I read The Wife Who Knew Too Much and liked it. So I was excited to see that the author, a former prosecutor, had written a legal thriller. What did I think and should you read it? Here’s my Review of The Intern by Michele Campbell.
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The Intern by Michele Campbell
Publication date: October 3, 2023 by St. Martin’s Press.
Thanks to the publisher for the advance review copy which I accepted under FTC guidelines! Please see my Editorial Policy for more details.
Plot Summary for The Intern by Michele Campbell
Madison Rivera lands the internship of a lifetime working for Judge Kathryn Conroy. But Madison’s keeping a secret that could destroy her career: her troubled younger brother Danny has been arrested. Judge 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?
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 of The Intern by Michele Campbell
As I said above, I read (and did a Spoiler Post for) The Wife Who Knew Too Much, which was a domestic thriller perfect for fans of Liv Constantine, Sarah Pekkanen, and Greer Hendricks.
But I was excited to see that The Intern was a legal thriller. For those of you who are Millennials and younger, legal thrillers were HUGE in the 1980s-1990s, both in film and in fiction.
I’m happy that legal thrillers are coming back in the 2020s. There’s the the Lincoln Lawyer series on Netflix and a bunch of new releases. My Guide to the Best Legal Thrillers from the 1990s to the 2020s will run them all down. Check it out!
The downside (to me) of 1980s and 1990s legal thrillers is that, while great plot-wise, many of them feel dated.
I just re-read The Pelican Brief, which was a favorite of mine back in the day, and …yikes. Main character Darby was a walking cliche, a “girl not like other girls.” She was a law genius who didn’t realize how gorgeous she was and was sleeping with her law professor. Women of 2023 are NOT impressed.
What I Liked About the Intern
The Intern is a much more current and female-forward legal thriller
It reminded me a little of a Lisa Scottoline book. Lisa has been writing legal thrillers featuring women lawyers since the 90s. If you are a fan of hers, you might want to check The Intern out.
Once the book finished all the set-up, The Intern really got going. Madison’s relationship with Judge Kathryn Conroy started out a little weird for me. But that was eventually explained and then the book took an interesting trajectory that reminded me a little bit of Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez, with a power struggle between the two women.
The end of The Intern was quite suspenseful and did have a throwback feel that I liked. The overall themes and the ending reminded me a little of The Firm, which was huge in the early 1990s and is getting a sequel in October 2023.
What I Liked Less About the Intern
Like a lot of thrillers, The Intern requires some suspension of disbelief. Some things in the beginning that seemed completely wacky did get explained, though.
I don’t want to give details as they give away too much of the plot. If you’d be interested in a Spoiler Discussion Post on this, tell me in the comments.
The personal relationships in The Intern felt a little tenuous and took a while to set up. Main character Madison has a lot of dualing loyalties: to her family, to her mentor, and to her goals and dreams. Yes, Madison made some very questionable decisions, but that kind of risk-taking is sort of necessary in a thriller. And major character Kathryn was a bit hard to connect with at times.
Let me know in comments: do you love legal thrillers? What are your favorites? Don’t forget to check out my post on Legal Thrillers from the 90s to the present!
I enjoyed The Intern, especially the throw back feel to early John Grisham. There were a few points where one had to suspend logic but overall a solid and entertaining read!