Yes.....I read this a year ago and somehow, my brain didn't connect?? I could not remember what happened so I had to sort of skim/read my way through it.... THIS is another reason why I LOVE LibraryThing because my library visits are usually successful as I check to make sure I'm not taking out the very same books I've read in the past. No harm done, of course....if I liked it once, why not like it again?? Unfortunately, I forgot to look up this book because I like the author and thought this was a new book of his.

The story follows a successful female defense attorney trying a case of a woman accused of murder and kidnapping (different people). It is a legal drama and crime story, with a little bit of thriller tossed in. It is labeled as a mystery on goodreads, but the story’s primary unknown is whether or not the court case will be won (rather than who did it), and the reader is given few clues along the way to try to solve the crime(s). It was a fast read with short chapters and a lot of plot activity early on, when there were a few different story lines to follow. But these quickly intersect for the court cases, which become a major component of the book. There is a lot of repetition with everything that has already been discovered and discussed, subsequently regurgitated through questioning in court. The story sucked me in at the start with the initial plot activity, but my interest faded. There is a nice twist at the end, but by that time I really didn’t care too much. This book is part of a series but worked fine as a standalone.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the complimentary advanced reader’s copy of this book; my review is an honest one. ( )

Oh dear for poor Robin Lockwood....no further spoiler necessary. Another great story about her work---a book that was hard to put down!! ( )

Accountability, ownership, surrogacy, murder

There is something strange and terrible in Profit Oregon where Robin Lockwood is a high-profile attorney. In addition to her lucrative private practice, Lockwood also takes court-appointed assignments because she believes that everyone is entitled to a good attorney; even the most despicable defendants need good representation. An unimaginable personal loss crushes her, and Robin seeks refuge with her family in Elk Grove. Unfortunately, the strangeness and terribleness oozes across the miles with her.

“The Darkest Place” unfolds in several separate storylines. In Oregon, a prominent citizen is murdered; of course his wife is the initial suspect since they were in the middle of a bitter divorce. The wife is also a police officer, and the husband has a complicated past and made powerful enemies. Across the miles in Elk Grove, a couple is seeking a surrogate to carry their child. Things do not go as planned, and the surrogate with a “problematic” background forcibly takes the infant from parents. Lockwood is called upon to give legal advice. What is the difference between buying a baby and finding a surrogate mother and paying her expenses? Is it kidnapping when a birth mother retrieves her biologic child from the parents?

Margolin expertly develop these stories independently. As events evolve, the time frame is conveniently listed for readers in each section. The characters are multifaceted, and readers recognize the complexity of the situations. Details are carefully constructed, and the multiple paths converge with unexpected and tragic consequences.


“The Darkest Place” is the fifth book in Margolin’s continuing series featuring Robin Lockwood, but new readers will easily follow the gripping events and intricate stories. Any needed background information is seamlessly included in the narrative. I received a review copy of “The Darkest Place” from Phillip Margolin Minotaur Books and Macmillan Publishing. I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Thérèse Plummer. I found both versions compelling, but somewhat different. The print book experience was concise, tightly organized, and persuasive. The complex details were strong and compelling. The audio book was a more dynamic experience, one filled with emotions, conflict, and uncertainty. ( )

Robin Lockwood is a rising star as a defense attorney in Portland when she agrees to take on a pro bono case for a repugnant client as a favor to a judge. When that case ends in unspeakable personal tragedy for Robin, she takes some time off to recuperate at home in Elk Grove. While there, she agrees to help a woman, Marjorie Loman, who is charged with kidnapping a baby for which she was a surrogate mother and assaulting the baby's parents. In defending her client, she learns that Marjorie has been living under an assumed name and is accused of another, more serious crime. The stakes have now gotten even higher as Robin must come up with an innovative defense.
Robin Lockwood is a strong and sympathetic character. A Yale graduate and former MMA fighter, her smarts and toughness shine through. Her legal strategies are clever and interesting and she's easy to root for, especially as she grieves and recovers from her tragedy. Marjorie is a more complicated character to sympathize with. Her desire to keep the baby she carried is understandable, but her callousness earlier upon learning of her husband's death is a little harder to reconcile. Some mobsters that may also be after her to recover money her husband owed add further complications to the story.

This book has several flaws, including secondary characters that lack dimension and courtroom scenes that don't feel authentic, although some of the legal theories behind the defense are fascinating. The story moves along quickly without ever anchoring strongly to the characters or to scenes in the narrative so that the action concludes before you are ever really invested in it. Nevertheless, the pages fly by quickly and it is never boring. Some developments are telegraphed but others come out of nowhere, creating both excitement and satisfaction.

The Darkest Place may not be Phillip Margolin's strongest book in the series, but it is a fun fast read, especially for fans of legal drama.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. ( )