der, and missing kids, and intrigue stemming from those mysteries, but above all, there's the journey of Allie Beckham, who must study clues and the person in her mirror and the private ghosts who haunt her. Bitter Passage is Bates's first novel and it's a damn good one."

-Mort Castle

Three-time recipient of the Bram Stoker(R) Award, 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, American Horror Writers Association

Set within the unforgiving winter landscape of rural Maine, Bitter Passage introduces Sheriff's Deputy Allegheny Beckham. Beckham has returned to Chamberlain County, seeking respite in the quiet of home after years patrolling the streets of south Chicago.

But Chamberlain County has other ideas.

Beckham's narrative opens a scant ten days into her position as a rookie sheriff's deputy. Dispatched to a remote ridge during a late winter nor'easter, she discovers an SUV cut-open like a Boy Scout's can of Dinty Moore stew by the Chamberlain county snowplow. A frozen corpse triggers a murder/kidnapping investigation and Beckham peels back layers of deceit, embarking on a harrowing journey that tests her every limit. Descending ever-deeper into the deadly puzzle forces her to confront a lifetime scarred by loss, guilt, and feral survival. When the violent finale unfolds, she discovers the cost of redemption may be higher than she ever imagined. Bitter Passage is a riveting tale of resilience, justice, and the enduring struggle to confront the shadows of the past.

Additional Praise for Bitter Passage

". . . a tightly crafted police procedural that takes place during a classic Maine winter. It kept me guessing 'til the end."

-Robin Merrow MacCready, Edgar Award(R) recipient for Buried

Selected by the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance for the Aug. 26 issue of Ex Libris; a curated list of recently published works by Maine authors.

Publisher's Note: Fans of the PBS series D.I. Ray will find a kindred spirit in Deputy Allegheny Beckham.

Includes vulgar language and sexual content consistent with criminals and those who investigate their crimes.