Review: Two Truths and a Lie: A Thriller by Mark Stevens

 

Two Truths and a Lie: A Thriller by Mark Stevens is the second book in the series that began with No Lie Lasts Forever. Billed as a sequel, it is in some senses. In others, it is more a continuation of the first book as those events are predominant through the entirety of this book. Therefore, while I am trying to minimize spoilers, some are present in this review. Suffice it to say, if you continue reading about this very good book, don’t blame the reviewer.

 

As the book begins, the trial of Harry Kugel is underway. Harry Kugel was the man known locally as the “PDQ” killer. He had killed several times decades earlier and then went dark for many years. His ego brought him down as recent murders had been reminiscent of his work. He did not like the fact that somebody was taking credit now off of his legacy. He wanted the imposter gone. So, he reached out to TV Reporter Flynn Martin who is a bit of a legend, for good and bad reasons, in Denver. Ultimately, she survived, and the man who put her and others through hell was identified and exposed by her reporting. A little over a year later, he has finally been convicted for what he has done and was sentenced to three consecutive life terms.

 

Seconds before he is taken off to jail and then to prison from the courtroom, he turns to her and promises that nothing is over.

 

Several months later, long after she and her son, Wyatt, moved to a more secure home high in a Denver tower, and just when she finally feels like things are going back to a quasi-normal, the terror of being stalked and a target begins again. It has been a long day in the field with camera operator and good friend, Tamica Porter, as she sits and goes through paperwork her teen son brought home from school. Amidst the normal stuff is a sealed envelope that scares her at the sight of it. She’s moved and taken drastic measures for privacy. All that seems to have been for naught as she opens the envelope and finds a single white sheet of paper.

 

That single white sheet of paper is full of cryptic sentences very reminiscent what PDQ used to send her. But, he is in prison, so he can’t be terrorizing her again this way. Or could he? Does the prison even look at anything he mails out? Or did he have an unknown accomplice? Or is it one of his cult members drawn to act by the extensive media coverage of the trial and her role in his capture? Or is it some whack job looking to impress PDQ? These questions and others terrorize her as it is clear that somebody got close enough to her son to send a message.

 

A message that scares her in every fiber of her being, while at the same time, intrigues and pulls her into another very high-profile story. A story that could easily get her and others killed. Which could also be said about some of the other stories she is soon working on, including the disappearance of a local family of four.

 

Two Truths and a Lie: A Thriller by Mark Stevens again takes readers to Denver, the world of journalism, and the debate over which stories and which victims get media coverage. Published by Thomas & Mercer, this read is another good one in the series and a bit more intense than No Lie Lasts Forever. This read builds on that book extensively and keeps the momentum going as it very clearly sets up a third book in the series.

 

Both books are strongly recommended as is reading them in order. Not only are the stories in the reads strong, but one is also given plenty to think about regarding actual journalism, the media, and what goes on these days.

  

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3NSRghi

 

By the way, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore has a recent interview with author Mark Stevens where he discusses the book. The program is on YouTube here.

 

 

My digital ARC reading copy came by way of the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Review: No Lie Lasts Forever: A Thriller by Mark Stevens

  

Mark Steven’s last book, The Fireballer, was a very good book. It was very good, even though he did not have my team, the Texas Rangers, present in the read that much and even had the wrong team winning the World Series. That book touched on many things, not just baseball, and like his Allison Coil Mystery series, was a mighty good read. So, when Mark Sevens let me know he had a new book coming out and offered me a reading copy, even though with my worsening health and everything else here I had no idea if I would ever get to read it, I eventually accepted the offer.

No Lie Lasts Forever: A Thriller takes readers to Denver in a complicated tale of mystery, murder, treachery, and a lot more. Reporter Flynn Martin, a television icon, is our heroine. Her dad was a legendary newspaper reporter in Denver and the proverbial apple fell right at the base of that tree. It is supposed to be her day off as the book opens.

 

But, her boss has reached out as a gunman is holding hostages and wants a television reporter to be a go between for him and the police. Flynn was not his choice, but she is available, and he will accept her as the go between, if she agrees. Even though these days she is more known for her projects on climate change and think pieces, she has a long history on the police beat and has many contacts.

 

Grudgingly, with lives at stake, she gets involved only to have things go horribly wrong through no fault of her own. In the violent and deadly aftermath, she takes a lot of heat internally and publicly from the police and average folks who have an opinion, shaped by the storm of media coverage at rival networks and elsewhere, of what she did that fateful day. Suspended and flooded with grief, she would like to be left alone to cope with what has happened.

 

Instead, a long dormant serial killer decides he is going to involve her in his quest to set the record straight. He wants credit for the three successful, as he sees it, kills he got away with many years ago and how he has behaved since. He does not want anyone placing a murder he did not commit on him. PDQ was a legend in Denver and some believe he is back killing again. He isn’t and wants his legend intact and not desecrated by an imposter. He is very mad about somebody doing a very poor job of copying him and wants Flynn to prove it wasn’t him. She is supposed to do that without involving anyone else whether it be coworkers, family, or the police.

 

While the initial goal of preserving his legacy might have been achievable, his ego drives him, as it does Flynn, and numerous other people in this read. Mistakes and assumptions are made and things quite rapidly escalate for everyone. A violent collision was and is inviable with its own rippling aftermath.

 

No Lie Lasts Forever: A Thriller by Mark Stevens is one heck of a read. Multifaceted and moving forward at a rapid pace, Flynn finds herself deeper and deeper into a nightmare. It also reinforces my long held personal belief that leaving the house is often a very bad idea in many more ways than one. 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44zuNMa

 

 

My print ARC was provided by the author with no expectation of a review. As it happens, the read was selected for the Amazon First Reads this month. That means, until the end of the month, the digital version of the read is free for Amazon Prime members, and $1.99 for other readers. Published by Thomas & Mercer, the book comes out on June 1^st.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: Lefty Awards

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Lefty Awards

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Gilded Mountain, Marjorie Post, Lady Sherlock, Simplicity Parenting

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Gilded Mountain, Marjorie Post, Lady S...:   Reported by Garry   Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning. Set in Moonstone, Colorado at the turn of the 20 th century, the story is told throu...

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: High Road by Jeff Carson

Jeff Carson writes an independently published police procedural series that has developed a significant following. Set in the mountains of Colorado, David Wolf progresses from police detective to sheriff and steps back into the role of chief of detectives in the course of 15 books. The 16^th is scheduled for publication in November 2022. Ratings on Amazon and GoodReads are consistently four stars or higher with thousands of reviews for each title. For those that wonder if finding a large audience is possible without the support of a traditional publisher, it’s clear that at least for Carson, the answer is yes.

In the most recent title High Road (Cross Atlantic Publishing, 2021) the district attorney from neighboring Crow County asks for the loan of Wolf from the Byron County Sheriff’s Department to investigate the murder of the only son of Crow County’s sheriff Clark Mustaine.

Mustaine and Wolf have a history from playing high school football years ago and both have long memories. Mustaine, physically large, was a bully as a teenager and he’s a bully as an adult. The loss of his son has pushed him over the edge and he assaults a potential witness. The removal of Mustaine from the case is imperative but no one can reason with him. The DA hopes that Wolf can make him see the need to back off.

Wolf reluctantly agrees to assist. Mustaine is overtly uncooperative and verbally combative. He focuses, with no evidence, on two young women who were in the same bar as his son just before his death. Wolf not only has an investigation to lead but he has to watch Mustaine to keep him from overstepping again.

I am happy to have discovered this new-to-me small town police procedural series. This entry has an original plot and some appealing characters. Readers looking for a new author to binge might add Carson to their list. Fans of Western police procedurals and small town mysteries will especially want to consider these books.

·         ASIN: ‎ B09HB91XZG

·         Publisher: ‎ Cross Atlantic Publishing (December 7, 2021)

·         Publication date: ‎ December 7, 2021

·         Language: ‎ English

·         File size: ‎ 1576 KB

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Mysteristas Interview: Mark Stevens

Mysteristas Interview: Mark Stevens

FFB Review: Deadly Currents: A RM Outdoors Adventures Mystery by Beth Groundwater

Friday means Friday’s Forgotten Books hosted by Patti Abbott. My review of Deadly Currents by Beth Groundwater originally appeared in November 2011. It seemed time to blow off the dust, tweak a couple of things, and run it again today. Make sure you check out the full list over at Patti’s blog as well as her new book, I Bring Sorrow And Other stories Of Transgression.

With rookie River Ranger Mandy Tanner and her boss Steve Hadley watching, things are about to get very dangerous on the Arkansas River in Colorado. One of the river rafts has flipped and tossed equipment and passengers into the swirling river churning towards some deadly rapids. With odds against them before they start, Tanner and Hadley start trying to rescue as many they can as fast as they can. That results in Mandy Tanner performing her first river rescue in increasingly dangerous conditions as she breaks protocol to save lives.

Rules are in place for a reason and she is lucky to have survived. Her second week patrol proves that sometimes doing things in an orthodox way is at times very necessary. She successfully pulls in two passengers, one female and one male. The woman, Hannah Fowler, is shaken but, all things considered, okay. The man, a local land developer named Tom King, was dead by the time she got him out of the water to a river bank.

With a wrongful death lawsuit in the early stages and her Uncle’s river rafting business at stake, Mandy Tanner decides to investigate and ask questions of anyone involved with that river trip. Her questions annoy a long list of suspects especially when it becomes clear Tom King was a victim of foul play. Still reeling from her guilt over Tom King’s death and a second much closer to home tragedy, Mandy Tanner does not know when to shut up and enjoy the river while leaving the case to the law enforcement professionals. If she isn’t careful and very lucky, her career and her young life might be over before it really starts.

Reminiscent of early Nevada Barr novels and not just because of the outdoor setting, this cozy style read is the start of a new series featuring River Ranger Mandy Tanner. Known for her novels A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Handbasket this novel is far different in style and tone.  Along with a detailed and obvious appreciation of the outdoors, author Beth Groundwater has created an interesting core group of characters, a complex mystery, and plenty of action and adventure.

The start of a new series, Deadly Currents is not only good, but puts down an excellent foundation to build on. In will be very interesting to see how this develops further with Wicked Eddies slated for publication next year.

Deadly Currents: A RM Outdoors Adventures Mystery

Beth Groundwater

http://bethgroundwater.com/Home.html

Midnight Ink (Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.)

http://www.midnightinkbooks.com

March 2011

ISBN# 978-0-7387-2162-0

Paperback (also available in the Kindle)

300 Pages

$14.95

Material supplied by the author quite some time ago in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2011, 2018

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FFB Review: "Antler Dust" by Mark Stevens

Back in 2007 I first mentioned Antler Dust by Mark Stevens. I mentioned it again as part of Friday’s Forgotten Books (FFB) back in 2012. I am telling you again today that you really need to pick up Antler Dust. While you are at it, you should pick up Buried By The Roan which I reviewed back in September 2012. The third book in the series, TRAPLINE, is in my tbr pile.

Allison Coil came out to Colorado’s Flat Top wilderness to leave memories of death and destruction behind. Which is somewhat ironic since her new chosen profession was to be a hunting guide where she would routinely see death. The concept of death and what death means has become an almost constant companion while she seeks solace in the beautiful Colorado Mountains and the local area known as Ripplecreek. Hunting guides aren’t a rarity in the mountains but being a woman she stands out and once again has to prove herself—especially to the good old boy network. Of course, if the protest group “Fighting Animal Torture Everywhere” otherwise known as “FATE” has its way, nobody will be hunting in the mountains anymore.

As a snowstorm descends on the area, Allison Coil hears a gunshot. Certainly not unusual but the actions of who she thinks is the shooter when she catches a glimpse of him through the swirling snow make her wonder. She watches him or her over on the next ridge dragging something and then the snow thickens and she loses sight of what was happening. Something didn’t look right and she thinks about it as she works to guide herself and her horse, Bear, safely off the mountain.  Her suspicions are further encouraged when she learns that a local hunting guide is missing as is one of the protestors. She knows something funny is going on and after being shoved aside once too many times when she spoke up, begins to investigate in her own way.

In a novel that shifts point of view through numerous characters, author Mark Stevens weaves a compelling tale of greed and murder with the majestic beauty of the Colorado Rockies as his backdrop. Allison Coil is a strong complex character who quickly comes to life despite some of the other characters who seem to be little more than stock stereotype figures. A first novel from the author, it shows most tellingly in that a significant portion of the character depth is recovered for Coil. However, it is also clear that at least two of the secondary characters have definite possibilities should this work become part of a series.

Where the author showcases real talent is in the weaving of the various storylines as well as bringing alive the beauty of the setting. A theme within the work is the fact that responsible hunting is a part of wildlife management today. That theme coupled with the concept of what it means to be a female guide in an area dominated by men could have become a series of information dumps that would preach to readers. Instead, showing real skill, the information is occasionally presented in the course of doing other things and never becomes the reason for anything.

Add in the scenic beauty and the at times harsh elements, good old fashioned greed with a thoroughly modern twist, along with several plot surprises in the last 50 pages and the result is a very good book. Author Mark Stevens has created a very good read that quickly becomes a real page turner and one well worth your reading investment.

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2007, 2012, 2016

Review: "Buried By The Roan: An Allison Coil Mystery" by Mark Stevens

It is October and strange things are going on in the “Flat Tops” located in the Colorado mountains. A low flying ultralight plane is seen by hunting guide Allison Coil and others. On more than one occasion, Allison has felt like somebody was lurking in the woods and watching her. Considering the fact that after one such incident she found a baseball cap on the ground, and that same baseball cap was later taken from her horse, she is probably right that somebody is out there watching her and her hunting party. The same hunting party where one after another of the hunters becomes violently sick with some sort of gastrointestinal illness.

Even the makeup of the hunting party itself is strange as they are all experienced locals. They certainly don’t need a hunting guide as several of the group have spent a considerable time up in these mountains and don’t need help. The reasons she is given for their get together really don’t hang together, but they do have money and have paid for their trip. Neither Allison, or her romantic interest and assistant, Colin, can figure out the real purpose of their trip or why everything with the group dynamic is way off.  Not only is the hunting so far an epic failure, but everyone in the group seems angry at everyone else for things that have nothing to do with hunting. Then, a member of the group, Frank Keating, dies in what was just about the strangest way possible considering his experience.

Was it a freak accident or something more? Hunting guide Allison Coil tries to answer that question and many more in this strong sequel to Antler Dust.  Her search for answers will lead to many more questions in this complex and highly atmospheric tale set in the majestic Colorado mountains.

Buried By The Roan is primarily a psychological suspense story with occasional scenes of intense action as the tale shifts through various characters and situations. A secondary storyline of Allison’s good friend, Trudy, her possible romance and involvement in an ongoing environmental issue, frequently slows down the main storyline. Gradually, over the course of the book, the two storylines merge giving the reader multiple fight-for-survival situations regarding Allison during the last part of the book.

Overall, this sequel is a good solid read that one again brings to the forefront a serious and ongoing environmental threat in the Colorado mountains. At the same time, there is a very complex mystery that proves once again that some folks will do absolutely anything for money and they all don’t live and work in Washington, D.C. Allison Coil remains a strong and interesting character and one hopes, with such a solid foundation, she will be around for many more books to come.

Buried By The Roan: An Allison Coil Mystery

Mark Stevens

http://www.writermarkstevens.com

People’s Press

http://www.peoplespress.org

August 2011

ISBN# 978-0-9817810-9-9

Paperback (also available in e-book form)

350 Pages

$14.95

Material supplied by the author a very long time ago in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2012

FFB Review: "Antler Dust" by Mark Stevens

I’m not able to get out to various places anymore, but have great childhood memories of the Colorado Rockies among other western places. Since I can’t get there physically, I now take the trips in my mind as corny as that sounds. Mark Stevens brought it alive for me and ranks up there with C. J. Box, Paul Doiron, Steven Havill and others who showcase a clear love for the great outdoors and can write a really good book.

Allison Coil came out to Colorado’s Flat Top wilderness to leave memories of death and destruction behind. Which is somewhat ironic since her new chosen profession was to be a hunting guide where she would routinely see death. The concept of death and what death means has become an almost constant companion while she seeks solace in the beautiful Colorado Mountains and the local area known as Ripplecreek. Hunting guides aren’t a rarity in the mountains but being a woman she stands out and once again has to prove herself—especially to the good old boy network. Of course, if the protest group “Fighting Animal Torture Everywhere” otherwise known as “FATE” has its way, nobody will be hunting in the mountains anymore.

As a snowstorm descends on the area, Allison Coil hears a gunshot. Certainly not unusual but the actions of who she thinks is the shooter when she catches a glimpse of him through the swirling snow make her wonder. She watches him or her over on the next ridge dragging something and then the snow thickens and she loses sight of what was happening. Something didn’t look right and she thinks about it as she works to guide herself and her horse, Bear, safely off the mountain.  Her suspicions are further encouraged when she learns that a local hunting guide is missing as is one of the protestors. She knows something funny is going on and after being shoved aside once too many times when she spoke up, begins to investigate in her own way.

In a novel that shifts point of view through numerous characters, author Mark Stevens weaves a compelling tale of greed and murder with the majestic beauty of the Colorado Rockies as his backdrop. Allison Coil is a strong complex character who quickly comes to life despite some of the other characters who seem to be little more than stock stereotype figures. A first novel from the author, it shows most tellingly in that a significant portion of the character depth is recovered for Coil. However, it is also clear that at least two of the secondary characters have definite possibilities should this work become part of a series.

Where the author showcases real talent is in the weaving of the various storylines as well as bringing alive the beauty of the setting. A theme within the work is the fact that responsible hunting is a part of wildlife management today. That theme coupled with the concept of what it means to be a female guide in an area dominated by men could have become a series of information dumps that would preach to readers. Instead, showing real skill, the information is occasionally presented in the course of doing other things and never becomes the reason for anything.

Add in the scenic beauty and the at times harsh elements, good old fashioned greed with a thoroughly modern twist, along with several plot surprises in the last 50 pages and the result is a very good book. Author Mark Stevens has created a very good read that quickly becomes a real page turner and one well worth your reading investment.

Antler Dust: A Novel

By Mark Stevens

Paandaa Entertainment

http://www.paandaa.com

March 2007

ISBN # 978-0-9774188-1-7

Hardback

287 Pages

The sequel is BURIED BY THE ROAN  and has been in my huge TBR pile far too long.

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2007, 2012

Colorado Wildfires, The Red Cross, and Authors

As many of us have seen the last few days, wildfires have exploded across the Western US and especially in Colorado. Much like the devastating fires in North Texas last year, these fires are completely out of control thanks to persistent drought conditions, high temperatures and winds. It is a nightmare for those living through it. Colorado has always been a very special place to me because many times as a child and a teen we went to Rocky Mountain National Park and elsewhere in Colorado during the summers.

While we can’t donate due to our own crisis situation, I can and will gladly post offers from folks seeking to raise funds to help those in their time of need. So, I gladly pass on the below posts with permission granted by the authors……

 

Terry Odell writes…….

It's unlikely that I'm in immediate danger from the Waldo Canyon Fire, although it's still a threat. However, resources are stretched to the limit, with over 30,000 people evacuated. I will donate 5% of any royalties from my book, DANGER IN DEER RIDGE, which is set in the Colorado mountains in a town very much like mine, and includes a hero who flies rescue operations for the local fire department.

You can purchase the book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, or Smashwords and I'll track sales and royalties between now and July 1st. (If you've already bought the book, you can give it as a gift; the sale will still be recorded). Links to buy are at the link below.

 http://terryodell.com/blog1/danger-in-deer-ridge/

 Donations will go to the Red Cross.


Thanks for any and all support you can give these people who offer their lives to keep us safe, whether it's through buying my book or making your own personal donation.

Terry

Terry Odell
www.terryodell.com

Peg Brantly writes….

Terry, what a wonderful idea. As a fellow Colorado author, I will add RED TIDE, set in a fictional town near Aspen to yours.

Like Terry, I will donate 5% of any royalties between now and July 1st to the Red Cross.

http://tinyurl.com/6tp7jx8

Peg Brantley

RED TIDE

Review: "Deadly Currents: A RM Outdoors Adventures Mystery"

With rookie River Ranger Mandy Tanner and her boss Steve Hadley watching, things are about to get very dangerous on the Arkansas River in Colorado. One of the river rafts has flipped and tossed equipment and passengers into the swirling river churning towards some deadly rapids. With odds against them before they start, Tanner and Hadley start trying to rescue as many they can as fast as they can. That results in Mandy Tanner performing her first river recue in increasingly dangerous conditions as she breaks protocol to save lives.

Her second week patrol proves that sometimes doing things in an orthodox way is at times very necessary. She successfully pulls in two passengers, one female and one male. The woman, Hannah Fowler, is shaken but, all things considered, okay. The man, a local land developer named Tom King, was dead by the time she got him out of the water to a river bank.

With a wrongful death lawsuit in the early stages and her Uncle’s river rafting business at stake, Mandy Tanner decides to investigate and ask questions of anyone involved with that river trip. Her questions annoy a long list of suspects especially when it becomes clear Tom King was a victim of foul play. Still reeling from her guilt over Tom King’s death and a second much closer to home tragedy, Mandy Tanner does not know when to shut up and enjoy the river while leaving the case to the law enforcement professionals. If she isn’t careful and very lucky, her career, her young life might be over before it starts.

Reminiscent of early Nevada Barr novels and not just because of the outdoor setting, this cozy style read is the start of a new series featuring River Ranger Mandy Tanner. Known for her novels A Real Basket Case and To Hell in a Hand Basket this novel is far different in style and tone.  Along with a detailed and obvious appreciation of the outdoors, author Beth Groundwater has created an interesting core group of characters, a complex mystery, and plenty of action and adventure.

The start of a new series, Deadly Currents is not only good but puts down an excellent foundation to build on. In will be very interesting to see how this develops further with Wicked Eddies slated for publication next year.

Deadly Currents: A RM Outdoors Adventures Mystery

Beth Groundwater  

http://bethgroundwater.com/Home.html

Midnight Ink (Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.)

http://www.midnightinkbooks.com

March 2011

ISBN# 978-0-7387-2162-0

Paperback (also available in the Kindle)

300 Pages

$14.95

Material supplied by the author quite some time ago in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2011

SPECIAL ALERT

Beth Groundwater will also be a guest Sunday evening at The Writer’s Chatroom found at: http://writerschatroom.com/   If you have never attended one of these things before, make plans to do so tomorrow evening as it is always a good time. Just remember, this is on East Coast time!

WHEN?

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Eastern USA Time.....7 PM

Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are?  http://www.worldtimeserver.com

WHERE?

The Writers Chatroom at:  http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

 

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Login. No password needed.

Please note:  The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats. 

Don't forget the topic chats on Wednesday nights, 8-10 pm EST!