Bitter Past: Ellie Matthews #1    by Caroline Fardig Order:  USA  Can Severn House, 2022 (2022) Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Caroline Fardig's Bitter Past opens a mystery series starring criminalist Ellie Matthews, who lives with her half sister Rachel and small nephew Nathan. She dropped her career for the academic life after discovering that a dismembered body she'd been examining was that of her estranged mother. The story opens on college students protesting Dr. Cooper's plans to create a new body farm research facility at Carnival Cove, a park in disrepair. They write 'Death to the Body Farm' in pig's blood at the site. Vasti Marais is murdered there, and Dudley Cooper, a friend and colleague of Ellie's, is soon the prime suspect. Between classes, Ellie is pulled in as a consultant on the case. Dudley tells her he thinks he's being set up - can she believe him? She starts to have close calls with death - why? The danger escalates to a confrontation with the killer, but of course Ellie survives - this is first in a series after all. 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