The Riddle Maker
by Bruce Borgos
DETAILS: Series: Porter Beck, #4 Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication Date: November 17, 2026 Format: eARC Length: 352 pg. Read Date: October 27, 2026
What’s The Riddle Maker About?
A day off is interrupted when one of Sheriff Porter Beck’s deputies calls with a strange bit of mail—it’s a riddle in the form of a poem. It leads Porter and Charlie to a corpse in Lake Mead. It turns out that there’s a link between the victim and Porter.
Soon after that, an FBI profiler shows up to talk to them—she’s convinced that there’s a tie between this victim and a serial killer that she’s convinced has been working through the Western part of the country (at least) for decades. More riddles appear leading Charlie, Porter, and Jett (the profiler) to become convinced that she’s right, and that they’re hot on the trail. Or, on the trail, anyway.
At some point the story becomes so much more than a hunt for a serial killer, and the already high stakes take a dramatic rise.
Meanwhile, there’s plenty going on in Porter’s life—his fiancée’s getting close to giving birth, and a new eye specialist wants to try an experimental treatment on him. He and Charlie are trying to focus on those things…but those riddles make that tricky.
Just a Thought
I don’t know what Borgos has planned for the series long-term, but it’d be good if he filled out the county with some people we can recognize other than X-Files and the Doctor (as much as I enjoy them). Obviously, the Sheriff’s Department and Porter’s growing family both contain several characters—but we need some more civilians built up to fill out the cast. Like Johnson’s Absaroka County or the area around Box’s Saddlestring (or other non-fictional Wyoming locations, I just get into that kind of thinking with Borgos). I’m not saying we need something as built out as The Simpsons‘ Springfield. But it’d be good to meet other people.
So, what did I think about The Riddle Maker?
Oh, this was so good. The new FBI agent, Jett Lowell, is a fantastic character. As is Porter’s friend in Arizona (I’ll leave this vague so you can meet him). The serial killer is as creepy as you want one to be—with a solid backstory.
The riddles were great—from one interview I’ve heard, I’m pretty sure Borgos won’t be repeating that idea (and not just because it’d be too similar to this book), getting them just right is flexing a different muscle than we’ve seen from him. The storyline about the killer and the hunt for him was just great. And that would’ve been enough—but then Borgos adds on another storyline. Both of these would’ve worked as novels on their own—but combining them? Excellent idea, and the execution is just as good.
The character work—as usual—is where Borgos shines. Characters on both sides of the law are well fleshed-out and engaging. Most are believable, too (there’s one that I had a hard time imagining as realistic, but I didn’t care and just sat back to enjoy them).
Another solid and entertaining thriller about Porter Beck and his team. I strongly recommend this series, and this installment in particular.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley—my thanks to both for this. This post contains my honest opinion about a book I chose (and asked) to read.
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