Need to Know was a very odd read for me. It was as if I was reading two separate books. Book one was a fast driven race car. A Formula One page turner. Book two was a confusing mess. Who is everyone?

From a technical standpoint Karen Cleveland knows how to write. There is a lot of internal dialog explaining what the character, Viv Miller, is going through with each revelation. I appreciated the looking back in her history with her husband that explained what she was doing in the present. It did become a bit repetitive with people asking her if she was okay but this is a minor issue for me. Although there is the backwards/forwards aspect to the story it does not bog it down at any point.

From a character perspective the book is messy. Viv is weak as a person, as in no spine to do what would appear to be the right thing. EARLY IN THE BOOK SPOILER ALERT. Her husband is a Russian sleeper agent who targeted her as a source, marries her, has 4 children with her and yet she still has a trust in him that seems beyond comprehension. Everything points to him putting Russia before his family. She needs to protect her children, her country, but why her husband? Just didn't gel all that well. Had Viv gotten stronger due to adversity the story line and her character would have been more compelling. The book also has a fairytale ending.

I see a good writer in Karen Cleveland. I would read any subsequent efforts from her. Her characters just need more flesh and growth.

Gripping and impossible to put down.
Vivian's world flipped one day, and the life she knew no longer exists. From that moment on, high tension dominates, and the 'need to know' how it's going to end is the only reigning looming emotion. Not one moment of boredom. The writing, the plot, the characters, I loved the whole package. Beautiful work!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House, I was able to enjoy this story.

What a great book! It grabs your attention and keeps it until the very end. It was impossible to put down. The plot is gripping and completely plausible, which is what makes the book so engrossing.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the the main character works for the CIA, and ends up making decisions that made me question what I would have done if I were in a similar situation.

This is a must read book, and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I could not put this book down. The author had me hooked on the first page. I felt the anguish of the heroine in her struggle for the correct definition of loyalty. The subject matter is timely which made the plot all the more realistic. The twists towards the end were very well positioned and now I need a day before starting another book to digest the ending.

Outstanding! I couldn't stop until I finished! The reader really understands what Vivian is thinking and why she does what she does. So I was surprised time and again! Amazing book!

Need to Know is a very well written book with a super good plot. I enjoyed this book and the author's writing style.

Karen Cleveland ‘s Need To Know is definitely a need to read novel. It is a superb thriller set in our nation’s capital. It involves Russians… and spies… and the CIA. Those three separate topics always leads to some kind of controversy and debate, but together they make for an intriguing plot that results in an engaging emotional novel. You will not be disappointed with this read.

Vivian Miller works long hours but, thank heavens, for her reliable work-at-home husband. He has dinner ready when she gets home, takes the kids to school and has always supported her advancement as a CIA analyst. Vivian’s current project, pluming the murky depths of Russian sleeper agents, has become an obsession. Her success at identifying these illusive cells could result in a desperately needed promotion.
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Vivian is getting close. As she delves into a suspected Russian spy’s computer files, she comes across a folder with five photographs of ordinary looking Americans who fit the perfect profile for embedded plants. She flips through the pictures until she lands on one that freezes her in her tracks. In that moment, her job, country, her family and all that matters to her becomes precarious.

I stayed up late reading this one. Not only does it make you wonder about the strangers you pass on the street, it makes you question the people you know. High stakes suspense right up to the end!

As an ESL tutor, many of my students come from Russia.
They will love this book, and it will stimulate lots of discussion !
The book presents a moral dilema and it is interesting to see how it is resolved.
The style of flashbacks to provide basis for the story makes this a compelling read

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

A pox on you, Ms. Cleveland, you’re the reason I’m bleary eyed today! Did you have to write such an engrossing novel? I began reading an ARC of Need to Know yesterday evening and I just could not put it down. Nonstop excitement, believable characters, suspense, twists you don’t see coming, this novel has it all. I’ll keep the synopsis minimal as it would be a crime to give anything away, suffice it to say it’s set in the Washington, D.C.and the CIA.

I loved this book! Highly recommended.


ARC provided by NetGalley. My opinion is my own.

I had trouble putting this one down. It is easy to imagine oneself in a woman's shoes who stands to lose her entire life as she knows it if she doesn't do this "one thing". Usually I feel impatient with indecisive female characters, but this one had every right to be! Despite this, she did use the knowledge she had gained in her early training for the FBI to take some decisive actions. Nevertheless, the ending is chilling.