NEED TO KNOW

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?

Release Date: January 23, 2018

Ballantine Books

Mystery/Thriller

Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

I love the mystery/thriller genre and especially when I get pulled in from the very first page. While I was pulled into Need to Know when it started, it quickly felt like it was going all over the place for me.

I really liked the main character Vivian Miller, but absolutely didn't buy into the fact that she would break so many laws and rules. I understood wanting to protect her children and her husband, but I just couldn't see a high level CIA counterintelligence agent not seeing signs along the way. Maybe because she was high level CIA, I expected more of her. I have to say that Matt played her like a fiddle to make it look like he was the wronged individual. I just never bought his innocence at any point in the book. Maybe I'm too jaded when it came to this story. I will say the actual mole within the CIA was a surprise to me, as I had picked a different character as the mole. I really liked that twist to the story.

While Need to Know didn't really end up being the book for me, I did enjoy the author's voice and would give her another try in the future. 

Rating: 3 Stars (C)