Set in the desolate high desert north of Las Vegas, the story follows Sheriff Porter Beck as the area is stunned by the horrible tortured death of a former FBI agent in his off-the grid home. Beck sees a few details that set off memories in his former Army Intelligence days, and an intense case begins that traces back to nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and a Soviet spy supposedly dead, but seemingly relevant now. The story bobs back and forth between the present and the 1950s and both are fascinating. The inside look at the nuclear testing and security during the '50s is seldom brought up, so was informative, yet extremely well integrated into the story. There is no data dump, you see it all through the eyes of the characters.
I found the entire book fascination. The characters were engaging and believable. Excellent suspense just kept ratcheting up. I couldn't believe the author hadn't been writing mysteries for years, truly outstanding writing. I highly recommend it for mystery, historical fiction, or thriller readers.

The Bitter Past is such an interesting thriller! Part murder mystery, part espionage spy thriller.

I am not a huge fan of spy thrillers, but this one had the storyline woven in with a present-day murder mystery.

The main character is Porter Beck. Beck has returned to Nevada from his Army intelligence job to follow in the footsteps of his father, a lawman, who is suffering from dementia.

This is apparently the first book in what is to be a series of Porter Beck books and it starts off with a brutally tortured and murdered retired FBI agent. We learn more about who this FBI agent is and why he is in Nevada through multiple timelines. One in the 1950’s taking place at Area 51 and one today taking place around the murder.

Both settings are interesting and filled with their own set of characters. I enjoyed both settings and found the Area 51 setting even more interesting because I don’t know much about the nuclear testing that went on at that time.

I really enjoyed this book, plenty of twists and turns

2.5 stars, not rounded up.

The Bitter Past seemed too oriented towards male readers. Sexist passages only detracted from the solid story. “She looked like a math teacher with her butterscotch hair perpetually tied efficiently behind her head, not alluring like the cigarette and cocktail girls in the casino.” “Sana (beautiful FBI agent) folds her hands together in her lap, which draws her blouse tighter into her very alluring cleavage…She takes a sip and then swirls the scotch provocatively.” Give me a break.

Porter Beck, our main protagonist, has two superpowers. Bullshit makes his nose crinkle. And he is cursed with literally not being able to forget things. He plays the tough guy, superhero part well. Borgos develops interesting family dynamics in the book.

The Bitter Past is well-paced, with the action and dual timelines moving the story forward. I like that they spoke of the health issues people developed downwind of the bomb testing areas. I wish he had delved into this aspect of the story a bit more. The end dragged just a hair with a surprising change of tone to ‘feel good’ as it was wrapping up.

Trigger warning: graphic violence. I took off a full star for the brutal torture description of a murder victim in the opening. I’ve read gritty mysteries in the past, but almost quit this one because of several grotesque scenes. In my opinion, Borgos’ writing was solid, and he didn’t need the stomach-turning descriptions that did not add to the book. The book would appeal to more female readers without the graphic violence.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5-4 stars
This book encompasses a lot of genres: western, murder mystery, and espionage. It takes place in two different timelines. In the present, a retired FBI agent is gruesomely tortured and killed in the Nevada desert. In the 1950s, a Russian spy has infiltrated the Nevada nuclear test site. Sheriff Porter Beck starts investigating the murder and thinks there might be a connection to the long-ago nuclear program.

The book is exciting and quite suspenseful, with some twists I certainly didn't predict. The author does a good job of educating the reader on the nuclear testing that was going on and its impact on the people in the vicinity, all while skillfully handling the multiple storylines.

Where the author falls short is in his portrayals of women and Porter's relationships with them, specifically the FBI agent and Porter's stepsister. Felt very adolescent to me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

This book was pretty non-stop action. This book is set to be the first in a series set in a small Nevada town. Sheriff Beck is called to the scene of a retired FBI agent and given his history with his military service he instantly knows there is more than appears at the crime scene. Current FBI agent Sona comes to investigate the man’s death and the two of them work together to figure out what is happening. This book jumps between present and past tense when a Russian spy was sent to Nevada to investigate a secret testing base for nuclear weapons. The story wasn’t bad although I felt somethings were a little cheesy for me. I didn’t love the instant love story between Beck and Sona as it didn’t mesh with the rest of their professional story line. I loved the past tense storyline a lot. I would definitely read another book in this series.

2.5 stars, generously rounded upward.

The Bitter Past is the first in the Porter Beck series by Bruce Borgos, and if I liked it, I’d be thrilled to read more. On balance, though, I don’t. Nevertheless, my thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the invitation to read and review. This book is for sale now.

The setting is the hinterlands of Nevada; part of the story takes place in the 1950s, and part of it is in the present. I rate the historical threads as 3.5 stars, and the contemporary part as 1. The premise is that Porter Beck is the local sheriff who is called when a grisly murder is discovered; in addition, a sister-wife goes missing.
Sana Locke is the woman that the Feds send in, uninvited. The premise for the other thread is that a Russian operative named Georgiy Dudko lands in Nevada, tasked with entering the nuclear test site and stealing a nuclear warhead. Toward the book’s conclusion, we see how the two stories are joined.

Before I am even twenty percent of the way into this story, my hackles are up. I haven’t seen an author write with such brazen disrespect for women in a very long time, and I hope not to see it again. You see, Beck is God’s gift to women, and it’s a good thing, too, because none of them prove smart enough to find their butts with both hands until he sails in and fixes everything. From the instant Agent Sana enters the narrative, introducing herself as FBI, Beck is the guy in charge, and Sana is his li’l buddy, his sidekick. Good thing he is here to educate her. It is Beck that finds a hidden room in a house they’re searching; it is Sana whose eyes “go big.” He has to dive quickly to save her from the bad guy with the gun. He tells her what to do, and she does it. Here are some quotes that set my teeth on edge:

“Before [Sana] can speak, I place a finger over her lips.”
“Sana appears confused.”
“I bring my finger under her chin. ‘Look up.’”

And no collection of sexist bilge is complete without the old saw about how women are unable to get along with other women: “[Sana’s] still miffed about Brinley, [Beck’s sister] and it’s clouding her judgment…I glare at Brin, a warning to her to retract her claws.”

Beck feels completely free to comment on Sana’s physical features, particularly her “exquisite ass,” but of course, Sana likes that in a guy. She’s in the sack with his middle-aged, um, butt in no time flat.

For a long time I hold out hope that things will turn around, and the author will prove to us that actually, Beck is about to get his just desserts, and Sana had been sent to take him down for some reason, but the only comeuppance she deals him at any point is when she pulls a jujitsu move on him, and that’s only once.
What else? Ah yes, the sister-wife. The girl’s husband is a good FLDS neighbor, Beck tells Sana. They don’t force anyone to marry. She’s seventeen years old, so it’s fine.

Seriously? Excuse me while I grab my blood pressure medication.

In addition to all of this, there is the constant use of the word “illegal” to describe a person that is in the U.S. without documentation. They don’t even call them illegal immigrants, or illegal residents. They don’t merit a full grammatical description.

The thread that takes place in the past is more palatable. Georgiy needs into the nuclear test site, and so he befriends a scientist that works there, and is introduced to Kitty, the scientist’s daughter, whom he courts and accidentally falls in love with. Kitty is not developed as a character any more than Sana is, but at the same time, during the 1950s in the U.S., marriage and motherhood were very nearly the only acceptable path for women, so within the context of time and place, this is believable. I like Georgiy much better than Beck, that’s for sure!

There’s a twist of sorts at the end, but it’s not all that impressive, and it mitigates nothing.

I was provided with the digital review copy and the audio as well, and so I listened and read at the same time. Narrator James Babson does a fine job portraying the characters as they are written, and he isn’t to blame for the way I feel as I read.

That’s it in a nutshell. If all of this sounds just fine to you, then go ahead and get this thing, and stay away from me.

The opening chapter of this book is especially gruesome where a retired FBI agent is found murdered and tortured in his home in Lincoln County NV. The local sheriff - Porter Beck - is the primary investigator and although there are few murders in this large isolated desert county, he instinctually knows where to look for clues and how to follow his leads. Evidently the victim was important enough for the FBI to send an agent to follow up on the murder, and Sana Locke is a perfect foil for Sheriff Beck. The story (with a little romance added to the police procedural) took off and kept me totally engaged. In addition to the murder, the author brings into play a missing young woman from a polygamist sect who the Sheriff must look for. Initially I thought that this had little to do with the story but it did serve to enhance my appreciation for the Sheriff's critical thinking skills.
Living in Las Vegas, I had to look up Lincoln County - especially since I've met people who are retired from the Nevada Test Site (which is not Area 51). As locals, we don't really hear much about the site so the info in the book was especially interesting to me. (Our retired friends have never told us what they did there).
I loved the way the author developed the storyline, provided enough background information to make the characters believable, and especially the way he merged the two storylines with a surprise twist that I never saw coming.
I would love to see this develop into a TV series especially if there are other books in the making. I give this book a solid 4 * - for the well developed plot, and characters. I'll definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Minitaur Press. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

I quite enjoyed this one - the plot is undeniably unique (a nuclear bomb age mystery, with Russian spies and dramatic operative missions mixed in with a present day police procedural surrounding the dead body of an old retired man..... who was connected to it all.

There are a few clunky parts, specifically around the relationship between the Sheriff and the federal agent sent to investigate the death - but other than those minor distractions, the story itself is sound and intriguing. It kept me glued to the page as I devoured the entire book on one long drive.

A good recommendation for those who like police procedurals and solid mysteries.

WOW - where has Bruce Borgos been all my reading life?

Three things I loved about this fast paced, compelling book!

1. Loved the character development - even though I didn't like all the characters!
2. Excited to find out this is first in the series!
3. Found the two plot lines were so well done separately and then came together seamlessly at the end - some great twists to the story that I didn't see coming!!


My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Deliberate homicides are rare in Lincoln County, Nevada, so Sheriff Porter Beck and his investigators are shocked to see the mutilated body of retired FBI Agent Ralph Atterbury. Atterbury was skinned and blowtorched, his fingers bent and broken, and most of his teeth pulled out. The killer was clearly looking for something, since Atterbury's house was ransacked, with every room tossed, huge holes in the drywall, and papers tossed all over the floor.

The next day Sheriff Beck is in his office, looking at photos of the Atterbury crime scene, when a no-nonsense FBI agent named Sana Locke strides in and announces she's joining the Atterbury investigation. Despite the grim circumstances, Beck is struck by Sana's beauty and spunk, and he shamelessly flirts with her as they search for the killer.

Sana reveals that Agent Atterbury was an FBI handler for a Soviet spy back in the cold war era. In the 1950s, a Russian KGB agent was sent to the United States to gather intel on the American atomic testing program. At the time, above ground tests of nuclear weapons were being conducted at the Nevada Proving Grounds, north of Las Vegas. Later on, the Russian spy - plagued by a guilty conscience - contacted the FBI and gave them information on the Soviet espionage apparatus in the United States.

Recently, Russian intelligence, who thought the KGB spy died decades ago, learned he was alive and living in Lincoln County. Thus, though the Soviet spook would be an old man by now, the SVR (formerly the KGB) came looking for him. The Russians evidently thought FBI Agent Atterbury could tell them the spy's location, and tried to torture the information out of him, without success. The Russians aren't giving up though, which is made clear by another killing and a kidnapping.

Sheriff Beck is well-qualified to oversee this investigation because he was in the Army for twenty years, some of it as a Foreign Area Officer assigned to Russia. Thus Beck speaks Russian and knows quite a bit about the KGB and its successors, who coordinate the training and planting of Russian spies in the United States.

The current search for the murderer alternates with scenes in the 1950s, when a young man named Freddie Meyer is working as a shill in a Las Vegas casino. There Freddie makes the acquaintance of a sweet young woman called Kitty Ellison, whose father, Dr. Roger Ellison, is a scientist at the Nevada Proving Grounds.

Freddie romances Kitty and meets Dr. Ellison, who helps Freddie get a better-paying job as a security guard at the Nevada Proving Grounds. There Freddie becomes concerned about the development of nuclear weapons. Seeing the damage caused by radiation, Freddie is appalled by the callousness of atomic scientists who poo-poo the harm done to people and animals by the above-ground nuclear tests.

It turns out the effects of radiation exposure extends over decades, causing miscarriages, birth defects, bladder cancer, thyroid cancer, leukemia, and other illnesses. In fact Sheriff Beck's own mother was a 'downwinder' who died of cancer.

Going back to the 1950s, the Soviets, who are very fearful of the United States developing an atom bomb, hatch a nefarious scheme to derail the American nuclear program. The results of this plan reverberate right up to current times.

The book contains a smorgasbord of interesting characters, including Tuffy Scruggs - Beck's best
investigator, who looks more like Dick Butkus than Dick Tracey; Wardell Spann - a former police chief, who resents being Beck's second-in-command; Jimmy and Johnny Green - identical twin deputies, nicknamed the Jolly Greens; Joe Beck - Porter's dad, who's suffering from mild dementia; Brinley - Beck's sister, who knows everything about guns; Pete Alexander - a new hire who's ex-military police; and more.

This series debut is a well-crafted police procedural combined with an espionage thriller. I look forward to the further exploits of Sheriff Beck and his crew.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bruce Borgos, and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book.

'm always a sucker for detective/sheriff and ex-army characters and throw in a little cold war intrigue and a location near area 51 and I'm sold.  I was a little concerned with the cringey flirting at the beginning of this one, but that tapered off pretty quickly.  This ended up being a little twisty and made me say what, a couple of times.

This one has dual timelines of the present and back in the 50s during the cold war with Russia.  I was especially drawn to the timeline in the past where a Russian spy infiltrated the US nuclear testing to pass along sensitive information.  I was keen to know if the Russian spy would get away with it or if it would catch up with him.

This one is quite layered and I was impressed how the timelines came together and that there weren't any dangling plots.  I didn't see where this one was going and was pleasantly surprised.

If you are a fan of dual timelines or cold war action stories, you should pick this one up.

The Bitter Past is a novel that I normally would not pick up for myself but really enjoyed reading. The combination of spy thriller with intrigue, FBI and a tiny splash of romantic attraction made for such a compelling read. I thought the dual timelines also gave an additional level of intrigue to the story as it was written very well. This is a series debut that will be definitely getting recommended by me to anyone looking for a fast paced mystery!
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s /Minotaur for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book checked all kinds of boxes for me - mystery/thriller/espionage/historical fiction. Borgos tells his story with good writing, interesting characters, a great sense of place and a dose of snarky humor. Time shifts between the present back to the 1950's and the nuclear weapons race, and he helps the reader track where he's taking us without confusion. The book starts with the murder of a retired FBI agent, a murder that was preceded by some pretty brutal torture. After that, Sheriff Porter Beck is on the hunt for the killer - and this sheriff has history that makes him exceptionally well-qualified to work and solve this particular case. The question is whether he can beat the ticking clock to prevent more killings. The best part? This is the first book of a new series - and I can't wait to see what's next for Porter Beck and his family and co-workers.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Not only was it an intriguing page turner but I learned a lot about The Cold War, spies, nuclear weapons. This book also had I triguing characters and makes me want to read more about The Cold War.

Authors notes were an added bonus.

4.25stars-THE BITTER PAST is the first instalment in Bruce Borgos’ contemporary, adult, mystery suspense, crime thriller series focusing on Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual time lines (1957 and the present), using first person (Porter) and third person (Freddie) THE BITTER PAST follows several converging paths. In the past, the reader is up close and personal during the Cold War between the US and Russia, and the fight for nuclear domination. In the present, Sheriff Porter Beck must contend with the suicides of or potential murders of several local elderly gentlemen, murders that have brought in the FBI. Meanwhile, a young seventeen year old LDS woman, a newly married wife goes missing, and Porter’s team must decide whether she is on the run, or a victim of foul play but as his team searches for both the missing woman, and the people responsible for a string of elderly murders, the FBI reveals the Cold War between Russia and the US has now taken control in the present, as the murder victims are all connected to the same time period of 1957.

The world building focuses on two time lines. We are up close and personal with a physicist in 1957 who works security within and around the nuclear testing zone but said physicist is not whom he presents himself to be, and finds himself caught in a life and death struggle with the people in charge. Fast forward to present day, and the Russians have begun cleaning house, taking down anyone connected to the 1957 nuclear fiasco.

We are introduced to Porter Beck’s team of deputies and investigators, as well as his sister / arms specialist Brinley Cummings, his father Joe Beck, and Agent Sana Locke. The requisite evil has many faces. As the characters begin to reveal themselves, covert agents and spies, infiltrate what was and what is.

THE BITTER PAST is a story of secrets and lies, twists and turns, power and control, murder and mystery, espionage intrigue and suspense. The premise is detailed, complex, twisted and tangled; the characters are energetic, determined and dynamic but all are not whom they present to be.



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This is my first Bruce Borgos book, and I look forward to his next Porter Beck novel. You like Porter, even with all his flaws (sexist, bullheaded, macho). He has a lovable but despicable personality, but you can’t help but like him. He’s had a tough career in the military, and now he feels semi-retired working as a lawman in Nevada, where nothing compared to his military career occurs. He has moved here to help care for his father, a retired lawman, who has dementia.
On what he thought would be a routine check, he discovers the tortured body of a retired FBI agent,one who obviously wanted to live in the shadows and never be found. The day after finding the body, an FBI agent shows up, and immediately throws a wrench into Porter’s normally mundane procedure. Of course she’s very attractive, and of course he notices, but the way Borgos presents these personal thoughts is entertaining, not a huge turnoff as usual for me, a touchy female reader (this is kinda a joke, but I’m not as quick-witted as the author).
This book foreshadows the movie “Oppenheimer”, but just by chance. The creation of the atomic bomb is an interesting subject at the moment, and the investigation leads to the same testing ground in Nevada. The author introduces us to a Russian spy, and how he may be involved in all of this. The two timelines slowly meet, and the plot couldn’t be better.
If you think this isn’t your type of book, please reconsider. I was a few pages in and thought, “oh heck, no” but I persevered. I’m really glad I did; it’s been nice reading about a character you would normally despise, but can’t help but pull for.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date was July 18, 2023.

The Bitter Past is the first book in what I hope becomes a phenomenal series. In this book we meet Beck, the sherif in Lincoln County, Nevada. We soon find out out this is the same area that f the country where our government performed some dangerous experiments with nuclear bombs. When people start dying, the past and the present are brought together in a very satisfying read! Somehow Borgia has managed to combine an espionage story with historical fiction and a police procedural. This might be my new favorite genre!!

Love this book!
Sheriff Porter Beck, returned home to the high desert in Nevada, just North of Las Vegas, the area knows for its nuclear testing past.
A retired FBI agent is found killed, brutally tortured, house tossed, then a FBI agent shows up to help Beck
1950’s spy mystery raising its head to have an gets resolved in current time, with an unexpected twist.

A retired FBI agent has been brutally tortured in Porter Beck’s county. Clues at the scene open up a mystery dating back to the 50’s and the nuclear age. Now, Beck is tied up in an old Russian espionage case that hits a little close to home.

This story has a lot of moving parts. But, keep up because you do not want to miss a trick!

Now, when this story began, it had a terrible torture scene. I thought…hmm…not sure I can do this. But, there was just something about this tale which kept me wanting to know more. I was transported to Russia, the dessert of Nevada and back again. Then there is a big, ole twist at the end. I did not see THAT coming!

The narrator, James Babson, did a very good job. I will be looking for him!

Need a good, intricate thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I was intrigued by this book and it was quite a thrilling ride. I enjoyed learning about Nuclear testing done in the 1050 and how there was no issue with harming civilians. I enjoyed the characters and the back and forth from past to present. Overall this was a good thriller and I look forward to reading this author again.