Phillip Margolin (born 1944) is an American writer of legal thrillers.
Biography Margolin was born in New York City in 1944. After receiving a B.A. in government in 1965, from American University in Washington, D.C., he worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia until 1967. He graduated from the New York University School of Law in 1970, and has worked for 25 years as a criminal defense attorney, an occupation of choice inspired by the Perry Mason books. He started to work in 1970 at the Oregon Court of Appeals.
He published his first story, a short story titled "The Girl in the Yellow Bikini", in 1974, and became a full-time writer in 1996. He has written 12 books as of January 2007. He lists as his favourite writer Joseph Conrad, and among his favourite books War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and Stone City by Mitchell Smith.
Philip Margolin was married to Doreen Stamm in 1968. They had two children, Ami and Daniel. Doreen, also an attorney, died from cancer in January 2007. In 2018, he married Melanie Nelson.About Phillip Margolin
Phillip Margolin is also the president of Chess for Success, a non-profit organisation "dedicated to helping children develop skills necessary for success in school and life by learning chess".
Bibliography TitleYearPublisherISBNRemarksThe Girl in the Yellow Bikini1974Short story in Mike Shayne Mystery MagazineHeartstone1978HarperTorchThe Last Innocent Man1981HarperTorchAdapted into the 1987 HBO film The Last Innocent Man starring Ed HarrisGone, But Not Forgotten1993DoubledayTranslated into more than 20 languages, sold over 1.5 million copies, adapted into the 2005 Warner Bros. TV film Gone But Not Forgotten starring Brooke Shields and Scott GlennAfter Dark1995DoubledayThe Burning Man1996DoubledaySmokescreen1997MeulenhoffOnly published in Dutch as Rookgordijn, published by MeulenhoffThe Undertaker's Widow1998DoubledayAngie's Delight1998Delacorte PressShort story in Murder For Revenge; turned into a 2006 13-minute short filmThe Jailhouse Lawyer1998Short story in Legal BriefsWild Justice2000HarperCollinsAmanda Jaffe Book 1The Associate2002HarperCollinsTies That Bind2003HarperCollinsAmanda Jaffe Book 2Sleeping Beauty2004HarperCollinsLost Lake2005HarperCollinsProof Positive2006HarperCollinsAmanda Jaffe Book 3Executive Privilege2008HarperCollins Brad Miller and Dana Cutler Book 1Fugitive2009HarperCollins Amanda Jaffe Book 4Supreme Justice2010HarperCollins Brad Miller and Dana Cutler Book 2Capitol Murder2012HarperCollins Brad Miller and Dana Cutler Book 3Sleight of Hand2013HarperCollins Brad Miller and Dana Cutler Book 4Worthy Brown's Daughter2014HarperCollins Stand-alone NovelWoman With a Gun2014HarperCollinsISBN 978-0062266521Stand-alone NovelViolent CrimesFeb. 2016HarperCollins Amanda Jaffe Book 5The Third Victim2018Minotaur Books Robin Lockwood 1The Perfect Alibi2019Minotaur BooksRobin Lockwood 2A Reasonable Doubt2020Minotaur BooksRobin Lockwood 3A Matter of Life and Death2021Minotaur BooksRobin Lockwood 4The Darkest Place2022Minotaur Books Robin Lockwood 5Murder at Black Oaks2022Minotaur BooksRobin Lockwood 6Betrayal2023Minotaur Books Robin Lockwood 7An Insignificant Case2024Minotaur Books Stand-alone NovelFalse Witness2025Minotaur Books Karen Wyatt 1
He has also co-authored Vanishing Acts (Madison Kincaid Mystery) with his daughter Ami Margolin Rome.Amazon Page
Awards and recognitions 1978: nominated for an Edgar Award for best original paperback by the Mystery Writers of America for Heartstone 1999: the short story The Jailhouse Lawyer is published in the 1999 edition of The Best American Mystery Stories
Notes
External links His homepage Author page at his publisher HarperCollins
Phillip Margolin Papers are housed University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives