Need To Know

This was a good read. From the synopsis, I thought it was going to be slightly different to what it was. I was hoping for an all action spy thriller, but it was more of a family drama with a bit of espionage thrown in.
Good, but could have been great.

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Fantastic listen

Great, right from the start. Well written and the perfect balance between believable and fantasy.

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Amazing book

I really loved this book. Couldn’t stop listening to it. A great twist at the end which I hadn’t expected

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Roller coaster spy story

Interesting to have a female angle rather than the stereotypical male. No spoilers :)

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A middling effort...

Just as it got going, it very suddenly ended, with 50% obvious, 50% intriguing ending, that begs for a sequel. I enjoyed it, albeit I didn't warm to the protagonist who I repeatedly wanted to shake with frustration, nor the husband whose deep cover I can't begin to believe would be possible over such a long term.

Would I read the sequel? Probably, but with lower expectations than I had of this.

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3 people found this helpful

unexpected

I had never done an audio before. the plot was exciting and when I thought the resolution had come to an end something quite unexpected happened.

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Cliché

Enough in the story to keep you engaged and more interesting as it’s told from a family perspective rather than a work one. But it reads more like screen writing, you can’t help imagine it as a film, which shouldn’t be the case. So a bit clichéd and formulaic. Narration to my English ears was continually irritating but it’s an American story for an American audience.

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Not Just One But Two Great Discoveries!

Taut, tense and tantalising, Need To Know is an extremely impressive debut thriller from Karen Cleveland. Mixing international intrigue with domestic drama it is deftly paced and interspersed with clever plot twists. It actually wasn't quite the book I imagined. Cleveland is an ex-CIA analyst and mother writing about a CIA analyst who is also a mother . . . I had imagined that the selling point would be that it would contain significant CIA procedural detail. Instead Cleveland has demonstrated a true writer's craft and the story is insightful without being in any way overburdened by procedural or technical detail. Her knowledge is used to provide authenticity but is never allowed to cloud the plot or get in the way of her well formed characters.

To add to that the narration by Mia Barron, who is also someone new to me, is excellent. She brings the lead Vivian to life, carries the narrative and is not at all phased by a varied cast of supporting characters. Mixing these ingredients together delivers an extremely smooth and tasty dish of a thriller.

So a new author and a new narrator I'll be looking out for more from!

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11 people found this helpful

A highly unlikely thriller

This story is curiously unsophisticated . The heroine is extremely gullible yet she is a senior operative on the Russian desk at the FBI. If you can accept this you will have a hard time swallowing the twists and turns in the plot which continue right up to the last page.

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4 people found this helpful

Initially / Enthralled - Ultimately/Disappointed

A couple of chapters into the book and I was stimulated by the storyline; the concept of discovering something earthshaking about your spouse. I am afraid my ardour began to wilter as I suffered the constant repetion of concern for the children and the inadequacy of properly interrogating the husband about his activities and behaviour. The relationship flashbacks not only demonstrated the husband's guile but the lack of suspicion and doubt that a high-flyer in the intelligence service would undoubtedly have if presented with the circumstances. There was a section in the middle of the novel which was intriguing and gripping but it petered out into a very unsatisfactory ending which did not seem credible and not one, but two superiors (the only ones mentioned) who must have almost bumped into each other whilst displaying their enforced or true loyalties. The ending, although predictable, really did not hold water for me.
If I were the teacher, six out of ten. Good idea but needed more thought and work before publishing.
The narration was undoubtedly good but suffered from having to say too many times 'All I care about are the children' or similar.

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