This was an entertaining book that is set in the high desert of Nevada. Definitely not something I normally read.
Dual timelines, one takes place in the present the other in the 1950's during testing of nuclear bombs.
Characters that you can like, mystery, twists and thrills.
Suspense and a crime thriller, historical fiction all mixed together.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

It’s almost hard to believe that this is a debut novel, because it was such a great read. The story opens in dramatic (and kind of gruesome) fashion and never slows down. The Bitter Past is a fascinating look at both the Cold War era and small-town law enforcement. It’s dual-timeline plot follows Sherrif Porter Beck, a crusty, but absolutely loveable guy who likes to do things his own way, and Freddie Meyer, a Russian spy that I found myself cheering for. The author did a brilliant job of weaving the two storylines together: bringing the plight of the Cold War downwinders to light, exposing the war machine of America and the machinations of Russia, all while keeping the pace of the modern investigation on high speed.

This is a book that would appeal to a variety of readers: lovers of modern-day westerns, spy novels, thrillers, mysteries, police procedurals, and even history buffs can all find something to love about The Bitter Past. I’ve read all of C.J. Box’s novels and Craig Johnson’s Longmire series, and I can definitely see why they are comparing Bruce Borgos to them.

This book releases July 18, 2023, so be sure to pre-order it, put it on your Goodreads shelf or BookBub wishlist, and request it at your local library. I’m very much looking forward to the next installment of the Porter Beck series and certainly recommend you read The Bitter Past! 4.5 out of 5 stars for me.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own! 🙂

It began with a grisly torture and murder of a former FBI agent. Sheriff Porter Beck had seen more than his share of gruesome crime scenes. But nothing could compare to what was in front of him. And the motive befuddled him until FBI agent Sana Locke showed up at his office doorstep looking to investigate the crime.

When crime scene evidence began to point toward covert operations dating back to the nuclear testing era, Sheriff Beck and Agent Locke team up to solve not only the murder, but also that secrets that lay behind it.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bitter Past. The novel combined two genres that I love — historical fiction, and mysteries/thrillers.

The story unfolds through dual timelines and dual points of view. This method of storytelling works excellently for this particular novel. Not only did I get transported back in time to learn of the historical significance on the present day crime, the dual points of view really united and blended everything perfectly.

There are numerous characters with a number of aliases. I stumbled in the beginning. But as the story progressed, it got easier to navigate and identify each of them. I did like the main character of Porter Beck and going forward, Porter will probably evolve into someone who I would admire due to his snarky humor and deductive skills.

The Bitter Past is the first novel in the Porter Beck series. It certainly won’t be my last. Four solid stars.

I received a DRC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

The story begins when Sheriff Porter Beck is called to the isolated home of retired FBI Agent Ralph Atterbury where he finds Atterbury has been tortured to death. Atterbury had been researching a crime that had happened in 1957 which concerned nuclear testing and a Russian spy.

When the FBI in the person a Sana Locke shows up, Beck finds himself in the middle of the sort of investigation he thought he had left behind him when he retired from the Army. Someone is looking for a Russian agent left over from 1957 and wants to find him very badly, badly enough to leave a trail of dead elderly men behind him.

Beck is the perfect man for this job. He has an eidetic memory and experience in intelligence having worked in Russia while he was in the service. His only problem is that he was forced to retire from the Army because he suffers from night blindness which he is keeping from his fellow police officers and everyone else.

I really enjoyed the flashbacks to 1957 told from the viewpoint of the Russian spy sent to discover the U.S.'s nuclear secrets. I liked that he found that he couldn't do what he had been sent to do after coming to know some people and falling in love with the top scientist's daughter.

The story was filled with twists and turns including a father who was the sheriff on the county before Beck and whose dementia is increasing. I liked his adopted sister and his relationship with her. I liked Beck's twisty brain.

I will be eager to read more books in this series when they become available.

THE BITTER PAST is told by Porter Beck, a sheriff in the high desert north of Las Vegas, Nevada. He’s got an interesting past - notably, working in the Army in Intelligence. Porter took over the job of his father as the county sheriff and it’s been a quiet job until a retired FBI agent is found murdered.

The story is told in dual timelines - the 1950s and the present, detailing how a Russian spy infiltrated the nuclear testing site and how someone is now still looking for this old spy to figure out what happened. I was initially put off by the alternate chapters that were set in the 1950s because I didn’t understand how it all tied together.

THE BITTER PAST is such a neat read with elements of espionnage and historical fiction mixed into a police procedural. As the novel progresses, everything began to click for me and I really enjoyed all aspects of the story. Admittedly, I was slow on the uptake and didn’t entirely understand how the present timeline and the past timeline tied together for quite sometime… and when it did, I was still entirely surprised by the twists. These are all good things!

Bruce Borgos’ writing is strong and captivating, hooking the reader in from early on as the ante is upped as the investigation progresses. I enjoyed many of the characters introduced in this novel and am eager to see how Porter and his deputies carry on in subsequent instalments of this series.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</i>

The Bitter Past is the first book in a new series by Bruce Borgos and I really enjoyed it. It has an intriguing mystery and is set in the wilds of Nevada, which is a different location from most books I read. The story is told in dual timelines, which is something I really enjoy. There’s a lot of action and it’s very fast paced. But, what drew me in were the characters, especially the main character’s family. His father has dementia while both he and his adopted sister are battling their own demons. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

The Bitter Past manages to combine an espionage thriller, a police procedural and historical fiction all in one. I enjoyed learning about the nuclear testing that went on in the Nevada Desert back in the 1950s. It was a time when the US was determined to solidify their advantage over the Russians, even if it meant harming their own civilians.
The story follows Porter Beck, the county sheriff, following in his father’s footsteps. Porter was previously an army intelligence agent, so it’s a given the man is smart. When an old retired FBI agent is found murdered and tortured, a current FBI agent, Sana Locke, shows up to help with the investigation. They develop an uneasy partnership. The dead man was investigating something from the 1950s which tied into the second storyline.
Meanwhile, a young Mormon woman has gone missing from a polygamist camp.
The book contains a great set of characters. In addition to Porter and Sana, we have Porter’s “sister” Brinley, who has her own set of talents.
The story flips back and forth between the present day and 1957 when the nuclear testing was ongoing.
The writing is such it was easy to envision every scene. By the end, you do need to suspend belief a bit as it reaches the book’s climax. But this was great entertainment mixed with the historic aspect. I will definitely be looking out for book two in the series.

This was so intense! An immediate page turner! A thriller with a decent amount of historical fiction that really puts this book over the edge from good to great!

Porter Beck is a lawman in an area of Nevada. This story starts with some very hectic scenes but then becomes more explanatory about the issues Beck is facing and some of the mind-boggling history of nuclear testing.

I feel like I got all my thrills and chills satisfied with this one. It's definitely a perfect addictive thriller to read this summer!

Out July 18, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

4.5 stars but honestly Bitter Past was such a refreshing read and a fabulous start to the new series featuring Porter Beck

Porter Beck just might be my new hero

Perfect he is not, funny he is and regardless he is out to get the job of Sheriff done and done well.

The book starts off with a huge bang and never lets up.

Twists and turns with a few surprises will having you reading until your done.

Great new start to a new series and I will be first in line for Book 2 and my hero Porter.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for a suspenseful read.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Bruce Borgos, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

When I saw this book by Bruce Borgos, I was both curious and intrigued by the premise. Borgos mixes the intensity of a Cold War era thriller with a modern police procedural to deliver a piece sure to appeal to many. Strong writing and great characters help the story come together and keep the reader forging ahead well into the night, as they flip pages to learn the truth about a small community in Nevada and its connection to a nuclear test site. Borgos is one to watch and has me wanting to come back for more in this series.

Porter Beck enjoys his life as a sheriff in rural Nevada. Having spent his early years there with his father as the head lawman, Beck dabbled in the Army and Intelligence before returning to take up the sheriff role. The bucolic community is rocked when a former FBI agent is found murdered, having been severely tortured. While Beck is willing to use his resources, he is soon visited by someone from the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office, wanting to liaise. This raises many red flags and Sheriff Beck won’t stand down until he gets some answers.

It would seem the victim has ties to investigating a nuclear test site in the area during the late 1950s. What took place there was so secretive that Beck is surprised when he learns about it, but even more stunned to know that there could be a killer out there trying to silence anyone with intel from what happened.

While Beck and Special Agent Sana Locke work to track down the killer, a young girl in a surrounding community disappears, thought to be the target of a kidnapping. Working both cases, Beck and Special Agent Locke soon find key pieces about the cases and how events from the past might be playing out before them. A killer lurks out there, not willing to stand down, forcing Beck to take on a role no small-town sheriff could have imagined. However, it’s what he discovers that leaves Beck even more flummoxed. A great series debut by Bruce Borgos that has me ready for more Porter Beck!

I always enjoy discovering new authors, as it gives me a chance to contrast their work with some of those with whom I have an ongoing reading relationship. Bruce Borgos impressed me from the outset with his strong storytelling abilities and never let up throughout. The narrative is balanced by both past and present threads, which run parallel for most of the novel, but intersect at key moments. Characters from both these narratives fit perfectly into their respective stories and leave the reader feeling as though they are in the middle of the action. There is an especially great banter between Beck and Locke, both personal and professional. I can only wonder if Borgos is planting the seeds for a larger story arc with these characters. Plot twists and development throughout is strong and keeps the reader guessing, though some aspects are understandable predictable, especially with a Cold War angle. I can only wonder what is to come for Porter Beck in the series, as this book was labeled the first in what I hope is a strong collection over the coming years. I have Bruce Borgos on my radar and cannot wait to see what’s on the horizon.

Kudos, Mr. Borgos, for the great series debut. I hope you have lots to come!

PUBLICATION DAY: July 18, 2023

Porter Beck is the sheriff of a small rural region in Nevada, his hometown, but when he’s called to the scene of a gruesome murder, he’s suddenly unsure of the place he’s always felt safe in. When FBI agent Sana shows up, he realizes his instincts were correct and there’s more going on here than meets the eye. What will Porter and Sana discover as they investigate mysterious events that go back decades - Russian spies, murder and intrigue galore, that’s what.

PROS and CONS:
It’s a fast paced plot, alternating between present day, and 1950’s Nevada. I felt the romance was a bit forced, and the writing perhaps a bit too casual for my preference (that’s just me), but the suspense did build up nicely and the plot definitely kept me interested. Good character building, setting the stage for a series based on this likeable sheriff.

READ IT?
If you’re looking for…a crime/spy thriller with a charismatic sheriff leading the charge, then this one’s for you!

3.5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Porter Beck is sheriff in the high desert of Lincoln County, Nevada. Born and raised there, Beck joined the Army, specializing in Russian intelligence. He’s returned home, replacing his father as sheriff. While the sparsely populated Lincoln County has a low crime rate, once a retired FBI agent is found tortured to death it becomes a hotbed of chaos.

The heart of the investigation is how a dead FBI agent may be connected to a Russian sleeper spy from the 1950’s. Who is looking for the spy, and why now, after so many years? Sana Locke of the FBI turns up to investigate. While Beck and Sana are at professional odds from the beginning, Beck seems to have a juvenile crush on Sana. They uncover that the Russian spy infiltrated the U.S. nuclear testing site and stole a warhead. So many years later, why does it matter?

Chapters alternate between the present and the past, and it works quite well. The espionage and subterfuge storyline was easy to follow, the writing was clear, the characters have depth and there are a few surprises along the way. Interwoven in the storyline is the history of nuclear testing and the devastating consequences on the population living downwind of the fallout. Overall, the book held my interest, even if I didn’t buy the romantic angle between Beck and Sana. It was a bit immature of Beck, and a bit of a detraction for me. Also, trigger warning, a few scenes in the book are quite gruesome.

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Porter Beck is a retired special forces member now working as a sheriff in the small town in Nevada where his aging father lives. When there is a murder that involves the FBI he feels compelled to solve it and keep the FBI out of it, though one very pretty one hangs around to "aid" in the investigation. It seems the murdered man may have been a Russian spy active in Nevada back during the atomic testing era. This is a good mystery with interesting characters and a study in moral dilemmas. Those who like a good mystery will enjoy this book. It is also an awakening to the reality that nuclear testing done in the Nevada desert had consequences to everyone around. That would be an interesting insight for young adults. I received this as an arc from NetGalley, and am under no pressure for a positive review..

This was really good!! I loved the characters, Beck is now one of my faves! The writing was fantastic; loved the alternating timelines and how easy everything flowed together. The plot was exciting and unique. I read tons of mysteries and am always so excited to find a book like this that stands out and keeps me glued to the page. Highly recommend!

Wow, just wow. First time author and since it says Porter Beck #1 I am guessing we will have a 2. YES! Grabs you from the first with a dark and twisted murder and never lets go. Sheriff Porter Beck has my vote. I am still wondering on his sis Brin (Brinley) anything for family, but just not sure. I am not a fan of alternate time periods, but when you left the present the author would note The Past on the chapter. You were never lost and so much was played out with our history, the cold war and devastation left in our world. This book made me want to go check out non fiction. As we follow along with Beck and his small sheriffs department I am enamored and in awe. I like when Beck shares how he comes up with thoughts, conclusions etc and I think no one saw the twist at the end. I am not someone who reads a book twice, rarely. I think I might have to read this one again after I stew awhile. Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #TheBitterPast #PorterBeck#1 #BruceBorgos #StMartinsPress#MinotaurBooks #NetGalley I also grabbed Life Strings by Bruce Borgos.

A thoroughly entertaining story! The very start was pretty stomach churning graphic, but it settled after that and was amazing. Loved the characters, the plot and the non stop action.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This mystery/thriller had me glued to the page from start to finish. I'm so glad it looks like it's the start of a series, as Sheriff Porter Beck was a great protagonist. Borgos keeps his main character balanced on the knife edge between sardonic wit and alpha hero, and there were a couple of times I worried Beck would fall too far to one side or the other, but Borgos always reined it back in before that happened. Beck is a former Army Foreign Affairs Officer who has settled in his home county in the dry desert of Nevada, taking up the mantle of sheriff as his father did before him. When an old, retired FBI agent is found killed in a gruesome manner, a current government agent shows up pretty quickly to assist Beck in the investigation. As old secrets slowly come to light, we also follow a 1950s storyline of an undercover Russian agent working to steal America's nuclear technology. The plot is perfectly paced and I can't wait to see where Borgos goes with book two. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for a digital review copy.

The brutal murder of an FBI agent leads Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck on an investigation with clues that lead not only to the present day but to the 1950s, in the early days of the nuclear age, when nuclear testing was done in Nevada during the height of the Cold War. In the 50s, a Russian spy infiltrated the nuclear testing site, and now someone is looking for that long-forgotten person.

I'm not exactly sure what I expected, but whatever it was, Borgos far exceeded it! This was brilliantly done! With elements of a murder mystery, police procedural, and Cold War espionage thriller, this is well-written and solidly plotted with an engrossing storyline. I could not put this down!

The dual timelines are skillfully woven together so that both are compelling and integral to the story and unfold to provide a thrilling investigation. Fast-paced and solidly plotted, this has clever dialogue, great characters, fantastic world-building, suspense, romance, and twists, mixed in with some interesting history. There was also quite a bit of humor, particularly in Porter's internal dialogue. Although he can sometimes be juvenile about his love interest, he mostly had me chuckling. Highly entertaining and just so good--I hope this becomes a series!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books, and the author for the opportunity to review this ARC. I enjoyed it!

This is the first in what is to be a series featuring Lincoln County, Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck. After serving in Army intelligence, Beck returns to his hometown in the high desert as sheriff, a position once held by his elderly father who is in beginning stages of dementia. The usually quiet police department is rocked when a retired FBI agent is found tortured and murdered. When Sana Locke, a current FBI agent, shows up to investigate, the story is off on a thrilling ride involving nuclear testing in the 1950s and Russian spies. The relationship of occurrences in the 50s to the present day story is told in alternating chapters entitled “the past.”

I really liked the plot and found the story an engrossing, fast paced, action packed thriller. I wasn’t as enamored of the characters, especially Porter Beck. I was really put off by his constant sexualization of Sana. He kept turning her into a sex object rather than a fellow professional. I also was very uncomfortable with the character of Sana, for reasons I won’t go into because of spoilers. There are a few story threads here, Borgos weaves them together nicely.

There are a lot of good mystery series out there. I think this one has a lot of potential; I just hope that Porter grows up a bit and starts treating women with more respect.

This was a fun breezy mystery weaving back and forth between present day New Mexico and the 1950s - secrets, spies, nuclear testing. I did find the random sexual innuendos a bit distracting and not really even in step with the characters or storyline, almost like they were added after the fact. Hoping this becomes a series! Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book!