Need to know A novel

Karen Cleveland

Large print - 2018

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.

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Subjects
Genres
Suspense fiction
Spy fiction
Thrillers (Fiction)
Published
[New York] : Random House Large Print [2018]
Language
English
Main Author
Karen Cleveland (author)
Edition
First large print edition
Physical Description
384 pages (large print) ; 24 cm
ISBN
9780525587828
Contents unavailable.
Review by New York Times Review

While a C.I.A. analyst named NEED Vivian Miller is on the phone assuring her husband, a software engineer, that she can leave Langley to pick up one of their sick kids, she's also impatiently checking her computer as she downloads a highly classified new counterintelligence program. The couple are in financial straits, and Vivian needs a promotion. Coordinating with the F.B.I., she has designed an algorithm to pinpoint Russian "handlers," the spies running the spies, a matter of heightened urgency since they've recently become more aggressive. Two of her colleagues have already been "pitched," apparently unsuccessfully. But the danger may lie closer to home: Using the new program, Vivian finds a file on the computer of one suspected handler that contains an unencrypted photo of her own husband. And the information is so secret not even her F.B.I. partner is allowed to see it. All of this is persuasively conveyed in the opening pages of Cleveland's novel. And by Page 27, she's dangling the sort of secret normally reserved for an ending. But instead of easing up, she doubles down. Cleveland has worked for the C.I.A., so the tradecraft in "Need to Know" is of special interest. When penetrating a computer, is an analyst really given a choice between clicking on "active" or "passive," depending on whether she wants to mess around in there? ft's possible - more likely, certainly, than a set of wedding guests unwittingly divided between C.I.A. operatives and Russian sleeper agents. "Need to Know" won't pose any threat to John le Carré because it's all surfaces. But the surfaces are very shiny and lots of fun. Jacqueline carey is the author ofthe novels "The Crossley Baby" and "It's a Crime." She writes mystery stories under the name Jay Carey.

Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [March 11, 2018]
Review by Booklist Review

*Starred Review* What would you do if you found out that your entire life, including your husband, your children, and your career, might be part of an orchestrated effort on the part of the Russian government to infiltrate the CIA? Vivian Miller, a dedicated agent within the Company, is about to face that dilemma. She has developed a system to identify Russian operatives who control sleeper agents in the U.S., those seemingly normal people who live among us in plain sight, much like the Jennings family team in the TV series The Americans. Call me paranoid, she says, or just call me a CIA counterintelligence analyst. While accessing the computer of a suspected Russian handler, Vivian opens a folder named Friends, and what she finds there will change everything. Between alternating waves of panic and resolve, her patriotism and devotion are put to the test when she realizes that she has placed the Agency, her family, and herself in immediate danger. This is a compelling debut about a timely issue Russian threats to our security loom large in every news cycle from a writer with a background in CIA counterterrorism. Perfect for fans of Shari Lapena's thrillers and Chris Pavone's The Expats (2012), and for just about everyone who loves the thrill of finding themselves in a book that can't be put down. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: One of the buzziest thrillers of the season, Cleveland's debut comes with AAA-list blurbs from Louise Penny and Lee Child, among others, and with film rights sold to Universal for a Charlize Theron movie.--Murphy, Jane Copyright 2017 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Former CIA analyst Cleveland's assured if thinly plotted debut is an unusual mix of family drama and spy thriller. The narrator, CIA analyst Vivian, is part of a team in the Counterintelligence Center, Russia Division, that's searching for agents running sleeper cells in the U.S. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her four young children and doting husband. Flashbacks chart the couple's courtship, then their lives as hyperbusy young parents, delving deeply into maternal and marital love. When Vivian isn't fretting about her family, she's trying to extricate herself from a colossal treasonous mess that results from a startling discovery that she makes in the course of her research. The deep backstory may attract readers not usually drawn to espionage novels, but thriller fans who like tradecraft and action will have to look elsewhere. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

DEBUT This pulse-hammering first novel plays fiendishly with interagency cooperation between the CIA and the FBI. CIA analyst Vivian Miller is also a mother of four, including a special-needs child. With her loving husband, she is deeply committed to the happiness and health of their nuclear family. While at work, she seeks well-hidden moles long believed to threaten American security. Vivian is startled to see her husband's photo turn up in the computer of a known Russian agent. In a flood of panic she deletes the image. When Matt learns what she has done, he is straightforward. Yep, he's been in Russia's service for 23 years. VERDICT Having worked for the FBI and CIA, debut author Cleveland peppers her book with apparently impeccable tradecraft details. Flashing back to the events that led to the couple's predicament and then onward as they act to stem the tidal wave of prosecutorial woes that await them, this suspenseful espionage tale is a rousing Act 2 to the excitement of TV's The Americans and the novels of Chris Pavone. [See Prepub Alert, 7/24/17; film rights sold to Universal Pictures; Charlize Theron will star.]-Barbara -Conaty, Falls Church, VA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

In Cleveland's debut novel, a CIA analyst tracks Russian sleeper agentsto her own front door.On the surface, Vivian and Matt live a traditional American life: they have a happy marriage based on a lucky meeting and love at first sight; a house in the suburbs near the best schools; four beautiful children. There is some financial strain, but Vivian feels fulfilled by her work on the Russia desk at the CIA, and Matt's IT job allows him flexibility to pick up the kids as needed. Vivian's team is working hard to uncover the system used to keep track of Russian sleeper agents, and as she secretly navigates through the hacked computer of a midlevel Russian handler, she's thrilled to discover photographs of his five agentsuntil she realizes that one of the faces is that of her husband. Suddenly, everything she thought secureher marriage, her patriotism, and her very lifelies on shaky ground. Whose side is Matt really on? Should she turn him in? Can she betray her country to keep her family together? The fast-moving plot will appeal to fans of The Americans and to conspiracy theorists, and Cleveland was herself a CIA analyst, so she knows her way around secrets and those who fight to keep them. The problem is that the characters lack human development. Vivian's inner conflict is clear and somewhat poignant, especially as she looks back over the years of her life and has to reconsider every word her husband ever said, every decision they made, even the way they met. But Matt seems a somewhat slippery character from the beginning, so maybe she just wasn't very good at reading people.If you don't expect a deeply thoughtful thriller, you'll get carried away by the action enough to enjoy it. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Two Days Earlier Chapter 1 "Bad news, Viv." I hear Matt's voice, words anyone would dread, but a tone that's reassuring. Light, apologetic. It's something unfortunate, sure, but it's manageable. Anything truly bad and his voice would be heavier. He'd use a complete sentence, a complete name. I have some bad news, Vivian. I hold the phone to my ear with a raised shoulder, swivel my chair to the other side of the L-­shaped desk, to the computer centered under gray overhead bins. I guide the cursor to the owl-­shaped icon on the screen and double-­click. If it's what I think it is--­what I know it is--­then I only have a bit longer at my desk. "Ella?" I say. My gaze drifts to one of the crayon drawings tacked to the high cubicle walls with pushpins, a pop of color in this sea of gray. "A hundred point eight." I close my eyes and take a deep breath. We've been expecting it. Half her class has been sick, falling like dominoes, so it was only a matter of time. Four-­year-­olds aren't exactly the cleanliest bunch. But today? It had to happen today? "Anything else?" "Just the temp." He pauses. "Sorry, Viv. She seemed fine when I dropped her off." I swallow past the tightening in my throat and nod, even though he can't see me. Any other day and he'd pick her up. He can work from home, at least in theory. I can't, and I used up all my leave when the twins were born. But he's taking Caleb into the city for the latest round of medical appointments. I've been feeling guilty for weeks that I'll have to miss it. And now I'll be missing it and still using leave I don't have. "I'll be there in an hour," I say. The rules say we have an hour from the time they call. Factoring in the drive and the walk to my car--­it's in the outer reaches of Langley's sprawling parking lots--­that gives me about fifteen minutes to wrap up work for the day. Fifteen minutes less leave to add to my negative balance. I glance at the clock in the corner of my screen--­seven minutes past ten--­and then my eyes shift to the Starbucks cup beside my right elbow, steam escaping from the hole in the plastic lid. I treated myself, a splurge in celebration of the long-­awaited day, fuel for the tedious hours ahead. Precious minutes wasted in line that could have been spent digging through digital files. Should have stuck to the usual, the sputtering coffee maker that leaves grounds floating at the top of the mug. "That's what I told the school," Matt says. "School" is actually our day care center, the place where our youngest three spend their days. But we've been calling it school since Luke was three months old. I'd read it could help ease the transition, lessen the guilt of leaving your baby for eight, ten hours a day. It didn't, but old habits die hard, I guess. There's another pause, and I can hear Caleb babbling in the background. I listen, and I know that Matt's listening, too. It's like we're conditioned to do so at this point. But it's just vowel sounds. Still no consonants. "I know today was supposed to be a big day . . . ," Matt finally says, and trails off. I'm used to the trailing off, the evasive conversations on my open line. I always assume someone's listening in. The Russians. The Chinese. That's part of the reason Matt's the first one the school calls when there's a problem. I'd rather him filter some of the kids' personal details from the ears of our adversaries. Call me paranoid, or just call me a CIA counterintelligence analyst. But really, that's about all Matt knows. Not that I've been trying in vain to uncover a network of Russian sleeper agents. Or that I've developed a methodology for identifying people involved in the highly secretive program. Just that I've waited months for this day. That I'm about to find out if two years of hard work is going to pay off. And if I stand a chance at that promotion we desperately need. "Yeah, well," I say, moving my mouse back and forth, watching Athena load, the cursor in the shape of a timer. "Caleb's appointment is what's important today." My eyes drift back to the cubicle wall, the bright crayon drawings. Ella's, a picture of our family, stick arms and legs protruding straight from six round happy faces. Luke's, a bit more sophisticated, a single person, thick jagged scribbles to color in hair and clothing and shoes. MOMMY, it says in big capital letters. From his superhero phase. It's me, in a cape, hands on my hips, an S on my shirt. Supermommy. There's a familiar feeling in my chest, the pressure, the overwhelming urge to cry. Deep breaths, Viv. Deep breaths. "The Maldives?" Matt says, and I feel the hint of a smile creep to my lips. He always does this, finds a way to make me smile when I need it most. I glance at the photograph of the two of us on the corner of my desk, my favorite from our wedding day, almost a decade ago. Both of us so happy, so young. We always talked about going somewhere exotic for our ten-­year anniversary. It's certainly not in the cards anymore. But it's fun to dream. Fun and depressing at the same time. "Bora Bora," I say. "I could live with that." He hesitates, and in the gap I hear Caleb again. More vowel sounds. Aah-­aah-­aah. In my head, I'm calculating the months Chase has already been making consonant sounds. I know I shouldn't--­all the doctors say I shouldn't--­but I am. "Bora Bora?" I hear from behind me, faux-­incredulous. I put my hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and turn. It's Omar, my FBI counterpart, an amused expression on his face. "That one might be hard to justify, even for the Agency." He breaks into a grin. Infectious as ever, it brings one to my own face, as well. "What are you doing here?" I say, my hand still covering the mouthpiece. I can hear Caleb babbling in my ear. O's this time. Ooh-­ooh-­ooh. "Had a meeting with Peter." He takes a step closer, perches on the edge of my desk. I can see the outline of his holster at his hip, through his T-­shirt. "The timing may or may not have been a coincidence." He glances at my screen and the grin fades ever so slightly. "It was today, right? Ten a.m.?" I look at my screen, dark, the cursor still in the shape of a timer. "It was today." The babbling in my ear has gone quiet. I roll my chair so that I'm turned, just a touch, away from Omar and remove my hand from the mouthpiece. "Honey, I have to go. Omar's here." "Tell him I said hi," Matt says. "Will do." "Love you." "Love you, too." I set the phone down on its base and turn back to Omar, who's still sitting on my desk, denim-­clad legs outstretched, feet crossed at the ankles. "Matt says hi," I tell him. "Aaah, so he's the Bora Bora connection. Planning a vacation?" The grin's back, full force. "In theory," I say with a half-­hearted laugh. It sounds pathetic enough that I can feel color rise to my cheeks. He looks at me for a moment longer, then thankfully down at his wrist. "All right, it's ten-­ten." He uncrosses his ankles, crosses them the opposite way. Then leans forward, the excitement on his face unmistakable. "What have you got for me?" Omar's been doing this longer than I have. A decade, at least. He's looking for the actual sleepers in the U.S., and I'm trying to uncover those running the cell. Neither of us has had any success. How he's still so enthusiastic never fails to amaze me. "Nothing yet. I haven't even taken a look." I nod at the screen, the program that's still loading, then glance at the black-­and-­white photograph tacked to my cubicle wall, beside the kids' drawings. Yury Yakov. Fleshy face, hard expression. A few more clicks and I'll be inside his computer. I'll be able to see what he sees, navigate around the way he does, pore through his files. And hopefully prove that he's a Russian spy. "Who are you and what have you done with my friend Vivian?" Omar asks with a smile. He's right. If it wasn't for the line at Starbucks, I'd have logged in to the program at ten a.m. on the dot. I'd have had a few minutes to look around, at least. I shrug and gesture at the screen. "I'm trying." Then I nod toward the phone. "But in any case, it's going to have to wait. Ella's sick. I need to go pick her up." He exhales dramatically. "Kids. Always the worst timing." Movement on the screen draws my attention, and I roll my chair closer. Athena's finally loading. There are red banners on all sides, a slew of words, each signifying a different control, a different compartment. The longer the string of text, the more classified. This one's pretty darn long. I click past one screen, then another. Each click is an acknowledgment. Yes, I know I'm accessing compartmented information. Yes, I know I can't disclose it or I'll go to jail for a very long time. Yes, yes, yes. Just get me to the information already. "This is it," Omar says. I remember he's there and glance at him out of the corner of my eye. He's looking away purposefully, studiously avoiding the screen, giving me privacy. "I feel it." "I hope so," I murmur. And I do. But I'm nervous. This methodology is a gamble. A big one. I built a profile for suspected handlers: educational institution, studies and degrees, banking centers, travel within Russia and abroad. Came up with an algorithm, identified five individuals who best fit the pattern. Likely candidates. The first four turned out to be false leads, and now the program's on the chopping block. Everything rests on Yury. Number five. The computer that was the hardest to break into, the one I had the most confidence in to begin with. "And if it's not," Omar says, "you did something that no one else has been able to do. You got close." Targeting the handlers is a new approach. For years, the Bureau's been trying to identify the sleepers themselves, but they're so well assimilated it's next to impossible. The cell is designed so that sleepers don't have contact with anyone but their handler, and even that is minimal. And the Agency's been focused on the ringleaders, the guys who oversee the handlers, the ones in Moscow with direct ties to the SVR, Russian intelligence. "Close doesn't count," I say quietly. "You know that better than anyone." Around the time I started on the account, Omar was a hard-­charging new agent. He'd proposed a new initiative, inviting entrenched sleepers to "come in from the cold" and turn themselves in, in exchange for amnesty. His reasoning? There had to be at least a few sleepers who wanted to turn their covers into reality, and we might be able to learn enough from the turned sleepers to penetrate the network as a whole. The plan was rolled out quietly, and within a week we had a walk-­in, a man named Dmitri. Said he was a midlevel handler, told us information about the program that corroborated what we knew--­handlers like himself were responsible for five sleepers each; he reported to a ringleader who was responsible for five handlers. A completely self-­contained cell. That got our attention, for sure. Then came the outrageous claims, the information that was inconsistent with everything we knew to be true, and then he disappeared. Dmitri the Dangle, we called him after that. That was the end of the program. The thought of publicly admitting there were sleepers in the U.S., of admitting our inability to find them, was already barely palatable to Bureau seniors. Between that and the potential for Russian manipulation--­dangling double agents with false leads--­Omar's plan was roundly criticized, then rejected. We'll be inundated with other Dmitris, they said. And with that, Omar's once-­promising career trajectory stalled. He fell into obscurity, plugging away, day after day, at a thankless, frustrating, impossible task. Excerpted from Need to Know by Karen Cleveland All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.