Product Description

hile trying three defendants for robbery, Joanne Kuhlman discovers that a far more serious crime may be unfolding. One of the defendants is developmentally disabled. His attorney and mother insist he was cruelly exploited by his crime partners. When the young man disappears, Joanne fears he may have been murdered in a ruthless act to silence him. Her sympathies for this defendant lead her to entangle herself with his attractive attorney and compromise her career so the truth may be revealed. Filled with extensively researched detail, breathtaking plot twists, and front-page legal drama, Conflict of Interest provides irrefutable evidence that Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, one of the pioneers of the legal thriller genre, is still writing at the top of her game.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #652534 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Rosenberg (Buried Evidence) rolls out a new character but not much more in this crime drama about the manipulation of a developmentally disabled young man accused of robbery. The latest in the New York Times bestselling author's string of female crime stoppers is Joanne Kuhlman, a prosecutor in Southern California trying the case of three childhood buddies who held up a 24-hour market. One of the men, Ian Decker, has a learning disability that makes it questionable whether he even knew that his friends, the rough-and-tumble Rubinsky brothers, were committing a crime. Decker's attorney finally convinces Kuhlman that justice would be better served by having the young man testify against the Rubinskys. By that time, however, Decker has not only disappeared but an anonymous caller to his mother says her son has been killed and buried in the mountains outside Los Angeles. As Kuhlman struggles with the case, she's also dogged by personal problems: her 15-year-old daughter gets pregnant, her son is feeling abandoned, her former husband is in jail on charges of child stealing and embezzlement and she longs for the steadying touch of a good man. Unlike some of her better work, like Interest of Justice, Rosenberg's latest never catches fire. Kuhlman is not a particularly memorable protagonist, and many of the other characters are prone to unrealistic behavior and clunky dialogue. Rosenberg's portrayal of Decker as a young man without the intellectual armor to make it in the world is touching at points, but it can't carry an otherwise lackluster plot. Agent, Peter Miller. National print and TV advertising. (Feb. 6)Forecast: Rosenberg might sell even more books if she settled on a single, better-developed protagonist, but six million books in print already is nothing to sniff at, and her fans can be counted on to snap up her latest.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Assistant district attorney Joanne Kuhlman doesn't need to be embroiled in a homicide case-her life is complicated enough. Her two troubled teenagers, Leah and Mike, have been recently returned to her after her former husband, their father, is arrested for child stealing and embezzlement. While Joan struggles with her angry, rebellious children, she learns that a seemingly simple case of robbery may involve the murder of Ian Decker, a developmentally disabled young man. The na‹ve Ian is suspected of holding up a convenience store with the Rubinski brothers, childhood friends turned thugs. When Ian disappears, Joanne worries that he has been killed because he knows too much. Rosenberg, author of six best-selling legal thrillers, including Buried Evidence, writes with fast-paced energy but little depth. Her plot relies too much on coincidence, especially the feel-good conclusion. As a protagonist, Joanne seems weak and distracted, not positive qualities for a successful prosecutor or crime fighter. Laural Merlington reads competently, with a pleasant, clear voice and intonation. The tape quality is excellent; recommended for Rosenberg's loyal fans and popular fiction collections.
Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
This is an implausible yet likable mystery about a criminal investigation that takes a sinister turn as we learn more about the suspects. The personal lives of the lawyers and the criminals are much more the focus of the novel than any kind of crime-solving. Laural Merlington has a good understanding of the characters and brings them to life. She is particularly adept at conveying a sense of evil and menace. One wishes for a novel with more substance, but this pseudo-courtroom drama will keep listeners engaged. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

She never ceases to amaze me
This book, like all of the books I have read by Nancy Taylor Rosenburg, is awesome. I couldn't put it down! She has a way of making a leisurely activity into a full-time job. Kudos to the author.

Haphazard
The author doesn't stay true to her characters. The plot may have been a good one but she's telling to many stories in one book and no one stays true to their character. What is anyone's motivation! Only the criminals make sense.

Conflict of Interest
Joanne Kuhlman has been through a lot the last couple of years. Her children were kidnapped by her husband who is now spending time in jail awaiting his trial for those charges plus embezzlement. Since their return, she has had nothing but trouble from her 15-year old daughter, Leah. The child adores her father and believes every word he said about Joanne while he had them hidden away from her.

Now, on top of the ongoing repercussions from that situation, she is faced with prosecuting three young men for armed robbery and car theft. The problem is, one of those men, Ian, is developmentally disabled. Ian's handsome attorney, Arnold Dreiser, is trying to convince Joanne that Ian was forced into the very small part he played in the robbery. Joanne, however, doesn't have the time or the inclination right now to be sympathetic or give Ian a chance.... at first.

When she finally relents to at least look at his school and psychological records, Joanne finds evidence that Arnold may be right. That possibility gets put on the back burner, however, when Ian turns up missing--presumably having gone on the run. His mother is convinced otherwise when she receives an anonymous phone call that her son has been murdered by his "buddies" and gives her an idea of where to search for his body.

Joanne is filled with guilt and finds herself facing more than one conflict of interest.... helping the mother of the boy she was prosecuting and falling in love with his attorney who has become her investigative partner. And while all of these things are happening, the unexpected is taking place right beneath their noses.

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Nancy Taylor Rosenberg almost joins the ranks of Brad Meltzer and John Grisham with this latest novel full of legal suspense. The one thing that holds her back is the plot that temporarily resembles Swiss cheese with all its holes. As the story unfolds, tidbits of intriguing information are laid out here and there that make the reader wonder if this is a sequel. Thankfully, a sprinkling of explanations is given for each unanswered question as the book progresses. The manner in which this is done, however, causes it to appear as though some of the information was put in as afterthoughts.

Approximately, 75 percent into the book, all the previous grievances will be forgotten as the reader is suddenly drawn into shocking situations. Events have twisted to reveal a secret that no one could have expected. And, although the ending tends to be a bit "too good to be true", the story evens out to be quite a pleasurable read indeed.