Book Talk: Margolin, ‘A Matter of Life and Death’

This is the fourth book in the Robin Lockwood series, but — like the other three — it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. Usually, I recommend reading series in order, but Margolin is different from many other “series” authors. You can pick up any one of his books and enjoy it without references to previous works.

In “A Matter of Life and Death” (2021, 312 pages in hardback) Philip Margolin bridges the gap between the MMA (mixed-martial arts) scene and courtroom drama. The protagonist is Robin Lockwood, a former MMA performer and Yale Law School graduate. She’s now a partner in the law firm of Barrister, Berman, and Lockwood, and she approaches the courtroom in the same way that she once entered the fighting cage.

Robin first encounters prosecutor Ian Hennesey when her client is in the process of gender transitioning. Eric, who prefers to be called Erika and has the final stage sex-reassignment surgery scheduled in two months, is accused of soliciting an undercover cop as a prostitute. Hennesey has been a coddled child and young man who has lost his first two cases. He’s been chastised by the D.A., and is determined to chalk up a win on this case.