“My God, Vivian, what’s it going to take for you to trust me?”

Need to Know is an espionage thriller written by a former CIA analyst. I read it free and early thanks to Random House and Net Galley. This book will be available to the public on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

Our story is told in the first person by Vivian Miller, a CIA analyst with a mortgage to meet and four small children. In the course of her research she comes across the identity of someone she knows and then the whole house starts to tumble, as she makes one bad decision after another, punctuated with the occasional wise choice to heighten suspense. Around the sixty percentile I found myself reading it for giggles as it becomes increasingly clear that our protagonist is as dumb as a box of rocks.

With this in mind, I have devised a drinking game for rowdy book clubs that meet in real life. Here are some ideas:

• Take a drink every time Vivian refers to Matt as her “rock”.
• Take two drinks every time she refers to Matt as their children’s “rock”.
• Take a drink every time you run across the word “ringleader”.
• Spin around three times and take a drink for every rhetorical question you find in the narrative.
• Take a drink for every stereotype you see.

Spoiler alert (*snerk*): you may want to clear your calendar the day after your book club meets, because it’s going to be a rough one.

Now I understand that there may be abstainers in your drinking book club, patient souls that either really like the people in your club, or that can’t find a book club made up of tea-totters. For those people I have special instructions:

• Take a drink when you find a well developed character.
• Take a drink when you find a positive female role model .

Another spoiler alert: provide this second group of people with water, because otherwise they are going home thirsty.

I can also recommend this title to women that are newly divorced, mad as hell, and looking for something to throw. For these ladies, I recommend obtaining a hard copy, because you won’t want to ruin your expensive electronic devices. Before commencing with this title, remove pictures, monitors, and china from the wall where you’ll be reading. Broken glass is nobody’s idea of a fun Tuesday night.

“They’re good, the Russians.”

Newly divorced, mad-as-hell, book-throwing women that have recently divorced a Russian man may even want to pre-order a copy. I’d do that right now if I were you.

Купить книгу.

I really enjoyed this book! I chose to read this one because it seemed like it would be a fast-paced novel, but also have the CIA/FBI aspect to it, and I always love those types of books and TV shows. I liked that this book wasn't overly complicated and focused more on the story of being a parent and doing whatever it takes to keep your children safe, rather than details of the work that Vivian was doing with the CIA. I think that could have taken away from the storyline. I definitely would read more from this author in the future!

This book was so unbelievably good because on one hand, I couldn't believe it could happen in real life, but on the other hand, I can believe it could happen, and I wondered the entire time how it was going to end up. I can't say anything else without spoilers. Except to say it was heart-pounding the entire time, and I couldn't wait to read it every day.

This spy novel explores what a mother will do to protect her children when the 1 person she trusts the most, her husband, turns out to be a Russian sleeper agent. Vivian has a good life, a loving husband, 4 children, a nice house, and a job she enjoys in the Russian section of the CIA. But her life is not what it seems when in the course of her work she discovers that her husband is a Russian sleeper agent. In her quest to protect him she endangers herself, her family and the United States. How can she trust? A fun read that has you yelling at the pages and rooting for her to succeed.

This was a fast-paced thriller that was part spy novel, part family drama. I could not put this book down! Need to Know centers around VIvian, and a CIA analyst whose world gets flipped upside down when her work and home lives collide. Lots of suspense and you never know who is the good or bad guy (even until the end!) I hope there is a follow to this book, I’d love to read more about these characters!

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Posted on Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read Blog on January 13, 2018

While I do love thrillers and suspense, I don't read a lot of CIA/Spy type stories, but the blurb for this one intrigued me. I started reading and I have to say that for most of the book, I wasn't sure how I would rate this one. I went back and forth between rolling my eyes at Vivian's decisions and being so aggravated with her that I wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled, especially a memory from the past would feature a big red flag. At the same time, I couldn't stop turning the pages. I had to see how it all came out. Then, I thought about her situation. It's easy to sit back with a bird's eye view and say what we would do in her shoes, but when faced with extreme circumstances, when everything we hold dear is on the line, what would we really do? In the end, I realized that this is not just a story about spies, it's also a tale of a seemingly good life disrupted by betrayal and deceit. The book is wonderfully written and any time that an author can keep me turning pages, stir up that much emotion, and leave me with gasp, she's done her job and done it well.

I finished Need to Know three weeks ago and it still lingers in my mind. One of the best thrillers I've ever read with twists that were far out in front of me. After I finished this terrific and fast paced book all I could think was "I didn't see this coming." Perfect plane reading, beach reading or anytime reading. If you enjoy thrillers don't miss this one.

This was a great book to read. I found it fast paced and exciting

“Need To Know” by Karen Cleveland is a spy thriller distinct from most others. It opens similarly enough:
“a flash drive, the little rectangle, nondescript.”
“So small, but with so much power. POWER.”

But then … the unthinkable…
What does a “sleeper cell spy chaser” do when the spy is someone she knows; not even just knows, is married to? Readers are thrown into the rollercoaster life of imbedded spies, sleeper cells, and Russian espionage, with personal deceit, deception, and betrayal. It is just like the movies, but the face of the spy is that of her husband. (Not a spoiler, readers find out in the first few chapters)

Now what? Through flashbacks we learn all we about this relationship in the past, but it is the future of this relationship that is problematic. The situation is complex and fraught with complications to say the least, her background, his background, the conspiracy, the children, and on and on. Day by day life becomes more and more complicated. Without giving anything else away, the story moves desperately forward. Who can be believed, and who cannot? What about her husband and her children? The children?

“There’s no danger to the kids… I work for them. In their mind, the kids are …THEIRS.”

The plot is amazingly intricate and specifically current in today’s brutal world of intelligence and surveillance. The action, suspense and intrigue will keep readers on the edge of their seats all the while looking behind to see who is watching. The characters are complex; the action is non-stop, and the ending unexpected.

I received a copy of “Need To Know” from Karen Cleveland, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley. I could not put it down. It was like all the TV spy show and espionage movies, but way, way better. This is absolutely a “must read” book for everyone. It will not disappoint.

I liked this story.  The story itself had plenty of twists and turns and kept you guessing as to what would happen next.  However, the main character, Vivian, could act so dumb at times.  It made it harder to sympathize with her.  Adding to the situation for me was her job.  Vivian works as a CIA analyst.  I expected better choices from her.

The writing was done well.  This author has potential.  I would read future books by her in case it was just me thinking the main character was dumb.  Because, as I have already stated the story itself was good.  I love a fast paced read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

I loved this - read it in one day! Fast-paced DC thriller!

Loved this book. Engaged me right from the first few pages. The author's insight into the world of the CIA and associated activities comes through in this exciting story.

This is the debut novel for Cleveland, a former CIA analyst. Vivian Miller is a CIA analyst working on the Russian counterintelligence desk. She has developed an algorithm to ferret out Russian sleeper agents. When she makes a breakthrough, she discovers that her husband, Matt, has been a Russian agent for some 22 years. What should she do - protect her family (her children) or expose her husband? And once the choice is made, what are the consequences? I really had a difficult time rating this book. While the premise was good, the amount of time spent on describing the children became tedious at time. The decisions Vivian makes are often almost childish. And I did not like the main characters. But I must confess the ending kept the rating up.

I thought this was going to be a great spy book, with a kickass female character. Sadly, it was a spy book but I found myself rolling my eyes through most of it. The protagonist, Vivian, is a talented counter-intelligence analyst. After facing a huge betrayal by someone close to her she has to figure out what to do, where to go for help and who to trust. The answer should have been "no one", but that's not how this went. If I could have reached into the book and smacked her upside the head I would have done so,

A fast-paced spy novel, but not in the traditional vein. A CIA agent learns at work that her husband is not who she thought he was, he’s a sleeper agent for the Russians. With elements of The Americans, it’s a fun read, if quite predictable.

A woman works for the CIA as a Russian Analyst. Her husband works at home and is also caretaker for their four children. She is looking into sleeper cells of Russian agents, their handlers and their leaders. In doing this she hacks into the computer of a suspected handler and learns something she does not want to know. I won’t go any further into the plot because of spoilers, but will say it is gripping and the ending will make the reader sit up. This is well worth reading. Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine for an ARC for an honest review.

Well this one kept me up all night reading! Great spy thriller set in the US. Vivian Miller is an analyst working for the CIA with a focus on Russian sleeper cells. She has a wonderful life with a loving husband and four children. Her world is tilted on when she clicks open a folder in a computer of someone the government is tracking. Life changes fast and Viv needs to figured out what is the truth, how much we can trust those we love, and how to survive this world of espionage. Great story and characters, this reads like a movie and I hope the rumors are true that it is being made into one! Thank you netgalley for a chance to read this for my honest opinion.

Ignorance is bliss. Just ask Vivian Miller. Poised at the pinnacle of a career making intelligence project, she soon finds that same project threatens to tear apart the most important part of her life. Already logging late hours and struggling with guilt at the amount of time she is away from her four kids, what Vivian learns could destroy her tenuous grasp on her family life with her children and husband. With suspenseful pacing and strong plotline reminiscent of the hit NBC drama Blacklist, author Karen Cleveland delivers a sure fire hit that is impossible to put down from the first page to the last. Cleveland’s own background in intelligence adds to the realism of the setting and its issues while she deftly balances a very honest representation of motherhood for the working mom.

Need to Know is a sleek and well-honed suspense story with a great balance of plotline and character development. It is hinted that the movie may be adapted into a Charlize Theron movie and it is a perfect fit for such an adaptation. I look forward to reading more of Cleveland’s stories in the future!

My thanks to the publisher, Ballantine Books for the opportunity of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vivian Miller, a CIA analyst on the Russian desk, discovers her husband is a sleeper agent for the Russians and that the number of sleepers in the US is much higher than the agency suspected. She realizes that she cannot turn him in - they have four kids, they need both of them and both of their incomes to maintain their household, and she loves him.

After not turning him in, she endangers herself erasing his record as a sleeper and by taking additional steps that get her in deeper and deeper.

She has betrayed her oath and is worried about putting the US at risk. She also cannot trust Matt. Is he being truthful with her, or is their entire life part of a managed campaign to put her in the right place at the right time?

The story is well written and plausible regardless of which part of the paranoia you come down on, but stories where characters make one inadvisable move after another, digging themselves in more deeply each day, make me uncomfortable. The entanglements increase; Viv has to lie to more friends and colleagues; the tasks set by the Russians get more and more costly. The suspense and pressure are relentless.

Reminds me in a way of Sophie’s Choice - there is no good answer and no way out.

/ I didn’t like it so much.
Matt has, since their first meeting, manipulated his relationship with Viv and the progress of her career as an analyst for the CIA - switching to the Russia desk, moving up the ladder of espionage analyses projects.

The Russians threaten Viv’s kids when she doesn’t manipulate CIA data as they ordered. She determines that she can only protect them by finding Yury. Viv finally locates Yury the handler and discovers that her mentor Peter was the mole. His wife Katherine was not accepted into a cancer clinical trial. The Russians provided the medicine until Peter refused to continue to do their bidding. They withdrew the meds, and she died a few weeks later.

Viv discovers Matt at Yury’s house; Matt shoots Yury; Peter takes the blame and suicides. Omar helps get them into Witness Protection, including Viv’s parents. Viv forgives Matt for being a sleeper and for his lies. At the end, Viv decides to return to a higher post in the CIA; Omar is promoted to a deputy director position at the FBI.

In the last few paragraphs, in spite of Vivian’s belief that they have escaped the Russians, she is returning to the CIA and Matt and Omar are both active agents for the Russians.

Readalikes/Similar Authors:
Chris Pavone – The Expats; Dennis Lehane – Since We Fell; Chris Bohjalian – Guest Room; Lisa Scottoline – Don’t Go; James Patterson – Guilty Wives; Iris Johansen – Bonnie; Stuart Woods – Hothouse Orchid; John Sandford – Dead Watch; Mary Higgins Clark – No Place Like Home.