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Thursday, February 15, 2018

Need To Know - Karen Cleveland

Need To Know by Karen Cleveland

First Paragraph(s):

I stand in the doorway of the twins' room and watch them sleep, peaceful and innocent, through crib slats that remind me of bars on a prison cell.
     A night-light bathes the room in a soft orange glow.  Furniture crowds the small space, far too much of it for a room this size.  Cribs, one old, one new.  A changing table, stacks of diapers still in their plastic.  The bookcase Matt and I assembled ourselves, ages ago.  Its shelves now sag, overloaded with the books I could recite by heart to the older two, the ones I've been vowing to read more often to the twins, if only I could find the time.

My Thoughts:

Sigh.  It's very, very hard for me to know what to say about this book.  I guess, first of all, I'll say that I listened to it on audio, narrated by Mia Barron.  She did a good job, but I got so frustrated with the main character that perhaps I should have read it in print instead.  Somehow, listening to the choices and thought processes of Vivian Miller made them even more annoying to me, probably because we heard her question herself over and over and over again.  So, sigh.  Need To Know has some very big names blurbing it, even my own favorite Louise Penny.  And there is a lot of this story that is timely and relevant and it does make you consider 'what if it were me?' or 'what would I do?'.  You think about your country and the meaning of treason.  In the story, Vivian Miller, a CIA analyst, finds evidence that indicates someone very close to her is a Russian sleeper agent.  And what should she do?  Well, I know what I thought she should do.  I also know that this character had, in my opinion, too many TSTL moments to overlook.  In case you don't know, TSTL is 'too stupid to live'.  I hate that.  Oh, and if I had to hear the word 'kids' again...it was more than a bit repetitive.  Say children or little ones or something.  Sorry.  Don't mean to rant. 

I rarely finish a book that isn't working for me.  I usually stop and move on.  However, I do sometimes keep going for whatever reason.  My reason here - I thought I knew what would happen, or most of it anyway, about 5 minutes into the book.  Maybe a little longer than 5 minutes, but you get the idea.  And...I had to see if what I guessed was correct.  In the end, I was correct, and I was satisfied and liked the book a tiny bit better for that.  However, I did suffer in my own way getting to that point.  Now, you may have loved this book.  Many have.  Film rights are already sold.  The author was herself a CIA analyst.  She should know her stuff.  Bottom line - I'll be charitable and say, as this is a debut book, I'll try another by Karen Cleveland.  Maybe in print.

If you've read this book, I would dearly love to know your thoughts on it.  Really.  Perhaps this is one that I'll like better once some time passes.  That happened with The Girl On the Train, but not with Gone Girl, for me in any case.  And I guess that's all I'll say.  That wasn't too bad was it?

Blurb:

In pursuit of a Russian sleeper cell on American soil, CIA analyst Vivian Miller uncovers a dangerous secret that will threaten her job, her family—and her life. 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—is 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?

38 comments:

  1. HA, TSTL, I need to remember that! I have read some glowing reviews of this, and have been wondering if I should give it ago -- in part bc it's simply been a long while since i've read a thriller like this. You've give me much to think about with this.

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    1. I'm glad you're still thinking about trying it. It's hard for me to write about books that have frustrated me in some way, while avoiding discouraging people from reading them. Ha!

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  2. Dang, I really wanted to read this one. It sounded so interesting, but I'll trust your judgement on this one.

    Don't think I'll bother to pick it up when there are so many other books calling me. I enjoyed Girl on the Train better than Gone Girl, also. (though sick to death of "girl" titles).

    Thanks for a comprehensive review.

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    1. Well, don't avoid it on my account. Maybe download a sample of it to try. I always hate discouraging people from reading a book just because it didn't work for me.

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  3. I did like it and found the dilemma of a woman torn between what is right and the man she has been married to for years very interesting. Since I read a print version, I can't say what I'd have thought about listening to the audio. The conclusion disturbed me a bit, though.

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    1. I'm glad to hear that it worked better for you. I suspect that part of my issue was listening to the story. Sometimes that happens - I notice certain things more when a book is read to me.

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  4. Sorry this didn't work for you. If I decide to try it, I'll go with print.

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    1. Good to know, Kathy! I hate to turn people completely off a book.

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  5. Sounds like I'd get annoyed with the MC too!

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    1. She was just a little repetitive and wishy-washy for me.

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  6. I know that feeling when you just had to know if you got it all right even though you want to DNF the book so bad. I'd say mystery-reader problems, ugh. I'll most likely passing this one up. Thanks for the review!

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    1. I probably should have just read the end to see if I was right and avoided my annoyance. I do hate to discourage others from trying a book. Makes me feel guilty. LOL

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  7. I don't think audio works for me. Had tried it once and didn't really enjoy the experience. Hmm...I'm not sure about this one though. I suppose I'm not in a hurry to read it.

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    1. Melody, it might work fine for you. I do love audio normally, but I have noticed that I am aware of some things more when a book is read to me - like constant swearing. LOL

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  8. I actually loved this one. I think part of it is the fact that I spent my childhood (in the 70s and 80s) fearing war with Russia, so reading about a Russian spy really intrigued me. I didn't notice the overuse of the word kids, but maybe that's the difference between audio and print.

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    1. I remember that you liked it a lot, Tina. I don't know - it's odd how sometimes a book that works so well for one person is not a good match for another - for whatever reason. I'm beginning to think that I was more sensitive to some things because of being read to. Ha!

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  9. This probably isn't a book I would be attracted to anyway, but I also probably would be irritated with the main character dithering about it.

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    1. It might be a little 'new' for many of the books you seem to read. She just annoyed me as went back and forth and back and forth. Sigh.

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  10. Oh no TSTL main character or moments are really difficult to read through and get on board with the story right? This one surely has been getting a lot of buzz but I didn't realize movie rights were already sold. Wow. Hopefully your next read is a better one!

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    1. I may have just been in a bad mood or maybe this was just not a good match for me. I was intrigued by the concept of sleeper agents.

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  11. Interesting. I've been wondering about this one. I have it on my Kindle but have been hesitating to read it, not sure if it's something I would like. Sounds like it's a frustrating read. I'll probably give it a try eventually, but I'm not rushing.

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    1. Oh, go ahead and try it. I'll be waiting to see if you got the same reaction I did. LOL

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  12. TSTL moments drive me crazy. This sounds like a story that might work better in film than in a book. I think I'll pass on the book but I might look for the movie!

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    1. There was lots of drama and it's that sort of story, but the protagonist just was 'gut punched' over and over and over. I feel kind of bad about writing all this and this is the reason I struggle with 'less than loved it' reviews. Ha!

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  13. I just finished the book and I don't think reading it in print would make it any better! The writing isn't very good, but the silly plot kept me turning the pages. I can see that this has already been optioned for a movie, but I hope the screenwriters do something to enhance the amateurish dialogue. I'm sighing with you, Kay! Now to decide whether it is worthy of 3 stars. I'm leaning toward 2.

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    1. Well, in some ways I'm not surprised by your reaction, but it also helps me feel better. It was just way over the top 'dramatic' for me. And maybe a movie script will do better with that. Suspect it will.

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  14. I haven't read this one myself but I have been hearing a lot about it! I will probably try it at some point (print not audio) but I don't think I am in any rush to read it after reading your thoughts. Thanks for sharing your honest review!

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    1. As I said above, I think some of my annoyances came because I heard them over and over. I've had that happen with swearing in a book. Reading it in print, my eyes will pass right over, but listening is a different matter.

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  15. I am sorry this one didn't work better for you, Kay. I do have this one in print. Hopefully it will be better in that form than in audio . . .

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    1. I'll be watching to see what you think if you get to it.

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  16. For me, the ending was a great surprise. I needed to know, and I wasn't disappointed, but I can see where listening to it would be quite annoying. She wasn't a particularly likeable heroine, and as I read somewhere, enough with these unreliable female narrators already.

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    1. She just bothered me with her indecisiveness and part of that was listening as she questioned herself at every turn. And was 'gut punched' over and over and over. LOL

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  17. True. Sometimes these books irritate to no end; for whatever reason, I wanted something "light" at the time (end of the holidays?) and it seemed to fit. But I completely agree with the manipulations of Gone Girl (I know we both disliked that), Girl on the Train, etc. It's hard to find a fresh thriller with a new theme that doesn't "punch" over and over. That said, I also enjoyed The Woman in The window, which some have called a remake of Hitchcock's Rear Window film...

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    1. Yes, I think the problem is that when one plot type works, everyone thinks 'why not a jillion more?'. It's possible that part of my dismay was how naive she seemed, for a CIA analyst anyway.

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  18. I found Viv to be whiny. But as I continued reading, I realized she was trying to justify her decision to hide her husband from authorities. She desperately wants to believe in him. But I think she began to seriously doubt him when she found him "in town" not Russia. Then the year on the island caused her to let down her guard. This book cries out for a sequel.

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  19. Just finished the audiobook. I really enjoyed it at first, but like you mentioned Kay, it was the constant struggle Viv had that slowed down the memento for this thriller. I feel like it was on a fast paced rhythm that kept me on my toes, but then it slowed down considerably. It was way too much feelings and overthinking and not that much action. I'm hoping the movie will have more action. I knew the truth all along too, but doubted when Matt shot the Russian. So, the ending was surprising a bit. I will say, it's really unrealistic to have such a spy ring. The Russians would be geniuses if they're able to pull that off; to have someone so high up in the CIA and to be able to marry a CIA analyst and manipulate her like that for years...nah, that's only in the movies.

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    1. If this is how things really might be, it would be a bit scary indeed. :-)

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!