Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

Need to Know
By Karen Cleveland
Published by Transworld/Bantam Press (January 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

Publisher's description

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.

My verdict
Need to Know totally sucked me in and kept me hostage for a few hours!

This was a one-sitting read with my heart pounding as I held my breath and turned the pages as fast as my brain could process the words on them. I could see why other people who read this book before me had been raving about it. I couldn't put it down!

Need to Know is a story of espionage but also a marriage in crisis. Vivian, a CIA counterintelligence analyst, discovers that her husband isn't who she thinks he is, which could not only affect their relationship but, perhaps more worryingly, also national security. Is their relationship built on lies and manipulation? Is it real or not? And should she reveal the truth to her superiors and colleagues?

This is the type of book that will keep you reading late into the night or even the early hours of the morning. I admit that I had to suspend belief more than a little, but I didn't care. This is a fast-paced page turner, with tension on every page and an impressive, additive plot. It's a light, easy read - perfect escapism from the real world. It's fun and different with great writing. And I did find myself wondering what I would have done in Vivian's situation.

I can see why this book was highly sought after, and also why it's been picked up by Hollywood. It's mind-blowing and highly entertaining from start to finish, and shockingly twisty - a book written for the big screen. I'm really hoping there's a sequel!