Karen Cleveland

A practical guide for doing good for yourself and others, offering you inspiration for immediate improvement of your life and the lives of those around you.

Need to Know

A chilling psychological thriller from a CIA insider: in hot pursuit of a Russian spy ring on U.S. soil, a CIA analyst uncovers a deadly secret that will test her loyalty to the agency--and to her family. The Expats meets The Americans meets The Girl Before. Vivian and Matt are a seemingly normal suburban couple, experiencing the same struggles as many North American families: juggling work and children, budgeting for a house in a decent school district. They're in love and life is good. Though Vivian can't share much about her CIA assignment with him, Matt has always been supportive, and his job as a software engineer allows him the flexibility needed to raise their four kids. But when she makes a startling discovery researching the CIA's Russian account, everything about her life and her marriage is cast in a new light--forcing her to make impossible and dangerous choices before she loses her job, her family and her life.

Jackie Cunningham

Colleen

4 Stars

ARC provided by Ballantine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


Need to Know is about a CIA counterintelligence analyst named Vivian Miller. She is busy trying to balance motherhood with a demanding career in Russian counter intelligence. Despite her job at the CIA, her life seems normal. Until one day she discovers a secret that makes her question everything in her life. 

I won't lie, there was nothing original about this story. The plot and the characters can be found in any number of books and movies. The start was gimmicky with a dramatic opening followed by the two days earlier ploy. On top of that, it's written in first person, present tense which I am not found of. Then there flashback scenes in past tense, but they didn't bother me because they still flowed well with the rest of the story and were informative. But still, my initial expectations were low.

So why the four star rating? Because despite the generic setup, I couldn't put this book down. I read it in under twenty-four hours. There isn't any one thing that I can pinpoint as to why this book was a page turner, but it certainly was. It has Best Seller written all over it. The story was more cerebral suspense / cat and mouse than action. It was realistic without being too technical or taxing on the brain. It was not too violent or gory but still built up the tension and sense of risk. 

The ending was abrupt though, and the whole thing felt very Hollywood. Apparently the film rights have already been bought and big names attached to the production. It always makes me suspicious when movie rights are swooped up before the book even gets published especially for a debut author. That being said, I can totally see this as a movie. It is entertaining and has very mainstream appeal. So while it was not astounding writing or an original plot, but it was still engaging and exciting. It's a short book, easy to read, and sure to be a best seller. 


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars

‘Heart-poundingly suspenseful and heart-wrenchingly insightful’ J.P. Delaney, author of The Girl Before Married for ten years. Four children. She thought she knew her husband better than anyone. She was wrong. You get to work. Make a coffee. Turn on your computer. Your task: break into a Russian criminal's laptop and find proof that he's concealing five deep-cover agents - seemingly normal people living in plain sight. You’re in. Five faces stare back at you. One of them is your husband. __________ PRAISE FOR KAREN CLEVELAND: ‘This compulsive, clever thriller will have you reading long into the night’ Red ‘An immensely satisfying story with serpentine twists and turns’ Daily Mail 'You won't be able to put it down until the final, stunning page' Shari Lapena, author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR 'If you read chapter two, you'll miss dinner, stay up far too late, and feel tired at work tomorrow. This is that kind of book. Superb.' Lee Child

The Sunday Times Bestseller

Need To Know

Nadine 

It's had rave reviews and it's ok, but fairly predictable. You kind of know what's going to happen and who the people are who will be exposed and even the ending was a little formulaic (and opened up the chance of a sequel) but it's good escapism, just not quite worth all the press.

Sheila

Good thriller! For this particular flavour~ of spy thriller involving Russian sleeper cells in the US, nothing will top the show "The Americans" in complexity and appeal, but for a contemporary version this was fun. Cleveland did a great job ramping up and maintaining tension, asking the tough question of what you would do when you find out that so much of your life has been a lie...

Of course, just when I thought this book would go for the perfect happy ending, there was the Epilogue! Definitely setting this book up to have a sequel, & I will definitely read it.

Ciska van Bokhorst

A spionage thriller for woman. Reads like a movie. At some points slow and the end too fast. Saw the plot coming.
Why for woman? No real spionage action. Descriptions of bathing en feeding the kids.
I had no click with Vivian. Did not really understand her actions en thoughts. 
Still an okay Read..

Need to Know

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