The Intern by Michele Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Intern is the most recent release from Michele Campbell. I have greatly enjoyed some of Campbell’s past works, so was highly anticipating this release.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio, I was granted access to the audiobook and recommend that format. Sarah Mollo-Christensen’s narration fit perfectly. Especially as the drama picked up, she had me at the edge of my seat.
In this story we are getting two perspectives, Madison Rivera, a Harvard Law student, and Judge Kathryn Conroy, a full-time Judge and professor at the Law School.
Madison is in one of Judge Conroy’s classes, but she has looked up to her for much longer than that. In fact, Judge Conroy’s speech at a career day Madison attended inspired her to enter Law School in the first place.
Because of this, when Judge Conroy pulls Madison aside after class and urges her to apply for an open intern position at Conroy’s office, Madison cannot believe her luck.
Unfortunately, Madison has some family issues that present a huge conflict of interest. Her younger brother is currently working his way through the court process, after being arrested in a drug bust, and Conroy is his assigned Judge.
Madison, scared to reveal these details and risk her internship, hides the truth in her application. This omission has Madison on edge. She fears that like a house of cards, the entire thing, all her hard work and dreams, are just going to come crashing down around her.
Unbeknownst to Madison though, Judge Conroy has some major secrets of her own and she’s about to draw Madison in way over her head.
I ended up having an absolute blast with this one. Initially, the first few chapters, I will admit, I was on the fence. I would say that this requires a little patience in the very beginning. When you aren’t quite sure where it is going to go and whether or not you should be liking these characters.
Rest assured, Campbell is doing her thing. She’s building it up, until there will be no doubt, you should be liking these characters and you will care. I became so invested in this story. I hardly looked up after the action really kicks off.
I felt once the pace picked up, it skyrocketed. I really enjoyed learning about these characters. Both Madison and Judge Conroy were very well developed, although I will say the focus was definitely more on the Judge than the intern.
In fact, we even get a past perspective for Conroy, which shines light on how she ended up in the precarious situation she finds herself in, and ultimately pulls Madison into. It was the back-and-forth between the two women though that I found truly engaging.
I ended up loving both of them, but when you think about it, they were both quite similar and I think Judge Conroy felt that too. I think that’s why she felt like Madison could handle what she was throwing at her.
Once you find out what is happening behind the scenes, the intensity continues to grow as well. As I approached the end, I started to feel a little desperate. I didn’t see a solid resolution for either of the women.
I love how Campbell pulled me in and had me stressing over these characters. It was so well played. I went on a journey with these two and had a great time doing it.
I would recommend this one to anyone who has enjoyed Campbell’s work in the past, or to those Readers who enjoy Thrillers featuring a cat-and-mouse format.
Also recommend if you enjoy Thrillers in a legal setting, or anything involving the shadier side of Boston politics.
After the slow start, I was tickled with where this went, how intense it got and how much I enjoyed it.
Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I cannot wait to see what Campbell is going to deliver next!