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.

Karen Cleveland brings you a story of loyalties and manipulations, truths and lies, love and regret. The end is never the end and is a frightening thought. Can you ever really know? How many of us truly listen to our instincts or trust them? Vivian's instincts and decisions are based on loyalty, love, and due to manipulation in instances. Her courage in the face of threats to her family are understandable and very real especially as a mother. Before you judge Vivian's choices, ask yourself what is my highest loyalty in a not so ideal world, when everything goes wrong and crashes down around me.

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.

Need To Know is a don’t read this at night can’t put it down kind of tale that will leave the reader’s hair standing on end and looking over his or her shoulder all the time.

Vivian Miller, a happily married woman and mother of four young children, is a CIA analyst working on finding Russian spies and their handlers in the US. She is happily married to Matt, the man of her dreams that she met by literally running in to him and spilling his coffee as she moved into her apartment near the Washington, DC, zoo. Love at first sight.

At least that’s how it seemed. Vivian and her group at the CIA have developed a sophisticated algorithm that is designed mirror the computers of known Russian spy-handlers. Early in the story, Vivian manages to penetrate the computer of a man known only as Yury, one of the handlers the CIA is looking for. She sees a file called Friends on his computer, clicks on it, and photos of five faces appear.

One of those faces is that of Vivian’s husband, Matt. When she confronts him about it, he tells her that indeed he is a Russian agent, having been recruited as a 16-year old orphan. To say that she is astonished, horrified, and flabbergasted is an understatement. Her settled World has flipped 180 degrees on its axis.

I can’t say more because doing so would reveal spoilers. Suffice to say that the twists and turns and dangerous situations Vivian finds herself in as this unravels will have to chewing your nails to the quick. I will say one thing: there is one character that I suspected all along, although the clues, if there were any, were not obvious - I just had a feeling. I was right.

I highly recommend this book. I received Need To Know as an ARC from NetGalley. I look forward to more books by Karen Cleveland.

Need to Know is about a CIA operative who discovers a family member is working for the Russians. Her response and reaction were unrealistic and made the main character unlikable. I didn’t enjoy the book for that reason. Wishy-washy female lead who believes everything she’s told.

Need to Know brings the reader along, feeling the emotions and tensions as choices are made and executed. Family values, everything you thought you understood are all turned upside down by a secret. While the reader travels the journey with the characters, every turn and twist; begs to ask, what would you do?

Just when you think you have your life planned, your routines established, your career on track, your priorities and ethics determined; just when you think you have it all figured out; you don't.

This was a super easy and quick read that kept me interested through the final page. The main character is fairly naive and doesn't always make the best decisions, but that didn't keep me from wanting to find out how this would be resolved. I was fairly satisfied with the story overall when I first finished, but then found some holes in the story as I thought about it further. So, it's not a perfect book, but it is worth a read if you like suspense and don't overthink it.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this one.

Need to Know is a fast paced spy novel that revolves around a CIA analyst and her family. Vivian works on the Russian desk, intent on finding sleeper Russian agents in the United States. Married with four young children, the novel first presents her as a slightly overwhelmed mom who just happens to work for the national spy agency. It isn't long, however, before readers learn that doing her job can bring her and her family into danger. Forced to question every aspect of her life, Vivian is thrust into dangerous and potentially deadly encounters with Russian agents.

This was a very fast book to read, mostly because it read more as a television show with double agents and potential mole(s) in the agency. Cleveland's overuse of Vivian's memory of facial expressions during heated and painful conversations became a touch predictable. Does anyone really remember another's facial expressions during conversations years in the past? How many times can someone see doubt or fear or apprehension in another's eyes?

Despite these faults, Need to Know was a fun read.

Very suspenseful, you keep going back and forth, if you should believe Vivian’s husband Matt or not. A little technical here and there, but in general, a quick read.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Nail bitter from the beginning to the end! Ms. Cleveland's way with words plot development sucked me right in and didn't let me go till the end. Hard to put down!

This is one of the best novels I've read this year!! Takes off like a rocket and keeps going. Great characters, fantastic story and a lot of fun to read!! Enjoy!

Imagine one day that the carefully constructed world in which you lived in was suddenly in jeopardy by the man you loved, and then you would need to ask yourself how far would you go to protect this man who is the loving father of your four children? These are the questions that Vivian, a CIA counterintelligence officer, must face in order to protect her family in Karen Cleveland’s novel of suspense and intrigue “Need to Know.” Vivian has loved Matt since the day she accidentally spilled coffee on him, but as she is forced to examine the circumstances of their relationship, she realizes that there has always been an undercurrent of careful manipulations on Matt’s part and when he confesses his deep secret she must make a decision on what is best for her family. This novel will sink its hooks into you from the very beginning making it nearly impossible to get anything else accomplished until the very end. I was given an advanced copy of this book, and all of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Full of suspense - a page turner. Really enjoyed this book. It was a nice change seeing different roles in parenting. Strong, unstoppable female character.

The writing was far from sophisticated and I found the outline kind of disorganized, but did enjoy this book - it was highly entertaining, even if a little out there.

Need to Know is a fascinating novel that will keep readers guessing from beginning to end. The suspense is riveting. Who can Vivian trust? Is her family safe? This tale takes readers on quite a ride and doesn't let go.

Thank you Netgalley for an incredible read.