The Bitter Past: A Mystery

Written by Bruce Borgos

Narrated by James Babson

Sheriff Porter Beck’s life in the high desert of Nevada is relatively quiet until an old retired FBI agent is found tortured and murdered. Clues at the scene point to a mystery dating back to the early days of the nuclear age and a long-ago, all-butforgotten Russian spy.

Porter Beck left Lincoln County to join the Army, where he worked deep in the shadows of far-off places. Now he’s back, doing the same lawman’s job his father did for decades until he started to develop dementia. There’s not much violent crime in Lincoln County, making this murder stand out, and
when the FBI comes calling—in the person of the alluring Agent Sana Locke—Beck knows that there’s something much bigger going on.

To catch the killer, Beck must first find the KGB agent who came to steal America’s secrets sixty years earlier. With the somewhat complicated help of his very complicated stepsister, Brinley, and the unexpected intrusion of his own intelligence past, Beck must unravel the truth about that KGB agent and
the world’s first dirty bomb, two things the United States government cannot afford to have revealed. As the body count climbs, so do the stakes for him and those he loves, especially when that alluring federal agent makes it impossible to know who can and can’t be trusted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781705095119

Reviews for The Bitter Past

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 audiobook is narrated by James Babson, who does an excellent job giving different characters their own voices. 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 RB Media for providing a copy for an unbiased review.