Borgos' debut novel introduces a new mystery series featuring Porter Beck, an Army vet and now a sheriff in a sparsely populated Nevada county. A retired FBI agent has been killed after being tortured horribly and it all might be connected to Russian spies. Supporting characters including Beck's father contribute significantly to the story development and hopes for more in the series soon. Sure to satisfy Craig Johnson fans.

The Bitter Past was a really interesting crime drama thriller that fluctuated between past and present timelines throughout the story. While some parts dragged on a bit, the overall concept of the story, the historical timeline and the unique characters kept me reading until the end.

Why haven't I heard of this author before?!!

The opening scene in this book is enough to make you lose your lunch and is not for anyone with a weak stomach. However, after that, this is one of the most enjoyable crime thriller and espionage suspense stories that I've read in a long time. I usually read historical or literary fiction most of the time, but I am so very glad that this book came to my attention. For me, this book was a true gem! There was the right balance of everything. It has a good storyline, likeable characters, easy flow, mystery, wit, thrills, twists and surprises. If this is truly the start of a new series, I will be first in line to read the next one.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Sara Beth Haring at St Martin's Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this exciting book to read in exchange for an honest review. I am happy to recommend this to my family and all my friends. #TheBitterPast.

Everything that happens feels like reality, and very believable! Almost like I was watching a movie unfold. A captivating page turner, that reads like I'm watching history!
Set in the Nevada dessert, and using a dual time line we learn what happens prior and after. How lives are changed, and how some never let go. This is espionage at the highest levels, and whom is complicit, and some you really won't see coming.
This is the first book in this series, and it was so good I can't wait for the next!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Minotaur Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

Porter Beck spent years in the military in intelligence. Conveniently for this story, he speaks fluent Russian and knows quite about how Russian intelligence does things. He’s returned home to the desert of Nevada after his father developed dementia. Beck becomes the sheriff, taking the role his father once had. But his small department isn’t equipped to deal with a retired FBI agent’s body that was horrifically tortured before he mercifully died. Then swoops in beautiful Special Agent Sana Locke to help out.

I found this to be fun to read and fast paced. There are a fair number of coincidences. The novel takes place in the present and in the 1950s when the United States was doing nuclear testing in the dessert, and Russian spies were doing their best to infiltrate, gather information, and thwart American efforts. The attractions between Sana Locke and Porter Beck wasn’t seamlessly executed, but the police work aspect was well done and enjoyable.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES JULY 18, 2023.

This was a really good dual timeline mystery. The story revolves around former FBI agent, now sheriff, Porter Beck. Porter is investigating a brutal torture and murder in his small desert town in Nevada. The murdered person was an elderly, retired man, coincidentally also a former FBI agent.

Soon beautiful and intelligent FBI agent, Sana Locke, shows up to take over the investigation. She seems unwilling to answer all his questions, but Beck accepts her help. What ensues turns out to be a totally riveting cat and mouse game with ties to 1950’s Cold War atomic testing, complete with Russian spies.

Beck is oftentimes inappropriately funny, and I loved his character. His wit and past clandestine experience overcome the downside of his department’s small-town staff. I sincerely hope we get to read more about Sheriff Beck or whatever mystery/thriller Bruce Borgos wants to write for us.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

When a retired FBI agent is found murdered, Sherriff Porter Beck finds himself in the middle of a mystery that started at the beginning of the Cold War. In walks FBI Agent Sana Locke to assist with the investigation. They must reach into the past to solve the present, but as the past and present collide will Sherriff Beck be able to keep his county safe?
I would describe this story as Longmire Meets Jack Ryan, a small town cop spy thriller. I generally don't enjoy books that have a lot of flashbacks, but this was so well written the flashbacks didn't give me whiplash. This was first person writing done right. I was invested right from the grisly start, The characters were well rounded, full of endearing flaws. The twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat, and I love when I'm surprised by a twist i didn't see coming and this book has a few of those. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who likes crime/spy thrillers. I definitely would be interested in reading more of this series. Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to review this book.

The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos is a spy/crime thriller taking place in the desert of Nevada where Sheriff Porter Beck is in charge. The story opens up with the investigation of a brutal crime scene of a murdered FBI agent. In a barren land with few neighbors far and wide this isn't a simple home invasion. Something far more serious and complicated is going on. Soon they will learn the case has ties to events from the 1950's and Beck's career in army intelligence in Russia comes into play.

Reading the first scene you might think this is going to be a heavy, dark read. But even when those first details are described the writing makes it easy to get through. It's also the only scene like that.

Sheriff Beck is a likeable character who likes to use humor, probably a smart move considering his jobs. The story moves along quickly after the opening. Beck is very smart and it's fun watching him investigate. We also get chapters from a spy's perspective in the past. I really enjoyed those chapters as well as they bring a different kind of intensity to the story. We also learn about Beck's past. The whole spy angle is very interesting and there are a few reveals to be had.

You could just enjoy this as a fast, action filled read but there's more. The story brings attention to the effects of atomic testing. Not to be forgotten among the spies and government agents are the civilians and animals who lived unaware of what was going on around them until it was too late. The Bitter Past has heart and is a solid read. I look forward to the next one as it looks like this is the first in a series.

Nukes and Russians and murder, oh my! Bruce Borgos has constructed an engrossing mystery set in the desert of Nevada. The Bitter Past features Sheriff Porter Beck, a former Army Intelligence Officer, who was born in Nevada and returned there after his time in the service was done. He now holds the position his dad once held. Pop, now quite elderly, has dementia but still has his lucid moments and has a good relationship with Beck. He’s also close with his adopted daughter, Brin. Despite the area’s history with nuclear testing and “Downwinders,” who experienced illness and death due to nuclear fallout, the events in this story are more horrific than Beck or any of his deputies have ever experienced.

It begins with the body of an elderly, retired FBI agent who is found in his remote residence. The ways in which the man has been tortured and the fact that his home has been trashed indicate to Beck that the killer didn’t find what he was looking for. This is a ruthless killer, one who will not stop until he gets what he came for.

Enter FBI Agent Sana Locke. She’s attractive, smart, and secretive. Did I mention attractive? She’s only willing to share so much information with Beck about the dead FBI guy, but Beck’s been around the block a few times and can put two and two together. However, the killer manages to stay one step ahead. This book reads like a chess match on steroids.

Despite the graphic carnage, both Beck and Locke are funny at times, and I found myself laughing out loud at their exchanges. This is all in the present. We get the back story about what and why the Russians are after someone after all this time. Back in the mid- to late 1950 there was a Russian spy who infiltrated the nuclear test site. He was thought to have died, but if he’d lived, he’d be at least in his late 80s.

I enjoyed the pace of this book and the characters. There are twists that I did not see coming. I especially liked the author’s sense of right and wrong, of family, and of caring for others that he instills in several of his characters.

I received a digital copy of The Bitter Past in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and the author.

This book was recommended to me as a book that would appeal to CJ Box and Craig Johnson fans. I haven’t read those authors yet so I can’t confirm; however, after reading this book I want to read them both now!

The alternating timelines in this story are done very well, the breaks work to keep the pacing fast and the reader’s interest piqued. The characters were rich and interesting, even side characters had a bit of depth to them. The plotting was brilliant and the twists were fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it!

Definitely enjoyed this and the mix of fact and fiction. There were a couple of things that rubbed me wrong but those are my issues and not really anything that took away from the story.

With vivid characters in a unique setting, this story roared along. . I loved the sheriff’s humor.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a new to me author but i enjoyed the book it reminded of the Longmire Or Jim Chee series which I loved. . I found it to be a good fast paced mystery of the high desert of Nevada and tough local sheriff.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

A retired FBI agent is brutally killed in a remote desert town; is the reason buried in past secrets?

Porter Beck is the sheriff in Lincoln County, Nevada, a remote and barren desert area north of Las Vegas, as was his father before him. He grew up there but left years earlier to pursue a military career, ultimately serving in Army intelligence. When a mission went awry, he escaped with his life, but it ended his career with the Army. At the same time, Beck’s father was displaying signs of Alzheimer’s, and Beck returned home and took over as Sheriff. Not everyone is happy with Beck being in charge; his lieutenant, Wardell, thinks he should have gotten the job instead. As Wardell is very old school, including being more than a little racist, that was never going to happen, but he doesn't see that. He makes it a point to make Beck’s job difficult when he can, like when he hires a new officer for the team without Beck’s input. ‘New Guy Pete”, as that hire is now known, has worked out thus far, though, so Beck let’s it slide. Others trained under Beck;s dad, and are both competent and happy to work under Beck’s leadership. It is not an area known for major crime, so when the body of Ralph Atterbury, retired FBI agent, is found in his home horribly mutilated and likely tortured before his death, it gets Beck’s attention…and it also summons the arrival of FBI agent Sana Locke, who claims she wants to help. For a quiet area, Lincoln County suddenly starts to show quite a bit of criminal activity. A young woman, married and living in a nearby polygamous community, goes missing….most think she ran away from a restricted life, but her husband swears she has been abducted. Several graves are disturbed. And then another elderly man in the area is found dead. How much of all of this, if any is connected? And does any of it have roots in the area’s past, when they were one many communities impacted by nearby nuclear testing?
Inserted into the narrative are chapters set back in the mid-to-late 1950’s, where we are introduced to Freddie Mercer, a young man newly arrived to Las Vegas and trying to make a career for himself. While working at one of the casinos, he meets Kitty Ellison and they start keeping company. They have much in common, it seems, including a love for physics. Kitty introduces Freddie to her dad, a physicist who works at the nearby nuclear testing site. Dr. Ellison gets Freddie a job doing security at the site, and Freddie’s hard work and intelligence make his a valued employee. But Freddie may be more than what he seems, and in a highly secure place that could be a really big problem.
Lincoln County has suffered for years from the residual effects of exposure to radiation, with cancer and miscarriages affecting so many of its inhabitants. But it seems that what happened there during the Cold War is going to bring more deaths, and expose some long hidden secrets that may be better left buried. This is a criminal mystery, but there are also elements of espionage, conspiracy theory, and the reality that governments often consider its citizens to be expendable in the interest of pursuing a greater good.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and found it hard to put down once I began. Porter Beck is an interesting character, flawed but with a strong code of ethics. His father and sister add some interesting wrinkles to his life, as do some of the odd characters in town. This is billed as the first in a series, and I look forward to reading Beck’s further exploits. Fans of C J Box’s Joe Pickett series and Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series would find this story of interest, although it is set in Nevada vs Wyoming, as might readers of Hillerman and even Steve Hamilton and Stephen Hunter. Many thanks to Goodreads and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy of The Bitter Past….it was a wonderful read that I highly recommend.

The Bitter Past is a solid starter on what is listed as the Porter Beck series. The storyline is a dual one, alternating between Beck in the present hunting a Russian and searching for a missing girl, and Freddy Meyer/Georgiy in the past. Georgiy is an undercover spy working as a security guard at Area 57, part of a plan to discredit American and their nuclear bombs. As Georgiy gets settled into his life, the thought of injuring or killing innocent people begins to unsettle him, putting the Russian plan at risk. In Beck's time there's a Russian operation underway to find a surviving "illegal" Russian from that mission many years ago that's causing havoc in the Nevada territory Beck covers as sheriff. FBI Agent Sana Locke arrives and makes it clear that the hunt has national implications. The pair quickly discover that the person they're hunting is knowledgeable and resourceful, and is eliminating men that meet the requirements to be the illegal in hiding. When a young woman goes missing, Beck's limited force is stretched even more thin trying to work both cases. This is definitely a traditional action adventure type novel in the vein of C.J. Box or Clive Cussler, and to some extent David Baldacci. The lawman has all these secret skills (and naturally a weakness, in Beck's case poor night vision) that allow him to be one or more steps ahead of everyone else. There's the pretty female that it doesn't take long to get into bed, and isn't really that strong of a character. In this case it's Sana, who comes off as pretty incompetent, which is more than a little ridiculous because she's the federal agent, and Beck's the sheriff. There's the collection of secondary characters that includes Beck's sister Brinley and his police force. The storyline certainly feels plausible, and there's definitely a twist at the end of the story. Because of the dual timeline and the twist, I would be interested to see how Borgos follows this up with a second book in the series, because I can't seem him duplicating this with the same set of characters. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 18, 2023
Fans of C.J. Box will devour Bruce Borgos’ newest novel. A gripping police procedural set in the Nevada desert, “The Bitter Past” is the first in the Porter Beck series of novels, and it will leave readers gasping!
After leaving the Army, Porter Beck returned home to the Nevada desert, and is now working as the sheriff, the position his father held before dementia claimed his mind. A retired FBI officer is found in his home, tortured and murdered, and signs point to a decades-old incident from the county’s nuclear involvement. Beck and his team are soon joined by the FBI, led by agent Sana Locke, but the crime scene is still doused in mystery and time is running out.
“Past” is an engaging read, narrated in two time periods. First, obviously, is in the present day where Beck and his team are leading the investigation. Then, a Russian operative has infiltrated the American nuclear war program in Nevada, hiding in plain sight as a security officer. The past and present intersect in an unexpected and deliciously twisted way, as Borgos flowing, creative plot suspensefully builds to a powerhouse ending.
I liked the characters, although Beck was portrayed as a little too “country bumpkin” for me, especially for someone who worked as a secret operative in the U.S. Army. Something didn’t sit right with me when it came to Sana (which made sense to me later as the plot developed), but I was not a fan of hers from the jump. She was unprofessional, leaping into bed with Beck during an investigation, and who was intimidated by any other remotely attractive female that was within her vicinity (such as Beck’s sister). Beck’s struggle with his father’s dementia was emotional and heartbreaking and it gave Beck a softer, human side which I appreciated.
The police investigation kept me turning the pages, with its non-stop action and government conspiracy coverups. There was even a side plot where a young woman is kidnapped from a Mormon commune, and Borgos still managed to make everything come together smoothly.
I love C.J. Box and Borgos’ Porter Beck novels are right up there as far as tension and plot fluidity. I look forward to reading more of Beck and his team!

What a great read! The Bitter Past combines a great mystery with history. The characters are great and I loved getting into the Russian spy's head as well as Beck's. I would love to see what's next for Porter Beck.

Porter Beck is the sheriff in small town in the high desert outside Las Vegas. He followed in his father's footsteps to become sheriff after he returned from dark places around the world. His department is too small to cover the miles and miles included in his jurisdiction. When a retired FBI agent is killed in his remote cabin, Beck is drawn into an investigation that dates back to the days when nuclear bombs were tested in Nevada, resulting in many deaths from cancer and other blood diseases, due to exposure to radiation, including Beck's mother. Now, his father is developing dementia. When other bodies turn up, Beck realizes these murders date back to those days of testing. A Russian agent is in town, cleaning up after something happened back in the 50s. Then, another FBI agent shows up in Beck's office. But, is she? Moving between the 1950s and present-day, Beck has to discover what happened all those years ago that is now getting people killed in his jurisdiction. And, how does his father factor into this? An great read with some excellent plotting; the beginning was a little slow, but it finished with a bang! Recommended.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Sheriff Porter's is called to the scene where a retired fbi agent was murdered. While doing some research, he realizes that he has to go back several decades to find the answers that he is looking for. This was a good book.

This book which I assume is the first in a series needs a great deal of work in my opinion in order to deserve a second book. The main character, Porter Beck, has his moments, but much his time is spent on teenage male hormone overload when observing the woman who he is working with on the case. It serves more as a distraction from the plot rather than a titillating side story. Other reviewers really enjoyed this work, but is did not appeal to me as it was mind numbing to get to the end.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.