When I was approached about reviewing SLEEPING BEAR, I admit that I had not heard of the book but would take a look. Once I learned that the author, Connor Sullivan, is Mark Sullivan’s son, I was completely sold. If Connor has even a fraction of his father’s talent, I thought, then the book would be worth a read. I’m so glad I agreed to give it a shot. This is not just a great debut effort; it is one of the most suspenseful thrillers I have read in a while.

The book opens with a fact that I was not aware of. Since 1988, more than 16,000 missing persons reports have been filed by Alaska State Troopers. The area that has been referred to as The Triangle has been the site of these inexplicable disappearances in the most remote state in the U.S. What follows is a fictional account of what might be behind these figures --- and the solution Sullivan has created is enough to turn your blood to ice.

"This is not just a great debut effort; it is one of the most suspenseful thrillers I have read in a while.... Connor Sullivan undoubtedly has carved his own niche with his first release, and I am eager to see what he does next."

Paul Brady, a former SEAL team member, suffers from serious PTSD, camping in the town of Chicken, Alaska. His excursion is cut abruptly short when he is accosted by mysterious figures who knock him out with some sort of gas before taking him away. The action then moves to the Yukon Territory of Canada where a young woman and former Army veteran, Cassie Gale, is preparing to guide an expedition of whitewater rafters in Alaska. She will never make it to that job.

Cassie is preparing for dinner and drinks at the Northern Breeze Lodge & Smoke House Bar where she is staying and befriends Billy, a young hiker sitting next to her at the bar. They have a brief violent run-in with some of the boorish locals, but it’s quickly broken up by the bartender and his wife, Ned and Darlene Voigt, who run the place. They comp both of their meals and then share some tips about Alaska by recommending a great place to camp out. Billy ends up going along with Cassie, but their first night camping does not go as planned. A large crash alerts Cassie and her dog, Maverick. When they investigate, they hear what sounds like shots and then a cannister being tossed into their campsite, which quickly knocks out Cassie.

Meanwhile, at a family ranch in Lincoln, Montana, Cassie’s dad, Jim, is working alongside his other daughter, Emily, and his son-in-law, Trask, as well as the rest of their crew. Their day is interrupted by a phone call indicating that Cassie never turned up for her river guide job. Jim contacts the local police department in Alaska only to learn that missing persons are the norm in that area. He decides to fly to Alaska with Emily and Trask to see what is going on. Cassie has been dealing with serious depression issues after the suicide of her ex-military husband, who also suffered from PTSD.

When Cassie wakes up, it will take a while for the fog to clear her mind. Once it does, she figures out that she is imprisoned somewhere underground in Russia but does not know why. She eventually runs into an American, who happens to be Paul Brady. Not only are they in the same prison, they are with a man named Marko from the Ukrainian army and a fourth person who ends up being Billy. They are being analyzed by Russian psychologists, as well as other scientists, and are going to be put through a trial --- some sort of a simulated military battle where they are the hunted, a sadistic game where wagers are placed on who will live and who will die.

While Jim works with all forms of law enforcement to find his missing daughter, Cassie learns more about why and how she was abducted. It isn’t long before SLEEPING BEAR becomes a full-blown Cold War saga between the U.S. and Russia that apparently has never ended. The final portion of the novel will leave readers breathless as Cassie and her colleagues attempt to escape from their hellish prison.

It all makes for one incredible read, full of nonstop thrills and adventure. Connor Sullivan undoubtedly has carved his own niche with his first release, and I am eager to see what he does next.