thirty years ago to free him. There are extenuating circumstances why the DA couldn't reveal the man's innocence long ago, all of which complicate Robin's job. Robin performs her legal magic, manages to free the man, but for some unknown reason, the DA is murdered. Now, Robin and her investigator end up involved in solving that mystery along with the police.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite the occasional labored writing such as:
“Mrs. Raskin had stopped in the hallway when Robin was showing the tapestry to Jose. When Robin turned away from the tapestry, Mrs. Raskin continued down the corridor. Robin, Ken, and Jose caught up with Mrs. Raskin when she stopped in front of the staircase and the elevator. Mrs. Raskin went into the elevator, and Ken followed her. Jose started to follow Ken, but Robin stopped him. “
“Melville’s wheelchair was motorized, and he maneuvered away from the table and toward the hall. The other guests started walking toward the stairs to the upper floors. Frank had just entered the corridor outside the dining hall when the door from the kitchen opened and the caterers, a man and a woman in their late twenties, and the two waiters, walked into the corridor.”
Because I've read so many of Margolin's excellent legal thrillers, I almost think this sort of monotonous description is purposeful, maybe the voice Margolin wishes to create.
If I could change one thing about the book, it would be the ending. A reason I love reading mysteries and thrillers is to collect the clues sprinkled throughout the book and connect the dots before the lawyers and police do. Occasionally, and this is one of those, I spend an entire 350-ish pages doing that only to have the author throw a gazillion new clues in the last five pages that change everything. So while I thought I knew stuff, I didn’t know squat.
But that didn’t change my 5/5 rating.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite the occasional labored writing such as:
“Mrs. Raskin had stopped in the hallway when Robin was showing the tapestry to Jose. When Robin turned away from the tapestry, Mrs. Raskin continued down the corridor. Robin, Ken, and Jose caught up with Mrs. Raskin when she stopped in front of the staircase and the elevator. Mrs. Raskin went into the elevator, and Ken followed her. Jose started to follow Ken, but Robin stopped him. “
“Melville’s wheelchair was motorized, and he maneuvered away from the table and toward the hall. The other guests started walking toward the stairs to the upper floors. Frank had just entered the corridor outside the dining hall when the door from the kitchen opened and the caterers, a man and a woman in their late twenties, and the two waiters, walked into the corridor.”
Because I've read so many of Margolin's excellent legal thrillers, I almost think this sort of monotonous description is purposeful, maybe the voice Margolin wishes to create.
If I could change one thing about the book, it would be the ending. A reason I love reading mysteries and thrillers is to collect the clues sprinkled throughout the book and connect the dots before the lawyers and police do. Occasionally, and this is one of those, I spend an entire 350-ish pages doing that only to have the author throw a gazillion new clues in the last five pages that change everything. So while I thought I knew stuff, I didn’t know squat.
But that didn’t change my 5/5 rating.
November 16, 2022
Margolin’s Writing is Clear, Descriptive and Direct
SUMMARY
Robin Lockwood is a well know defense attorney practicing law in Portland Oregon. Frank Melville, a retired prosecutor and defense attorney hires Robin to look at a murder case he had won as a prosecutor. He knows he got it wrong and Jose Alvarez has been sitting on death row ever since. Jose is not the one that killed his college girlfriend, and Frank knows exactly who did, but he is forbidden to talk about it due to attorney client confidentiality. Can Robin get Jose off before it’s to late?
REVIEW
If you haven’t met Robin Lockwood yet, you are missing out on an intelligent and amazing female literary character. Murder at Black Oaks is part legal drama and part locked room murder mystery and Robin carries the day on both counts.
Author Phillip Margolin says that Murder in Blacks Oaks is his homage to all of the great writers from the golden age of mysteries. Think Agatha Christie and Ellory Queen. Margolin says they inspired him to write a novel with an impossible murder, a haunted mansion, secret passages, and a werewolf curse, the wonderful ingredients that make those old mysteries so great. This book has all that and more. Margolin writing is clear, descriptive and direct and his characters are intriguing. Worth the read!
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Minotaur Books
Published November 8, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
SUMMARY
Robin Lockwood is a well know defense attorney practicing law in Portland Oregon. Frank Melville, a retired prosecutor and defense attorney hires Robin to look at a murder case he had won as a prosecutor. He knows he got it wrong and Jose Alvarez has been sitting on death row ever since. Jose is not the one that killed his college girlfriend, and Frank knows exactly who did, but he is forbidden to talk about it due to attorney client confidentiality. Can Robin get Jose off before it’s to late?
REVIEW
If you haven’t met Robin Lockwood yet, you are missing out on an intelligent and amazing female literary character. Murder at Black Oaks is part legal drama and part locked room murder mystery and Robin carries the day on both counts.
Author Phillip Margolin says that Murder in Blacks Oaks is his homage to all of the great writers from the golden age of mysteries. Think Agatha Christie and Ellory Queen. Margolin says they inspired him to write a novel with an impossible murder, a haunted mansion, secret passages, and a werewolf curse, the wonderful ingredients that make those old mysteries so great. This book has all that and more. Margolin writing is clear, descriptive and direct and his characters are intriguing. Worth the read!
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Minotaur Books
Published November 8, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
November 10, 2022
This is a very light mystery that moves along at an okay pace. I liked the storyline concept and the focus on righting wrongs. The atmospheric backdrop didn’t bother me too much either. But I felt the book was very much a surface read with little depth or complexity and the characters were pretty flat. I was struck by references to the main character wearing suits during her visits to Black Oaks with “a white satin blouse” in one instance and a “man tailored white shirt” in another. It didn’t sync with Oregon’s casual culture, especially up in the mountains. There were other references that felt off and bit dated. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the book much and it wasn’t for me. Hopefully, other readers will appreciate it more. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
January 22, 2023
This might be the first book I wish I could give 0 stars.
There is a lot I could say about the plot and the structure of the book. (Why is it broken into so many unnecessary "parts"? Why does it slap on an additional mystery/case that has nothing to do with the central one? Why does the book start so damn early in its own timeline? In media res, people!!)
But, I mean, the writing is the thing that can take an absurdly plotted or ineffectively structured book and boost it to the realm of "readable." The writing in this book did not do that.
The overall effect of the prose is perfunctory. Nothing builds tension or explores character. Example: not one, but two dramatic searches of a scary old manor house take place, which other writers would have taken as opportunities to inject some delicious atmosphere into the proceedings. But not so here. One search takes about three pages, in mostly summary form, and the other is dispensed with in a paragraph. In fact, the assigning of search parties, filled with faceless tertiary characters no one cares about (least of all the writer), take up more page space than the searches themselves.
A lot of the problems seem to arise from the possibility that Margolin is simply transposing his day job as a defense attorney into a fiction form on the page. Surely the experience and unique insights of a lawyer could be to the benefit of a series of legal thrillers, but Margolin has not managed to surpass the quotidian norms of his legal practice in a way that would make for exciting literature. Everything is so repetitive, for one thing; that's part of the problem of starting his narrative years in the past and walking us through every step to the present situation, and even going over the main points of each previous step in each subsequent step. It makes sense that a lawyer would need to hammer home the facts throughout a trial. In a book, it's exhausting, and makes it feel as though he needs to treat us like idiots to grasp the basics of his plotline.
In addition, all of the dialog reads like heavily-scripted testimony, not natural speech between humans with personalities. They say things like "My fiancée gave me some background on the film's success" instead of "My fiancée used to blather on about action movies," or whatever would suit the character. Nothing suits any of the characters, really, because none of the characters are defined beyond rote descriptions of the clothes they wear, what color their eyes are, and oh, whether they have "recently begun wearing their hair in cornrows."
And, ugh, that's another level of discomfort. Margolin seems - perhaps - well-intentioned in embedding a level of diversity and inclusivity in his book, but it just comes off as flat and tokenized. He points out the races of several background characters whose race, or really whose presence at all, has little to no bearing on the plot; it feels like awkwardly ticking boxes. More to his credit, the plot hinges on the unfair and probably racially-influenced conviction of a Latino, but between that character and another that comes out of left field, there is a very strong vibe of white saviorism to the proceedings.
Ironically, given Margolin's token inclusion of diverse background characters, the one Black character with any significant agency or presence is explicitly singled out as having "definitely not been a diversity hire" at the protagonist's law firm. (She's the one with cornrows, in case you missed the fact that she was Black from Margolin's helpful and not-cringey-at-all description that she had "eyes the color of milk chocolate" and that, oh yeah, "she was an African American woman.") Couple of things wrong with this that well-meaning white authors should take note of. Margolin's introduction to this character seems designed to short-circuit any claims that he (or his characters) might be guilty of "virtue signaling" by engaging in "affirmative action." But it's a way more offensive "vice signal," frankly, to bother pointing out that she's "definitely not a diversity hire" than to simply show how competent she is and allow the audience to get it. Moreover, the implication that an actual "diversity hire" couldn't be that competent is galling. Hiring for diversity doesn't mean just grabbing a random token person off the street; like anyone else in any other job, they have to be able to do the work.
Ultimately it doesn't matter much because the character is set dressing who serves the white female protagonist's needs and doesn't get to come along for the adventure, like their white male associate does.
So many other things, big and small, to go over. Why wouldn't you LEAD with your suspicion that an escaped serial killer is in the house? Oh, because then you wouldn't be able to do your dramatic end-of-chapter reveal. (Except you totally could, with some basic revision.) Why would a private home with only four permanent residents need a meat locker with sides of beef hanging from hooks? Oh, yes, of course: to provide a dramatic location to discover a body. (Spoiler alert.) Oh, you want your characters "not to hesitate" to fire on the killer "because he's insane," as if that's not a mitigating factor but an aggravating one? (There's a lot of problematic treatment of mental illness throughout, and though Margolin hangs a bit of a lampshade on it, it goes unquestioned for a significant portion of the proceedings, and I don't recall our heroic protagonist ever challenging it.) Basically if there were a way to MST3K a piece of print media, this book would be a perfect candidate for the series premier. (Incidentally, the supposed raving madman is also known to be a master of disguise, and while he is later characterized as an "organized thinker," most of the book really had me picturing Heath Ledger's Joker dressed up as a candy striper in The Dark Knight, and everyone falling for it somehow.)
There is a lot I could say about the plot and the structure of the book. (Why is it broken into so many unnecessary "parts"? Why does it slap on an additional mystery/case that has nothing to do with the central one? Why does the book start so damn early in its own timeline? In media res, people!!)
But, I mean, the writing is the thing that can take an absurdly plotted or ineffectively structured book and boost it to the realm of "readable." The writing in this book did not do that.
The overall effect of the prose is perfunctory. Nothing builds tension or explores character. Example: not one, but two dramatic searches of a scary old manor house take place, which other writers would have taken as opportunities to inject some delicious atmosphere into the proceedings. But not so here. One search takes about three pages, in mostly summary form, and the other is dispensed with in a paragraph. In fact, the assigning of search parties, filled with faceless tertiary characters no one cares about (least of all the writer), take up more page space than the searches themselves.
A lot of the problems seem to arise from the possibility that Margolin is simply transposing his day job as a defense attorney into a fiction form on the page. Surely the experience and unique insights of a lawyer could be to the benefit of a series of legal thrillers, but Margolin has not managed to surpass the quotidian norms of his legal practice in a way that would make for exciting literature. Everything is so repetitive, for one thing; that's part of the problem of starting his narrative years in the past and walking us through every step to the present situation, and even going over the main points of each previous step in each subsequent step. It makes sense that a lawyer would need to hammer home the facts throughout a trial. In a book, it's exhausting, and makes it feel as though he needs to treat us like idiots to grasp the basics of his plotline.
In addition, all of the dialog reads like heavily-scripted testimony, not natural speech between humans with personalities. They say things like "My fiancée gave me some background on the film's success" instead of "My fiancée used to blather on about action movies," or whatever would suit the character. Nothing suits any of the characters, really, because none of the characters are defined beyond rote descriptions of the clothes they wear, what color their eyes are, and oh, whether they have "recently begun wearing their hair in cornrows."
And, ugh, that's another level of discomfort. Margolin seems - perhaps - well-intentioned in embedding a level of diversity and inclusivity in his book, but it just comes off as flat and tokenized. He points out the races of several background characters whose race, or really whose presence at all, has little to no bearing on the plot; it feels like awkwardly ticking boxes. More to his credit, the plot hinges on the unfair and probably racially-influenced conviction of a Latino, but between that character and another that comes out of left field, there is a very strong vibe of white saviorism to the proceedings.
Ironically, given Margolin's token inclusion of diverse background characters, the one Black character with any significant agency or presence is explicitly singled out as having "definitely not been a diversity hire" at the protagonist's law firm. (She's the one with cornrows, in case you missed the fact that she was Black from Margolin's helpful and not-cringey-at-all description that she had "eyes the color of milk chocolate" and that, oh yeah, "she was an African American woman.") Couple of things wrong with this that well-meaning white authors should take note of. Margolin's introduction to this character seems designed to short-circuit any claims that he (or his characters) might be guilty of "virtue signaling" by engaging in "affirmative action." But it's a way more offensive "vice signal," frankly, to bother pointing out that she's "definitely not a diversity hire" than to simply show how competent she is and allow the audience to get it. Moreover, the implication that an actual "diversity hire" couldn't be that competent is galling. Hiring for diversity doesn't mean just grabbing a random token person off the street; like anyone else in any other job, they have to be able to do the work.
Ultimately it doesn't matter much because the character is set dressing who serves the white female protagonist's needs and doesn't get to come along for the adventure, like their white male associate does.
So many other things, big and small, to go over. Why wouldn't you LEAD with your suspicion that an escaped serial killer is in the house? Oh, because then you wouldn't be able to do your dramatic end-of-chapter reveal. (Except you totally could, with some basic revision.) Why would a private home with only four permanent residents need a meat locker with sides of beef hanging from hooks? Oh, yes, of course: to provide a dramatic location to discover a body. (Spoiler alert.) Oh, you want your characters "not to hesitate" to fire on the killer "because he's insane," as if that's not a mitigating factor but an aggravating one? (There's a lot of problematic treatment of mental illness throughout, and though Margolin hangs a bit of a lampshade on it, it goes unquestioned for a significant portion of the proceedings, and I don't recall our heroic protagonist ever challenging it.) Basically if there were a way to MST3K a piece of print media, this book would be a perfect candidate for the series premier. (Incidentally, the supposed raving madman is also known to be a master of disguise, and while he is later characterized as an "organized thinker," most of the book really had me picturing Heath Ledger's Joker dressed up as a candy striper in The Dark Knight, and everyone falling for it somehow.)
July 9, 2022
I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I requested it from NetGalley. I had no problem following the plot, though I would have preferred the characters to be fleshed out more. I didn’t feel they had much depth, including the MC, but perhaps that’s because I missed the previous novels.
The potential was great—an old, rambling mansion tucked in a secluded location, a rumored curse, murder, and an assortment of suspects. I wish the author had stuck with that premise, but the plot split in so many directions, the weave between the various threads rather weak.
Attorney Robin Lockwood helps free a man who was unjustly sent to death row for murder. The trial lawyer responsible for that conviction ends up murdered (in said secluded mansion, which he owns). Things get a little crazy after that.
There’s an escapee from a mental hospital, and a separate unsolved murder that occurred over a decade in the past. This murder moves front and center and becomes the primary focus. I missed the secluded mansion and legend attached to it. Almost like a bait and switch.
In addition, there is a particular thread (no spoilers) that didn't really serve a purpose. I kept waiting for the author to return to it in some form but it never happened.
The first murder does get readdressed, but by then I was frustrated that the story didn’t jive with the blurb. I wanted something gothic, or an And Then There Were None type tale. I’m sorry to say this story wasn’t for me, but I expect many mystery lovers and fans of the series will find it an entertaining read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’ Press and Minotaur Books for my AR
The potential was great—an old, rambling mansion tucked in a secluded location, a rumored curse, murder, and an assortment of suspects. I wish the author had stuck with that premise, but the plot split in so many directions, the weave between the various threads rather weak.
Attorney Robin Lockwood helps free a man who was unjustly sent to death row for murder. The trial lawyer responsible for that conviction ends up murdered (in said secluded mansion, which he owns). Things get a little crazy after that.
There’s an escapee from a mental hospital, and a separate unsolved murder that occurred over a decade in the past. This murder moves front and center and becomes the primary focus. I missed the secluded mansion and legend attached to it. Almost like a bait and switch.
In addition, there is a particular thread (no spoilers) that didn't really serve a purpose. I kept waiting for the author to return to it in some form but it never happened.
The first murder does get readdressed, but by then I was frustrated that the story didn’t jive with the blurb. I wanted something gothic, or an And Then There Were None type tale. I’m sorry to say this story wasn’t for me, but I expect many mystery lovers and fans of the series will find it an entertaining read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’ Press and Minotaur Books for my AR
December 26, 2022
Not really his best. I guess this was an homage to Agatha Christie books and those black& white mystery movies with spooky, haunted mansions. Just an ok book.
December 24, 2022
Murder at Black Oaks is Philip Margolin's sixth Robin Lockwood installment. Robin Lockwood is an exceptional Defense attorney that was an MMA fighter in another life. Still reeling from the death of her fiance, Robin is asked to help free a man believed to be wrongfully convicted. The man who convicted him, Frank Melville, is the one convinced of his innocence.
Robin is invited to a replica mansion built in honor of the original Black Oaks, built in 1673 in a small English village. The original mansion was believed to be cursed due to all the rumored satanic rituals happening. The death of all who lived at Black Oaks were met with a tragic end that further fueled the belief of the curse.
Frank Melville, paralyzed from an accident that took the life of his wife Katherine, he's determined to right the wrongs of the past. His role in convicting Jose Alvarez has prompted him to call in Robin to help free him. Armed with new evidence, courtesy of Frank Melville, Robin gets Jose released.
Now that we're caught up with some backstory, we expect that there'll be roses and butterflies for all moving forward. And we'd be completely wrong. Melville invites Jose along with Robin and her staff to celebrate his release only to end up dead before the party's end.
Murder at Black Oaks begins as a locked door mystery. All in attendance at the party are suspects. Could the man that spent 30 plus years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit be the culprit? No spoilers here.
What I enjoyed about Margolin's novel is how easy it was to breeze through. Immediately the novel is engaging and due to it's fast pace, you'll find yourself at the end before you know it.
Another highlight for me with this read is that although this is the sixth in the Robin Lockwood series, Margolin offers enough of her backstory to not feel like you've been plopped into a story with a character who has no context. Robin is a genuinely likeable character. She's strong, smart, badass, and fearless. I enjoyed keeping her company for this murder mystery.
Sure, I enjoyed reading Murder at Black Oaks but it was not without it's flaws. At one point I felt that the converging storylines just didn't fit together. I had to stick with this read to see how all the stories would mesh. For much of the read, I felt this to be frustrating as it was more than obvious there were some shady people who needed to get theirs. The time spent at the mansion was great. I didn't connect as much with the read once the locked door was opened.
Overall, fans of Philip Margolin will enjoy this Lockwood installment. There's plenty of mystery and intrigue in the first half of the novel to encourage getting to the final reveal. I recommend this novel to anyone looking for a quick, interesting read that doesn't require a locked door to maintain the readers attention.
Copy provided by St. Martin's press via Netgalley
Robin is invited to a replica mansion built in honor of the original Black Oaks, built in 1673 in a small English village. The original mansion was believed to be cursed due to all the rumored satanic rituals happening. The death of all who lived at Black Oaks were met with a tragic end that further fueled the belief of the curse.
Frank Melville, paralyzed from an accident that took the life of his wife Katherine, he's determined to right the wrongs of the past. His role in convicting Jose Alvarez has prompted him to call in Robin to help free him. Armed with new evidence, courtesy of Frank Melville, Robin gets Jose released.
Now that we're caught up with some backstory, we expect that there'll be roses and butterflies for all moving forward. And we'd be completely wrong. Melville invites Jose along with Robin and her staff to celebrate his release only to end up dead before the party's end.
Murder at Black Oaks begins as a locked door mystery. All in attendance at the party are suspects. Could the man that spent 30 plus years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit be the culprit? No spoilers here.
What I enjoyed about Margolin's novel is how easy it was to breeze through. Immediately the novel is engaging and due to it's fast pace, you'll find yourself at the end before you know it.
Another highlight for me with this read is that although this is the sixth in the Robin Lockwood series, Margolin offers enough of her backstory to not feel like you've been plopped into a story with a character who has no context. Robin is a genuinely likeable character. She's strong, smart, badass, and fearless. I enjoyed keeping her company for this murder mystery.
Sure, I enjoyed reading Murder at Black Oaks but it was not without it's flaws. At one point I felt that the converging storylines just didn't fit together. I had to stick with this read to see how all the stories would mesh. For much of the read, I felt this to be frustrating as it was more than obvious there were some shady people who needed to get theirs. The time spent at the mansion was great. I didn't connect as much with the read once the locked door was opened.
Overall, fans of Philip Margolin will enjoy this Lockwood installment. There's plenty of mystery and intrigue in the first half of the novel to encourage getting to the final reveal. I recommend this novel to anyone looking for a quick, interesting read that doesn't require a locked door to maintain the readers attention.
Copy provided by St. Martin's press via Netgalley
November 28, 2022
Super fast-paced - just finished this in less than a day. Started off with a bang and I was very invested for the first half. The second half, I became more distracted and less interested.
Didn’t know this was the sixth book in a series, so this can be read as a standalone.
If you love creepy mansions, locked-room mysteries, Agatha Christie, murder mysteries, and short and quick reads, then you might like this book!
Don’t go in expecting deep character development because you won’t get that here. There are lots of characters and since it’s a short book (270 pages), there isn’t enough time to get to know any characters. Had it been longer, I might have actually been sad and shocked that one of the characters died.
I’m interested in going back to the first book of this series (Robin Lockwood series) to see how that one is.
Didn’t know this was the sixth book in a series, so this can be read as a standalone.
If you love creepy mansions, locked-room mysteries, Agatha Christie, murder mysteries, and short and quick reads, then you might like this book!
Don’t go in expecting deep character development because you won’t get that here. There are lots of characters and since it’s a short book (270 pages), there isn’t enough time to get to know any characters. Had it been longer, I might have actually been sad and shocked that one of the characters died.
I’m interested in going back to the first book of this series (Robin Lockwood series) to see how that one is.
October 4, 2022
Attorney Robin Lockwood goes to creepy Black Oaks Manor to help ex criminal defense attorney Frank Melville get an innocent man he convicted 30 years ago out of prison. While there murders arise and secrets come out in this eerie backwoods Manor.
Loved this book and couldn’t hardly put it down.
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!
Loved this book and couldn’t hardly put it down.
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC!
November 14, 2022
Worse book ever by Phillip Margolin. it should have been advertised as a short story rather than a novel. Too many moving parts and no character development.
It should have been advertised as a short story rather than a novel. Too many twists and turns and without any real character development. I did not get my money’s worth.
It should have been advertised as a short story rather than a novel. Too many twists and turns and without any real character development. I did not get my money’s worth.
April 30, 2025
After freeing a wrongly convicted man, there's a party in a legendary cursed manor. I'd stay away from such things, but some people have to tempt fate.
There's a murder, of course.
It's Christie-esque, but not especially memorable.
There's a murder, of course.
It's Christie-esque, but not especially memorable.
October 17, 2022
This was a great legal thriller/murder mystery book! It had excellent pacing and really grabbed my attention immediately. It gives background of Francis Hardy’s legal career and a confession that has weighed on him for years before contacting Robin Lockwood to attempt to right a wrong.
There’s also an explanation of how Hardy believes Black Oaks is cursed and shortly after Robin has helped Hardy to the best of her abilities, Hardy and one other guest at Black Oaks have been murdered and now Robin must investigate the goings on at Black Oaks and if it’s truly cursed.
An attention grabbing read with a few unexpected twists!
The audio narrator was a perfect pick for this book.
4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
There’s also an explanation of how Hardy believes Black Oaks is cursed and shortly after Robin has helped Hardy to the best of her abilities, Hardy and one other guest at Black Oaks have been murdered and now Robin must investigate the goings on at Black Oaks and if it’s truly cursed.
An attention grabbing read with a few unexpected twists!
The audio narrator was a perfect pick for this book.
4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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