The Intern was very interesting and unique. Though a legal thriller, the story was focused on how a woman gets embroiled in a life of danger from childhood while another woman, the intern, gets herself into more than she bargained for and has to figure out how to save herself and her family. Each character’s story was intriguing and suspenseful. I would have preferred more focus on the legal aspect, in order to better explain the events, but it was a solid story. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was excited to receive an advance copy of The Intern by Michelle Campbell as I really enjoyed It's Always The Husband.

This thriller was extremely fast-paced. The plot held my interest and kept me on the edge of my seat. The author was especially upfront in revealing both characters situations and extenuating circumstances early on, I never felt if I could fully trust Judge Kathryn Conroy or Madison as they were both in the position of needing something from one another. I was continually questioning who was going to double cross who because weren't going to take no for an answer.

My biggest issue was Madison and The Judge's relationship seemed very unlikely. It was very unbelievable how quickly it transformed from mentor/mentoree to the extremely personal relationship they were in. I also wished Madison would have spoken up more. But if she had, that would have changed the entire storyline.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I especially enjoyed how it was wrapped up at the end. & Lucy was a great addition.

This was an intense read. The characters were very realistic and their predicaments were believable. Judge Conroy as a character was executed flawlessly. Madison is put in the middle of multiple situations and is forced to make one crazy decision after another.

THE INTERN by Michele Campbell. I have enjoyed everything Ms Campbell has written which is why this was an auto request for me. I do have to be honest that I’m not a super fan of legal thrillers but this has changed my mind. Madison is in her second year of law school at the prestigious Harvard. For her internship, she wants to work with Judge Conroy. A chance like this is one in a million. There is the other issue of her brother Danny, who is now incarcerated for drugs dealing. This puts Madison in a very difficult position where ethics will play a big part. Should she risk it all to save her brother, or should the punishment fit the crime. There are many secrets imbedded in this story that kept me flipping through my kindle at warp speed. I knew this book would not disappoint.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the the arc of this book.

Madison is a Harvard law student who has obtained the internship of a lifetime under Judge Kathryn Conroy. Unfortunately, Madison has a secret she's not willing to reveal - a brother, Danny, who has been arrested for possession of drugs with Judge Conroy on his case. Danny goes missing after accusing the judge of corruption, spurring Madison to probe deeper for answers within the judge's world.

THE INTERN is a wholly gripping novel that I was unable to put down. This is my first experience with Michele Campbell's work and it will certainly not be the last.

I really enjoyed the way this story was told with five parts alternating between Madison and Kathryn's POV. Kathryn and Madison are both incredibly captivating with plenty of depth and interesting histories. Their character development is well done, and their POVs are effective at keeping the reader's interest intact. I was particularly interested in Kathryn's POV as it uncovers much about the judge's dark past filled with difficult choices that allowed her to rise up to her current stature.

The plot is intricate and compelling with many secrets, twists I didn't see coming, and loads of suspense. The pacing is well done, keeping the suspense high while each new twist is revealed.

Overall, I loved how everything comes together with a satisfying ending.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.</i>

Legal thriller involving a Harvard law student and her mentor a federal judge she begins an internship for. I liked this book took a little while in the beginning to get going and to really get into. Once it hit the middle I was definitely more invested in where it was going. I liked the main and characters and while I questioned some of their decisions I could also see where they were coming from. This book was 3/3.5 stars for me would read something by this author again. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting story about corruption and family. I found this to be a little different tale about mobsters and how they work to get people in the right places.

It was a slow burn in the beginning. Took a while for it to grab my attention. Good little thriller shake. It was a 3 star read for me.

A great read by Michele Campbell. This was full of crazy twists and turns. So easy to fall into a book with fabulous characters. I was hooked at the beginning and flipped pages past my bedtime. So many secrets and lies.
Thank you NetGalley and Michele Campbell for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Very fast=paced legal thriller. I found it very difficult to put this one down! One of the better thrillers I've read this year. Both Madison and Kathryn were compelling characters. I'm glad we got a chance to read the story from both women's perspectives and to realize that not all is black and white. There are many shades of gray to people's motivations. Highly recommended, especially to fans of legal thrillers.

I loved this book! Michele Campbell always writes an amazing book with a twist.
Madison is a law student trying to get a head in life. Her brother Danny was recently arrested and Madison felt caught between her family and her career.
Judge Conroy is Madison's idol. She is everything Madison hopes to be. Amazingly Madison is offered the opportunity to intern for Judge Conroy and that's when the story kicks up. Madison has to figure out quick who she can trust, in order to save her family and herself.
I loved the dual POVs. Reading about Madison's and Judge Conroy's childhood really gave background to the story. The plot twist was so unexpected but it worked perfectly. This was a fast paced cat and mouse thriller where you never fully knew who to trust or what to expect.

The Intern by Michele Campbell is probably best categorized as a legal thriller. A Harvard Law student gets swept up in the mystery surrounding a judge she admires. The narration slips between present and past as we learn about the judge's childhood, marriage, and general backstory alongside the present-day drama she is enduring.

I enjoyed the portions of the book that were set in the present, but the judge's history left me feeling dissatisfied. Additionally, there were a couple of promising characters that played a role in the first half of the book that were simply never mentioned again during the rest of the story. The ending wrapped everything up nicely, although I would have enjoyed getting a bit more information about some of the crucial characters' future plans once the drama ended.

While The Intern was not my favorite book by this author, I am a big fan of Michele Campbell's domestic thrillers, and I will continue to watch for new releases from her. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Madison is attending Harvard and studying to become a lawyer, following in the footsteps of her idol and professor Judge Kathryn Conroy. Coming from similar backgrounds, the Judge sees potential in Madison and offers her an internship position in her office.

When Madison’s brother Danny is arrested for suspicion of selling drugs and pressured to plead guilty, she’s surprised to hear Judge Conroy is working with crooked cops to make him the fall guy. Accepting the intern position, Madison plans to learn the Judge’s secrets to help her brother. But a chain of events bring the two women together in an unlikely partnership while the story unfolds between two POVs.

This was a pretty solid legal suspense drama, I found myself intrigued by both women and the tough decisions they had to make to save their loved ones. I liked how we got to understand Kathryn from her flashback chapters, the bigger mobster picture gave tension to the story and made me root for both of them. 4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy to review.

The dialogue in The Intern felt super cheesy to me, but I didn't entirely mind since it was a lot of legal jargon that I may not have understood without dumbing down. This is a true page-turner. Maybe a bit far-fetched with at least one loose end I'd been hoping would be tied up, but overall, I was enthralled and thoroughly enjoyed this book. It felt like a rollercoaster of wondering who was good and who was bad and what the heck was going on. I enjoyed the relationship between Madison and Judge Conroy even when it felt totally wild and unbelievable. And the ending was truly excellent. Definitely recommend.

This part legal drama / part suspense book was so good! It reminded me of a really good multiple part episode of Law and Order!

The book follows Harvard Law Student, Madison Rivera, as she interns for the infamous Judge Kathryn Conroy. This book explores the depths of our corrupt justice system - and sadly, didn’t seem too far-fetched. Some parts, of course, were unbelievable.

I literally couldn’t put this book down. I had to know how it ended. I didn’t trust anyone, yet I wanted them all to be okay. The plot buildup was incredible and I was literally spooked more than I care to admit 😂

If you love thrillers or legal dramas, this is a must read.

Once again, Michele Campbell has delivered an exceptional thriller that left me thoroughly impressed. While I've enjoyed all of her previous books, I must confess that "The Intern" has taken the top spot as my favorite.

Campbell skillfully maintains a pervasive sense of tension throughout the story, and her mastery in weaving a captivating mystery while keeping the narrative seamless is truly commendable. From the very start, the plot grabbed me and didn't let go until the final page – a genuine page-turner, indeed. It's a rollercoaster ride of twists, turns, heart-pounding suspense, intricate lies, chilling murder, family dynamics, and intense drama.

The characters are both complex and intriguing, leaving me eagerly anticipating how their stories would unfold. Campbell's sharp, intelligent storytelling and her knack for creating a suspenseful atmosphere made it impossible for me to put the book down until 2 a.m.

It's important to note that I received a complimentary copy of this book, and I want to emphasize that the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for their generosity in providing me with this outstanding eARC!

The Intern tells the story of Madison, a 2nd year Harvard law student, who lands an internship with a very prestigious federal judge, Kathryn Conroy. She soon learns that the judge has lots of secrets and might be caught up in an illegal conspiracy with some very bad people. It is a fast pace thriller, full of suspense and twists. The characters are well developed, the story line intriguing, I couldn't finish this book fast enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't read a legal thriller in a long time so The Intern was just what I needed!

Suspenseful and kept me on my toes!

This is my first Michele Campbell thriller, which was selected as an early release for the Book of the Month club (an excellent sign that it impressed a lot of people even before publication). The book is divided into Madison’s and Kathryn’s POVs.

Madison is an ambitious 2nd year Harvard Law student, vying for an internship with Judge Kathryn Conroy. Unfortunately, Madison also has a ne’er do well brother, Danny, whom she wishes she could ignore and hide. Danny has unexpectedly pleaded guilty to drug dealing and his case is before Madison’s idol, Kathryn. Does she meddle and risk the judge’s wrath or will the judge understand Madison’s coincidental predicament? The judge is very nice to Madison, but also exceptionally security conscious (her husband was gunned down) — will Madison betray that trust? Especially when it seems that Kathryn is connected to the corrupt cop and lawyer who are railroading Danny.

In Kathryn’s part, we find out how as a very young girl, she became basically beholden to a rotten cop (her out of wedlock father) and a mob-connected lawyer (who rescued her when her mother had cancer and paid for her education). While Madison is just considering crossing ethical lines, Kathryn has had to compromise her legal ethics for years.

As their paths cross in the present day story, they circle each like prizefighters — each wanting something not quite above board from the other, and trying to figure out how best to use each other. An option is to team up, but there’s no trust between them.

Madison was more of a puzzling character for me — she had the privilege and the responsibility to be honest instead of blindly ambitious; often she was failing both her family and her boss. Kathryn was a beaten down character — forever being blackmailed and sacrificing her beloved husband’s life in the process; trapped in a way that saw no way out.

This legal thriller is pulse-pounding, character-driven, engaging, and full of cliffhangers. Once you get into it, you can’t put it down. 5 stars!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Lucy (a cat) and Matthew have green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Only the woods of the Canadian border make a guest horticultural appearance

This is a powerful look at a female prosecutor who has some serious issues of being controlled. People expect some degree of control in life but how much is too much? And, how many undocumented extraordinary gifts can be taken without influencing the judicial system?

Kathy Conroy had a troubling childhood with her single mother who wasn’t the best. Things got bad when her mother was hospitalized and she was sent to live with her abusive father. However, her mother’s friend and employer, Ray Logue, an attorney, rescued her a few years later. He made it possible for her to attend good schools and also paid for her tuition at Harvard Law School.

When Kathy became a federal judge, Ray made it clear that it was time for her to pay back her debt noting that his organized-crime clients contributed to her education. “You belong to them now.” She thought her position was a result of her hard work and didn’t realize that these invisible mobsters had made connections easier for her. Ray said they could also help her in the future to get higher positions as Governor, Senator and a Supreme Court Justice. At this point, she knew she was being watched.

She also taught a class at Harvard. One of her bright students, Madeline Rivera, was encouraged to apply for an internship in her office. Madeline was thrilled but also nervous as her brother was caught in a heroin bust and wrongly sent to prison as he was innocent. She knew if she revealed this information, it would blow her chances of being hired. Kathy wanted to be free from the mob and needed someone like Madeline to help her. This would be complicated with two people that had secret agendas. Would it work?

While the book is fiction, it made me think of how federal positions can be manipulated in exchange for funding or other benefits. I especially liked how the author used two strong women to try to beat the system. I never felt like I was on the edge of my seat with suspense, but I found the story to be well written. The timing was good along with the visualization of characters. It would make an excellent topic for discussion.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy with an expected release date of October 3, 2023.