Talk about a dramatic start to a book, a book I hope turns into a series: one of the most gruesome murder scenes I have ever read. The setting, the high desert of Nevada, is described so beautifully with its twists and turns of canyons, the loneliness of the area and a huge area for a sheriff and his small staff to cover. The timeframe of the story has two datelines—present day and the 1950s which is quite timely with a movie about Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb opening in July. A knowledgeable sheriff and a FBI agent make this a thrilling mystery spy thriller along with the historical fiction that adds up to be one of the best reads of the year. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced review copy of this book; the review is my honest opinion.

Wow. What an excellent, entertaining, exciting, enjoyable read. I hope this series continues, or if not, that this author writes another book very soon. It’s complicated and complex, with multiple potential villains and dual timelines to keep straight. But the writing is strong, the plot well-crafted, perfectly paced and logical. It’s full of interesting and relevant comments and facts about movies, people, events, books, and political, both in mid-century history and the present time. The high desert of Nevada is as much a living, breathing – and deadly – character as any of the people in the book.

And Sheriff Porter Beck? Definitely a character I want to spend more time with. He skirts right up to the edge of too much humor and flippancy, but witty as his words might be, his detective skills, memory and ability to run an investigation and solve a problem are dead serious. A very interesting guy. So much happens to him in the story I’m curious as to what role he carves out for himself next, and especially curious as to how the progression of his retinitis pigmentosa will affect his ability to do his job and how much longer he can keep it hidden.

The opening paragraphs of The Bitter Past are harsh and graphic, and the heightened sense of danger never recedes. Old men are being killed in an attempt to find a KGB spy sent to America in the mid-1950s, the early atomic age. And it turns out there are more old men in that desert that almost fit the profile than you would think. Add in an FBI agent who suddenly shows up insisting she’s there to help (and seems to stir something in Beck), near-mutiny in his own department and non-stop action and you have a book you will not be able to put down. It was thought-provoking, educational, fascinating and totally satisfying.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books for providing an advance copy of The Bitter Past via NetGalley for my reading pleasure and honest opinion. It was most definitely a pleasure and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

This book had me hooked from the start. It blends mystery, humor, suspense, action, a touch of romance, and unique characters that blend the past with the present to portray a complex scenario.

The story is primarily told in the present, but there are jumps to the late 50s that share what it was like when they were testing nuclear bombs, what they thought would happen with the radioactive material, and what actually happened. I really enjoyed the changes in time because it helped us to understand the present by understanding the past.

Sherriff Beck has his own issues to deal with, including degeneration in his eyes, especially at night, that hinders his abilities. FBI Special Agent Sana Locke is sent to Nevada to investigate the death of a former agent. The tension between these two could set off sparks. One underrated character is Beck's sister, Brinley. She is one hot mess but has skills that most of us might wish we possessed.

I enjoyed the interaction between all of the characters. I especially loved Sana's dry and sarcastic wit. I had a good chuckle throughout the book.

I don't know if this is going to be a series, but I think the author should consider it. It does say #1 on Goodreads, so I'm going to go with it probably will be a series.

If you enjoy mysteries, you might want to give this one a whirl. We give it 5 paws up.

Book Review: The Bitter Past (Porter Beck #1) by Bruce Borgos
Published by St. Martin's Press & Minotaur Books, July 18, 2023

★★★★★ (4.5 Stars rounded up)

Author Bruce Borgos peppers his commendable prose with wry humor, hilarious one liners reminiscent of a John Sandford "Virgil 'That F-king' Flowers" novel, a chuckle in each page.

This is a novel I enjoyed reading!

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Lincoln County, NV
150 miles due north of Las Vegas

Sheriff Porter Beck's 12-man department in this sleepy desert county in southern Nevada is rocked by the brutal killing of a retired FBI agent, 74-year-old Ralph Atterbury. Beck, son of the former sheriff, Joe Beck, now semi-invalid, is joined in the investigation by American-Jordanian FBI Special Agent Sana Locke, and Beck's maverick, sharp-shooting adoptive-sister, Brinley Cummings.

Agent Atterbury's death catapults the remote county into its "bitter past" as the home of "Nevada Test Site Downwinders", with county residents invariably exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear tests from 1951 to 1957 conducted at the Nevada Test Site, 170 miles west. Residents at that time were given radiation badges by the Atomic Energy Commission to compile data on the dangers of splitting the atom in the open air.

Author Bruce Borgos weaves into his police procedural /historical fiction thriller a delicious spy and romance angle, a decades-long enduring love affair between KGB Lt. Georgiy Dudko aka "Freddie", and Kitty, daughter of an American scientist, as Russian illegals, circa 1950, take up residence under deep cover to try to infiltrate America's most secret scientific facilities in atomic research near the proving grounds in the Nevada desert.

Even as Sheriff Porter Beck finds out that the answer to many questions and mysteries hits much closer to home than he ever could have imagined...

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// She looks up at me. "Do you have a theory?" My eyes are the perfect shade of noncommittal, and Locke doesn't wait for me to respond, as if she has just asked a silver-backed gorilla what he thinks about the price of egg.
- - - From "The Bitter Past" by Bruce Borgos //

Remarkably complex and well-constructed. A must-read, great start to a series!

Review based on an advance reading copy courtesy of St. Martin's Press & Minotaur Books, and NetGalley.

The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos is the first book in the fantastic (Porter Beck) series. This was my first time reading a book by the author and I thoroughly enjoyed this intense, high stakes tale. The engrossing storyline is part police procedural, espionage thriller/mystery, historical fiction all in one and filled with evocative characters. With gripping chapters that alternate between the present day and the past, which really kept me engaged and up reading well into the night. A huge thank you to Minotaur Books, the author and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of the book.

The premise of the book starts when Porter Beck comes back to his hometown in the high desert of Nevada after serving in Army Intelligence. Now he is the new sheriff, a position his elderly father once held years ago, but who is currently in the early stages of dementia. The untroubled police department is shaken when a retired FBI agent is found tortured and murdered. When FBI agent Sana Locke arrives to investigate the story takes off at breakneck speed which involves nuclear testing in the 1950’s, as well as a Russian spy that infiltrated the testing site. But someone is out there looking for that long ago unremembered person who can shed some light into what happened back then and the fatal danger taking place right now. If you love mysteries then I highly recommend The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos.

We usually see Cold War spy or espionage novels with an international setting. What a treat to have one set on American soil with a county sheriff as our investigative hero. And Porter Beck is a good hero. He is down to earth yet smart at outwitting the villain. I really like his sister too. She is one tough and capable woman.

The plot is very interesting, combining nuclear testing in the 1950s with a score to settle today. Borgos has done a good job of weaving past events into a current situation of suspense. I liked learning about the nuclear testing and the effects on the local population. The fictional possibility of Soviet infiltration was all too scary. There are plenty of surprising plot twists near the end as we find out people are not who they claim to be.

I enjoyed this dual time novel of espionage and suspenseful intrigue. I like Beck as a hero and will be watching for him in future novels from Borgos. Please bring along sister Brinley, super heroine.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Book 1 of the Porter Beck series. A combination of historical fiction and thriller. There is a dual timeline of the present time and 1957. If you enjoy being in the middle of the action, this series will be for you!
Thank you NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for sending The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was one of the most gripping, well-written thrillers I have read in a while. I love a good mystery, and this came with a side of spies, espionage, the KGB, and nuclear war. In this dual-timeline, pulse-pounding read, Sheriff Porter Beck must figure out who the Russian is hiding in his small town before he's found and exterminated. Told from Beck's point of view in the present, and Freddie Meyer's point of view in the 1950s, we watch as the past and present collide in a face-off years in the making.

Although I was never one for history class, this taught me things that I didn't know about the fight for nuclear bomb domination that went on in the 50's between the US and Russia. This gave insight into how determined both sides were to come out on top, no matter the cost.

The story pulled me in from the beginning, and with the well-developed cast of characters, I had problems putting the book down. The novel read like a fast-paced movie in the vein of Jason Bourne.

All in all, a great series starter for Sheriff Porter Beck. If you like a fast thriller, great characters, a strong mystery, and a little espionage, then this book is for you.

I am always so pleased to discover a new "mystery" writer; I read a lot of mysteries and a new-to-me author is relatively rare. "The Bitter Past" is the new novel of Bruce Burgos, and it is a corker. It reminded me not only of Craig Johnson's Longmire series (and Johnson has written an encomium for "The Bitter Past"), but also of Ace Atkins' Quinn Colson series set in Mississippi. You can't do better than these excellent authors, as far as I am concerned.

You can read the blurb to get the synopsis of the plot. Readers of my reviews know by now that I detest spoilers and don't include them.

"The Bitter Past" was a very pleasurable read. The interplay between the past and present made this book hard to put down. The writing flowed and I never felt that this was a first-in-a-series novel. I am already looking towards the next installment with great anticipation.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a compelling thriller set in two timelines. In the present day, Sheriff Porter Beck is investigating the grisly murder of a retired FBI Agent. He is almost immediately joined in his investigation by another FBI Agent, because there is more to this murder than it seems. In 1956, a Russian agent infiltrates a nuclear testing site, trying to help his country win the cold war. At the same time, the deadly consequences of radiation poisoning are starting to come to light.

This book started out with a bang in the aftermath of a brutal murder, and the action didn't stop. The plot is not only intriguing, but it also takes us back to the nuclear testing in the Nevada Desert as we follow a Russian agent who is posing as a likable young American man. In the present timeline, the murder investigation is action-packed and will keep the reader riveted.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the duel timeline and how it came together. This book felt like a cross between the show The Americans and The Big Sky. I loved the intrigue and small town feel.

3.5 stars rounded up. I have mixed emotions about this book. It was a very interesting story and I liked the dual timelines. The historical events were well plotted and it kept my attention. However, I didn't care for the feeble attempt at romance between Beck and the FBI agent. And one of my pet peeves, sooooo many characters to keep up with, it was hard at times to separate the good ones from the bad ones. But I did enjoy the book and since it is the start of a series, I will probably read the next one. My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

So well written drew me right in.Enjoyed the two time lines the characters .Definitely will be recommending and following the author.#netgalley #the bitterpast.

I was intrigued by the dual timeline plot, investigating a present day murder with the backdrop of Soviet spies and nuclear testing in Nevada in the 50s. Very timely with the release of the Oppenheimer movie this month. The murder investigation and past timeline details were well done. It otherwise would have been a solid 3-4 star rating. However, the sexist language was so pervasive and the interactions between the main character and most of the women in this book were equal parts problematic and cringe-worthy (specific examples available upon request).
*Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books (ebook) and Recorded Books for the advance copies for review.

Bruce Borgos, series debut, The Bitter Past, is a strong, plotted, intelligent, complicated story that explores little-known history. I instantly enjoyed Sheriff Beck's witty narrative, even though he comes across as sexist when he has fun sizing up Agent Santa Locke, who is called in to help him with the mystery around a gruesome discovery, "Zero body fat, a BMI built for a BMW. Right off a New York runway if she was so inclined." ~Beck. Normally that would be a turn-off for me. Still, Bruce Borgos won me over with his cast of fascinating, amusing, damaged characters and their witty, humorous dialogue that offsets the tension.

There is plenty of action with a race against time element. The barren, haunted Nevada desert is an unforgiving backdrop that drives the tension forward. However, the characters will have me reading the second book in the series.

The summary of this book sounded so interesting and it was all that and more! Sheriff Porter Beck, the new sheriff in Lincoln County, is former military and worked in Army Intelligence. He is smart, clever and at times a bit sarcastic. A retired FBI agent has been viciously murdered. He was researching the involvement, decades ago, of a Russian spy at the nuclear testing site. It is believed the spy gained employment to do the bidding of the Russian government, a situation that could have caused the deaths of thousands in Las Vegas. The story moves back and forth from the present to the past when the spy, using the name Freddie Meyer, became infatuated with the daughter of a physicist who worked at the facility. Realizing what he was to do, he betrayed Russia. Now, a Russian spy is trying to locate the traitor and return him to Russia. Suspense, intrigue and a twist at the end as Beck and his team try to find and outsmart the killer. I think this might be a series and I sure hope so! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

The Bitter Past by Bruce Burgos was a police/FBI thriller about a Russian spy that had embedded himself in the nuclear testing facility in Nevada in the mid-fifties. The problem was, the Russians had lost him and for some reason now, more than 50 years later they wanted him back. They were killing people and Sheriff Porter Beck didn’t like it. It liked it even less when they sent an FBI agent to help him in his investigation. A beautiful FBI agent named Sana Locke, who was there because a retired agent had been the first victim. And it had been gruesome. Tortured first, grotesquely. At the same time, a young woman from the local FLDS compound was reported missing. Theirs was a small force, hardly adequate for one investigation, certainly not two. But Beck knew what he was doing: former military intelligence and years spent in Russia. He was the man for the job.

Beck was a good man, and smart. His biggest issue was that he was night blind. It was getting worse and that was why he’d left the army. He thought he’d hidden it pretty well, but it was getting tougher. Sana was beautiful and smart. There was an attraction, but it was complicated. The plot was interesting and multi-faceted. It calls into question the government’s role in the testing and coverups which took place in regard to nuclear bombs. It also brought to the forefront the possibility that Russian spies are still being embedded in the US. Frightening. The plot was good but I saw it coming . . . the two big reveals. They were still exciting when they happened. It was a good book.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Bitter Past by St. Martin’s Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #BruceBurgos #TheBitterPast

This story opens with the gruesome murder of an ex-FBI agent. So it's not surprising when an FBI agent shows. However, from the start it is obvious that something is off. But what? In addition to this storyline, we are also taken back to the mid-1950s nuclear testing and a Russian spy. The transition between the present and the past was handled well and added to the depth of the story. There is an interesting mix of characters, although personally I did not care for Beck's juvenile behavior when he first met Special Agent Locke. Thankfully that was a very small part of the overall story. We get a clear description of the settings in the story and there are many twists and turns in both the past and the present.

I love beach reads and this one is a fast, fun read. This book had me turning the pages so fast to see what would happen. You will definitely enjoy this thriller. Many thanks to the author, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is about detective Porter Beck when he is called to a man’s home who has been burned and clearly tortured he is at first baffled but when he finds remnants from the nuclear war he is downright confused. Eventually he will get help from FBI agent Shana lock someone he finds himself extremely attracted to and she seems to feel the same the case he will investigate will dredge up things from his past and although he is a new sheriff and has taken over for his dad who has dementia is dead may just help him solve the case or at least be a part of it. I love intelligent books about those who fight crime and solve mysteries but I do not like things to do with the CIA an international humbug but I must admit this book held my attention until the end it took me one day to read it and I would definitely be interested in reading the next book as this is the first in the series. I do want to say everyone in this book had the strangest names I am just stating that as a fact here is a negative I thought it a bit ridiculous that Tubi his crime scene photographer is supposed to take pictures of dead bodies yet bad smells make her nauseated and sometimes even worse. That is a bad affliction for someone with her career to have but that is just a small part of what is a great read. I want to think Net Galle minotaur books in Saint Martin’s press please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review. y