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)

A man with no character seeks revenge...

...on a man who did him no harm.
Alex Miller is a tall, attractive, brilliant attorney in one of New York's most prestigious firms. He is married to a beautiful woman who loves him passionately. They have a lovely and precocious young daughter. He goes all out to sacrifice all of this in order to further his career while pursuing another beautiful woman. But that's the best part of Alex.

In the end this is a story of revenge, yet Alex has never been harmed. He cheats, he lies, he whines, and then he destroys the life of a man who did him no harm.

To be fair, there are clever twists in the plot. But in the end we are left with a hero with no character. Worse still, he seems to have no hope of redemption.

Not really a thriller at all

This is a story about a really screwed up criminal defense attorney in a NYC law firm. It is not a legal thriller in the traditional sense because there is almost no suspense and no action at all. Alex Miller, the "protagonist", is a horrible lawyer and a worse human being. In the end this is simply a useless story about a man who lost his way.

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!

An "Okay" Story, but Don't Believe the Hype...

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Anyone with an intimate interest of law may not be burdened with the excessive courtroom exchanges. Mitzer was either or lawyer or has done excellent research, as he focuses on the semantics of law rather than using the courtroom simply as a catalyst to get to the more important aspects of the story. This book spent more time on the law surrounding the story than the story itself. That made it a slow listen for me, but may entertain those interested with the inner-workings of law.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The Publisher's summary -- in my opinion -- misleading comments put Mitzer in the same boat as Grisham. That's a pretty big stretch. I've been a fan of Grisham for much of the past 16 years, and while Mitzer has potential, he lacks the suspense that keeps Grisham's novels moving. The whole

How could the performance have been better?

This is the worst reading I've heard in my past year as an Audible member. I wish they would've sampled some of Alex Miller's normal (outside of the funeral) dialogue as fair warning. LeDoux uses an arrogantly-sarcastic, sing-song cadence that speaks almost every line of dialogue in jest. I found that unbelievably annoying, like being read to by the know-it-all coworker. Even worse, while the voices may have changed, this style remained the same throughout the male characters. I think I would've enjoyed the novel a bit more if they had done a better job at selecting a narrator, or if reading the text myself.

What character would you cut from A Conflict of Interest?

The narrator.

Any additional comments?

All in all, it's an okay book. There wasn't a lot of suspense to always keep me interested, or stuck in the car after arriving at my destination, but it picks up in certain places. Before this, I'd recently finished Grisham's,

Pretty good start ...

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

Probably. I haven't looked at the print version; but, unless a book has illustrations, I usually prefer the audio version ... always assuming that it has a good narrator.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending offers a couple of satisfying -- although somewhat predictable -- surprises. Pay attention to the "Scary Lady" painting that keeps weaving its way through the story.

Which character – as performed by David LeDoux – was your favorite?

I didn't like any of the main characters very much. The protagonist -- Alex Miller -- seems emotionally weak. His wife, Elizabeth, doesn't behave believably in the face of her husband's affair; and his lover, Abby, demonstrates poor scruples in pursuing a married man. The antagonist, Michael Ohlig, is supposed to be unlikeable, and is, accordingly, unlikeable. He behaves like a spoiled rich person, hiring a lawyer -- Alex -- to defend him, then refusing to listen that lawyer's advice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Don't forget your family ...

Any additional comments?

"A Conflict of Interest" has a pretty good plot for a first novel; but the characters lack some credibility. I think that Mitzner shows potential, and will probably improve in future outings. David LeDoux has a nice voice and reads the book well, but doesn't always distinguish the characters from one another in dialogue. If you like legal thrillers, you will probably like "A Conflict of Interest" ... even though it doesn't actually qualify as a thriller. By the way, the title definitely has relevance: Alex should never have taken the case!

Why this book is mediocre

I anticipated a Grisham-level legal thriller as suggested by other reviewers.

Instead, this book tries to be legal drama wrapped inside of personal drama, or perhaps personal drama wrapped inside of legal drama. The result is that both the legal drama and the personal drama are boring, shallow and just barely interesting. The author tries to salvage this mediocrity with a couple of twists at the end, but they are barely interesting, so they fail to save this very bad book.

And then there's the reader. This man has a decent voice but his reading skills are deficient, He emphasizes with fake emotion almost every noun, verb, preposition, adjective, adverb and conjunction in the book, regardless of the need to give any of them a dramatic emphasis. Particularly irritating is his impersonation of the protagonist's 5-year-old daughter, Very very annoying.

A complete waste of 11 hours and a credit.

My 2 Cents

(If you want a good laugh and good review--read Audible reviewer 'Richard from San Anselmo's' review--it's worth looking up. Also, looking at his library, an excellent source for the kind of read this book was marketed as...actual thriller/crime novels.)

Not a thriller, not a page turner, not a plot-twister, as claimed by page after page of 5 star reviews and press releases. I have people on my very mainstream block that live as conflicted and interesting lives as the people in this book. It's great that readers are excited about Mr. Mitzner's debut, it is an admirable debut and I hope we see more from this new author--it just isn't 5 stars. Conflict was average; written well enough, and with an easy pace that kept it just one step ahead of the termination gong. One reviewer stated this was a "character study" more than a thriller; agreed...but when the package says "thriller", you want a few thrills.

Excellent First Book!

I enjoy reading authors first books. They are either a hit or a miss. This book is a hit. Unlike other legal thrillers, (John Grisham ...), this story is believable. No thugs chasing the good guys,bugging their homes, and killing innocent people.The characters are your next door neighbors. The crimes(unfortunately), are everyday and easy to understand. The narrator is pleasant to listen to. I completed the book in two days because I needed to know where the story was heading. The twists in the book come from the intellect of the characters. I am eager to read his next book!

Captivating Plot

What made the experience of listening to A Conflict of Interest the most enjoyable?

The plot and the way the story unwound made it interesting from beginning to end.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoy books that continue to unravel a story without giving away the end.

Any additional comments?

Definitely enjoyable escape and would enjoy more from this author.

Excellent - Deserves More Than 5 Stars

What did you love best about A Conflict of Interest?

This is a tautly-written story with absolutely nothing gratuitous. Besides an engrossing plot, it has captivating commentary on the legal system, well-developed, believable characters and a refreshing absence of vulgarity. I hope the author writes a sequel; if not, I anxiously await his next book. It was a pleasure to listen to.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I was engrossed from beginning to end.

Which character ??? as performed by David LeDoux ??? was your favorite?

David LeDoux was the perfect choice for this book, as it was written in the first person and LeDoux used subtle variations in his delivery to depict the various young, older, male and female characters as though the main character was, indeed, simply telling his story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, the ending was poignant and provocative.

Any additional comments?

I wish all novels were as well-written.

Well-written window on corporate law

Well written and well read with a plot that sustains interest to the end. While many legal thrillers are set within criminal law this one is a bit different. The characters are credible and sometimes finely drawn, and the court scenes are given enough detail and explanation so that it is possible to grasp the finer points on which lawyers base their cases.

Sometimes I thought the motivation of some key characters was underexplored - why does Oleg behave as he does, with some complex changes of attitude as he goes along. But Mitzner is a good enough writer to bring it off without leaving us feeling cheated. It certainly hooked me and kept me involved to the last page.

Multi-layered..

What I liked about this debut was the twists and turns and the very real characterisations of American Law,on the downside I found some parts superfluous and drawn out especially the relationship with his wife up until the middle of the book.
Saying all that the pulling together of all the threads towards the end was masterfully done and without a doubt will be reading more by AM, during the last quarter I was hooked and unwilling to part with the telling for a moment..

Fantastic Book

This book was great. Really interesting, lots of twists and turns in the plot. If you like legal thrillers and have at least a mild interest in New York Stock broker type stories, you will love this book. I couldn't believe it was this author's first book. It was also very well read by David LeDoux.

Workman like but ultimately uninspired

Two trials for the price of one, both involving the same defendant -- but much too much time and ink is wasted by overblown writing. It could have been fully a third shorter. I also guessed the ending many chapters before the finish, so that was a disappointment. But if you really like detailed courtroom drama you'll like this one.

Disappointing

I kept waiting for the twist in the tale, and waited and waited. Unimpressed by the ending, not clever and not believable.

Legal thriller or emotional tedium?

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

Upper quartile

What did you like best about this story?

The court scenes

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

Classy performance

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Unjust deserts

Any additional comments?

A very Grisham like story but marred by the American obsession to pad things out with tedious emotional introspection.