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Conflict of Interest
When a professional assassin has work-related issues, someone usually ends up dead... It’s a bad idea to piss off a professional assassin, and Meg Harrison - corporate spy and sometimes assassin - is definitely pissed off. Not only has a new, and very irritating client hired her to kill her own sister, but to top it all off, Meg didn't even know she *had* a sister. For Meg, this is a contract that hits a little too close to home.
- GenresMystery
257 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 4, 2011
Conflict of Interest by Lauryn Christopher is a well organized, thrilling read. We meet Meg Harrison who is not your every day assassin. She may have trust issues or bad experiences that fuel her fire like many stereotypical assassins but there are many things that set Meg apart from the pack. Instead of doing everything she can to be nonexistent when it comes to her illegal activities, Meg takes a more direct approach and hides in plain sight. Working a normal job, she has done very well for herself on all accounts - business and hitman jobs alike. With a great ability to remain calm and collect, Meg's life is sent for a loop when she finds out that her next paid target is not just a random stranger but a sister that not only bares a remarkable likeness to her but that she never knew existed. Meg must use all of the skills she possesses to save not only her sister, but herself as well.
Being in first person, we are able to get a great glimpse of the thoughts and emotions that Meg is experiencing. What it's like to put your dreams on hold for someone only to be thrown to the side. Finding out that you have a sister that you never knew about. Running a highly successful and legitimate business that can only go up. Not to mention being very thorough and professional about covering your tracks. The details that Ms. Christopher describes in Conflict of Interest make the story believable and a pleasure to read.
Being in first person, we are able to get a great glimpse of the thoughts and emotions that Meg is experiencing. What it's like to put your dreams on hold for someone only to be thrown to the side. Finding out that you have a sister that you never knew about. Running a highly successful and legitimate business that can only go up. Not to mention being very thorough and professional about covering your tracks. The details that Ms. Christopher describes in Conflict of Interest make the story believable and a pleasure to read.
November 18, 2019
I liked this one, it had some decent plot twists, and enough suspense to keep things interesting, and the story moved along at a reasonable pace. If you want some decent murder tale time, this book certainly could pass for what you're hunting for. Of course, it's also an excellent yarn, and I'd recommend it to anyone who just wants a good story, especially if you like coincidence, this tale is a really good one for that.
August 29, 2011
I bought this in response to reviews at BigAl’sBooksandPals and A Grateful Bookaholic. I must admit that I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a great read.
Synopsis: Margret Harrison is a corporate consult who investigates companies for corporate raiders, etc. Her investigative skills come in useful for her alter-ego, Megan Harris, an assassin. Hits are a sideline she engages in when her consulting business is slack, with her using her legitimate business to lauder her ill-gotten gains. After accepting a hit via an anonymous, encrypted website, she quickly discovers the job isn’t quite what it first appears to be. Not only does her contractor lie to her, but when she learns more about the target she discovers an unexpected link – hence the Conflict of Interest.
Review: While Meg is trained in Mixed Martial Arts, and is a skilled assassin, she is not infallible and acknowledges there are areas – such as surveillance – where her skills are somewhat lacking. This makes her a believable character and adds to the novel’s tension. Surprisingly for an assassin, it’s easy to identify with Meg and feel empathy for her. In part, this is because of the interesting emotional conflict with which Lauryn Christopher presents Meg. In part, it is because the author gives Margaret/Meg a convincing back story that explains why she is an assassin, without exonerating her of the moral responsibility for her actions.
The reader is taken into the protagonist’s inner world and ends up rooting for Margaret/Meg. When her growing emotional involvement with the job results in Meg taking risks that could put her in jeopardy, a genuine question is raised as to how this will end. Meg is aware her emotional involvement is putting her at risk but, like most people, her emotions get the better of her. The reader understands why, and is fearful of the consequences for Meg.
The plot’s twists and turns were unexpected and, most importantly, not contrived. The story is written in such a way as to draw the reader in and encourage him/her to suspend disbelief. It is well paced, with just enough descriptive detail to flesh-out the scenes and locations, without slowing down the plot. My only complaint in that there were a number of typos and formatting errors, with some characters not being rendered correctly – such as the accented ‘e’ in café.
Jake
http://jake-hardman-thrillers.blogspo...
Synopsis: Margret Harrison is a corporate consult who investigates companies for corporate raiders, etc. Her investigative skills come in useful for her alter-ego, Megan Harris, an assassin. Hits are a sideline she engages in when her consulting business is slack, with her using her legitimate business to lauder her ill-gotten gains. After accepting a hit via an anonymous, encrypted website, she quickly discovers the job isn’t quite what it first appears to be. Not only does her contractor lie to her, but when she learns more about the target she discovers an unexpected link – hence the Conflict of Interest.
Review: While Meg is trained in Mixed Martial Arts, and is a skilled assassin, she is not infallible and acknowledges there are areas – such as surveillance – where her skills are somewhat lacking. This makes her a believable character and adds to the novel’s tension. Surprisingly for an assassin, it’s easy to identify with Meg and feel empathy for her. In part, this is because of the interesting emotional conflict with which Lauryn Christopher presents Meg. In part, it is because the author gives Margaret/Meg a convincing back story that explains why she is an assassin, without exonerating her of the moral responsibility for her actions.
The reader is taken into the protagonist’s inner world and ends up rooting for Margaret/Meg. When her growing emotional involvement with the job results in Meg taking risks that could put her in jeopardy, a genuine question is raised as to how this will end. Meg is aware her emotional involvement is putting her at risk but, like most people, her emotions get the better of her. The reader understands why, and is fearful of the consequences for Meg.
The plot’s twists and turns were unexpected and, most importantly, not contrived. The story is written in such a way as to draw the reader in and encourage him/her to suspend disbelief. It is well paced, with just enough descriptive detail to flesh-out the scenes and locations, without slowing down the plot. My only complaint in that there were a number of typos and formatting errors, with some characters not being rendered correctly – such as the accented ‘e’ in café.
Jake
http://jake-hardman-thrillers.blogspo...
April 25, 2011
It’s a strange feeling to like an assassin and I wouldn’t have thought I would. After all, as a therapist, I’m more into the “let’s make people feel better” side of things. Yet there’s no question that in “Conflict Of Interest,” author Lauryn Christopher manages to portray Margaret Harrison, corporate consultant, in a such a way that I find it completely understandable that she hires out to kill people as a side gig. A girl needs to make some play money, after all. Have a little savings set aside. A nest egg, you might say.
Part of it, of course, is because Christopher gives us just enough childhood backstory to understand why Megan Harris (as she calls her assassin alter-ego) was able to make this particular career choice. A bigamist father. Abandonment issues. A hint of an abusive past boyfriend.
There’s more to it than that though. Megan Harris/Margaret Harrison is no cookie-cutter character. She doesn’t charge after big, bad guys in high heels or, thank goodness, expect Manly Good-Guy to save her bacon. While she is quite aware of the many professional assets she brings to the job of hunting (and killing) people, she’s cognizant of her weaknesses. For one thing, she isn’t good at tailing people and says so. She is good, however, at tracking finances, weaving seamlessly through cyber-space to learn potential victims’ habits, blending into the environment, and at keeping her careers and her private life separate. She has studied, trained, and keeps fit in order to do the best job for her clientelle.
In short, she takes pride in her work.
But sometimes her lives don’t stay separate. When Megan is hired by a client to kill his professional rival, it seems like an easy job. . . until Megan learns the client has committed a big no-no. He lied. To his assassin, which is apparently a breach of client-assassin protocol. (If she were a psychotherapist she might be less surprised. We get lied to all the time. No biggee.)
Even worse: the target? Megan’s half-sister.
To go any further would be to risk spoilers. Bottom line: “Conflict Of Interest” is well-written, intricately plotted, and full of surprises. I give it four stars.
Part of it, of course, is because Christopher gives us just enough childhood backstory to understand why Megan Harris (as she calls her assassin alter-ego) was able to make this particular career choice. A bigamist father. Abandonment issues. A hint of an abusive past boyfriend.
There’s more to it than that though. Megan Harris/Margaret Harrison is no cookie-cutter character. She doesn’t charge after big, bad guys in high heels or, thank goodness, expect Manly Good-Guy to save her bacon. While she is quite aware of the many professional assets she brings to the job of hunting (and killing) people, she’s cognizant of her weaknesses. For one thing, she isn’t good at tailing people and says so. She is good, however, at tracking finances, weaving seamlessly through cyber-space to learn potential victims’ habits, blending into the environment, and at keeping her careers and her private life separate. She has studied, trained, and keeps fit in order to do the best job for her clientelle.
In short, she takes pride in her work.
But sometimes her lives don’t stay separate. When Megan is hired by a client to kill his professional rival, it seems like an easy job. . . until Megan learns the client has committed a big no-no. He lied. To his assassin, which is apparently a breach of client-assassin protocol. (If she were a psychotherapist she might be less surprised. We get lied to all the time. No biggee.)
Even worse: the target? Megan’s half-sister.
To go any further would be to risk spoilers. Bottom line: “Conflict Of Interest” is well-written, intricately plotted, and full of surprises. I give it four stars.
August 24, 2011
Corporate spies, assassins and hit-men (or women) are such staples of certain fictional genres that readers are accustomed to the premise and suspension of disbelief is easy, regardless of how prevalent we believe they are (or aren't) in the real world. Once we buy into the initial premise, the stories fall into a few basic formulas. How well the author executes the formula while making it feel unique is what sets one book apart from the others and determines the best reads.
"Conflict of Interest" has a couple things that made the story unique. First is the protagonist, Meg Harrison. The stereotypical hit-person is a lone-wolf man. He'll be amoral (almost a requirement for the job), or a psychopath as well as cold and unemotional. He'll often live off-the-grid or, if not, have a cover completely separate from his life as a assassin, with frequent "business trips" as an explanation for his disappearances to perform his contract killings.
Meg's situation couldn't be more different from the stereotype. Not only are there the obvious differences we'd expect because of gender, but her approach itself is much different. She operates as a business, with legitimate (although not totally unrelated) legal activities filling the time between her more clandestine jobs. This has many advantages with easy laundering of the money from her illegal activities one of the biggest.
Although largely unemotional about what she does, we find Meg doesn't fit the norm, as she discovers the identity of her latest victim-to-be. As a reader we're setup to want Meg's assignment to be successful, with the story conflict turning out to be just how she should define success this time around. With "Conflict of Interest,: Christopher turns the hit-man formula on its head, and in doing so gives us a surprising and entertaining read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
"Conflict of Interest" has a couple things that made the story unique. First is the protagonist, Meg Harrison. The stereotypical hit-person is a lone-wolf man. He'll be amoral (almost a requirement for the job), or a psychopath as well as cold and unemotional. He'll often live off-the-grid or, if not, have a cover completely separate from his life as a assassin, with frequent "business trips" as an explanation for his disappearances to perform his contract killings.
Meg's situation couldn't be more different from the stereotype. Not only are there the obvious differences we'd expect because of gender, but her approach itself is much different. She operates as a business, with legitimate (although not totally unrelated) legal activities filling the time between her more clandestine jobs. This has many advantages with easy laundering of the money from her illegal activities one of the biggest.
Although largely unemotional about what she does, we find Meg doesn't fit the norm, as she discovers the identity of her latest victim-to-be. As a reader we're setup to want Meg's assignment to be successful, with the story conflict turning out to be just how she should define success this time around. With "Conflict of Interest,: Christopher turns the hit-man formula on its head, and in doing so gives us a surprising and entertaining read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
September 12, 2019
The pacing in this one is particularly good. The tension builds up quite nicely, with little revelations leading to larger. This isn’t a high-action book, and the tone definitely has a sense of humor to it, but it kept me engrossed. It’s also very detail-oriented, with things seeming to disappear only to come back later, and little things adding up. I did have one small issue with a detail later on, but I don’t want to spoil anything, and it was only a little thing.
I really enjoyed the characters; only Harry is a bit of a one-dimensional horn-dog. Therese and Meg are both intriguing, as are several side characters. I particularly enjoy that Meg is not an entirely likable character. Even when she learns that Harry is manipulating her in order to kill his wife, she doesn’t immediately set aside the contract. She continues to work the job, and even contemplates whether it would be possible to use her resemblance to Therese to steal her money.
The connection between Meg and Therese, especially given that they live in entirely different areas, is an awfully large coincidence. But hey, weird coincidences happen all the time in real life, so I’m willing to suspend disbelief for this one.
This was a really fun book, and I look forward to reading more about Meg!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/09/r...
I really enjoyed the characters; only Harry is a bit of a one-dimensional horn-dog. Therese and Meg are both intriguing, as are several side characters. I particularly enjoy that Meg is not an entirely likable character. Even when she learns that Harry is manipulating her in order to kill his wife, she doesn’t immediately set aside the contract. She continues to work the job, and even contemplates whether it would be possible to use her resemblance to Therese to steal her money.
The connection between Meg and Therese, especially given that they live in entirely different areas, is an awfully large coincidence. But hey, weird coincidences happen all the time in real life, so I’m willing to suspend disbelief for this one.
This was a really fun book, and I look forward to reading more about Meg!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/09/r...
June 8, 2012
I wasn't ready for this one, and I can't even say I didn't see it coming. Pleasant, intelligent, matter-of-fact Meg is an assasin for hire - in her spare time yet! The book was realistic without being grim as Meg, hired to kill a stranger she later recognizes as her sister, turns the tables on her employer and delves rather deeply into pieces of her own psyche that's she's been covering up for years. I can't wait for the next one. No matter what you read about it, this book is NOT going to be what you expect.
August 30, 2019
This was pretty good. Not my usual fare, but it was part of a Story Bundle. And I enjoyed it.
A good thriller about a female assassin hired to kill a very unexpected target. Interesting characters, a plot that wasn't obvious, and an interesting look into this fictional assassin's life and motivations.
A good thriller about a female assassin hired to kill a very unexpected target. Interesting characters, a plot that wasn't obvious, and an interesting look into this fictional assassin's life and motivations.
April 18, 2011
Posting snips from other people's reviews here...
A slick suspense
4.0 out of 5 stars
Patricia K. Batta
posted on Kindle, May 25, 2011
"Suspend your disbelief and get ready for a ride. With astonishing detail, Lauryn Christopher lays out an escalating series of events that shake assasin Megan Harris from her normally unshakable confidence..."
If you're sick of the typical female mystery protagonist, read this one!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Noelle (Santaquin, Utah, USA)
posted on Kindle, January 19, 2011
"... a fast-paced read with plenty of twists and surprises. Lauryn Christopher has a natural voice, giving heart to a character that would be otherwise unsympathetic..."
No Conflict at All: Buy this Mystery
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gerald M. Weinberg
posted on Kindle, January 24, 2011
"...well-written, in Meg's brilliant, scheming voice, as she thinks and acts her way through one surprising quandary after another..."
A slick suspense
4.0 out of 5 stars
Patricia K. Batta
posted on Kindle, May 25, 2011
"Suspend your disbelief and get ready for a ride. With astonishing detail, Lauryn Christopher lays out an escalating series of events that shake assasin Megan Harris from her normally unshakable confidence..."
If you're sick of the typical female mystery protagonist, read this one!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Noelle (Santaquin, Utah, USA)
posted on Kindle, January 19, 2011
"... a fast-paced read with plenty of twists and surprises. Lauryn Christopher has a natural voice, giving heart to a character that would be otherwise unsympathetic..."
No Conflict at All: Buy this Mystery
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gerald M. Weinberg
posted on Kindle, January 24, 2011
"...well-written, in Meg's brilliant, scheming voice, as she thinks and acts her way through one surprising quandary after another..."
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews