Karen Cleveland - Need to Know

On the terrace, Matt’s eyes stay locked on the helicopter as it gets closer, the pounding of the propellers growing ever louder. He watches as it passes in front of the house with an almost deafening roar, and in the instant it’s right in front of him, he could swear he sees Omar, that the two of them make eye contact, just for a moment.

His eyes don’t leave the helicopter as it continues on down the coast, the rumble gradually fading until he can hear the waves crashing, once again. A smile creeps to his lips, not the disarming, open smile that his family’s always seen, but something else entirely. An expression that would make him look like a stranger, if anyone saw it.

He watches the helicopter fade into the distance, and a single word escapes his lips, one that’s whispered, almost like a secret. “Dosvedanya.”

None of this would have been possible without David Gernert, who helped shape the initial manuscript into the book it is today, and the whole team at The Gernert Company, especially Anna Worrall, Ellen Coughtrey, Rebecca Gardner, Will Roberts, Libby McGuire, and Jack Gernert.

Heartfelt thanks to the brilliant and incredibly kind Kate Miciak, who improved this book tremendously. I’m beyond grateful to Gina Centrello and Kara Welsh for making my dreams come true, and I’m lucky to be working with an amazing group of people at Ballantine and Penguin Random House, including Kim Hovey, Jennifer Hershey, Cynthia Lasky, Matt Schwartz, Scott Shannon, Theresa Zoro, Sanyu Dillon, Susan Corcoran, Michelle Jasmine, Kristin Fassler, and Quinne Rogers. Thanks also to Kelly Chian, Julia Maguire, Alyssa Matesic, and everyone who worked behind the scenes to help publish the book.

Sincere appreciation also goes out to Sarah Adams and the team at Transworld, Sylvie Rabineau at WME, and Carolyn at the PRB.

And a big thanks to my whole family, especially my mom for believing in me, Kristin for her advice and ideas, Dave for his support, and my dad for his enthusiasm.

Most of all, to my boys: I love you to the moon and back. And to my husband, the best friend and partner I could ever ask for: The best decision I ever made was to say yes.

KAREN CLEVELAND is a former CIA analyst. She has master’s degrees from Trinity College Dublin (international peace studies) and Harvard University (public policy). Cleveland lives in northern Virginia with her husband and two young sons. This is her first novel.

“An early contender for next year’s Gone Girl .”

— GQ (UK)

“I raced through this gripping tale of domesticity and deceit. Karen Cleveland deliciously ratchets up the tension at every turn. You won’t be able to put it down until the final, stunning page!”

—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

“Perhaps there will be two or three readers out there who manage to finish the first chapter of this terrific debut and put it down for more than an hour. But they’ll be back. And they’ll devour Need to Know like the rest of us, skipping lunch, losing sleep, turning pages until the end, where we’re all left waiting for more.”

—John Grisham, New York Times bestselling author of The Rooster Bar

“Prediction: If you read chapter one, you’ll read chapter two. If you read chapter two, you’ll miss dinner, stay up far too late, and feel tired at work tomorrow. This is that kind of book. Superb.”

—Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Line

“The Russia page-turner that should be on everyone’s list.”

— New York Post

“This is a compelling debut about a timely issue…. 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.”

— Booklist (starred review)

“[A] pulse-hammering first novel… This suspenseful espionage tale is a rousing Act 2 to the excitement of TV’s The Americans and the novels of Chris Pavone.”

— Library Journal (starred review)

“ Need to Know carves out a uniquely compelling space among thrillers: high-stakes international intrigue combined with high-drama domestic suspense. These richly overlapping layers of tension create a fast-paced, relentlessly gripping read.”

—Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats

“I am consumed with awe that this is a debut novel. Breathtaking, heart-pounding, it manages to be at once intimate and sweeping, characterful and plot-driven. Need to Know is a really astonishing achievement for any writer, let alone a first-time novelist. I love it!”

—Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache Series

“Heart-poundingly suspenseful and heart-wrenchingly insightful, Need to Know hums with authentic detail, crisp storytelling, and characters that will long stay in your thoughts—a gripping thriller with real psychological depth.”

—JP Delaney, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before

“Hold on tight! What a story, brilliantly told. An espionage thriller from deep within the heart of the CIA, told from a woman’s point of view. More modern than tomorrow. Absolutely gripping.”

—Terry Hayes, New York Times bestselling author of I Am a Pilgrim

“Karen Cleveland is the real deal—an exciting new voice in thrillers. Scarpetta would call her friend.”

—Patricia Cornwell, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Discover your next great read!

Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author.

Need to Know is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2018 by Karen Cleveland

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

BALLANTINE and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

NAMES: Cleveland, Karen, author.

TITLE: Need to know : a novel / Karen Cleveland.

DESCRIPTION: First edition. | New York : Ballantine Books, 2018.

IDENTIFIERS: LCCN 2017053732 | ISBN 9781524797027 (hardback : acid-free paper) | ISBN 9781524797041 (international) | ISBN 9781524797034 (ebook)

SUBJECTS: LCSH: United States. Central Intelligence Agency—Officials and employees—Fiction. | Intelligence officers—Fiction. | Suspense fiction. | Spy stories. | BISAC: FICTION / Suspense. | FICTION / Espionage. CLASSIFICATION: LCC PS3603.L484 N44 2018 | DDC 813/.6—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017053732

Ebook ISBN 9781524797034

randomhousebooks.com

Book design by Barbara M. Bachman, adapted for ebook

Читать дальше