I am happy to receive this book in exchange of an honest review. I found the storyline very intense, however, the writing style is not appealing as a thriller. Rather, it is more plain, and could be much appealing and catchy, so that readers could always want to read more.

Do books about the possibility of Russian sleeper cells in the US interest you? How about a CIA analyst who gets herself involved in a major "situation"?

Need to Know kept me on the edge of my seat, from the first paragraph to the very last. I didn't want to put it down, but when I had to, all I did was think about it. I explained what was going on to my husband, who is not a reader. Even he was intrigued. If you like fast-paced, punch-you-in-the-face kind of action, this book is for you.

Very highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book by Karen Cleveland.

What a fantastic read! So many twists and turns... and I could not stop!! I thought I'd just read a couple chapters... I had to keep going as the story was so relatable and intriguing. Much past my bedtime, I finished... what a ride! A fabulous new novel and a new favorite author to keep my eye on. You keep pulling for Viv and Matt, but nothing is as it seems as the author puts their relationship, family, and commitment to the test!

This is the right time for this book. With the on-going Russia investigation, this suspenseful novel delivers a timely message about foreign operatives living and working among us, with high level governmental access. The book is well written with characters you can understand and relate to. I think this book lives up to the hype. I couldn't put it down.

This story is about Vivian, she has a busy life with four children. She has a loving husband, Matt. Vivian is a CIA counterintelligence agent, with this job she is close to a big breakthrough. The department she is working in is trying to uncover Russian sleeper agents in the US. At one point she finds something at her work what is probably going to mess with her family.

This novel makes you want to read the rest of the story, because of the suspense. I couldn’t stop reading it. You keep doubting about everything, doubting about who is telling the truth and who is not.
I would really recommend this story for people who want to read a book they can´t put down.

I could not bring myself to put this one down. Cleveland does a masterful job with this page-turner espionage thriller with plenty of surprises and twists to keep you hooked in. Most of all though, Cleveland created a great cast of characters. Vivian and Matt are fascinating to watch as their lives spiral out of control. The flashbacks in their relationship were some of the best scenes in the book where you get to see just how deep the deception went into even the smallest interactions. This whole story kept me guessing and on my toes, like any good thriller should. I’d love to see more about the Miller family in a future Cleveland book.

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

This book was a page turner.  Seldom do I find a book that holds my interest while reading and evokes my curiosity when not reading it.  I found myself rushing to finish my work just so I could pick up the book again.  I wanted to finish it, but didn’t want to.

This is a tale of intrigue, suspense and betrayal. Viv, married to a wonderful husband, Matt, and their 4 children, is a CIA counterintelligence analyst. She sits at a desk all day.  Her job does not require her to put herself in danger. So how does she get herself into that situation?  Pick up the book, start reading, and you will find out.  You will read this suspenseful tale from start to finish.

This reminded me of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie True Lies.  Long time spy Matt is married to Vivian and has four children. Vivian works for the CIA so is a perfect source of info for her Russian sleeper husband.  Loyalties are tested and trust is destroyed.  Who does anyone ever trust when the blindfold is removed??  A copy of this book was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley with no requirements for a review.  Comments here are my honest opinion."

I think I have just read one of the bestselling books of 2018. It’s already being hyped like crazy, with many Amazon Vine reviews already posted nearly 3 months before the release date. I am writing this review in late October, BTW. The movie rights have been sold and everybody is talking about this book. It’s a very good book.

Told from the point of view of CIA analyst, Vivian (Viv), who developed a program to uncover Russian sleeper cells in the US, the deep cover agent she uncovers is…her husband. We find that out quickly, so it’s just a tiny spoiler. Oh boy. He didn’t even deny it. Confessed immediately. What happens after that is truly remarkable. They have four kids, one of those kids has serious health problems. How can she handle life without her husband? Her life, with a high stress job and four kids is so busy, it’s almost comedic. But not really.

I had a couple of issues with the story. Viv spent a little too much time stressing. I got it the first time, Viv. You’re worried about what would happen if you lost your husband…because…hello!…you took an oath to protect this country from threats, foreign or domestic. It doesn’t get more domestic than learning that the man you sleep with every night is the enemy. But, hey, she loves him and she needs him. I understood that. My other issue was with four kids. I like kids in a story just fine, but four? Between getting the kids ready in the morning and putting them to bed at night? Dang. It gave me the willies! That could almost turn this into a horror story. Creepy.

Other than that, I loved this book. There is family drama, intrigue, betrayal and a good bit of danger and fear. This is going to be a great movie! A serious thriller with an ending that will make you shudder. What a ride. Grab a copy and…

Enjoy!

2shay

A very strong first novel, with some echoes of the TV series The Americans, in the way that its focus is mainly in the the protagonist family relations, and how the actions, alegiances and betrayals affects them.

Need to Know is a really fast-paced, well plotted thriller with an intriguing heroine and a gripping story. Can't wait to see how the film version turns out!

I won’t repeat here what the book is about because after 187 reviews I think that readers know that by heart now. 

What I would love to repeat is the praise for  this book but I’m against plagiarism – of course. I would love to repeat that I loved the series The Americans too – not only because of the plot but because learning Russian is one of my hobbies and the Russian in this series is very easy to follow. I would also like to repeat how happy I am to read that this book will be made into a movie. And on the other hand, I would even like to repeat some of the criticisms. I found all the talk about the children rather boring, and I cannot understand why Vivian, when her daughter is ‘sick’, just puts her on the couch and never asks her what she actually feels. 

So I’m not going to repeat anything… I’m just going to say that I simply thought it a great debut and I’m very happy to have received the ARC. Now all I have to do is wait for the movie to come out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book...I read it in one day! I felt like the dilemmas faced were plausible and believable. The ending was somewhat predictable for someone who is an avaricious reader of all genres but I still had a pleasant afternoon of reading on a rainy day.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Ballantine Books for giving me an advanced copy for my hones review.

How well do you know your husband? For Vivian, a CIA counterintelligence analyst, the answer could mean life or death.

Oh my goodness. I had a feeling I would love this book that combines espionage and family, but I was completely obsessed with reading this as soon as I picked it up. Karen Cleveland's background as a CIA Analyst lent a sense of realism and authenticity to a tense story. 

If you want to stay up all night reading, start this book, because you will not be able to put it down!

A typical spy novel but I found it lost my interest...conspiracy theorist might enjoy it

This book would be wonderful for a book club to read.  I think it would lead to some interesting discussions!  The writing style, a well developed plot, and intriguing characters .  I would definitely read another book by this author.

Vivian (Viv) is a CIA agent who discovers that a Russian operative is someone she knows.  Rather than do the smart thing, follow the oath that she took, she tries to protect the Russian.  I realize that Viv is a mother and will do anything to protect her children, but seriously?  This supposedly highly intelligent woman goes completely against character and against the country she swore to protect.  I got tired of all the backtracking to earlier years when she was having kids and it got so detailed that at times those sections were boring.  Too much information to make it “thrilling” to me.  I got bogged down in several places when the reminiscing went on too long.

Unfortunately, I didn’t finish this book because it made me very angry!  I am a veteran and took the same oath that this woman did.  I disliked the fact that the book happens to be about a woman who chose to break that oath. There are already enough naysayers regarding women in sensitive positions because they can be “easily” manipulated.  The fact that the author was in the CIA and is highly educated made me wonder why she would point the finger at other women.  These things weighed heavily on my mind as I read to about the halfway point of the book.  

So, I have nothing against the book as these things just happen to be  very strong personal beliefs of mine.  They in no way reflect on the book itself.  Like I said, this would make a great book club book as the choices the main character made were myriad and believable.  One of those “tangled webs we weave”.  I received a copy of Need to Know through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  My thanks to the publisher and Karen Cleveland for the opportunity.

4 Stars


This incredible book is a 'doozy' CIA thriller debut, that sets up a crescendo suspense and intrigue from its first chapter that will last till the very end!

Thanks to the great folks at Netgalley and Random House for this ARC copy


Wow,  I was thoroughly impressed and enjoyed this'CIA' debut novel <i> Need to Know </i> by Karen Cleveland! The book tells the story of a 'Viv Miller, a CIA analyst working on  counter-intelligence against Russian 'sleeper cells' in the United States. In essense, 'sleeper' cells are Russian spy operatives working undercover and incognito until they are fully activated by their respective 'Russian' mid-handlers.

From the very beginning, Cleveland builds the suspense by setting up a single theme:

 If you had to chose between love of country and love of family, which one would you chose?

The rest is history folks! I really can't detail much more about the story without risking my own safety, lol. 

What I can tell unequivocally, is that the writer knows what the hell she's writing about!  From her own Goodreads bio: ''Karen Cleveland spent eight years as a CIA analyst, the last six in counterterrorism'' enough said! 

The writing is fast paced, the chapters highlight 'Viv's' dilemma with her CIA discovery, and flashback moments of her life. The third party POV is very effective at setting up a contrast of Viv's life 'B.D' vs 'A.D' her monumental discovery. Viv is certainly a woman in distress, with an incredible difficult choice, and one that would make readers 'cringe' in their seats until the last page of the book!  

I leave this with an image from the kick ass 'MAD Magazine' Spy vs Spy that really resumes this book well, without giving any spoilers...
 


4 Stars

Als CIA-Innendienstmitarbeiterin hat Vivien einen verantwortungsvollen Job. Ihr Mann Matt ist ihr eine große Stütze, hauptsächlich kümmert er sich um ihre vier Kinder. Diese sind alle sehr wohlgeraten, nur einer der Zwillinge hat seit seiner Geburt gesundheitliche Probleme, ein kleiner Sonnenschein und gleichzeitig ein Sorgenkind. Viviens Familie braucht ihren Job und Vivien macht ihre Arbeit gerne, auch wenn sie die Kinder in jedem Moment vermisst. Sie ist gut in ihrer Arbeit, sie hat einen Algorithmus entwickelt, mit dem die Agency hofft, Russische Schläfer zu enttarnen. Und Vivien schafft es, sie dringt in den Computers eines Führungsoffiziers ein, sie enttarnt fünf Schläfer und einer davon ist ihr Mann.

Man stelle sich das vor, ein geliebtes Familienmitglied ist überhaupt nicht der, der er immer behauptet hat. Man beginnt zu zweifeln, ob das lustige Kennenlernen nicht auf auf einer Lüge beruht. Möglicherweise beruht alles auf Lügen, die Liebe, die Kinder, das Haus. Viviens Welt bricht zusammen. Schlimmer wird es noch dadurch, dass Matt sofort zugibt, für die Russen zu arbeiten. Das beste wäre es, Vivien würde ihn an die Behörden ausliefern. Aber soll und will Vivien ihre Familie, ihr ganzes Leben aufgeben. Ihre Sicherheit, ihr Liebe zu Matt, der doch ein treu sorgender Ehemann und Vater ist. Schon diese Entscheidung ist unendlich schwer und es folgen weitere.

Anscheinend ist das Problem mit den Russen noch nicht gelöst. Auf sehr spannende Art und Weise erinnert die Autorin daran, dass Geheimdienste immer noch dabei sind, sich gegenseitig auszuspionieren. Der alte Feind Russland ruht nicht, er plant langfristig, er ist geduldig und er schlägt zu, wenn sich die Möglichkeit bietet. Einen besonderen Twist bringt die Variante, mit einem Schläfer eine uramerikanische Familie zu gründen. Die blonde Versuchung oder auch eine dunkelhaarige ist hier mal keine Frau, sondern ein Mann. Während der gesamten Lektüre überlegt man, wie man sich selbst in einer solchen Situation fühlen würde, wie man selbst handeln würde. Hin und hergerissen zwischen Pflicht und Familie, ein unlösbarer Konflikt wie es scheint. Wem gilt die Loyalität? Dem eigenen Mann, dem eigenen Land? Wie würde man selbst entscheiden. Und meint man, alles gelingt allzu gut, so wird man von der Autorin doch eines besseren belehrt. 

Ein fesselnder Thriller, der zwar wirkt wie aus dem kalten Krieg, den man überwunden geglaubt hat, der jedoch anscheinend nichts an Aktualität eingebüßt hat. Lesenswert.

Need to Know is a great debut thriller from Cleveland.  It grips you from the beginning and keeps you in page turning suspense full of twists and turns throughout.  There were some moments towards the end that felt awfully convenient, but lead to an excellent reveal on the final page.  The book also touches nicely on themes of family, marriage, motherhood, and looking back on our pasts.  The main character can be somewhat frustrating in her naivete (why is a CIA counterintelligence analyst so willing to trust others in the midst of recent betrayal) and passivity at times, but these traits make her more human and resonates well with the relationship themes being explored.  The focus on Russian espionage and continuation of the Cold War are also very timely.  Overall a fun, captivating read from an author I look forward to reading again in the future.

In this book, one CIA analyst and mother of four finds out her family is in trouble after she identifies Russian spies living in America. I have to warn you, this book is a quick-paced thriller that will have you flipping pages too fast to comprehend.

The quick-paced aspect of the storyline is helped along by the main character of the story. Vivian Miller is a strong female character in terms of balancing her family and work life. She’s the typical woman, except for the fact that she works for the CIA. Vivian wants to have it all, a steady career and time to spend with her family, but her job always seems to get in the way of family time. It was hard to watch Vivian’s struggle and realize that millions of women go through this every day.

Despite my love of Vivian’s dilemma, I was a little irked at her. She often brushed issues aside or didn’t delve in deep enough to the situation. Her emotions just felt nonexistent sometimes. She also made some odd decisions for a CIA agent. 

Her emotional situation probably had to do with the pacing and length of the book. While it was very fast-paced, it was also very short. I think another 100 pages could have contributed greatly to Vivian, her family, and her coworkers’ character development. As it stands, the other characters read pretty flat, even Vivian’s husband who is a major character in the book.

However, I can’t lie, after getting sucked in in chapter by chapter, none of these issues really mattered. Once you start, you won’t be able to stop.

All in all, this book is a fun, quick read. If you’re looking for something that you’ll devour in one or two sittings, I’d say go for it. It’s also the perfect read for fans of Ashton Kutcher’s Killers film or even the television show Bones.

3.5/5 stars

*Note: I received an ARC of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.