The Bitter Past is a gripping novel that takes readers on a journey through the high desert of Nevada, following the story of Sheriff Porter Beck as he investigates the brutal murder of a retired FBI agent. Set against the backdrop of a remote and unforgiving landscape, this novel captures the essence of the American West, with all its rugged beauty and untamed danger.

As the story unfolds, we learn that Porter is a second-generation lawman who has taken over his father’s position as sheriff, a role that has become even more challenging due to his father’s deteriorating health. Porter’s investigation into the murder of the retired FBI agent takes him deep into the past, uncovering a mystery that dates back to the early days of the nuclear age and the Cold War.

The retired agent, who had recently set himself up in a secure bunker, was tortured in an attempt to extract information about a Russian spy who had infiltrated a nuclear facility years ago. This spy posed a serious threat to national security, and his whereabouts have remained unknown ever since. As Porter delves deeper into the investigation, he realizes that the murder is connected to the search for the elusive spy, who may be living in the area under an alias.

With each twist and turn, the tension in the novel ratchets up, as Porter races against time to catch the killer and prevent more bloodshed. Borgos masterfully weaves together the present-day investigation with flashbacks to the 1950s, creating a rich and detailed portrait of a bygone era.

Overall, The Bitter Past is a riveting and suspenseful novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. Borgos is a talented writer who has created a vivid and compelling world, full of complex characters and unexpected plot twists. Fans of Craig Johnson and Nevada Barr will find much to enjoy in this thrilling new series.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Finished ✔️ The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos

4 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: July 18th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No

Overall I enjoyed the book.
I liked that I finally found a book that takes place in a state that isn’t a popular location/state that authors use for their settings
It’s the first book in the series
Love how this book involves the mention of the US Army
Stunning opening chapter
A thrilling and assured debut.
A crisp jolt of cask-strength.
Fascinating chapters
Plenty of action
Intriguing story lines
Wonderful humor to offset the tension
Even a hint of romance 🥰
I was sorry to see it end
Yes, I’d recommend it

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I loved The Bitter Past. Author Bruce Borgos gives us interesting characters in a superb plot. There were several surprises to keep the intrigue active.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

The Bitter Past

Genre: Mystery/ Thriller

My thoughts: I wanted to really like this one but, I had a hard time getting past all of the cringey banter. I felt like a lot of the banter was racist/ misogyny. I get that maybe that was the point the author was trying to make but, it just felt off for me. I think this book is geared toward men who love a good police thriller.

grisly, first-in-series, new-series, Nevada, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, procedural, crime-thriller, fiction, friction, rural, local-law-enforcement, FBI, ex-FBI, snarky, torture, action-adventure, espionage, dual-timeframes, propaganda, lies, 1950s, present-day, ex-military, invisible-disability, punny, CIA, Russian intelligence, unputdownable*****

"Oh good. We're having puns for breakfast." That and references to wearing a Duluth jacket to keep out the cold are my favorite lines.
Cruelty and torture meet with dry wit and horrible puns with Sheriff Porter Beck in the high desert of Nevada even as the story of a Russian agent at the nuclear test site in 1957 plays out. More than one cat toys with intelligent mice until the tables are turned. The massive twist near the end of the book absolutely blew me away! Can't wait til it comes out in audio so I can get a copy to keep!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Great start to a promising series! Past information is provided to explain what's happening in the here and now. A fictional story with history lessons provided! Looking forward to more happenings in the Nevada desert! Thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

Sheriff Porter Beck is investigating the torture and murder of a retired FBI agent—not the kind of case he usually has to handle in the Nevada desert. FBI Special Agent Sana Locke joins the investigation, connecting a Russian spy from the 1950s to the current murder case.

The pace of the storytelling was great, flipping between the present murder investigation and the past, when the Russian spy infiltrated a nuclear test site.

The action didn’t slow and with Beck’s impressive military background the plot details were believable and interesting—a combination detective novel and spy thriller.

The banter between Beck and Locke was great fun, and while their connection felt genuine, I would have preferred more lead up time for the romance to develop—instead of the immediate internal thoughts from Beck about his physical attraction to Locke.

Overall this was a fast-paced mystery that kept me eagerly turning pages until the end.

Note: While page one contains an explicit description of the crime scene, in general the book was not overly graphic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaurbooks for the ARC.

An edge of your seat thriller that will raise your heartbeat. Past Russia espionage collides with the present as a Russian assassin goes after men involved in an incident in 1957 looking for a traitor to Russia. The traitor had a job to do and failed. You will never see the ending coming.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, north of Las Vegas. Born and raised there, he's back home, doing the same lawman's job his father once did, before his father started to develop dementia. All is relatively quiet in this corner of the world, until an old, retired FBI agent is found killed. He was brutally tortured before he was killed and clues at the scene point to a mystery dating back to the early days of the nuclear age. If that wasn't strange enough, a current FBI agent shows up to help Beck's investigation.

In a case that unfolds in the past (the 1950s) and the present, it seems that a Russian spy infiltrated the nuclear testing site and now someone is looking for that long-ago, all-but forgotten person, who holds the key to what happened then and to the deadly goings on now.

Atmospheric, original, suspenseful, and compelling, this novel deserves to reign at the top the bestseller lists, and this reader is hoping to see that happen. Highly recommended. #TheBitterPast #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

What a cast of characters. It's hard to pick a favorite! They made the book, and the story was decent too. Will definitely read the next in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mesmerizing story in "The Bitter Past" story by Bruce Borgos. The story is set in the Nevada desert in Lincoln County where Area 51 is located. The book has two separate story lines -- one is set in the midst of the Cold War and one in modern times.

Wondering exactly how the two lines converge is a delightful process. The Cold War line is fraught with spies, surveillance, nuclear bomb development, and general espionage. These interplay as a young Soviet falls in love and is troubled on ethical grounds.

The modern story is about a sheriff who has been much more before he comes to Nevada to follow in his father's footsteps in law enforcement. Add in a dose of FBI, CIA, and various Russian security alphabet letters and you have a great story.

Characters seem very real, and you feel their joy and pain as facts emerge that creates issues. Will the modern Nevadans be able to see past the foibles of the past and meet the challenges of the day, or will it all come crashing down?

To find out you will have to immerse yourself in this most delightful book....one of the best I've read in a while, and I read a lot! Definitely recommend this page turner to almost any reader; there is a bit of violence, but it fits the story and is not gratuitous..

As someone who does not read the synopsis of a book prior to starting, I had no idea what to expect with this book. Once I realized there was a Russian spy on American soil I was hooked. I loved the back and forth between present day and past - it was like reading two books at the same time that helped piece together the same story.Looking back I believe the author dropped quite a few hints about some of the twists and turns that were to come later on. I did find some parts of the book to be a bit slow and I was not a fan of the romance between two of the characters, but other than that it was a great read!

Be sure to grab this book - available 7/18/2023!

Call it 4.5 stars. This book has it all. A small town sheriff in Nevada. A tortured and murdered retired FBI agent. A mystery casting back to the days of the cold war, above ground atomic testing, and Russian spies who were willing to do anything to damage the United States nuclear program. And a cast of well drawn and (mostly) likable characters. The story goes back and forth between what happened back in 1957, and why those events are still vibrating in the present. Highly recommended.

Sheriff Porter Beck is content working in Nevada's Lincoln County and Big Rock Wilderness which encompasses Area 51 and the nuclear tests site of the 50's. When he is called to a brutal torture killing of an ex-CIA agent, Washington sends an FBI agent to oversee the investigation. As they work together, it becomes apparent that there are Russian agents trying to find their defector from the 50's' who is still believed to be alive. The government also wants to keep the past secrets, secret.
An intriguing debut thriller from Bruce Borgos, is told in the present day along with the past. Its twists and turns make for a fast paced, throughly enjoyable, story.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins, Minotaur Books for this e-galley of "The Bitter Past".

Thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery! In case you aren't aware this is definitely not a cozy, there are some pretty graphic scenes right in the beginning. I was really impressed how all the backstories were written seamlessly into the novel. I liked the characters and the story resolution was unexpected. Looking forward to the next installment.

This is a well-written story with distinct and fleshed out characters. The flashbacks made sense and I don’t usually like them. I could easily see this being turned into a series.

I was so fortunate to have requested this book and then to have been granted it! It is truly excellent with twists and turns that will have you surprised, to say the least. Well written, carefully crafted, with interesting characters. The story line is believable. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. I intend to recommend this read as soon as it is published. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #St.Martin’sPress, #TheBitterPast.

I must say I was not a fan of Sheriff Beck at the start of this book but sooner rather than later the character changed my mind and I may have fallen a little bit in love with him.

This author did a great job building his story. Alternating the story between the 1950s and the present day kept me reading. Lots of action & violence interspersed with a love story. I got tears in my eyes at the end of this book. I am looking forward to reading another story about Sheriff Beck and his police force.

In a part of Nevada where locals still feel the effects of above-ground nuclear bomb tests, a retired FBI agent is tortured and killed. Sheriff Beck, possessing an infallible memory (and failing night vision) sees something that leaves him unsurprised when an FBI agent shows up. The victim had been the handler for an unidentified 1950s-era Soviet spy turned U.S. asset. Beck and agent Sana Locke need to uncover the spy’s identity before he, too, is assassinated by the Russians. Told in two timelines and perspectives - that of the spy sent to uncover nuclear secrets in the mid 1950s, and the present day sheriff - this spy/mystery has a lot to recommend it. The sheriff is quirky and has a classified military background, and the setting and it’s history are well developed as are the secondary characters. I don’t agree with comparisons to C.J. Box; I feel LeCarre is more applicable. I took away a star from what would have been a solid 4 because Sana slides into a caricature, jarring me from the storyline. That said, it will be interesting to see where this series develop.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

An interesting look at this historical period of time, interesting well written characters, mystery and fast moving. Will give students a lot to discuss. I think they will enjoy this book a lot