Caroline Fardig's "Bitter Past" is a mystery novel that offers a solid foundation for an engaging storyline. The book introduces intriguing elements and secrets that pique the reader's curiosity. However, the execution of the plot and character development leaves something to be desired. The pacing feels uneven, with some sections dragging while others rush through important events. Moreover, the characters lack depth and fail to evoke a strong emotional response. "Bitter Past" has potential, but it falls short in delivering a truly gripping and memorable mystery.

This was a good read with plenty of twists and turns to keep tou turning the pages. The characters were well drawn and the story interesting.

A good story about Ellie Matthew who use to be a criminalist. When it got to be too much for her, she decides its time to change jobs. Something less stressful is what she has in mind. She accepts a job as a instructor at a university. Then a student is murdered there as well as others. What is going on? She is asked to help the police find out.
Lots of twists and turns and many surprises arise as the investigation progresses.
I would love to read the next book in the series.

Ellie Matthews is now teaching forensics at Ashmore College instead of working crime scenes. The new "outdoor anthropology research facility" AKA "body farm" proposed by her boss, Dr. Dudley Cooper, is causing a huge protest from the student body. When one of the most outspoken is found murdered on the site, the top suspect is Dr. Cooper. Ellie is asked by local law enforcement to help with the forensics which is not popular with her successor or with the college.
With many twist and turns and surprises about literally everyone involved, the ending is still a shocker!
The real story is Ellie and her family, especially her sister, Rachel and her son. Slowly Ellie's and Rachel's past is revealed and show just how far they have come and how strong and resilient they are.
Can't wait the read the next installment of Ellie's story.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Professor Ellie is enjoying her world as a criminologist at the local college. She has left the local police force after one job too many. But she is drawn back after her fellow professor and colleague Dr. Cooper, ,is arrested for the murder of a young student. The deceased has spearheaded protests against a new facility that Ellie and Dr. Cooper will head. Things get messy at a fundraiser and messier still at the murder site later on. Not only does the good doctor have professional reasons to dislike the victim, he also has some very personal entanglements too.

Ellie is brought in to work the crime scene of a second murder that may or may not be connected to the first one. It seems her replacement at the cop shop is a lazy incompetent and the officers working the case want things done properly. Lots of feathers get ruffled on both sides of the case. And when the feathers of Dr Cooper’s family get ruffled heads will roll. They are a social and political powerhouse and do not take kindly to having one of their own suspected of murder.

There are a lot of twists and turns and many threads that do not come together until very near the end of the book. When it does it is a shocker for the reader on so many levels. A page turner from beginning to end, if this is the first of a series, bring on more. Five purrs and two paws up.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Severn River Publishing and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Ellie’s a complex and relatable character. The story moves at a perfect pace. A well-written, engaging tale I didn’t want to put down.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant book

move over scarpetta theres a new girl in town...

ellie matthews teaches at a nearby college....but before that her job was a csi for the police and though the case that finished her isnt revealed until later in the book, but her job keeps her active with the new procedures that are needed at crime scenes

this book grows on you...and our first glimpse of ellie is when she is mistaken for a very patron of the planned forensic field where bodies are left outdoors so that data can be gained from this...and one of the protesters who doesnt recogise ellie throw a bucket of pigs blood all over her...how ellie deals with this incident shows you what to expect from this book

its a great read and i cant wait for the next book in this brilliant series

Bitter Past is book two in the Ellie Matthews series. Ellie used to be a criminalist until a case caused her to walk away. Now she is teaching criminology at Ashmore College. As a favor to the local Sheriff, she agrees to consult on the case after Ellie discovers a body while with a co-worker. Another suspicious death occurs and it seems as if they might be connected. A colleague is brought in for questioning. He quickly becomes the prime suspect.

This was very well written. and very detailed. But I have mixed feelings about the story. While it was totally engrossing, I did not like the ending. To me it was abrupt and left me unsatisfied. I have not read the first book and maybe I should have. I might have been more prepared for what was to come. It does seem as if it there might be a book to come. Certainly the ending would leave you to believe the story is not over. Over all, I did like this story and I am curious about Ellie and what happens next I, was hoping for a different less blunt ending.

I was so excited to see Caroline Fardig was adding to her Professor Ellie Matthews Series! A former forensic investigator, Ellie left the Sheriff's office to teach criminalistics as the local college. But, that doesn't stop the Sheriff - who Ellie has a tight bond with - to call her in for consultations on particularly complex cases. After she attends a fundraising event for a college colleague's controversial project, a student is found murdered. Ellie is called into action and partners with the fabulous Nate to uncover what truly happened. Ellie is strong character with an interesting history and flaws she's working through. I can't wait to see where Ms. Fardig takes Ellie in 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley and Seven River Publishing for the e-ARC of this book.

This is my first Caroline Fardig novel, and I will definitely be reading more of her books!

The main character, Ellie, currently teaches forensic science at a University. She recently left the police as a Forensic criminalist when one case became too much for her. In setting up a body farm with another professor, Ellie stumbles across a dead student and the police hire her back to work the case.

I liked the forensics in the book and learned a lot. However it seemed that Ellie did a few forensic tests, but mostly acted more as a detective as she worked with 2 in solving the murders.

The mystery was piece was okay but not really hard to figure out. I would have like to see more character development to give Ellie more depth. The ending was clearly unfinished. It ended so abruptly I thought I must have been missing a chapter. That should be cleaned up before publication.

3 out of 5 stars.

Bitter Past by Caroline Fardig was an okay mystery. I had a difficult time with the dialogue. It seemed stilted and not how people would talk. It did take me a while to get into the story, and I didn't really like any of the characters. The ending was just okay.

I would like to read more from this author to gauge the other stories and writing styles.

#BitterPast #NetGalley @SvrnRvrPublish

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, heartache and heartbreak! And some great police work! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Okay, so the storyline was good, and I read the book very quickly. It has enough twits and turns to keep you guessing. The main character was a little too much in terms of her personality, but she was still interesting. Everything was wrapped up neatly, but I just wasn’t crazy about the ending. I would still recommend it though based on the positives I mentioned.

This book was a little bit odd. It really took several chapters for me to get into the story. I wouldn't say I was fully engrossed in it, more like finish it so I can read something else.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…thanks to the publisher for an electronic copy. Red herrings…death and murder…mystery and intrigue…not really lovable characters but that is expected in type of novel…college…politics…family dynamics…friends and enemies…a talented author has written a cannot put down novel…I found the place for the dead bodies off putting…