NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • FINALIST FOR THE ITW THRILLER AWARD • Perfect husband. Perfect father. Perfect liar? “Terrific.”—John Grisham “Superb.”—Lee Child “Breathtaking, heart-pounding.”—Louise Penny “A fast-paced, relentlessly gripping read.”—Chris Pavone Vivian Miller. High-powered CIA analyst, happily married to a man she adores, mother of four beautiful children. Until the moment she makes … a man she adores, mother of four beautiful children. Until the moment she makes a shocking discovery that makes her question everything she believes.
She thought she knew her husband inside and out. But now she wonders if it was all a lie. How far will she go to learn the truth? And does she really . . .
. . . NEED TO KNOW?
Film rights sold to Universal Pictures for Charlize Theron • Rights sold in more than 20 markets
“Shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest new thrillers.”—Entertainment Weekly
“So timely . . . Think of the perfect mix of Homeland and The Americans. . . . Need to Know needs to be read by all who relish spy novels. As entertaining as it is informative and as irresistible as it is impossible to put down.”—Providence Journal
“Pulse-pounding.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“Accomplished . . . a nonstop thriller tapping into a hot mix of contemporary digital counterintelligence, old-school spying and ageless family drama.”—Shelf Awareness
“An early contender for next year’s Gone Girl.”—GQ (UK)
“The Russia page-turner that should be on everyone’s list.”—New York Post
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The woman in the book is a CIA AGENT with a husband and 4 children. She works on the Russian detail which is stressful and then causes her personal family problems. She is a woman trying to do her best for her family and her country. Has twists, unexpected happenings. It was very well written and I could really identify with her struggles. Wonderful book
Excellent read and didn’t want to put it down or end. This was the debut novel and wish she had more to read. Great story about present day Russian spies and CI A. You won’t be disappointed
bought it because John grisham recommended it on your site. Enjoyed it. Learned a lot. Couldn’t put it down. Have recommended it to several others.
Was completely immersed in the book right out-of-the-gate. Liked her writing style and the logical, but surprising, course of events. Cared for characters. Eagerly waitling for her next book.
What a great first novel, I couldn’t put it down.
A promo on the cover to this says that if you read the first chapter, you won’t be able to put it down. How true that is! An unexpected read indeed. This is not my genre, at all, but my daughter had gotten an advanced reader copy and passed it to me. It is full of tension and keeps charging forward, page by page, and you are dragged along like it or not! I never saw the ending coming and until the final page I was guessing. This is a debut book for this author, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Twist after twist
One of the best mystery books that I have ever read. Couldn’t put it down
I couldn’t put it down
This was fabulous. Very exciting with a lot of twists and surprises. Will definitely read more by this author when it comes out. This is the best first novel I have ever read.
Hard to put down, spy novel. Kept you wondering, will make a great movie.
Ms. Cleveland has written a gripping, but quiet, spy-thriller. If you enjoy watching “The Americans” you will enjoy this. A twist gives me hope there will be another book about this family.
Great story, can’t wait for a follow-up!
One of the best audio books in my library.
Enjoyed the setting and story. Didn’t want to put it down. At times the storyline was repeat active, but the end wants the next book.
Amazingly written. Page turner
WOW……for a first book by this author, she hit it out of the park. I can’t wait for more from her. This is a great spy yarn that will keep you in suspense late into the night. Sleeper cells that are scary in today’s world.
Kept me interested. Very good book. Hope to read more of her books.
Fans of the television show The Americans will love this modern take on Russian sleeper agents in the United States. CIA counterintelligence analyst Vivian Miller lives a busy but happy life with her husband Matt and their four children. Vivian is focused on her work analyzing data which could lead the Americans to sleeper agents embedded in America for years while Matt, works from home and cares for their family. Then one day Vivian opens a file and finds information which will forever change how she views not only her job but her personal feelings as well. This thriller will keep you guessing and changing your mind as to who the guilty parties are and what Vivian should do every step. You will have to decide along with Vivian who she can trust and who is the enemy and in the end is there really a right or wrong answer. An excellent gripping book that I was sorry to see come ro a close.
Need To Know is the first book by Karen Cleveland so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I found was a well written suspense/thriller. It is a standalone. There is violence.
The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I’m not going to repeat all of that info here. The storyline is a different take on sleeper cells and the people investigating them. This was well written for a debut novel and the author impressed me with her ability to create the moral dilemma the main characters faced. The characters are multidimensional and I couldn’t help but relate to them. As usual, everything and everyone is not as it seems. This book has plenty of twists, turns, and surprises…right up to the very end. It is rare that a book surprises me all the way up to the last line. She left me wanting to know more.
A novel by Karen Cleveland
Any mother can sympathize with Vivian Miller. Her four children are the mainspring of her joy, pride, and life. Keeping up with their needs and the demands of a stressful position as a CIA intelligence analyst on the Russian desk means that she needs someone to take up the slack when she is at work; someone on whom she can rely. That is where Matt Miller, her husband, comes in. He fills all the gaps and makes the family home function like a well-oiled machine. Life is good, and things are running smoothly, right up the day she learns that she has been sleeping with the enemy.
“Need to Know” brims with the mixture of love, stress, and responsibilities that all modern households face, but then adds blackmail, espionage, and betrayal. The pace is fast; the characters are evocative and all too human. As the denouement comes you relax, it’s a happy ending, right? And then comes the twist. I recommend this book to those enjoy cloak and dagger tales of the Cold War style.
Random House Books and NetGalley provided an advance digital copy for this review.