Review by Booklist Review
In the second Robin Lockwood novel (following 2018's The Third Victim), a college athlete is convicted of rape. The conviction seems unshakable, even though the athlete strenuously denies the charge. DNA evidence doesn't lie, after all. Or does it? Lockwood, a young and relatively inexperienced Portland, Oregon, lawyer, soon learns that there is no such thing as completely indisputable evidence. Lockwood may be young (and a new series lead), but Margolin throws her into the deep end with a couple of very tricky cases (there's also a client accused of murder to deal with). Legal-thriller fans will find it satisfying to see Margolin back at the top of his game: after a slump that lasted for a few books, his writing has regained its stylistic flourishes, and his pacing is impeccable.--David Pitt Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
More a murder mystery than a legal thriller, bestseller Margolin's sequel to 2018's The Third Victim features an intriguing lead, Portland, Ore., defense attorney Robin Lockwood, but offers few genuine thrills. Lockwood becomes entangled in the case of University of Oregon football star Blaine Hastings, who was convicted of rape and sent to prison based on DNA evidence. The DNA evidence in a second rape case also points to Hastings, but he was in prison at the time, so something fishy is going on. Hastings gets a new lawyer, who secures him a new trial, and he's soon out on bail. But the subsequent murder of the law partner of the college athlete's original lawyer creates complications. Lockwood disappears for long stretches as other characters take center stage, which lessens the story's overall intensity and emotional impact. In addition, her personal story arc-particularly her relationship with her firm's investigator, Jeff Hodges-develops only incrementally. Still, Margolin convincingly portrays the workings of the legal system and has created a worthy heroine. 100,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In this follow-up to The Third Victim, lawyer Robin Lockwood is suing college football star Blaine Hastings on behalf of Randi Stark, who claims Blaine raped her at a party. Although DNA evidence proves that Blaine could not be the culprit, Randi insists that he is guilty. Simultaneously, Robin is involved in a complicated murder case. The plot twists and turns until the surprise ending, which poses ethical questions about law and punishment. Therese Plummer does an excellent job bringing the characters to life. She does well with all genders and keeps listeners engaged. VERDICT Recommended for the crime fiction collection of all libraries ["An interesting mystery, but a miss for Margolin. Purchase only where [the author's] fans clamor for more": Xpress Reviews 2/8/19 review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc.]--Ilka Gordon, Beachwood, OH
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Portland attorney Robin Lockwood (The Third Victim, 2017) gets a second caseor rather a perfect torrent of second cases.Outraged that the police have granted bail to college football star Blaine Hastings, who's accused of raping her daughter, Randi, during a frat party, Maxine Stark wants Robin to sue the pants off the guy. Blaine has big pants, too, since his father, insurance executive Blaine Sr., has money to spare. Armed with DNA evidence, Robin and her trusty investigator, Jeff Hodges, are so successful against Blaine's attorney, Doug Armstrong, that Blaine's bail gets revoked, he's convicted of the crime, and he's resting comfortably in jail when Jessica Braxton lodges her own accusation of rape against an unknown she remembers only as "Ray," and Ray's DNA turns out to be the same as Blaine's. How can the poor boy possibly have assaulted a second victim while he was locked up? The presiding judge, unable to answer this question, grants Blaine bail once more while he awaits a new trial, and he promptly takes offvery wisely in view of the criminal complications about to spring up from every corner in Multnomah County and far beyond. Doug's law partner, Frank Nylander, is beaten to death in his own office; Nylander's client Leonard Voss, who'd sued Norcross Pharmaceuticals for causing his incapacitating stroke, is murdered along with his wife; and Norcross attorney Tyler Harrison III turns up dead in a vacant lot in Manhattan. Closer to home, Margolin reveals that slimy prosecutor Rex Kellerman has embarked on his own one-man carnival of crime, from sleeping with Doug Armstrong's wife to meddling with forensic evidence. What does all this have to do with the alibi Blaine Hastings has for that second rapean alibi so perfect that it casts serious doubt on the DNA evidence that convicted him in the first place? Not a whole lot: The connections among different felonies in this woolly tale are as loose as all those lawyers' connections to the truth.So many murders, so many plotters, so much churn that you may wonder if you accidentally picked up a collection of short stories. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
