I really enjoyed The Intern. It was the third novel I have read by Michele Campbell and I have really liked them all. She is an author I now feel confident in preordering whenever I see a new book come out. So the Intern was initially marketed to me as a Thriller. I guess it was a light thriller, but it was more of a mystery to my mind than a thriller. I enjoy Legal Thrillers, and The Intern, with its judicial system setting, was right up my alley. The strongest point of the novel was the relationship between Madison (the intern) and Kathryn (the judge). The story took a bit of willing disbelief to accept how they ended up working together, but once I accepted that, the rest of the story really took off for me. I have never enjoyed the whole "family over everything" plot device that so many books use, and in the case of Madison's mom pressuring her to do things that were completely inappropriate for her to do in the capacity of her job, I wanted to scream a few times. However, this novel was giving "The Firm" vibes and I loved that book way back in the day, so I really enjoyed this one.

If you are looking for an intense legal thriller, look no more. The Intern is an entertaining, gripping, edge of your edge-of-your-seat thriller that kept me riveted from start to finish. Michele Campbell expertly brings the drama through well-developed, realistic characters and an original, suspenseful plot. Twists and turns are sprinkled throughout leading to a jaw-dropping and satisfying conclusion. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

Thank you, NetGalley, St-Martin’s Press and the author Michele Campbell.
It's a story of family, lies, duplicity.
Madison is a law student at Harvard, and one of her classes is taught by Judge Conroy whom she idolizes.
Judge Conroy asks her to apply for an internship in her office.
A legal nail-biter, suspenseful, with lots of twists and turns which I did not see coming.
Recommend
4 stars

I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and intriguing. Madison is a Harvard law student that has been chosen to intern under her mentor, Judge Kathryn Conroy. The more Madison leans about the judge the more she questions her integrity and therefore questions whether her idolization of the judge is misplaced. As Madison tries to help her imprisoned brother she learns more about the inner workings of some people that are supposed to uphold the law. The book is definitely bingeable and I loved the character development.

Fast paced and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where legal thrillers are popular.

DNF at 55 Percent

I do not support St Martins Press at this time.

The racist, homophobic, Islamophobic and anti Palestine content that was posted to their social media platform is disgusting and it is not ok.

Harvard Law Student, Madison Rivera is thrilled to earn an internship under Judge Kathryn Conroy for several reasons. Not only does she covet the mentorship of someone she’s admired for ten years, but Conroy is the judge on her brother, Danny’s case. Danny believes something underhanded is happening with his case, and the judge is in on it. Madison hopes to secretly find out something to help her brother. But soon it will be a question who is using who? As the judge pulls Madison into her life, endangering them both, Madison can’t decide if Kathryn is a victim or criminal.
A psychological thriller encased in deceit, ambition, corruption and murder with mob undertones and an interesting array of unscrupulous characters that will keep you turning the pages.

This was an interesting read. I'm not even sure how to classify the genre of this book. It was a mix of thriller, true-crime, and suspense. Regardless, it was a good read but at times it did feel a little slow.

Ooooh, that was so good. Couldn't put it down. Loved the characters, flawed as they are, and the heart-pumping pace. And the ending!

Thanks so much to the good folk at NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC.

Oh this was crazy. I love a good thriller and this book did it for me. I love when I can’t figure out who did it and mission accomplished

Thank you to NetGalley, Michelle Campbell and St Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was very enjoyable! I loved the story line and the different sections for each main character. It was well thought out and quite twisty, but I did find the pacing off a bit. Overall, loves the ending and the twists.

“The Intern” by Michele Campbell is her latest thriller . Madison is a Harvard student who lands her dream internship. Until her brother lands in jail and now she realizes the judge she has idolized and now works for May be at the center of a corrupt dealing that landed her brother unfairly in jail.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
lots of who is involved, who do you trust, how will Madison get her and her brother out of this mess.

#julesbookshelf #bookstagram #michelecampbell #theintern #goodreads #netgalley #arc

This book is about a law school at Harvard that takes an internship with a prominent judge. Problems occur the internship and Judge are not what she expected. Book is dual timelines, and also focuses on the judge’s past.

Overall, the plot seemed overly improbable and the characters were very unlikeable.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this arc.

I love all the twist and turns this book had it had me on the edge of my seat and it made my mind race with guessing what could happen next

3.5 Stars. This fast-paced, suspenseful book contains intimidation, threats, lies, secrets, murder, and betrayal. It is told from two perspectives. Madison is a Harvard law student. Kathryn Conroy is an elegant, poised Judge whom Madison has long idolized. Madison is overjoyed to have been offered the wished-for position of her dreams, an Internship under the mentorship of Judge Kathryn Conroy.

Madison is warned that Kathryn is difficult to work for and that she is aloof and should not be approached. Her last intern, Olivia, was fired or vanished without a trace. It seems suspicious when Kathryn almost immediately asks Madison out for lunch and acts as a best friend and confidant.

Madison had been given by the office manager a form to list information about her family members and must have it ready almost immediately. Madison's brother, Danny, has just been arrested on trumped-up charges. She knew she could be dismissed or worse if she listed him on the form. Having a brother in prison could end her career as a lawyer. She leaves that part blank, feeling that if she confessed to her new good friend, Kathryn, about his arrest, she would be forgiven. She keeps postponing the confession. She finally tells Kathryn she is an only child to bond over similar family backgrounds.
Kathryn invites Madison to house-sit but to keep her presence in her lavish home a secret. Is Madison being used for some nefarious purpose?

It becomes known that Kathryn was the Judge in Danny's case, along with a crooked lawyer and a dishonest policeman. Danny has informed their mother and Madison that everyone involved in his case was corrupt. Her mother pressures her, so Madison snoops through Kathryn's house, looking for evidence to prove her brother's innocence. Danny accuses everyone in his case of corruption, including Judge Kathryn, and then disappears from prison. There is no evidence as to where he had been moved or that he had even been there.

Madison is disturbed. There is no way that Kathryn could be involved in a conspiracy to convict Danny, but she is starting to wonder if her hero-worship has blinded her. Once we learn about
Kathryn's unfortunate background makes us aware of brutal, murderous, and mob-like activity. Could the Judge be complicit? Both women find their careers and lives in danger. They are the subject of an FBI investigation, and ruthless criminals are determined to kill them. Are Madison and Kathryn friends or enemies? Will they save or destroy each other? What has happened to Danny? After intense action, dread, murder, and betrayal, the story ends on a satisfactory upbeat note.

I do not care for the section dealing with mob-like activity. The characters are well-developed and intriguing, and would be reading more by Michele Campbell. I wish to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for this gripping, well-plotted thriller. It is due to be published on October 3.

“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?”

Personal review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was intriguing and kept me reading, the plot kept me hooked from the beginning. The character relationship between Madison and Judge Conroe kept me guessing the entire novel as to what the plot twist would be - and boy was there a plot twist. For fans of legal thrillers, corruption in the justice system, and pressure from family members.

Synopsis: 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?

Madison Rivera is on track for the life of her dreams. She’s secured an internship with her idol, Judge Kathryn Conroy, and she’s at the top of her class at Harvard Law School. But she has a secret that could end her career before it has even started—her younger brother Danny has been arrested and Judge Conroy is presiding over his case. And when Danny suddenly goes missing after accusing the judge of corruption, Madison unwittingly gets sucked into a world of glamor and corruption she never could have imagined.

Sometimes, all I need is a nice legal thriller to cleanse the palate and this book got the job done quite well. Madison entering Conroy's world is the embodiment of “never meet your heroes” and, while sometimes she just feel incredibly naive, it’s also hard not to feel for her as she is swept up in that world. For her own part, Conroy is a nuanced character that you aren't able to get a read on completely until the POV shifts in the second part of the book. As for supporting characters, there are quite a few to keep track of and it does get a bit confusing at times trying to remember who each character is in relation to either Madison or Conroy; however, Campbell is able to find a way to intertwine them all in a way that serves the larger purpose of the story.

There are multiple different storylines to follow throughout the book and it takes a bit to figure out how they all connect. The choice to utilize both Madison and Conroy's POV in different parts of the story helped to connect the dots in a way that was magical. Campbell created suspense by giving the reader just enough information to pique interest without giving away how things would resolve. I found myself guessing how the book would end right up until the very end. And even after the suspenseful parts were over, Campbell threw in some scenes that kind of tugged at my heartstrings, which was a nice way to ease my heart back to its normal rhythm after all the suspense.

This book was the first I've read by Michele Campbell and it was an excellent introduction to her storytelling. If this is what I can expect from her, I can't wait for the next one I pick up!

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

This was a twisty legal suspense novel that took a minute to get into, but the ending was worth it. I loved how it turned out, how both Kathryn and Madison were able to work together to beat the “bad guys”. They both deserved their happy ending. I liked Kathryn’s POVs a little better; I enjoyed seeing her backstory and how she ended up entangled in the mess she was in. Madison seemed to be a rather unreliable narrator which was occasionally annoying, but overall I was rooting for her too.

Overall I enjoyed this book but didn’t love it. I really liked following a law student since I don’t know anything about that world but I was missing the courtroom scenes that I’ve come to know and love in legal thrillers. The mystery in this one, while well-thought out, got pretty convoluted and confusing especially when following multiple characters at multiple times in their lives. It reminded me of Wrong Place Wrong Time when it flashed back to the judge’s life leading up to this point, but didn’t satisfy me quite as much as that book did with its ending and overall writing style. I’d recommend this to fans of that book and legal thrillers in general as long as you know you won’t be getting courtroom scenes and that it’s a slow-burn complex mystery more than a thriller!

Featured in this reading vlog: https://youtu.be/2H08d7H1u-8

I have read and loved every book by this author and this was no exception. The plot was super creative, the pacing was perfect and the twists were fantastic.