Conflict of Interest

Rating:
Summary: A poorly constructed novel with no central focus.
Review: "Conflict of Interest" is the latest novel by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, the police officer turned successful novelist. I was expecting a workmanlike story that would hold my interest for an afternoon. Instead, I found this novel to be so poorly put together and so garbled that all I got for my trouble was a splitting headache.

The heroine of "Conflict of Interest" is Joanne Kuhlman, an Assistant District Attorney in California. Her vicious ex-husband, Doug, kidnapped and kept their children for two years, denying them any access to their mother. In fact, he convinced the children that their mother no longer wanted them. Doug was eventually caught and the children went back to their relieved mother. Doug is now in jail awaiting trial for a host of crimes, including embezzlement. Joanne's fifteen-year-old daughter, Leah, has developed into a hostile and angry teenager. To add to her woes, Joanne's bank account was wiped out when she hired a private investigator to find her kids.

The case at the center of the novel revolves around two brothers named Gary and Tom Rubinsky, who spend their time drinking and smoking pot. They take advantage of an unfortunate soul named Ian Decker, a developmentally disabled young man who is trying to live a decent life. The Rubinsky brothers drag Ian along on a robbery and he and the two brothers are arrested. Joanne becomes involved in the case, along with Arnold Dreiser, an attorney who is related to Ian.

Rosenberg says in her afterword that she is trying to make a statement about "the plight of the mentally disabled within the criminal justice system." I am sure that this is a laudable goal, but Rosenberg's muddled book does not make any coherent statement about the mentally disabled and the law. Her characters are all one-dimensional and the dialogue is labored. Worst of all, the plot veers off in a host of directions, including story lines about a former CIA agent on the run, Ian's saintly mother, and a budding romance for Joanne. It's all too convoluted and the various plot lines never add up to a coherent whole.

Here is an example of some very bad writing, in which Rosenberg is trying to describe a romantic encounter: "Every nerve ending in her body sprang to life. Her head fell back as she gasped, feeling as if a river had rushed into her. Time was suspended. Her heartbeats seemed miles apart. She could count the beats, feel the air rushing in and out of her mouth." Although such purple prose does not recur on every page, the writing in "Conflict of Interest" as a whole is not very much better than this unfortunate passage. I do not recommend "Conflict of Interest." It is an unfocused and poorly written novel.

Rating:
Summary: Too busy with problems to detect
Review: Assistant District Attorney Joanne Kuhlman has recovered her children from the years they spent with their kidnapping father, but all is not well in her life. Her daughter, Leah, is acting out, and something is wrong with the case she has been assigned to prosecute. When attractive defense attorney Arnold Dreiser asks her to give his client--mildly retarded Ian Drecker--special attention, Kuhlman's reaction is to run both from his proposition and from the sexual feelings she has denied for so long.

Drecker, along with brothers Tom and Gary Rubinsky, are accused of holding up a convenience store. It soon becomes obvious that the brothers are taking advantage of Decker, using him for transportation, lodging, and cash. Yet can Kuhlman offer any special consideration to him, even if he is partially a victim? Before long, the mystery deepens from a simple holdup to murder--and Kuhlman is forced to confront her fears.

Author Nancy Taylor Rosenberg explores the challenges Kuhlman faces in recovering her life after the tragedy of her husband's desertion and kidnapping of their children. Kuhlman is afraid to trust and finds it difficult to set appropriate boundaries for her children. Fortunately for her, she is blessed with a powerful ex-CIA detective Eli Connors, who feels that he owes her. With help from Connors, Dreiser, and Drecker's mother, the whole truth emerges.

Although CONFLICT OF INTEREST is an interesting story, it is weakened by Kulhman's rather passive role in the story. As protagonist, she relies to heavily on others to do the work. It's hard for the reader to get behind a character who spends her time worrying about her children and then sending out her minions to solve the crime. Fortunately, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg's writing is strong enough to pull this off but the reader may be left with the feeling that the novel could have been so much stronger.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I always look forward to reading Nancy Taylor Rosenberg's new books (I've read them all) because I know I'm going to enjoy it. But I can honestly say I was disappointed this time. For some reason the book didn't keep me thinking about the story line. So much so I would want to get back to reading as soon as possible. Usually her books are pages turners and I enjoy the characters in the story. Didn't work for me this time though. This was my first disappiontment, but I still like forward to her next book.

Rating:
Summary: Mistitled
Review: I'll spare everyone the synopsis -- there are already plenty of accurate ones from which to choose. This 'review' is really just an observation: the book is mistitled. It has very little to do with any conflict of interest. There is potential for building the story-line into one where there does exist a conflict of interest, but that doesn't really happen here. To some extent, ok, maybe -- but that isn't what the book is about. The short blurb on the back misleads the (prospective)reader into thinking that the book is indeed primarily about this conflict of interest -- and it isn't.

Did I enjoy it? Yes I did. A good read. Those who like loose-ends tied up at the finish will not be disappointed -- everything is completely laced up tight ... a bit too tight for my liking, in fact ... I could go on more about that, but I do not want to give anything away. I do agree with some of the criticisms about how characters could have been better-developed, the story could have followed a different path with a courtroom drama, etc. (Another observation: I found some of the dialogue between the baddy brothers to be a bit too refined and unbelievable given their characters. Should have been written in more of an urban dialect.) But in general it was an entertaining read. 3 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Haphazard
Review: 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

Rating:
Summary: Not her best
Review: Joanne Kuhlman is the Assistant District Attorney who shows no mercy when it comes to prosecuting the guilty. Dealing with a failed marriage, and the tough job of raising her two teenage children, Joanne has enough on her plate, but when the case of a simple man accused of armed robbery comes across her desk she jumps into action and takes it on.

As Joanne becomes involved in the case she finds secrets are being kept, and when her main suspect disappears, she realizes their are people willing to stop at nothing to silence anyone that gets in the way.

While the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, Joanne makes the ultimate discovery...not only about the case she is working on, but her own life as well.

'Conflict Of Interest' is a very boring book; the plot moves along at a snail pace, and when the story finally develops it is not interesting, and it makes no sense. Nancy Taylor Rosenberg has been one of my favorite authors in the legal thriller genre, but in her new novel she has lost her edge. Instead of keeping speed with her main plot, Ms. Rosenberg juggles various sub-plots that are confusing, and tiresome.

Fans of Nancy Taylor Rosenberg's previous novels will be disappointed, as will any fan of legal thrillers.

Nick Gonnella

Rating:
Summary: delightful legal thriller
Review: Joanne Kuhlman, an assistant district attorney in Ventura County, California, is not having an easy time of it personally or professionally. Two years ago her husband became so involved in gambling that he stood to lose everything they jointly owned. He ran, taking their two children with him and giving them all different IDs so they couldn't easily be traced. It took a private detective two years to find them and return the children to Joanne

While the threesome struggle to bring a bit of normalcy into their lives following the trauma, Joanne is assigned a robbery case that led to the arrest of three defendants. Since none of them have a violent background they are released on bail. One of the defendants Ian Decker is mentally disabled and a loose cannon. After he vanishes, everyone including Joanne thinks that the co-defendants, brothers who also dropped out of site, killed him. A shattered Joanna takes step beyond that required by law to see that Ian receives justice.

Nancy Taylor Rosenberg does an astonishingly keen, but believable job of misdirecting the audience on several different levels. CONFLICT OF INTEREST features a protagonist who is strong enough to hold herself together during the worst of times yet remain honest and true to her values when seeking justice in her personal and professional endeavors. This latest Rosenberg work deserves best selling status, as legal thriller fans will relish every delightful reading moment.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A READING THAT DOESN'T MISS A CUE OR A CLUE
Review: Legal thrillers often top bestseller lists due in large part to the can't-put-down yarns spun by popular author Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. Here's a can't-stop-listening-to reading of Rosenberg's seventh page-turner by gifted voice artist Laural Merlington. She doesn't miss a cue or a clue in her rendering of this suspense filled law and order tale.

Joanne Kulman has enough problems - she's about to divorce her jailed husband and her two teenage offspring are, well, teenagers. Her job as a prosecutor in California's Ventura County has always presented challenges, but this is the biggest of them all. When a convenience store is robbed some young lawbreakers are soon arrested. They're identified by witnesses, and will stand trial.

However, Ian, one of the young men is developmentally disturbed, and it soon becomes clear to Joanne that the other boys tricked him into being a part of the robbery. Then, quite suddenly, Ian disappears. Something else is going on besides a plain vanilla heist.

She is obligated to try the case, and she is attracted to Ian's good looking lawyer. Conflicts abound in "Conflict Of Interest."

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: Good thriller, but not upto the Rosenberg standard
Review: Nancy Taylor Rosenberg is one of the recognized big shots in the legal thriller genre, a name that stands right alongside Lisa Scottoline or Perri O'Shaughnessy as top women legal thriller authors. Her debut work Mitigating Circumstances & the subsequent Interest of Justice were marvelous reads, & I was looking somewhat on those lines when I started Conflict of Interest. However, it's not on par with the author's other works.

Joanne Kuhlman, a feisty & dedicated District Attorney is assigned the task of bringing to book three defendants accused of robbery, Tom & Gary Rubinsky & the developmentally disabled, Ian Decker. Decker's attorney Arnold Dreiser, & his mother insist that Ian was a victim of exploitation by the Rubinsky brothers, & that he did not know that he was committing a crime. Kuhlman is sympathetic towards Decker but cannot bring herself to believe that he should be absolved from liability. A couple of days later Decker disappears & it is feared that he might have been done away with by the Rubinsky brothers. A mysterious telephone call that Decker has been killed prompts Kuhlman to investigate more into the matter & what follows is a suspense-filled adventure where the attorney finds the half-truths & the full truths.

Conflict of Interest, like other Rosenberg works is action- & plot-packed. However, readers looking for legal drama or courtroom action concerning the nature of liability that can be fixed upon a developmentally disabled person are bound to be disappointed, as the work does not delve much into this aspect, though the author acknowledges that the issue is of great significance.

On a side-track, there is the story of Kuhlman's troubles with her former husband, there is also a flashback of the life of Eli Connors, a former CIA Agent who keeps a watch on Joanne from any possible attack from her former husband. However these sub plots & stories scantily help in character building or in plot building in the final scheme of things.

Personally, I feel that an ideal ending for the work should have been a courtroom drama where the issue of the developmentally disabled are brought to light, as John Grisham did with The Chamber when he brought to fore the justifiability of the death penalty; or, the rights & privileges of gays & AIDS patients as Ron Nyswaner did with Philadelphia (yes, the Tom Hanks movie!); & the reader be given the opportunity to delve more into the legal issue & form his own opinion.

The author missed a golden opportunity to deal in the same manner to bring to fore legal issues of the nature of liability of developmentally disabled persons.

As an ordinary thriller the book is engrossing, but for the devotees of Rosenberg novels, Conflict of Interest is a disappointment. The blurb promises a lot, but in the end it's just not up to the Rosenberg standard.

Rating:
Summary: Painful story but a good one
Review: The painful part of the story does not refer to writing or plotting but to the abuse of a developmentally disabled young adult by two hoodlum "friends" and his poor treatment by the justice system.

The story revolves around the trial of Ian Decker, the developmentally disabled adult and his friends, the Rubinsky brothers for the robbery of a convenience store. Decker's attorney tries to convince the Assistant DA, Joanne Kuhlman, the heroine of the story, that Ian was an unwilling dupe. Kuhlman, who recently spent all her funds to successfully find her two children who were abducted by her ex-husband for two years, has to face her own issues with re-establishing a relationship with a rebellious pregnant 15 year old and a 12 year old who looks 16.

The story proceeds on several parallel lines, following the Decker/Rubinsky story as well as developments in Joanna's own life. The manipulation of Decker by his friends--including stealing his credit card, getting him expelled from his subsidized housing, stealing cars from his family business is difficult to watch happen. When it appears that Decker has been murdered, all join in to find his body and murderer.

I enjoyed the development of the characters and Joanna's personal story. Despite the quick way many of the loose ends were resolved in a "happily ever after" way in the end, this is still a worthwhile read.