Rating: 
Summary: CAN I GIVE THIS NOVEL 6 OUT OF 5 STARS, PLEASE?
Review: Move over John Grisham, have a seat J.F. Freedman, take a hike Steve Martini, and clear the way for the best legal novelist of all time, PHILLIP MARGOLIN!!! Over the course of the past week, I have read all of the Phillip Margolin novels. I just finished Wild Justice today and was sooo impressed. Margolin just cannot write a poor novel. It is an impossibility. Are you ready for the plot? Well, here it is! Over the past five years there has been a series of gruesome and hideous murderers streching across Montanta to Oregon. It hits close to home in Portland, Oregon for defense Attorney Amanda Jaffe. The suspected murderer is respected surgeonist Vincent Cardoni. He is on trial for the murders of over six victims and for the beheading of two others including his so-called partner. Many people believed that he did it because of his excessive drug usage and his violent outbursts to his fellow colleagues. Amanda Jaffe believes he is a dangerous man who should be convicted. Then 4 years later, the same kind of murders start happening again and after the mysterious disappearance of Vincent Cardoni, his ex-wife is put on trial. Amanda Jaffe knows that the wife couldn't have done it and is considering the possibility that maybe she was wrong the whole time about Vincent Cardoni being the murderer. Amanda, her father, and the Portland PD is on the case of solving the identity of this truly deranged and frightening serial killer before time runs out and before Amanda and the city of Portland lives are put into the hands of a madman.
Rating:
Summary: Wickedly Machiavellian
Review: (Originally submitted 09/01/00)When Dr. Vincent Cardoni is charged with a series of sadistic, gruesome murders, he hires attorneys Frank Jaffe and his daughter Amanda Jaffe to prove that he was set up by his wife, Dr. Justine Castle. After Detective Bobby Vasquez is forced to admit in court that he illegally obtained evidence, Cardoni is set free and promptly disappears. It is Amanda who is set up to find Cardoni's severed hand, compelling evidence that he is dead. But is he? Four years later, another killing field is discovered, the setting and the condition of the bodies eerily similar to the crimes attributed to Cardoni. This time, Justine Castle is arrested and relies on Amanda to clear her by proving that Cardoni is alive and set her up. Did he set her up? Did she set him up? Did someone else set them both up? The tension and suspense are palpable as this blood-curdling chiller races toward its final chapter. This one could keep an aficionado up all night.
Rating: 
Summary: Too artificial and predictable to be really satisfying
Review: Maybe my judgement of this book was affected by my growing lack of patience for books about doctors and lawyers, but I felt that it was much more artificial in plot and character than I would have expected from Phillip Margolin. Almost from the first page one senses a kind of stiffness in the dialogue and shallowness in the presentation of character that might more reasonably be expected from an inexperienced writer. And what really kills any enjoyment a reader may have in the story is the absolute predictablility of the outcome. The author's deliberate misdirection in trying to set up a villain straw man so that readers don't realize who the murderer really is, is painfully obvious, and doesn't work. Neither does the book.
Rating:
Summary: PHILLIP MARGOLIN RULES. . .
Review: Mr. Margolin does it again. A thriller so chilling that I wanted to read with my eyes closed!!! What makes the book even more terrifying is the fact that the characters are real, and Mr. Margolin has done his homework and knows his material so well. Be prepared! Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. Thanks Mr. M. for another good time.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 1/2 star ride
Review: See storyline above. This, I think, is Margolin's best so far. It's one of those stories that keep you guessing while you're on the edge of your seat. A quick gratifying read indeed. At times gruesome and violent, with descriptions of torture, it still comes of as a savvy thriller. I must admit that I had the killer figured out at the two third area. Lucky Guess. Highly recommended...For a quick exciting read.
Rating:
Summary: Not quite "Silence of the Lambs" but better than "Hannibal"
Review: If you're a fan of a more sophisticated thriller, look elsewhere. If you like a quick and scary read that will keep you turning the pages until you absolutely HAVE to put the book down, this is the story for you. In Philip Margolin's newest novel, we have a typical smart/young/maybe a bit naive heroine along with some sketchy characters - several of which could possibly be the killer! The setting is the Portland, Oregon area, same as in his last best-seller "Gone But Not Forgotten" and we see our lead and other characters in courtroom, hospital and social settings. Short chapters kept me going but would have appreciated a bit more character development. All in all, I rate this a better-than-average novel.
Rating:
Summary: Wild Justice
Review: What an exciting book. Its been too long since Margolin's last book, but Wild Justice makes the wait worthwhile. Wild Justice starts running on page one and doesn't stop until the last word of the last page. While the story is slightly predictable, its a quick-paced, fun read.
Rating:
Summary: Better than ever
Review: Portland police detective Bobby Vasquez uncovers an ugly scenario in a remote cabin in the nearby Oregon woods. Apparently, Dr. Vincent Cardoni was harvesting body organs to sell to the rich and famous. Cardoni is arrested but his attorney Frank Jaffe obtains his client's freedom due to a legal technicality. Not long afterward, someone, probably the mob, murders Cardoni. Several years later, Cardoni's widow Dr. Justine Castle is placed on trial for her role in the human slaughterhouses. Justin insists she is innocent although her fingerprints are all over the cabin where the harvesting has occurred. Her lawyer, Frank's daughter Amanda, wonders if her client has done the crime in light of the suspicious deaths of her first two spouses or as Justin claims, Vincent lives and is setting her up for the fall? WILD JUSTICE is a wild legal-medical thriller that moves at a pace faster than the speediest cheetah. The story line is exciting although it at times seems stretched. However, readers will not care about the reasonableness of the events happening because the action is so fast and furious that doubts take too long to form. Phillip Margolin knows how to set the pace when it comes to pleasurable sub-genre novels. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: Detective Bobby Vasquez receives an anonymous tip that a major cocaine deal is about to go down in a secluded mountain cabin. Without warrants or backup he breaks into the cabin and instead of discovering cocaine, discovers two severed heads in the refrigerator of a basement operating room. There is also a bloody scalpel and a half full coffee mug sitting on the counter, both with fingerprints. After calling in reinforcements, the police find a mass grave with nine corpses. All have obviously been tortured and some are missing vital organs. All evidence points to Dr Vincent Cardoni, an unsympathetic, cocaine addicted surgeon with a bad temper. He promptly hires Frank Jaffe and his daughter, Amanda to handle his defense, stating he was framed by his wife. Even though the evidence is overwhelming, the Jaffes get him off on a technicality. He promptly disappears, leaving his severed hand behind. Considered dead, the police close the case. Fast forward four years. Another killing field is found at another secluded cabin with evidence almost identical to the first, including bloody scalpel and mug of coffee. Only this time, all evidence points to Dr Cardoni's ex-wife, surgeon Justine Castle. She immediately calls the Jaffes to defend her and this time their investigation leads to a roller coaster of a ride, to the stunning conclusion of this novel. Wild Justice has it all...great, believable characters, tight plot, compelling mystery and enough twists and turns to keep you off balance and guessing to the very last page. This is a fast paced, page turner you won't be able to put down and will have to read in one sitting. And when you're through with this book, just thinking about it will keep you up all night. Phillip Margolin is back and better than ever. One of the best books I've read all year. Wild Justice is definately headed for all the best sellers lists.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, Puh-leeze!
Review: I've enjoyed Phillip Margolin's books in the past, having read all of them. This one was so formulaic that if you didn't figure it out within the first 50 pages, you really need to get out more. I could tell you the exact page I said "Oh, no...", but that would just ruin it for others. I would definitely recommend this book be skipped and another, better plotted book be read in its stead. The two stars are because Mr. Margolin's writing didn't insult my intelligence.
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