The Bitter Past    by Bruce Borgos Order:  USA  Can Minotaur, 2023 (2023) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Bruce Borgos's mystery, Bitter Past, moves back and forth in time, in Nevada. The lead is Lincoln County Sheriff Porter Beck, who previously worked overseas in Army Intelligence. His father, now suffering from dementia, was sheriff before him. The story opens on a monstrous murder in the present - an elderly, retired FBI agent horribly tortured, poisoned with thallium, and killed. Soon, striking FBI Agent Sana Locke shows up from D.C.. Then unmarked graves from the 1950s are dug up - vandalism? - but were empty. Borgos takes readers back to 1955 Las Vegas, when Freddie Meyer and Katherine Ellison become a couple - they have a lot in common, including an interest in physics. Kitty's dad is a lead scientist at the nearby atomic testing site. Freddie, a KGB spy, ends up with a job as security guard there. Sana shares that the murdered man was the FBI contact for a 1950s spy who had fed them information. She and Beck grow closer as they investigate a Russian assassin on the loose and search for a missing girl. There are more deaths. The assassin has a list, all older men, and soon has hostages as well - and it's personal vengeance he seeks. There are betrayals and surprises at every turn till Beck finds the answers he seeks, and plans an emotional reunion. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews