The Third Victim

Margolin (Violent Crimes) opens this convoluted new series with a woman, bruised and battered, stumbling along a dark road in Oregon. The victim leads Det. Carrie Anders back to the cabin of prominent attorney Alex Mason, where, supposedly, he tortured her and murdered two prostitutes. Noted lawyer Regina Barrister, with her new assistant Robin Lockwood, agrees to defend him. Mason's trophy wife, after divulging the particulars about how he gets into S/M sex, files for divorce. Despite Alex's pleas of innocence, his DNA is found on a restraint used in the crimes, which leads to his conviction. In a seemingly unrelated case, a local pimp who threatened a prominent cop for beating up one of his prostitutes, winds up dead. The officer is also a plausible suspect in the double murders; however, Regina won't pursue the case owing to conflict of interest issues. In addition, Robin realizes that her boss, although noted for her ability to cross-examine witnesses, has demonstrated consistent memory lapses that she's unwilling to discuss. Robin seriously questions whether these facts might force a new trial for Alex.