Book Rx: Your Monthly Reading Prescription | “Need to Know” by Karen Cleveland
By Julie Bond
Rx: “Need To Know”
Prescribed by: Karen Cleveland
Prescribed for: Election season and fans of “The Americans” television series
Side Effects: Loss of breath from frantically turning the pages as you read just one more chapter.
This is a taut, debut thriller from an author who was herself a CIA analyst. The story is literally ripped from the headlines.
Directions: Vivian is a harried, over-extended, happily married mother of four. She is also a gifted analyst with the CIA whose specialty is Russian sleeper cells in the US. When she stumbles upon her husband’s photograph on a computer she’s hacked into, her entire world will be turned upside down, forcing her to decide who to believe, and more importantly, who to trust. Vivian must figure out who her husband’s loyalty is to, if she hopes to save herself and her children. She must also live with her choices as they could have consequences which result in the loss of American lives.
Special Instructions: Pumpkin cornbread is just the right combination of sweet and flavorful, plus it won’t make a mess of your hands while you are turning pages. And for your beverage, try this spicy Russian tea, which isn’t really Russian, but American in origin. The confusion goes well with the theme of this thriller.
Pumpkin Cornbread by The View from Great Island
Russian Tea by Peter’s Food Adventures
Refill: here
Julie Bond is a voracious reader with eclectic tastes running the gamut from YA lit, to psychological suspense, and anything dog-related, of course. You can find her haunting her favorite San Francisco Bay Area indie bookstores. Email her at ObsessiveBookFanatic@gmail.com
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