Need to Know is Carpenter's debut novel and, prior to publication, movie rights have already been sold to Universal and Charlize Theron will be producing and starring in it. Not altogether surprising as it feels like it was written with a movie in mind. Need to Know is a spy thriller for the modern age without laser guns, secret passageways, secret laboratories, or wild gunfights in cities across the spinning globe. In this modern age, it's computer information that is king and the star of this book is a counterintelligence agent, a computer geek who slides her way into encrypted channels from the safety of her computer desk and is happily married and living in a Virginia suburb with a passel of kids.

All hell breaks loose for Vivian when she ferrets out photos of a Russian sleeper cell and finds one of the faces staring back at her is someone too close for comfort, someone who has lied to her for years. When she confronts the spy, her kids and her marriage are threatened and Vivian faces a horrible choice of whether to betray her country or her family. Of course, one step in the dirt soon turns into a maelstrom of quicksand that you can drown in and there appears to be no way out, no way to protect her family and stay out of jail with blackmail and threats growing every day. It's a story exploring the bonds of trust, loyalty, betrayal, and more and what an increasingly isolated and desperate individual might do.

Overall, it was an engrossing read, feeling at times like scenes from a movie were being played out. It suffered, however, at times from a dose of unreality as the Russian agent immediately admits complicity when confronted and Vivian is twisted far too easily and is far too naive for someone in that position. I would have liked to see that initial confrontation play out over a period of time to be more believable. It could also have used more action and less focus on charming scenes of domesticity.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a twisting and turning roller coaster ride. Imagine working for the CIA and find out you are married to a Russian spy. Vivian's world is turned upside down when she discovers her husband's picture in a list of sleeper agents. Just when I thought I had things figured out, a twist came out of nowhere. I enjoyed every minute of this book and the ending was mind blowing. Unputdownable!

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

This book is an excellent read, it is suspenseful and ever changing. The characters have many sides and the ending is an absolute surprise !!!

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

I devoured this book in 3 days and I didn’t want it to end! I enjoyed every second of this psychological thriller, it was such a fast and entertaining read. The book centers around Vivian, a devoted Wife, mother of 4 and a CIA Agent. Viv wears a lot of hats (to say the least) and is stretched very thin at this point in her life. However, all of her hard work is starting to pay off as her algorithm uncovers 5 Russian sleeper cell agents… except she was not prepared for who one of them would be! We will soon find out how far Viv will go to protect her family and you will be rooting for her the whole time! I’m really looking forward to a sequel.

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.

Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I put off reading this because I wasn't in the mood for something suspenseful but I went ahead and read it. I had to pause in between some of the chapters because I couldn't take the suspense - and that's saying something. One of the reasons could be I wasn't mentally prepared for it, this is my first Karen Cleveland book, after all, and it was written in the first person point of view.

While there are no "action scenes" in the story per se, the weight of the situation really got to me. It's how the story was told, what Vivian felt, and how difficult the decisions she has to make, that made me move forward with some apprehensions. I can't help but wonder what I would do in her shoes. There is also the subject of morality, and a lot of consequences to consider in making those decisions, and standing by it.

The story started out slow, it careened after the first time she saw something incriminating of someone nearest and dearest (I'm trying not to give spoilers). After that is a whirlwind of psychological manipulations, a rock-and-a-hard-place situation, and some flashbacks that would give background to the scene. Vivian seemed weak whenever she tried to justify Matt's actions in her mind, but I liked the part where she fought back. She was firm about it and did the necessary steps until they got to the where they are in the final chapter.

There is no "ending" to the story; the author left us, readers, to speculate and after all the chaos dies down, there's a little hitch of it in the epilogue, like a spark of flame waiting for tinder to burn it.

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!

Are there really Russians masquerading as Americans living among us? Rumors have existed since WW II and yet never really been proven false. Vivian Miller, an analyst on the fast track at the CIA, has become skilled at determining who might actually be a Russian Sleeper agent. Her world is turned upside down, however, when she is perusing the computer of a possible spy and finds pictures of the members of a sleeper cell. One in particular hits close to home, for it is someone she knows intimately. She took an oath to defend her country but now she must decide if her family ties are more important.

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland is the debut novel by this former CIA analyst. All in all, this is a well-written novel which demonstrates the potential for Cleveland to be a successful author. This novel is particularly timely, considering the tensions that have developed between Russia and the United States in recent years. Although not as hard-core a novel as those of Clancy or Follet, I believe that Cleveland can develop her own niche in the spy thriller genre. I would recommend this novel to all readers and give it 3/5 stars.

*A copy of this book is the only consideration given in return for this review.*

I was disappointed with this book because the story mainly took place in the MC's head. I also didn't think that her husband was a good person and was surprised that the MC decided to stay with him when he was clearly manipulating her. The ending confused me. The MC also seemed dumb for someone who was supposed to be intelligent.

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.