Tense Russian on U.S. soil plot

Cassie Gale heads to Alaska for a few days in the wilderness with her late husband's dog Maverick for some down time before starting a new guide job.

When her father in Montana is notified that Cassie is missing, Maverick is injured and there are no leads he heads up to Alaska to search for her himself. He has a secret past that might aid in the search.

This story was a bit out there but I didn't care - I still enjoyed it very much. I like stories - fiction and non-fiction - set in Alaska, Canada, the Arctic or the Antarctic so this story definitely fit that niche.

I liked Cassie's strong character, that of her father, the storyline, the different settings - actually pretty everything about the book.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy spy thrillers or action thrillers or just a darn good book.

I received this book from Atria Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Highly entertaining and one of the better thrillers I've read in recent years. A strong debut from Connor Sullivan, I look forward to more of his work.

This is a debut novel from an American author. When former army ranger Cassie Gale goes missing in Alaska, her dad and family stop at nothing to get her back safely. The remote campsite she disappeared from has been staged to resemble a bear attack, but they quickly realize something else is going on. There has been a history of ex-military people disappearing from the area. This is a political/espionage type thriller involving Russia and would be a wonderful recommendation for fans of Gregg Hurwitz, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, etc. I really enjoyed it and will be looking for more from this author.

DNF'd at 64%. I really tried with this one, but at each turn this felt like something your father-in-law would read on a long flight. That being said, I think this really could be someones jam (and I will infact be recommending this to my father-in-law). Most everyone is familiar with the movie Taken, right? Well, this is in a similar vein. Adult daughter goes missing (but! in the Alaskan wilderness after a personal tragedy) and dad with a very special set of skills is determined to bring her back to safety (but! add in a Russian twist). If that sounds like your thing, pick this up because Sullivan does it well. It just wasn't for me.

I have read Sleeping Bear the first book by author Connor Sullivan. People are disappearing from Alaska. Is it by natural reasons such as I don't want to be found or maybe a bear ate me or is it something entirely different? Cassie is on her way to Alaska to work as a guide but she vanishes, not without a trace. Her father goes to investigate and suddenly we are in a high speed mystery that spans thirty years. This was a quick read but not really my cup of tea. I will still recommend it and I thank @netgalley and @atriabooks for giving me this advance copy and I also must thank the author @connor_sullivan_author for writing it. It's a great first book.

I did not finish this book. While the premise had lots of initial appeal to me, the over-the-top violence set in a Russia of the past did not appeal to me. Thank you to Atria and Emily Bestler Books for the chance to review this title.

#ConnorSullivan #SleepingBear #NetGalley #Atria/EmilyBestlerBooks
I received an ARC of Connor Sullivan’s Sleeping Bear from NetGalley in exchange for my review. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity.
Sleeping bear really entertained me. I thought it was great. There aren’t many authors in the espionage/military thriller genre that I find excellent. Authors such as Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills, Ben Coes, Alex Berenson, Jack Carr and Don Bentley, come to mind in that regard. Connor Sullivan is now another author I find top notch.
The story was excellent and perhaps grounded in fact to some degree. Great character development and insight into what drove the different characters to act as they did. Enough technical jargon, but not an overwhelming confusing amount. I was really impressed and I look forward to the next book. I highly recommend this novel for fans of this genre. Happy reading!

Another superb winner from a first-time author!! This was no sleeping bear on my end - it was non-stop action from the start.

Thousands of people go missing each year in the wilderness of Alaska and it appears that not all of them are for the reasons that you might think. Fans of Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, and Vince Flynn will love the mystery and intrigue that follows Cassandra Gale as she finds herself engulfed in an international mystery with spies and spy-masters and the cold war reuniting the US and Russia but in a believable 2021 setting.

A strong female lead supported by family plays out through this novel. You won't want to set this book down because you just have to know what is going to happen next. This is a must-read for the late summer-early fall of 2021 and I certainly hope that Cassandra Gale and her father make future appearances in text again in the not too distant future. I certainly can see a spin off involving Cassandra's father - James Gale and his past adventures.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for the free ARC in return for my honest review.

Sleeping Bear

"How could I take a 'woman goes missing in the woods' plot and turn it into a political/espionage thriller?" Connor Sullivan asks in the book acknowledgments.

Well, he did it...and did so a very entertaining way.

An easy read that got me right into the action with his writing style such that I couldn't stop reading (even though I was able to get an idea of who the bad guys were).

Lots of action, "interesting" characters, exotic local are what I look for in thrillers and that's what I got.

Bravo!

This is a real page-turner of a thriller, high on adrenaline and low on character development. As with all thrillers, I think it's better to go into the book not knowing too much about the plot (the synopsis on Goodreads gives away quite a lot). Cassie is a smart, tough Army veteran who is recovering from personal tragedy with a trip into the wilderness of Alaska. When she disappears, her father and sister go to Alaska to search for her and soon all of them are drawn into a deadly Russian plot. Sullivan weaves an engrossing story with secrets from the past intermingling with machinations of the present. The villains are cartoonishly evil, the writing lacks a certain polish, and there is a little more violence and torture than I'm comfortable with, but overall this is a solid read for readers looking for a slick thriller. Thank you to Atria Books, Connor Sullivan, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Sleeping Bear is an edge of your seat thrill ride from start to finish. Sullivan describes Cassie Gale as a woman who has experienced tremendous loss in her life, and she is trying to deal with that catastrophic loss by hiking into the Alaskan wilderness. What Cassie doesn’t know is that she is going to be involved in a game of revenge that will rear its ugly head from 30 years ago!

Connor’s description of the Alaskan wilderness makes you feel like you are camping in the Alaskan woods yourself as you read this story. Connor ratches up the intensity when Cassie is kidnapped for reasons that are not entirely clear.

As the story proceeds the reader will soon find out that Cassie is a pawn in a much larger scheme to avenge an ex-KBG agent’s son’s death at the hands of a former agent of the CIA. With so many twists, betrayals and “I did not see that coming” moments in this book, this is the perfect read for fans of Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills and Mark Greaney. Connor Sullivan is a thriller author that everyone needs to be prepared for on July 6th. In my opinion, this is the best espionage book of the year. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to be kept in suspense until the very last page. Well done Connor, I cannot wait for the next one!

I was hopeful going into it because Sullivan included a lot of initial things that I enjoy: Russia (I was a Russian-language major!), a female protagonist in a non-traditional role, DOGS. But I quickly realized that nothing here was happening that I hadn’t seen a hundred times before. I felt that Sullivan was…maybe not fully equipped to write from a female perspective? Cassie’s POV chapters were awkward to read, and there were several times where I felt that Sullivan was more invested in making the point that she was “tough” rather than treating her with any nuance. I also get very “eye-rolly” when writers try to make their villains Russian and just end up turning them into caricatures.
Again there is absolutely the chance that the book does a 180 and turns itself into the thriller of the year, but it was not for me.

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.