A Conflict of Interest

A Novel

By: Adam Mitzner

Narrated by: David LeDoux

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

A stunning debut thriller in the best-selling tradition of Scott Turow and John Grisham!

Alex Miller is a criminal defense lawyer leading the life he always imagined. At thirty-five, he is the youngest partner at New York City's most prestigious law firm, with a beautiful wife and a perfect daughter. When Alex's father suddenly passes away, Alex is introduced to Michael Ohlig, a rich and powerful man who holds an almost mythical place in his family lore. But Alex is surprised when Ohlig admits that he's in serious legal trouble, accused of crimes involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Alex agrees to take on Ohlig's defense.

Through the course of two trials, secrets are revealed that force Alex to question whether any of the people in his life are who they appear to be. Most importantly, he must decide whether the identity he projects to the world is the man he truly is or even wants to be.

With its powerful voice, pause-resistant tension, and strong cast of characters, A Conflict of Interest will captivate listeners right up to its electrifying conclusion.

©2011 Adam Mitzner (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This outstanding first novel follows Defense Attorney Alex Miller and his young family through the grinding world of high-priced criminal defense in New York City, detailing what can happen to an otherwise nice guy. David LeDoux's minimalist narration style works well. He imbues all the characters with a distinctive sound and unique persona." (AudioFile)

"More twists than a California cloverleaf interchange." (Bookreporter)

"This gifted writer should have a long and successful career ahead of him." (Publishers Weekly)

It was pretty alright.

It took me several days to get through this book, and I think that may be because after a few chapters in I'd already figured out what was going to be the end result.

However, the narrator kept me from not tossing this book to the side. He wasn't the greatest narrator I've ever listened to, in fact, this was my first time having listened to him. There will be no spoilers here, however, I will say that there were parts in the book where Alex made me angry and disappointed, and times where Abby.......kinda.....well she. You have to read or listen to the book yourself.

wasn't you it was me

I really did not like it much not really my kind of story. so some one else my really enjoy it so sorry keep on the good work,

twist and turns awesome dialogue

the phases and thoughts before speaking are so entertaining! story line is current, relationships are credible. great read or should I say listening.

Family Secrets! ~ Infidelity ~ Fraud

This is a good storyline dealing with family secrets, infidelity and fraud. I enjoyed the novel from beginning to end. Lots of drama, backbiting and even a little love story. The listen was enjoyable and the set up and introduction of the characters provided a good insight into the main character's home life and office life and the backbiting that can happen in criminal court cases. There was a few "tells" early-on and throughout the story that gave little hints and clues about the revelation that comes at the very end of the story. The moral of the story reminds me particularly of one old sayings: "you reap what you sow!"

The narrator performed well, although at times he could have changed his voice more to help delineate some difference between male voices. This didn't happen too often. However, the story is interesting enough that keeping track of who's talking was not a big problem. His acting abilities was good, although sometimes he used a little more theatrics in his voice than was needed. Nevertheless, he was not dull nor boring!

Hard to put down

Conflict of Interest interested me from the very beginning. The characters were well drawn and each had enough good and bad to keep you interested. No one was able to keep on a white or a black hat for long. The plot continued to unfold to the very end. And while some of the mysteries were a little easy to anticipate, it is a credit to the author that he could keep your interest even if your suspicions were well founded time after time. This book gave me more driveway/garage moments that I have had in a while. The narrator was different from what you usually get in mysteries and thrillers but was a welcome relief from the norm. It's not great literature and probably not an instructional manual for courtroom behavior but it is a good listen.

Thoughtful character study and peek at the courts

Really enjoyed this book. Entertaining and educational look at the court system as well as an interesting twisting storyline. Characters were all well developed and engaging. David LeDoux is one of my favorite narrators, keeping me involved throughout the story. I'm looking forward to more from both Mitzner and LeDoux.

Highly recommended!

Excellent

Where does A Conflict of Interest rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

I don't write many reviews, so let me tell you: This was one of the best legal thrillers that I've ever read. You won't be disappointed.

Good as Grisham

Excellent! Strong story line with believable characters. Fast pace, never a dull moment. Very hard to put down and leaves you wanting more.

Multiple Levels of Conflict

Would you consider the audio edition of A Conflict of Interest to be better than the print version?

I have no idea. I would recommend replacing this question. Recognize that there are two types of "readers". I am not sure how many people read the print version of a story of which they have listened to the audio version. There may be some out there who read a portion of a book and also listen to it as they complete it. Not sure. I would prefer a different question aimed at a review of the story content and not its format. Perhaps this question is better directed to an editor or publisher.

What other book might you compare A Conflict of Interest to and why?

Cannot think of any similar book for comparisons.

What does David LeDoux bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Why are Some readers are bit hard on this narrator? I have definitely heard worse readers. Mr. LeDoux's strength is when he just reads the words without interpretation or "acting". With the exception of his characterization of Charlotte, (I detest it when men try to sound like a 5 year old female.)I enjoyed his reading. A nice break from favs Scott Brick and Dick Hill for me.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There was no laughter or crying in this book. There were parts of this story that were way too long and added nothing to the story. I also moved to extreme dislike of Elizabeth from being sympathetic of her. She strongly and quickly moved from being a character in the background to one totally in front and in control. Elizabeth and Michael are in my opinion the same character, just different genders.

Any additional comments?

Great advertisement for this one. Some exaggeration that attracted a lot of readers. This story kept me interested and engaged in the story during a winter weekend. As one reviewer suggested, it is good to listen to while cleaning house, wrapping gifts or preparing a meal. Decent story, but not a thriller in any sense of the word. Also I would not put in the same group with Grisham et.al. Being an attorney and an author does not necessarily make one a great writer about criminal related stories. Mitzner wove a good story with enough "stuff" to keep you thinking. There are a few surprises and also some crazy stuff that makes the reader ask why is this in the story? It comes across as very amateurish. I did not find much of the storyline predictable. I did not care much for any of the characters except for Alex's father, who we only know through the words of others. The father is the only innocent and decent character in the entire story.

I agree, he reminds me of Turow and Grisham

Where does A Conflict of Interest rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I didn't want the book to end. I loved it. Can't wait til his next one!