Need to Know

This modern version of a spy novel, Karen Cleveland's initial outing, has been getting a lot of attention (NYT best seller already sold for movie rights) and I was anxious to read it. Cleveland is herself a former CIA analyst and so can credibly create a female protagonist who does the same, in this case, working on the highly prestigious and pressured Russia desk. Vivian has been working on an algorithm to track down sleeper agents in the United States and has finally captured the computer of what she believes to be a mid-level handler. When she finds a file with pictures of sleeper agents, she thinks she has hit the jackpot until she realizes that one of the pictures is that of her husband Matt. When she confronts him, Matt admits he has been a sleeper for over 2 decades, recruited as an orphan when he was 15 years old. He swears he loves Viv and their 4 children and that if he could have gotten out of the situation he wold have. He says he knows she needs to turn him in. But Viv cannot face the total meltdown of her entire life. Who would help take care of the family? Matt's day job as an IT specialist gives him the flexibility to pick up kids from school, take one of their toddler twins to his appointments with the cardiologist, and generally keep the house running smoothly while Viv puts in long hours at her job. She deletes the photographs and then Matt gives her a flash drive that she can use at work to erase the activity log of the past 2 days so no one will know what Viv did. Vivian knows this will not be the end of the story and not many weeks pass before she gets a blackmail letter from Matt's handler that threatens to reveal her if she does not get information from the CIA computers. When Viv decides to fight back by finding the handler and retrieving the blackmail materials, her children and Matt become pawns in a deadly chess game.
Throughout the book, Viv revisits her entire life with Matt and wonders what was real and what was scripted. She doesn't know if she can trust Matt although she is convinced his love for their children is real. The dilemma is convincing and the story will keep you engrossed. The ending was a surprise. If you have enjoyed the TV series, "The Americans," you will like this, and stories about Russian mis-deeds are certainly big in the news these days. Reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal.