By: Michele Campbell
Narrator: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
Macmillan Audio
ISBN: 978-1250274977
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Publication Date: 10/03/2023
Format: e-book and audio
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
A young Harvard law student falls under the spell of a charismatic judge in this timely and thrilling novel about class, ambition, family and murder.
Madison Rivera lands the internship of a lifetime working for Judge Kathryn Conroy. But Madison has a secret that could destroy her career. Her troubled younger brother Danny has been arrested, and Conroy is the judge on his case.
When Danny goes missing after accusing the judge of corruption, Madison’s quest for answers brings her deep into the judge’s glamorous world.
Is Kathryn Conroy a mentor, a victim, or a criminal? Is she trying to help Madison or use her as a pawn? And why is somebody trying to kill her?
As the two women circle each other in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, will they save each other, or will betrayal leave one of them dead?
My Review
Michele Campbell (fav author) returns following The Wife Who Knew Too Much with her latest stellar legal, political, crime thriller, THE INTERN—a young, ambitious law school intern gets caught up in a web of deceit and danger between her brother, a judge, the FBI, law, legalities, organized crime, and the mafia in this fast-paced game of cat and mouse edge of your seat suspense—from class, ambition, family, blackmail, and murder.
I am a massive fan of the author, having read all her books, and with THE INTERN, she DAZZLES —one of my favorites!
Meet the main characters:
Madison Rivera - Harvard Law student
Kathryn Conroy - A Federal Judge
Danny Rivera - Madison's younger brother arrested for drug possession
Madison is taking a Harvard class from (professor) Judge Kathryn, her idol since she was a prosecutor and spoke for her class years ago. She is why she got into law as her inspiration.
Madison is delighted when she is encouraged to apply for the intern position with Judge Kathryn Convoy (her dream job).
The plot thickens when she learns Danny, her brother, has been arrested on a drug charge, and the Judge presiding is Convoy. Danny thinks Convoy is a corrupt judge. Madison cannot believe this. He is forced to plead guilty and is innocent. He thinks the Judge and his crooked attorney are up to no good. The mother is upset and turns to Madison for help.
So, to get the job, Madison pretends she is an only child, and Danny is not mentioned. He cannot possibly be right. She is in awe of Kathryn—she has it all. The stunning townhome, the clothes, the looks, prestige, influence, and power. But does she have it ALL?
Can Madison gather inside information about Danny's case through working with the Judge that may help Danny? She feels caught in the middle.
However, the deeper into the novel, Madison learns Kathryn has dark secrets. She suspects she and her brother are pawns in a bigger, more sinister game of an organized crime ring. Is the Judge in on it, or is she caught up in the dangerous web of deceit and lies like herself? How high does this go?
Who can she trust? Is Madison being set up as well as her brother?
From POV:
Part One: Madison
Part Two: Kathryn
Part Three: Madison
Part Four: Kathryn
Part Five: The End Game
Campbell ratchets up the suspense and tension in this intense cat-and-mouse dangerous game that keeps you on the edge of your seat in this captivating, heart-pounding thriller!
It is flawlessly executed, perfectly paced, and plotted with well-developed characters you sympathize with (Madison and Kathryn). Some you will despise. The past catches up with you; there is a payday when there is a deal with the devil.
THE INTERN is action-packed, multi-layered, complex and explosive! I cannot recommend it enough. I loved the ending! A huge fan of legal thrillers, readers who enjoy John Grisham, Lisa Scottoline, Lisa Gardner, and John Lescroart will appreciate this outstanding legal crime thriller.
As always, Michelle Campbell is at the TOP OF HER GAME! Each of her books is unique and satisfying.
AUDIOBOOK & DIGITAL: I had the privilege of reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen for an award-winning, engaging performance for all voices.
Many thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartins Press for providing me with a digital reviewer copy and #MacmillanAudio for an early listening copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. I also purchased the hardcover copy for my home library. #SMPInfluencers
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: Oct 3, 2023
Praise
"This is suspense at its finest! Sharply written and masterfully plotted, The Intern is an addictive and cinematic page-turning thriller, further cementing Michele Campbell as a top voice in the genre."
-- Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author of You Shouldn’t Have Come Here
"THE INTERN had me hooked from page one. It's a deftly plotted, fast-moving thriller featuring two brainy, badass women I was rooting for immediately. Both Madison and Kathryn are believably imperfect, each struggling with her own family ties and inherited obligations, while trying to pursue happiness and ambition at the very highest echelons of law and society. The cat-and-mouse storyline kept me guessing right up to its suspenseful, satisfying conclusion. At the same time, this is also a story about redemption, resilience, and the right to free oneself from the past, no matter what that may have been."
--Helen Wan, author of THE PARTNER TRACK (basis of the hit Netflix series)
“Richly drawn characters and a fascinating premise that enthralls from page one. Campbell keeps the twists coming until the tension is almost unbearable. Harrowing in the best way, I raced through this compelling read!”
--Liv Constantine, author of THE LAST MRS. PARRISH
"Completely entertaining! With its nonstop action, powerful motivations, propulsive pace, and cinematic Boston setting, THE INTERN has Hollywood written all over it. Michele Campbell has perfected the modern legal thriller-- and fans of The Firm will devour this contemporary high-stakes combination of family pressures, legal machinations, and jaw-dropping twists. I could not turn the pages fast enough!"
-- Hank Phillippi Ryan, bestselling author of THE HOUSE GUEST
“This page-turner from the author of It’s Always the Husband delivers a suspenseful narrative with empathetic characters, while also raising timely, provocative questions about corruption within the justice system. Perfect for fans of legal thrillers.”
--Library Journal
“Real, class driven, suspenseful. The Intern is part John Grisham, part Lisa Gardner. Character driven suspense that kept me up reading far to late." —Robert Dugoni New York Times Bestselling Author Of the Tracy Crosswhite Series
About the Author
Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor in New York City who specialized in international narcotics and gang cases.
A while back, she said goodbye to her big-city legal career and moved with her husband and two children to an idyllic New England college town a lot like Belle River in IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND. Since then, she has spent her time teaching criminal and constitutional law and writing novels. She has had many close female friends, a few frenemies, and only one husband, who – to the best of her knowledge – has never tried to kill her.
