See my review on GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2175298019

Amazing, Suspense Filled Drama

Vivian works as a counterintelligence analyst for the CIA, her job is to hack into the computer network of spies. Especially Russian handlers who direct the sleeper cells in the United States. When she is finally successful in gaining access to the records of one handler she learns the identity of the sleeper agents he controls. Now she has to figure out how to make that information disappear before it turns her life inside out.

In this beautifully crafted and written suspense drama, you find yourself in Vivian’s head as she tries to sort the lies from the truth and, more importantly, who she can trust. And, at the same time, she has to protect her children from whatever the future holds. Like other readers I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter before it was necessary to put the book down and take care of the everyday tasks awaiting my action.

Fantastic premesis. Spy-hunter finds out her husband is a sleeper. Confronted, he just says: Yes, you're right. What now?
Not too many surprises after that, but that's okay. Anything else would maybe have been too much.
The characters are a bit wooden, it's more a thriller than literature.
I absolutely hated the ending, though. I would recommend to skip the epilogue. Absolutely "deus ex machina". In my opinion the book would have been a 5-star-read without that last "twist".
I'll just try to forget about it and remember the good times! :)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2174839899

Enjoyable read that moves along. Likable characters.. Didn't see the end comimg. looking forward to nxt book.

CIA analyst Vivian finds a Russian sleeper where she least expected it. Now she needs to decide who she can trust and how to protect her family in a world where everyone can be compromised. I didn't want to put it down!

Tense spy thriller. Twists and turns abound.

Who can CIA analyst Vivian Miller trust as she works to identify the Russian sleeper cell members and the mole in her department? Actually, if the reader trusts their instincts, they may just realize they have had the answers all along.

Do not do what I did. I started this book at bedtime and then found myself unable to put it down and go to sleep.

More of a review closer to publication date.

She's a CIA agent working in counter-intelligence trying to find out about the Russian sleeper cells. He is her husband, and unbeknownst to her, a sleeper agent of the Russians. She was his target. Now they have four kids and she learns the man she loved is -- inconceivably -- part of an activated sleeper cell. Their twins are so young, and one of them has to see a cardiologist. Losing her job would mean losing health care for them all Their money is tight, but without her husband, how would she care for four kids? And so, she finds the incriminating evidence but once she confronts him, she has to turn him in. She finds herself unable to do it. She stares at the evidence and hides it. The next moment, she realizes she has already compromised herself, her actions equivalent to treason. Now what can she do? Is there a way out of the inevitable course of things?
A heart-pounding thriller!

5 extremely suspenseful on the edge of your seat stars!
This one was so good, so very, very good!

"I've always wanted to be a spy because it is the ultimate acting exercise. You are never what you seem."

Vivian is a trusted, loyal CIA analyst. She has a harried life with four children, one of who is ill with a heart ailment. She has a loving but also harried husband, Matt. Vivian is looking for a promotion since the money is desperately needed for her family. It seems to be a guarantee for her as she has developed a way in which to find Russian sleeper agents. All looks well until she stumbles upon a secret, one that threatens to uproot her and her family and puts her at odds with the country she has sworn to protect and defend against all enemies both foreign and domestic.

This was a tense novel that keeps the reader totally engaged in the intrigue and cunning that goes on in the spy business. Ms Cleveland keeps the action, suspense, and intrigue going all the way up to the end with lots of twists and turns. This was one of those novels that kept me up to 2am reading just one more chapter to see where Ms Cleveland would take us next. The author also presented us with the ultimate dilemma that perhaps many of those working to ferret out spies go through. The spy system of our country and others is extremely sophisticated and theses agencies know our deepest secrets and use them to their advantage. Who can Vivian trust? Does she have a chance to overcome the constant obstacles put in her path? Can she save herself, her children, her husband? And that ending will blow your mind! I highly recommend this book if you are a lover of spy, suspense, and the biting of nails type reader.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this thriller for an unbiased review.

I was hooked from the very beginning; but this book just kept getting better and better!! Vivian is a CIA agent, who has just hacked into the computer of a Russian enemy. On the screen are the pictures of 5 people who are under this Russian; but one of those faces can't be right! Or can it? Is Vivian husband, the wonderful, loving father of their four children, the man she has always thought? Or has he been lying to her since the first day they met?
So begins this wonderful ride!

Wow, I could not turn the pages fast enough. Vivian, a CIA agent, is tasked with the Russian files, and must find a sleeper agent. Little did she know, he was right in her own home. This book runs the gamut of truth and lies, all on the same page. How to extricate herself from a sticky situation was her ultimate goal, as long as her family was taken care of. This book keeps you guessing until the very last page, and then hits you over the head with the REAL truth. I truly hope there is a sequel, as this book begs for one. Just read it already!

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. I would definitely read another book by this author.

This is a great story that will keep you turning the pages. Once I started reading this conspiracy book about a CIA agent I couldn't put it down.. It takes a good book for me to stay up in one sitting and get through the book which this one did and I had no problem in making excuses to keep reading. I would recommend this to all lovers of thriller and readers who just like a good book.

Need to Know is the debut novel by Karen Cleveland. Need to Know immediately grabs the reader and won't let go. I found myself waking during the night with the plot on my mind each time. Some edge of your seat moments and a lot of "Don't do that!" moments to the heroine. Can't wait for Ms Cleveland's next story....and hoping maybe a sequel. I was given an early copy to review.

Wife is CIA agent working on uncovering Russian sleeper cells and within the first chapter she discovers one is her husband and father of her four children. This goes back and forth from the present to their courtship, different moments in their 10 year marriage and yes - it gets tense. So much so that I confess I skipped ahead just so I wouldn't have to go thru all the stress. BUT even with skipping ahead I found I had to go back and read every single page - this was truly a book you can't put down. Even after all that tension and stress - I honestly wanted more.

This is one of those books that will keep you up all night -- one you will not be able to put down. Need to Know, by Karen Cleveland, is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It definitely deserves a sequel. The character development is excellent, and the story flows quickly and smoothly.

In this compelling tale of geo-political espionage, and Russian spies on American soil, the reader is taken on a roller coaster ride as CIA analyst, Vivian Miller’s emotions run the gamut of betrayal, anger, ice cold fear, distrust, love, hate, and self-doubt. Viv, a brilliant analyst has written an algorithm that allows her to hack into the computer of a known Russian spy handler. Her life changes forever when she opens one of his computer files labeled “Friends”, and finds a photo of her husband, Matt.

Cleveland cleverly wove into the narrative a social commentary on the state of health insurance in the United States:  Viv wanted to stay home with her baby who was born with a congenital heart defect. She had to continue her work in order to keep her medical insurance. Instead, Matt, who could work from home became a stay-at-home dad.

Follow along as Viv, her beloved husband, their children, and even Viv's parents are swept into the drama. Matt has been nothing but a loving, supportive husband, or has he? Will she protect Matt, or will she turn him in?

Need to Know will be published January 23, 2018, and the the film rights have already been sold to Universal Pictures. Charlize Theron will produce the film, and will star as Vivian. This is a book you will definitely want to read. I hope the movie does the book justice.

What Makes This Book Reviewer Grumpy?
The usual things:
Frequently using "bring" and "brought" when the appropriate words are "take" and "took";
Improper placement of the word "only" within sentences -- it changes the true meaning of the entire sentence;
Mistakenly using the word "further" when the intended meaning was "farther". They are not the same;
Frequent split infinitives;
Saying "me and him" instead of "him and me".

Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

Vivian, happily married mother of four, is a Russian analyst with the CIA. Her assignment to uncover the leaders of a Russian sleeper cell becomes something else entirely when she finally accesses the computer of a suspected Russian operative...and finds pictures of five members of a sleeper cell.

Her thrilling sense of success is shattered when she realizes one of the pictures is that of her husband Matt. Instead of immediately notifying her superior, Viv, stunned and disbelieving, hesitates.

Need to Know is a tense and frightening account of a dilemma no one could really expect. Loyalty to country or family? Whom to trust?

I did not know what to expect from this novel, but I could not stop turning the pages. And the end? Whoa.

"Karen Cleveland spent eight years as a CIA analyst, the last six in counterterrorism. She has master’s degrees from Trinity College Dublin, where she studied as a Fulbright Scholar, and from Harvard University. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband and two young kids."

This is not an action thriller. There is no Jason Bourne. Need to Know is an espionage novel of another type entirely, yet my heart was in my mouth as I struggled through each tension-laden page.

Read in Oct.; blog review scheduled for Jan. 8, 2018.

NetGalley/Random House/Ballentine

Espionage/Suspense. Jan. 23, 2018. Print length: 304 pages.

What a fun read this was! It grabs you from the first page and keeps you up late at night reading. I finished this in two days and only wished it was longer. You love the main character even when you want to scream at her and you never know who to trust throughout. All the way to the end. Sure, there are bits that are a little hard to believe, and some inconsistencies in the circumstances, but those were not a deal breaker. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for this unbiased review.

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland is a thriller about Vivian, a CIA analyst whose job it is to uncover Russian sleeper cells in the United States.

I read this book in one day. I couldn’t put it down. It keeps you guessing until the end. When Russians get in touch with Vivian using blackmail, will Vivian do what it takes to save her family? Will she betray the country she has sworn to protect? This is a thriller that is definitely worth a read. There were a few minor plot holes but they were easily overlooked, due to the overall content. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers and espionage. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to recieve a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley...and sat in awe when I finished it.

Throughout the whole book, starting with the amazing "I cant put it down" chapter - through the end I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I often wondered what I would do if I found out my life as I knew it was all a lie. How much loyalty would I give my husband, my country - my family. My family is my world, how would I be able to protect them?

Vivian Miller is a CIA analyst who uncovers some frightening information on the Russians and in doing so has put her family in jeopardy. What she has uncovered has put her and her family in danger and she must figure out a way to keep them safe while finding these Russian sleepers who are living among them.

A page turner that will keep you wanting more.

Between three and four stars. Easy to skim through the first half. Not really all that interested in putting kids to bed, etc., but it really picks up in the second half. A spy thriller with the added suspense of the agony of personal choices -- do I commit treason to save fellow USA agents, or do I save my family? What would you or I do? Unfortunately, I felt the last plot twist was only there to hype the ending. It was a bit of a stretch and not particularly believable.

Thanks to NetGallery for this ARC.