A review by theoverbookedbibliophile
The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

 
When a retired FBI Agent is found tortured to death in his home in Lincoln County Nevada, Sheriff Porter Beck finds himself roped in on an FBI investigation headed by Agent Sana Locke, into an information leak that may have triggered the current chain reaction of events. Beck is ex-Army, having served as a foreign area officer for a large part of his career, so he is well aware of the danger that is looming when evidence indicates a connection between the present-day murders and a 1950s covert operation linked to a nuclear testing site in the region. When the bodies begin to pile up, Porter and his department team up with Locke to find the killer. Complicating matters further is the disappearance of a teenage bride from a neighboring community. Are the cases connected?

The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos is a riveting thriller that combines elements of murder mystery, crime procedural, and international espionage thriller. The novel is well-structured and consistently paced. The suspenseful narrative is presented in dual timelines – present-day and 1950s Nevada - both of which are well-developed. The present-day narrative is shared from the first-person POV of Porter and the past timeline is shared from the perspective of another character whose role is crucial to the plot. The novel does feature a large cast of characters, but at no point do the threads of the story become too convoluted or difficult to follow. Porter Beck is an interesting protagonist and I would love to see how the author continues his arc as the series continues.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am eager to read the next book in the series.
I paired my reading with the audiobook narrated by James Babson, which made for an engaging immersion read.