The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos

 

I love a good mystery/thriller, especially one set in a location I don't know a lot about. The Bitter Past fits the bill with its setting in Lincoln County, Nevada, which is north of Las Vegas. It is also extremely large with neighbors miles apart from each other. 

Porter Beck left the Army and took over as sheriff from his father. Beck is called to the home of retired FBI agent Ralph Atterbury, who has been brutally tortured and murdered. This, of course, necessitates the involvement of the FBI, but the agent assigned comes not from the nearby Vegas field office, but from Washington, D.C. in the form of special agent Sana Locke. It turns out that Atterbury was involved in the search for a Soviet agent in the 1950's with ties to the nearby testing of nuclear bombs. 

This kicks off a story told in two timelines. Beck takes up the hunt for the still missing KGB agent in the present in order to solve Atterbury's murder. In the past, we follow the foreign agent and learn about a near catastrophe involving a dirty bomb. 

The story in the 1950's is fascinating, told through the eyes of a spy trying to blend in while discovering America's nuclear secrets to share with the Soviet Union. The tension is inherent in his story as he fears discovery by Americans if he is successful and punishment by the Soviets if he fails. Meanwhile, he is falling in love with the woman he is using to advance his mission in Nevada. 

In the present, more bodies are starting to pile up as Beck searches for a killer. His job is further complicated and resources stretched thin when a young woman goes missing. 

The 1950's timeline is fascinating and tense throughout. The timeline in the present is somewhat more muddled, as it is complicated by an improbable and distracting relationship between Beck and Agent Locke. It doesn't help that Locke's professionalism is dubious at best.

Porter Beck is a solid character with an interesting background. There is potential for further development of some interesting side characters among his deputies, particularly Tuffy, and Beck's sister, Brin. Brin, especially, has a set of skills that are very intriguing. I'm hopeful that these characters can be further developed and given more to do in future books.

The two plotlines come together with some shocking twists along the way. Some skillful sleuthing and a large helping of action bring the story to an exciting conclusion. 

This is a story that really makes use of its setting to tell an exciting tale in two timelines.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.