What an interesting concept for a novel, The book kept me interested from the start as it switched from a wilderness adventure trip to a government conspiracy/thriller. Don’t want to give away anything but I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good political thriller!

Wow, what a ride this book is! This is a hybrid thriller, tough to classify, but has aspects of missing persons, vigilante justice, Hunger Games and espionage. I highly recommend, quite a unique and intense read that grabs the reader.

Fans of Jack Reacher, Jack Ryan, Mitch Rapp, and Luke Stone will love this! The bottom line is Cassie Gale goes missing, her father is searching for her, but that is only the beginning of a great adventure!

Excellent debut novel from Connor Sullivan. Sleeping Bear was a very unique book that had a plot that is unlike most thrillers on the market today. Cassandra Gail has been going through a rough time in her life ever since her husband committed suicide from the effects of PTSD. She decides to take a trip to the wilderness of Alaska, just like her and her husband had always plan to do, to clear her mind and refocus. Before too long there is a disturbance at her campsite and Cassandra goes missing. Her father, James Gail, rushes to Alaska to find her. As he begins to dig into the disappearance, he starts to suspect that this disappearance could tie into his past that he thought he buried a long time ago.

As I mentioned, the plot of this book was fantastic and very different from a lot of the other thrillers on the market today. The uniqueness of the plot kept me engaged and wanting to read another chapter or two before setting it down. I thought the characters Mr. Sullivan came up with were interesting and engaging. As with all good thrillers, there was no shortage of action throughout this novel. The action was well space throughout the book with a strong current concentration as the book climaxed.

Overall this is a strong five star book. The unique of the plot and the action would be the main reasons why I would give it five stars. Mr. Sullivan has made a strong entry into the thriller world, and I am excited to see what he has in store for his next book.

After a personal tragedy, Cassie goes camping in the Alaskan wilderness before starting a new job. When she fails to appear at work days later, the missing persons search reveals some long-held secrets that reach all the way to inner government. That sets the stage for Sleeping Bear, with an intricate, if implausible plot that nevertheless keeps your interest. This seems like a mashup of several books and movies (which you’ll recognize) that just seemed a little too fantastical for me. This definitely goes in a direction I didn’t expect, and that tempered my enthusiasm a bit, but overall it’s an entertaining read that I think may spawn a new series, which I’d remained interested in. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sleeping Bear, the debut from Connor Sullivan, has been getting early praise and he deserves every bit of it. Russia has been kidnapping people in the Alaskan wilderness for years. It's the perfect place for the kidnappings: it's remote, disappearances are chalked up to nature, and no one makes much effort to find the missing. That is until a woman and her dog go missing. Her family, led by her dad, make a furious search for her in the Alaskan wilderness. Her dad however, is not your typical father. From his previous life, which his family is unaware of, he has picked up certain skills and he is uniquely qualified to help find his daughter and her dog.

I guess you would call Sleeping Bear a spy thriller but it is so much more than that. It's a love story. The love of a father and his willingness to do whatever it takes to find his daughter. Themes of mental health, PTSD, and numerous types of loss run throughout Sleeping Bear.

Sullivan has written an incredible book. As debuts go, Sleeping Bear is up there as one of the best, if not the best.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the honor of reviewing Sleeping Bear.

Sleeping Bear by Connor Sullivan is a well-written and engrossing read with well developed characterizations. Well worth the time spent reading.

I found this to be more a of thriller/mystery type of story, there are some elements of spying, most of the story deals with searching for a missing person, though the very highest levels of USA and Russian officials get involved. A very good story none the less. Cassie Gale is taking a few days off to go backwoods camping in Alaska before starting her new job. Her and her Army trained dog, Maverick, are provided with directions to a remote camping site. Her first night at the campsite, Cassie is kidnapped and taken to a Russian secret facility where very bad things happen to any who enter. Meanwhile, Cassie's father finds out she's missing and goes to Alaska to begin looking for her. He gets little help initially from the local authorities, they show little inclination to search such a vast area where she had gone missing. I will say that I wish everyone had a father like Cassie's, he is relentless in his search, willing to do anything to recover her. The story goes mostly back and forth between Cassie and her dire situation and her father's search for her, the action is nonstop and intense. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next one by the author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Book Review – Sleeping Bear – Connor Sullivan
New author Conner Sullivan’s new thriller “Sleeping Bear” solidifies the cliché saying, “a real page-turner” with no hesitancy. I pulled an ‘all-nighter’ to finish this book. I literally could not stop reading it until I was finish, it was that good, at least to me it was…and especially since this is Sullivan’s first thriller novel. Sleeping Bear follows a former female Army veteran that suddenly disappears without a trace in Alaska’s northern wilderness only to find herself trapped in a Russian prison system designed to ensure that no one ever escapes. We eventually learn that her kidnapping has something to do with her father’s past life, which made for a very intriguing storyline. Impressive story and plot that kept me engaged and curious. The characters were well developed and very true-to-life. I especially liked the main character Cassie Gale. She reminded me of Author Chris Hauty’s character, Haley Chill – smart, tough, and very capable of handling ‘violence of action’ when she has to! Sullivan’s in-depth research obvious and his writing was imaginative and clever. I like fresh and new, and this book was definitely that. I will read Sullivan’s next installment and recommend checking out Sleeping Bear, it’s everything but a ‘sleeper’! Thank you NetGalley, Author Connor Sullivan and Atria Books for the electronic Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

I just reviewed Sleeping Bear by Connor Sullivan. #NetGalley. WOW, WOW, WOW. What a fast action packed book. The story line was superb and certainly fits on the edge of reality. I really loved this book and look to many more from Connor

Well written and full of action. A modern day spy movie in the making. Hard to believe this is Connor Sullivan’s debut novel as it left me excited to read more. Well rounded characters full of emotion and strength. Waiting for what comes next.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Author Connor Sullivan shows real writing talent in Sleeping Bear.. The early part of the novel is a tale of a woman gone missing in the Alaskan wilderness. The characters were well-drawn and believable. Sadly, for me, once the novel went to Russia I lost interest. The plot struck me as implausible and I could not suspend belief sufficiently to continue.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Atria publishing lands another winner in the thriller genre. If you enjoy a fast past thriller in a the wilds of Alaska much in the page flipper of Thor and Carr, you will love this novel. Highly recommend.

A really good book. I started this after reading all the hype about this and my initial thought was it was moving a little slow. I kept waiting for the action to start. It took a little while but the author was really developing the back story. When the action starts, it is a sprint until the end. I really ended up liking this book alot more than I thought I would. I don't want to ruin any plot points but the story all comes together in the end and I can easily see this being a blockbuster movie at some point. I hope to read more from this author as this book was excellent.
Thank you Netgalley, Connor Sullivan and Atria Books for the ARC for my honest review.

A spy novel with lots of twists and turns is always a good read and this book was no exception. It has flawed and damaged characters who are easy to empathize with and cheer for. I wanted to go to bed two hours ago but I couldn’t put this book down. I was hooked from the beginning, but once I hit the midway point, there was no way I was putting the book down until I was finished!

I read this in one sitting. Not because it was exceptionally original or fresh- but because it was escapist. It is what it says it is and that is what I was looking for maybe a bit too tidy with connections in the end, but I finished the book because it held my attention. I think I may prefer to have a bit messier plots, but this was uncomplicated and satisfying.

Sleeping Bear surprises with its gripping and unpredictable storyline involving highly-relatable and
despicable characters. It’s an excellent debut novel, with huge potential for more stories.
The thriller revolves around the eerie abductions of campers in Alaska, including Cassie Gale, an Army
Veteran and graduate of Ranger School. Her father, sister, and brother-in-law set out to find her.
Cassie’s abduction ties into a cold-war Russian experiment to mold warriors into feeling no remorse at
the prospect of killing and her father’s mysterious past with Vladmir Putin’s mentor. The elements of
espionage, sleuthing and nail-biting tension make this a nerve-wracking experience in a great way!
Sleeping Bear’s characters evoke emotions from sympathy to disgust. Cassie Gale is a badass with
brains, brawn and a tragic backstory. With her father, you sense there’s more than what meets the eye
and Sullivan’s depiction of his agony as he searches for his daughter resonates. Same goes for her sister
and brother-in-law: invoking a strong sense of empathy for the family. The opposite is true for the
antagonists, as readers will dread them for their despicable and hauntingly-violent acts towards
innocents. This creates a compelling juxtaposition, and a desperation for justice to be carried out.
The book is not too heavy on action, but the short and visceral action sequences include authentic
weaponry details and crafty spy tools that feel straight out of the Mission Impossible movies. Sullivan
mainly focuses on the cerebral components of the story, as the Gale family tries to save Cassie.
With a cold-war linked narrative that includes unethical-human experiments, relatable heroes,
despicable villains and great twists, Sleeping Bear is a remarkable debut and an absolute must-read. It’s
absolutely a book worth losing a night’s sleep over. I should know, since I stayed up all night to finish it!