Oh my goodness, what a fabulous book! I feel I have been waiting all year to find this piece of brilliance. The story is tense and compelling, with twists and turns all over the place and the ending... Well! This is an excellent piece of writing, the emotions so well defined, creating a scenario that I couldn't imagine Viv would ever get out of, and I was with her every step of the way. The story has the idea of trust at its core - what makes you trust and what breaks your trust. It was compelling reading, well paced and an intriguing tale. I think it's going to be a while before I find another book as good as this.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Vivian is married to Matt - the man of her dreams with four wonderful children, she works as a counterterrorism analyst and even devised an algorithm to identify hundreds of Russian sleeper cells. She didn't think her life could get any better. After years of trying to identify the Russian ringleader - she finally cracks the code to get into the laptop of a main suspect.... but her world falls apart when she finds herself staring into the face of her husband. Does she make the difficult decision to report her find to her boss or confront her husband knowing that her family will be torn apart. Her decision starts a roller coaster journey where she finds her whole life is based on a lie and her actions thrusts her into situations that she has worked to fight against for 10 years. Does she trust her husband or her boss? How far will she go to protect her family? Can she betray her country? Excellent book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it

I really enjoyed this book, from the get go I was invested in the characters and how the story was going to play out. There were lots of twists and turns along the way - some predictable and others which came out of left field.

Had to force myself to put the book down so I got some sleep!

This story portrayed ultimate betrayal between man and wife. I enjoyed it so much

In pursuit of a Russian sleeper cell on American soil, a CIA analyst uncovers a dangerous secret that will test her loyalty to the agency—and to her family.

What do you do when everything you trust might be a lie?

Vivian Miller is a dedicated CIA counterintelligence analyst assigned to uncover the leaders of Russian sleeper cells in the United States. On track for a much-needed promotion, she’s developed a system for identifying Russian agents, seemingly normal people living in plain sight.

After accessing the computer of a potential Russian operative, Vivian stumbles on a secret dossier of deep-cover agents within America’s borders. A few clicks later, everything that matters to her—her job, her husband, even her four children—are threatened.

Vivian has vowed to defend her country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But now she’s facing impossible choices. Torn between loyalty and betrayal, allegiance and treason, love and suspicion, who can she trust?

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As soon as I read the synposis I knew I just had to read this and thanks to the publisher I got my wish! I was drawn into the book from the very first chapter, there is so much suspense, a great plot and fantastic writing. The book actually starts with a huge plot point and then the rest of the book focuses on the fallout of that event. The fact that Karen Cleveland actually worked for many years as a CIA analyst lends authenticity to the book that is usually notoriously absent in other fiction titles.

The book centres around Vivian and her young family and the dilemma she faces that could change her and the kids' lives forever. The situation and the feelings surrounding the betrayal are something that no normal person could sweep under the carpet. You can really relate to what Vivian actually does and doesn't do during the book.

I often find books featuring espionage go either one or two ways - either really tedious and like wading through mud in reading terms...or superb, authentic feeling and i am pleased to say this was the latter. It was such an edge of your seat thrill ride as you got twists and turns in each chapter. A lot of spy novels feature tonnes of characters that aren't developed in any way but this is the opposite of that - there are fewer characters making it easy to follow and you get to know a great deal about them, especially Matt and Viv(ian).

An absolutely cracking debut novel. It's safe to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Need To Know and I look forward to reading more of Karen Cleveland's writing!

I would like to thank Random House UK - Transworld/Karen Cleveland and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an impartial review.

This is a spy thriller about a wife, mother and CIA analyst looking for a Russian spy cell, it is a gripping espionage thriller with psychological depth.

Vivian Miller is a CIA analyst assigned to uncover Russian sleeper cells in the USA. After accessing the computer of a potential Russian spy, she stumbles on a secret dossier of deep-cover agents living in her own country. Five seemingly normal people living in plain sight.

A few clicks later, everything that matters to Vivian is threatened - her job, her husband, even her four children.

This is a compulsive read and every chapter ends in a cliff-hanger, and as a reader, just like Vivian, you never know who to trust. It has a plot that will keep you guessing until the very last word. Then that ending. Where all is finally clear, or is it!!!

faced with a choice between your country and your family? It’s one of those can’t put it down books which I polished off very quickly.

As I write this review, I have just read that Charlize Theron, The Oscar-winning actress is set to star in the film adaptation of the novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I raced through this book in a day. It had all the thrill and pace of a spy film, and it was an exciting read. I also enjoyed the emotive angle that the author was able to bring into the narrative. Not only was the book concerned with intrigue and national secrets, but at its heart it was about family, and the precarious grey area of right and wrong.

Fast-paced espionage thriller that wouldn’t let me put it down.
Author Karen Cleveland has worked as a CIA analyst in counterterrorism and this, her first, novel is set on home ground.
Vivian Miller is investigating Russian sleeper cells when she uncovers a secret dossier of deep-cover agents. But the discovery has shocking implications for her job, her family and her future.
We are drawn into the fascinating world of espionage as Vivian tries to make sense of her findings and forge a way forward for her family. The plot twists and turns endlessly, keeping us on tenterhooks until the very end.
A really good romp of a read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Press for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

An interesting book highlighting how someone can rationalise almost anything - even a husband who is a Russian 'sleeper'. Cleveland has written a thought-provoking book and this is well worth a read. At the very end her friend Omar should have said something like "I'm off to see Mr Trump now...." #NeedtoKnowBook

Clear case of my expectations for action made it less enjoyable.
However the suspense was there enough for me to still enjoy it.
I didn't guess the first "plot twist" if you could call it that. Although I feel I should of.

Mixed feelings about this book. It's well written and clever too in the way you think things are going one way and then the opposite direction, but ultimately I felt that this was just unfair manipulation of the reader.
Also I don't think some of the computer hacking stuff was realistic - the whole reason an isolated computer is isolated is so that the system as a whole cannot be impacted so it is NEVER connected to that system, but isolated electronically as well as physically. And I can't believe a sophisticated organisation like the CIA would be vulnerable to the interference described in this age of instant back-ups, multiple servers and the Cloud.
Finally, it took me a long time to figure out what she wrote n the post-it note near the end. It was obvious once I'd found the reference earlier in the book, but it would only have needed a few words to clarify this.
So only 3 stars from me - I finished it and found it interesting, but felt cheated at the end.

This book is seriously addictive. Each time I prepared to put it down to do something else another chapter opened and I kept reading. Breakfast was eaten at 2pm and only because my husband dumped the bowl in my lap. I ate and read. He left the house an hour ago. I know he will have told me where he was going but it did not compute. I was totally absorbed.
Vivian is a very new analyst working the African region out of Quantico when she bumps into Matt, a software engineer. Their love blossoms. Marriage and four children follow. Money is tight but Vivian is hopeful a promotion will come her way.
She has been working in the much busier Russian section for many years and has perfected an algorithm that should help unearth Russian sleeper cells in the US.
It works. Perhaps a bit too well. To avoid accidentally letting any important information slip I will end this review here...except to say clear your diary and settle down for an exceptional read.

It's often said that a book truly gripped someone or I was hooked from page one but I really was with this book, and right from the beginning. It's easy to read but with a dare I feel about it at times, but I never wanted to put it down so it's only disappointment was that I finished it. VIvian lands dream job from school with the CIA and works her way up to a prime role as a analyst on a team hunting for Russian sleepers when she suddenly discover that her husband of ten years is a Russian spy, what is she to do? Well to find out you obviously have to read the book which I highly recommend it moves at a good pace and has enough twist and turns so you won't be bored but should be gripped. Just what would you do, how far would you go to protect your kids all 4 of them in this case?
I have been given a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review.

O my days...it’s 3am nearly and I have just finished this and need to write this down..because otherwise I won’t sleep because I’ve havent put it down since i started reading it.
It feels like I’ve watched this epic drama unfold before my very eyes with this fantasticly rich vivid descriptive writing like it was a film and boy was it action packed.
Viv and Matt perfect couple with 4 children she’s a CIA analysts and he’s like a house husband until we found out that he’s actually not....he’s a spy for the Russians and he has been for a very long time and viv finds all this out by tapping into another spy’s laptop that she working on with the CIA to find out who and where are the russians spy’s and her hubby’s picture pops out in this spy’s friend file which basically means he’s working with the Russians.....then the book blows you up with lies,secrets,murder,traitors stalking ,hiding threats....my heads in a right wobble this is bloody amazing and then I get to the end ....and I scream because I hope that I’m wrong with the ending in the last page of the book and I can not tell you because it willl be a spoiler and I hate those im but I’m hoping that there might be a sequel to this and I’m crossing everything for it.
Thankyou netgalley and the publisher for granting my wish for early access , you had me from the first chapter and I was hooked with this gripping novel.
In my opinion my fave book I’ve read this year