Kate’s Review: “The Intern”

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Book: “The Intern” by Michele Campbell

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Press, October 2023

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an ARC from the publisher at ALAAC23.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: 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?

Review: Thank you to St.Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this novel at ALAAC23!

Back in October I had the pleasure of interviewing Michele Campbell. I had been approached to do a Q and A and to write a review for her newest book “The Intern”, but the timing, review wise, was tricky, as it was right at the start of Horrorpalooza. But I committed to reviewing the book as soon as Horrorpalooza was over, and when I did sit down with it I tore through this book in probably two days because it ensnared me so thoroughly. There are so many things about “The Intern” that work. This is absolutely my favorite book I’ve read by Michele Campbell, and it’s one of the best thrillers I’ve read in 2023.

“The Intern” is told through the perspectives of two women. The first is Madison Rivera, an ambitious law student at Harvard Law who is desperate to rise above her difficult childhood and to make something of herself. The other is high powered judge Kathryn Conroy, who is respected in law circles and is Madison’s most liked professor turned boss once Madison becomes her intern. They have alternating sections in the book, with Madison being in the present and Kathryn being mostly in the past, and I liked getting one bit of information from Madison’s experience, and then getting more context and more information from seeing Kathryn’s past experiences. I felt that both women were pretty well rounded and complex, and once it was revealed that we were going to see what was going on in Kathryn’s mind, I knew that this was going to be a bit more than a run of the mill cat and mouse game thriller. Campbell really brought out her layers in particular, as while I anticipated her being a conniving antagonist, she ended up being quite a bit more than a potentially corrupt judge. Madison also had some well explored complications, and I really enjoyed watching her piece things together while also still feeling a certain loyalty to her boss, even when it could put her at odds with doing the right thing. Her ambition and her reasons for that ambition were wholly believable. It made for an interesting dual character study at the heart of the thrills (though Kathryn’s was the one that really drew me in).

And as a thriller this really clicked with me. The mystery has multiple mysteries within in, and as some questions were answered others would arise, all at breakneck speeds that kept me reading this book long into the night or any time I had ANY kind of down time. Campbell places clues in the past and present for the reader and Madison to parse through, while being skillful at misdirection and plot twists that completely caught me off guard. I don’t read that many legal thrillers, but this one has all the makings of a legal conspiracy story along with the elements of sudsier whodunnits, and Campbell balanced the tones of those sub genres with ease and combined them into a story that really grabbed hold. This is top notch stuff, it’s well thought out and well executed and was incredibly satisfying. Even though we get one big issue cleared up right away, there are plenty of other questions at hand to make for a fun and twisty read.

“The Intern” is an enjoyable thrill ride with some fascinating characters. If you are looking for a rollercoaster of a thriller, this is one to put on your list!

Rating 9: A suspenseful story with great twists and great characters, “The Intern” is Michele Campbell’s best novel yet!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Intern” is included on the Goodreads lists “Legal Thrillers”, and “Chick Noir Novels”.