The first 1/3 drew me in more than the rest. However, I enjoyed the fast pace, the volatile characters and especially the dog companion. I have to admit that at first I was drawing a completely different twist than there actually turned out to be.

I think that the atmosphere of the different locations fit in with the story and it was a tense read toward the end that I appreciated.

I do not know if I would read more by this author only because I don't think that this genre is really my thing.

What a debut novel. This book was not what I expected. This wild ride of a book is a great mix of adventure, thriller, spy novel, and mystery rolled into one. The author does a great job developing the many characters and weaving them into the storyline. This novel has lots of twists and turns and was hard to put down.

Let's go with three and a half stars.

I'll start with what I liked - Sullivan's storytelling and character development were very good. His descriptions of Montana, Canada, and Alaska were sparse but appropriate to the story. His dialogue often rang true.

I had a lot of nitpicking regarding language and technical details related to references to the military, scientific, and intelligence communities, but nitpicking is nitpicking. The plot kept pushing me along, and it was enjoyable.

4.3 stars

What a story! I went into it a bit blind, and I'm glad I did. This is probably the first book I've ever read that made me bring up the map and check out the locations mentioned. It is a story of survival, past secrets, espionage, and a family trying to keep it all together. I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. Connor did a wonderful job with character development, story details, and bringing everything together at the end. I was so entranced by the story that, at times, I kept forgetting this is a work of fiction.

Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Connor Sullivan's debut novel? Who would have thought? He knocked it out of the park!! A very intense thriller/mystery, that kept you guessing/wondering what was going to happen next. A whole lot of action and I am now a fan of the author(bought his next book).
I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me this eARC and I highly recommend reading this fantastic novel.

In the acknowledgements, Connor Sullivan said this: How could I take a “woman goes missing in the woods” plot and turn it into a political/espionage thriller? I had never seen it done before, and quite frankly, it terrified me. I knew that in order to pull it off, I’d have to go back and study the masters. Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Mark Greaney, Gregg Hurwitz, David Baldacci, and Jack Carr..” To Mr, Sullivan’s comment, I say this: you not only learned from the masters, you were obviously a stellar student. Your name will soon be recognized listed alongside these authors if you keep producing storylines like Sleeping Bear!

WOW. W.O.W. wow. There have been plenty of glowing reviews, so I won’t repeat the storyline, but I will add a few thoughts. Not only is Connor Sullivan a new author, he brings a new and fresh voice to the political thriller; this storyline is UNIQUE! Sleeping Bear checks all the boxes: enticing hook in the opening sequence, explosive action, jaw dropping and tense, electrifying climax, superb twist in the very satisfying denouement. Characters are multi dimensional and thoroughly fleshed out. The pacing propels this story at rocket speed, which is a good thing because the reader won’t be able to put it down. I could not. I finished it in a day, shirking all my responsibilities. It is a heart thumping political/ espionage thriller. Fantastic read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange which allowed me to write an unbiased review.

Sleeping Bear: Take John Wick, Jason Bourne, The Hunger Games with a dash of Tom Clancy and John le Carré and you come up with this light fast and fun read.
I won't get into plot details as you can find this elsewhere. It has a lot going for it. It has strong female characters, it raises PTSD issues, and stresses family ties.
However, too many tertiary characters are interrupted from doing nonessential acts when called upon to do their actual job.
The abrupt ending, "Yada, Yada Yada," then the Epiologue wrap-up, brought me to my 3-star rating.
Thanks, Netgalley and Simon & Schuster, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

Connor Sullivan's debut novel, Sleeping Bear, is an intense thriller set in the Alaskan wilderness. The story follows Army veteran Cassie Gale, who seeks solitude after her husband's death but ends up kidnapped and trapped in a Russian prison. While the plot is gripping and full of twists, the book wasn't quite my cup of tea.

The Alaskan setting and the suspenseful storyline kept me engaged, but some elements felt a bit far-fetched. Despite this, Sullivan's writing and character development were solid, making it a good read overall.

If you're a fan of action-packed thrillers with a unique setting, Sleeping Bear is worth checking out.

This was a solid military-style thriller in the style of Jack Carr, Brad Taylor, and Mark Greaney. Realistic and gritty, with a healthy bit of heart added just for good measure. It had me hooked the entire time, waiting to see what would happen next. Will be reading his next book as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"Sleeping Bear: A Thriller" by Connor Sullivan is a gripping debut that plunges readers into the treacherous and unforgiving wilderness of Alaska. The novel follows Cassie Gale, an Army veteran who seeks the solace of the Alaskan wilds after the death of her husband. However, what begins as a journey for peace quickly turns into a harrowing tale of survival and espionage.

Sullivan crafts a narrative that is as chilling as the Alaskan frost, with a pace that mimics the heart-pounding rush of a sled dog race. The story opens with Cassie's disappearance, which is initially attributed to the many dangers of the Alaskan interior—bears, wolves, avalanches, and the like. Yet, as the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that there are more sinister forces at play.

The author masterfully intertwines Cassie's struggle with the broader geopolitical tensions between the United States and Russia, making the personal political. Cassie's ordeal in a Russian prison, fighting for her life against a system designed to crush her spirit, is a testament to her resilience and military training.

Sullivan's portrayal of the Alaskan setting is vivid and immersive, making the reader feel the bite of the cold and the isolation of the vast landscape. The supporting characters are well-developed, from Cassie's loyal German Shepherd, Maverick, to her father, whose own past is riddled with secrets that threaten to surface amidst the crisis.

While the novel occasionally veers towards the implausible, it never loses its grip on the reader's attention. The action sequences are meticulously detailed, providing a cinematic quality that keeps the pages The emotional depth of the charactersturning.narrative adds a layer of complexity, ensuring that "Sleeping Bear" is not just a thriller but a story about the human spirit's capacity to endure and overcome.

In conclusion, "Sleeping Bear" is a formidable entry into the thriller genre, offering a fresh take on survival stories with a strong female lead. Connor Sullivan has emerged as a new talent to watch, with a narrative style that promises even more exhilarating tales in the future. Whether you're a fan of thrillers, survival dramas, or stories of personal triumph, "Sleeping Bear" is a novel that will leave you both chilled and thrilled

TRIGGER WARNING: Graphic torture scenes

I really enjoy reading crime thrillers and murder mysteries based in Alaska. Marc Cameron’s Arliss Cutter series is definitely one of my fave series. He really grasps the trials and tribulations of the environment. Connor Sullivan seems to have a similar grasp of the challenges of that type of environment too.

The book summary lays out the premise for the primary storyline: the abduction of Cassie, former military, and who the press dubbed her “GI Jane” because of her reputation in Ranger school and a political scandal afterwards. Anyway, Cassie was taking a few days to check out the area where her new job as a guide for a wildlife refuge organization was; she was scheduled to start work in a few days. Cassie is still grieving the recent death of her husband, who was also military. She also has a former military dog (German Shepard), Maverick, who accompanied her on her trip to AK. More about Maverick later, because those who are familiar with my reviews know I’m going to talk about Maverick.

Within days of Cassie’s disappearance, papa bear Jim Gale, begins tracking Cassie’s movements. Now, some adult kids may chafe at a parent tracking their SAT phone call log, GPS movements, and border crossings, but for those kids going out into the wilds of AK with nothing more than a fierce and loyal former military dog, a few weapons (guns & knives), a SAT phone, a can of bear spray and some camping gear, having a smart and wilderness experienced papa bear could be the difference between life and death.

Of course, there are secondary storylines, one being Jim’s past military life, that the book summary just briefly mentions. As soon as Jim inspects Cassie’s destroyed campsite, he has doubts that the damage was from a bear attack. It’s then that he starts alluding to some long-ago agreement he made that nothing happens to Cassie. This is not a spoiler alert since it was revealed in the first 15-20% of the story. It’s about this time that I already had my suspicions regarding two characters as well as motive.

Most of the story chapters flip back and forth between Cassie and Jim with some chapters from a Russian General named Sokolov and a few from US intelligence agencies. The first half of Cassie’s story is mostly about Cassie discovering where she is and why she is being held captive by a team of Russian doctors and guards. She also meets several other captives who were also abducted. The first half of papa Jim’s story was mostly about trying to figure out what happened to Cassie and where she was. He’s certain that there are those among the other characters who knew what happened to Cassie, why she was taken, and where she is.

Into the second half of the story, the storylines begin to merge together and the separation between the good and bad guys becomes clear, and there is a huge cast here that includes an alphabet of US government agencies. There are several intense scenes and incidents for the Gail family and the bad guys. The end comes really quick after that (thank goodness!!!). I’d had enough of this story and was glad to finally get to the end.

Well into the second half of the story, Sullivan kills off Maverick in an awful scene that almost had me immediately DNFing the book and had this book not been a NetGalley book, I would have DNFed it! With NetGalley books, I feel that there is that implied agreement that for the free book, I will read and finish the book and provide an honest review. Killing Maverick was sooo unnecessary and Sullivan did not need to go that route, especially after letting the human survive the attack. I will never understand writers who kill off a beloved family pet in some horrific manner simply because they think it makes their story more thrilling. Personally, I find it overkill. He should have just left the dog out of the story altogether. I was very disappointed with what Sullivan did and it affected my overall opinion of the story and the writer.

After setting the book aside for a few months to read bunch of other books, I eventually picked the book back up and committed to finishing it. I know a lot of people will be pissed that I revealed that trigger warning and this spoiler alert, but I know a lot of other people will appreciate that trigger warning and this spoiler alert. As a long-time dog mama, when deciding on whether or not to read a story that has a dog in it, I will ask other GR members who read the book if the dog dies. I don’t know why I didn’t do that with this book. Had I done that, I would have never chosen to read the book. Knowing my triggers, it is my responsibility to do my research to avoid them. Not doing that for this book was my mistake.

The first half of the story was a solid 4star read for me with the second half being a 1star read. I guess, I’d give it a 2.5stars if I could, but I’m not feeling compelled to round up, hence, the overall 2star rating. I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #AtriaBooks #SleepingBear

On the story and writing, 4, no 5 STARS,

Army veteran Cassie Gale, running around beating up guys and killing them in hand-to-hand death matches, dude, stop writing to the majority and keep it a little real. Look all for one and one for all but if you served you know,

Great debut novel! I loved the action involved, the Alaskan setting and everything else involved. So many layers that all came together at the end b

This was quite a read. One of those books that you don't want to put down while at the same time want to hurry and get through.

Follow Cassie's journey as she tries to heal and then her family's journey as they try to find her. Grab some tissues you might need them.

I gave this book 3 stars because there were some things left hanging toward the end that I felt needed resolution.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A grieving widow is abducted from the Alaskan Wilderness, starting a chain of events that will reveal an international human smuggling operation and dredge up old secrets from the Cold War. Sullivan has some very interesting ideas and introduces several fascinating characters, but the plot feels disjointed at times and the author makes some rudimentary errors that are distracting. The reader is often "told" instead of "shown", characters are either introduced at too much length for their short role in the narrative or not developed enough to carry the pathos of the tale.

Spoiler Alert:

I felt frustrated that the potential of this engaging story didn't come to fruition. Some contributing factors for me include:
At the end every single main character is still alive - author won't "kill his darlings"
A hurriedly introduced love interest for the strong, independent young woman who was kidnapped is debuted late (because what happier ending could their be but to be made complete by a man)
Main characters get around plot holes by just ignoring them - at one point the woman's father wakes himself up from a strong sedative purely by "thinking about being mad"


Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A thriller set in Alaska and Russia. It starts quickly and the reader has no idea what is happening. The characters and plot are revealed gradually throughout the book. In that sense it is true to life, but it can be frustrating trying to keep up with the plot.
On the other hand, the plot is somewhat contrived. Everything is wrapped up in an ending that is too complex to actually work.
It was an entertaining read and worthy of 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Sleeping Bear" was a great, action-packed mystery/spy/suspense/thriller. It was difficult to put the book down, and I just had to keep reading to know what happened. An excellent debut from this author.

thriller, suspense, dual-narrators, dual-time-frames, Alaska, Russia, international-crime-and-mystery, disappearance, abduction, riveting, espionage, family-dynamics, intrigue, action, veterans, experiment, ex-spy, intense, rescue, retribution, debut-author, retired-military-dog, crime-fiction, crime-thriller, international-tensions, political *****

Timely thriller written before the 2022 invasion by Russia.
This is an amazing fast paced thriller written in an interesting time. Great read!
I requested and received an EARC from Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A very solid thriller by newcomer Connor Sullivan. Sleeping Bear is set in the wilds of Alaska with characters carrying a lot of secrets & baggage. Started a bit slow but picked up nicely midway. I am very interested to see how the characters progress in sequel novels. Thank you to NetGalley for the free read.

After her young husband’s untimely death, Army veteran Cassie Gale decides to take a few days of solitude in the Alaskan wilderness before she starts her new job. But when she fails to show up on her first day and her dog is discovered injured at her wrecked campsite, her father knows that this is much more than a camping trip gone awry.

As it turns out, Cassie’s not the first person to disappear without a trace in Alaska’s northern interior, and many are veterans like her. Her father is afraid that his past is responsible for her disappearance, and calls in high-level favors to help bring her home.

Sleeping Bear is absolutely amazing for a first novel, and this reader is looking for more from Connor Sullivan. The action is spot-on, and the characters are perfectly drawn. This one is for fans of Brad Thor, Gregg Hurwitz, and Jack Carr. #Sleeping Bear #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors