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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An average lawyer in the midst of an extraordinary case
Meet Charlie Webb, a guy who graduated from a forgettable law school and makes a living from mostly run-of-the-mill cases. His steadiest referrals come from two former teammates from his high school football squad who now are members of the Barbarians motorcycle club. He gets his fair share of court appointed cases as well, which don’t pay that well but are better than not getting paid at all. He catches one such case, that of eccentric artist Guido Sabatini (real name Lawrence Weiss) who has a pattern of selling his paintings but then stealing them back if he doesn’t feel they are being displayed properly. In this instance, he sold his painting to restaurant owner Gretchen Hall but was incensed to discover that she hung it in her office rather than put it on display in the public areas of her business. Dipping into his Lawrence Weiss-based skills as a card counter and burglar, Guido breaks into the restaurant, cracks open the safe and takes the painting…plus a flash drive that he thought might prove to be a good bargaining chip. Charlie is fairly certain that if he can make Guido return the painting to Gretchen, the case will go away…but he doesn’t know about the flash drive, and that is where the problem lies. When Gretchen, her driver Yuri Makarov and her film director friend Leon Golden are arrested for allegedly running a sex trafficking ring which may involve some very powerful players, the importance of the missing flash drive becomes clear. Soon people are turning up dead, and Guido is arrested for murder. Worse still, he will only accept Charlie as his lawyer, a job for which Charlie is completely unprepared. There are a lot of dangerous people who want that flash drive back and are clearly willing to kill to do so. With help from the more experienced lawyer assigned to assist him and a little back-up from the Barbarians, Charlie will need to keep his client safe and figure out who is behind the killings before someone else pays the ultimate price…and maybe he can even get some justice for the trafficked victims.
Author Phillip Margolin is an accomplished criminal defense attorney as well as an author, and that expertise is evident throughout the book. Charlie is no legal wunderkind (in fact he sees himself as barely adequate) and having a client’s life in his hands is a pretty intimidating experience for him. But he is more clever than he thinks, and as the story unfolds he will grow into his role even as a beautiful woman (who may or may not be on the level) drops into his life and the ugliness of the trafficking group disturbs him. A well-plotted legal thriller with a tangle of possible villains and intriguing storyline that keep the reader guessing till the end, this is a whydunnit as much as a whodunnit, An Insignificant Case is a stand-alone book that fans of author Margolin’s other books will surely enjoy, as will readers of Brad Meltzer, James Grippando and James Patterson. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me early access to this compelling story.
Meet Charlie Webb, a guy who graduated from a forgettable law school and makes a living from mostly run-of-the-mill cases. His steadiest referrals come from two former teammates from his high school football squad who now are members of the Barbarians motorcycle club. He gets his fair share of court appointed cases as well, which don’t pay that well but are better than not getting paid at all. He catches one such case, that of eccentric artist Guido Sabatini (real name Lawrence Weiss) who has a pattern of selling his paintings but then stealing them back if he doesn’t feel they are being displayed properly. In this instance, he sold his painting to restaurant owner Gretchen Hall but was incensed to discover that she hung it in her office rather than put it on display in the public areas of her business. Dipping into his Lawrence Weiss-based skills as a card counter and burglar, Guido breaks into the restaurant, cracks open the safe and takes the painting…plus a flash drive that he thought might prove to be a good bargaining chip. Charlie is fairly certain that if he can make Guido return the painting to Gretchen, the case will go away…but he doesn’t know about the flash drive, and that is where the problem lies. When Gretchen, her driver Yuri Makarov and her film director friend Leon Golden are arrested for allegedly running a sex trafficking ring which may involve some very powerful players, the importance of the missing flash drive becomes clear. Soon people are turning up dead, and Guido is arrested for murder. Worse still, he will only accept Charlie as his lawyer, a job for which Charlie is completely unprepared. There are a lot of dangerous people who want that flash drive back and are clearly willing to kill to do so. With help from the more experienced lawyer assigned to assist him and a little back-up from the Barbarians, Charlie will need to keep his client safe and figure out who is behind the killings before someone else pays the ultimate price…and maybe he can even get some justice for the trafficked victims.
Author Phillip Margolin is an accomplished criminal defense attorney as well as an author, and that expertise is evident throughout the book. Charlie is no legal wunderkind (in fact he sees himself as barely adequate) and having a client’s life in his hands is a pretty intimidating experience for him. But he is more clever than he thinks, and as the story unfolds he will grow into his role even as a beautiful woman (who may or may not be on the level) drops into his life and the ugliness of the trafficking group disturbs him. A well-plotted legal thriller with a tangle of possible villains and intriguing storyline that keep the reader guessing till the end, this is a whydunnit as much as a whodunnit, An Insignificant Case is a stand-alone book that fans of author Margolin’s other books will surely enjoy, as will readers of Brad Meltzer, James Grippando and James Patterson. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me early access to this compelling story.
This was a low-angst thriller that, while somewhat surface-level, was still quite enjoyable. The story kept things engaging, and Charlie, though a bit clueless at times, was a likable character. I really liked how carefree Guido was and his character brought some humor to the heavy case. As the mystery unfolded, there were some interesting revelations.
Narration Review: I really enjoyed the narration, the narrator did a good job of bringing the story to life.
This is my honest review
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC
Narration Review: I really enjoyed the narration, the narrator did a good job of bringing the story to life.
This is my honest review
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Trafficking, Murder
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin
Narrated by Peter Ganim
Charlie Webb spent his entire academic life being a C student which has led him to see himself as ranking a C as a lawyer. Not able to get hired on by a law firm, Charlie opened his own law practice and he gets work, has successes, and seems pretty settled into his mediocre life. This makes Charlie sound like a loser but the reality of the situation is that he has some very loyal, although somewhat shady friends, who will always have his back. He, also, for all his insecurities when it comes to women, really does seem to attract them, both beautiful and successful women at that. It seems that Charlie might be his own worst enemy, with much more value than he gives himself credit for, since others see him for more than he sees himself.
Charlie is appointed to be the attorney for a nutty artist who calls himself Guido Sabatini although the man's name is really Lawrence Weiss. Guido/Lawrence wants Charlie to represent him, no one else really wants the job with this loose cannon of a crackpot, although Charlie does get a big surprise when a high powered lawyer joins his team once Guido/Lawrence all the sudden needs a lawyer with much more expertise that Charlie possesses. Charlie, Guido/Lawrence, and his ragtag and glamorous friends are heading to court.
Two attractive women enter Charlie's life at this time. One is a woman who wants to work as his assistant for "experience" and the other is a woman who is on the opposite side of the courtroom than Charlie until she's not. Oh Charlie, you do downplay your talents and attraction in so many ways. Charlie and company are up against a tough crowd and the danger is great for anyone bucking that touch crowd that is willing to kill off those who show resistance to their greatness.
This author is new to me and I enjoyed this story. It felt shorter than it really is because the audiobook narrator is so good, so fitting as Charlie. While this is a standalone story, I may try one of the series by this author. I also wouldn't mind seeing Charlie again.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.
Narrated by Peter Ganim
Charlie Webb spent his entire academic life being a C student which has led him to see himself as ranking a C as a lawyer. Not able to get hired on by a law firm, Charlie opened his own law practice and he gets work, has successes, and seems pretty settled into his mediocre life. This makes Charlie sound like a loser but the reality of the situation is that he has some very loyal, although somewhat shady friends, who will always have his back. He, also, for all his insecurities when it comes to women, really does seem to attract them, both beautiful and successful women at that. It seems that Charlie might be his own worst enemy, with much more value than he gives himself credit for, since others see him for more than he sees himself.
Charlie is appointed to be the attorney for a nutty artist who calls himself Guido Sabatini although the man's name is really Lawrence Weiss. Guido/Lawrence wants Charlie to represent him, no one else really wants the job with this loose cannon of a crackpot, although Charlie does get a big surprise when a high powered lawyer joins his team once Guido/Lawrence all the sudden needs a lawyer with much more expertise that Charlie possesses. Charlie, Guido/Lawrence, and his ragtag and glamorous friends are heading to court.
Two attractive women enter Charlie's life at this time. One is a woman who wants to work as his assistant for "experience" and the other is a woman who is on the opposite side of the courtroom than Charlie until she's not. Oh Charlie, you do downplay your talents and attraction in so many ways. Charlie and company are up against a tough crowd and the danger is great for anyone bucking that touch crowd that is willing to kill off those who show resistance to their greatness.
This author is new to me and I enjoyed this story. It felt shorter than it really is because the audiobook narrator is so good, so fitting as Charlie. While this is a standalone story, I may try one of the series by this author. I also wouldn't mind seeing Charlie again.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love legal thrillers and Philip Margolin never disappoints. In this stand-alone novel Charlie Webb is a third-rate lawyer from a third-rate law school who gets by representing old college friends in barroom brawls and court appointed clients. When he is appointed to represent a known mentally disturbed man on a simple robbery case everything changes. The man who stole back a painting he sold also stole something from a safe that could potentially put a lot of very prominent Oregonians in prison and Charlie soon finds himself and his client the target of some extremely dangerous men. Lots of twists and legal maneuvering make this a fast-paced legal thriller you won’t want to miss.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Excellent read! I loved the audio - great job holding my attention. Fast paced and just long enough.
Lawrence Weiss left his lucrative career to paint - taking on the identity of Guido Sabatini, struggling with some serious mental health issues.
After relinquishing a purchased painting placed in a restaurant owner's office, Guido also grabs a thumb drive for extra insurance to have charges dropped.
Two young women come forward to give testimony against very powerful people in their town with connections to Hollywood. Murders. Arrests. And this thumb drive become the focus of murder investigation - Guido charged, Charlie Webb his legal counsel.
Some coincidences seem too kind to Guido's case - Charlie begins to work with the prosecutor to get the truth and keep his client alive.
Lawrence Weiss left his lucrative career to paint - taking on the identity of Guido Sabatini, struggling with some serious mental health issues.
After relinquishing a purchased painting placed in a restaurant owner's office, Guido also grabs a thumb drive for extra insurance to have charges dropped.
Two young women come forward to give testimony against very powerful people in their town with connections to Hollywood. Murders. Arrests. And this thumb drive become the focus of murder investigation - Guido charged, Charlie Webb his legal counsel.
Some coincidences seem too kind to Guido's case - Charlie begins to work with the prosecutor to get the truth and keep his client alive.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Philip Margolin has written a suspenseful standalone legal thriller: An Insignificant Case. Carlie Webb is considered a third-rate lawyer who opened his own law firm when he couldn’t get hired by any major law firms in Portland, Oregon. He gets by handlings court-appointed cases as well as handling cases for friends and those his family refers to him.
When Lawrence Weiss, calling himself Guido Sabatini, is arrested for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where he is displayed, Charlie is assigned to handle his case. However, the painting isn’t the only think Guido stole, and the situation quickly becomes suspenseful and dangerous. But as the charges mount up, can Charlie handle the cases or will his inexperience lead to convictions?
Charlie is humble, empathetic, too trusting, and doesn’t gloat when he wins. Guido is a talented artist who is witty, eccentric, and a card shark. The other main and secondary characters have depth and felt true to their natures.
This was a fascinating premise and storyline. The investigation as well as the courtroom drama were well-done. The pacing was fast and kept me engaged and turning the pages rapidly. With exciting scenes and an antagonist that thinks on his feet, this is a riveting legal thriller. The story quickly hooked me and kept me engaged to the very end. However, the ending felt somewhat rushed.
Overall, this is an entertaining, suspenseful, and fast read with several plot twists and good characterization. I would love to see this turned into a series.
St. Martin’s Press and Phillip Margolin provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for November 05, 2024.
When Lawrence Weiss, calling himself Guido Sabatini, is arrested for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where he is displayed, Charlie is assigned to handle his case. However, the painting isn’t the only think Guido stole, and the situation quickly becomes suspenseful and dangerous. But as the charges mount up, can Charlie handle the cases or will his inexperience lead to convictions?
Charlie is humble, empathetic, too trusting, and doesn’t gloat when he wins. Guido is a talented artist who is witty, eccentric, and a card shark. The other main and secondary characters have depth and felt true to their natures.
This was a fascinating premise and storyline. The investigation as well as the courtroom drama were well-done. The pacing was fast and kept me engaged and turning the pages rapidly. With exciting scenes and an antagonist that thinks on his feet, this is a riveting legal thriller. The story quickly hooked me and kept me engaged to the very end. However, the ending felt somewhat rushed.
Overall, this is an entertaining, suspenseful, and fast read with several plot twists and good characterization. I would love to see this turned into a series.
St. Martin’s Press and Phillip Margolin provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for November 05, 2024.
Margolin’s latest thriller is a reminder of why this genre, and his writing, is so powerful. Charlie Webb is a mediocre lawyer who is a court appointed attorney for Guido Sabatini, also known as Lawrence Weiss. Sabatini is accused of stealing a painting back from a restaurant so it can be displayed in a place of honor. While he does this, he also steals a flash drive and becomes mixed up in sex trafficking and homicide. Most enjoyable were the development of Margolin’s characters. While this novel is a stand-alone, I would be happy to revisit the characters of Charlie Webb and Lawrence Weiss/Guido Sabatini.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Get ready for a rollercoaster ride! Mr. Margolin is one of my favorite authors and reading this book reminds me why. Full of twists and turns that keep you guessing. The characters are so relatable and down to earth, quirky, nasty and everything in between. Of course Guido was my favorite, I always root for the underdog and how can I not love a character that thinks he is a reincarnation of a long dead artist? I hope to see lawyer Charlie and his partner in future books. Thank you to the publisher who gave me a copy of the book via netgalley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder