Mark Stevens is the author of “No Lie Lasts Forever,” “The Fireballer” and The Allison Coil Mystery Series, which includes three Colorado Book Award finalists and one winner. Stevens has had short stories published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, and in “Denver Noir” which won the CBA for Best Anthology in 2023. He was one of three co-editors for “Four Corners Voices,” an anthology of fiction, essays, and poetry that won the CBA for Best Anthology in 2025. In 2016 and again in 2023, Stevens was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year. He lives in Mancos, Colorado.
SunLit: This book, “Two Truths and a Lie,” comes on the heels of “No Lie Lasts Forever.” At what point during or after writing the first of these two thrillers did you realize that you wanted to continue the storyline?
Mark Stevens: Well, it wasn’t my decision. At least, it never would have occurred to me. I always thought of the first book as a standalone—one and done. The editor who bought “No Lie” saw it differently. She wanted a trilogy. “The bad guy from book one is behind bars,” I protested. “Doesn’t matter,” she said. “Figure it out.” So I planted a few small seeds in “No Lie” that allowed me to have something to work with moving forward.
UNDERWRITTEN BY
Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. Explore the SunLit archives at coloradosun.com/sunlit.
SunLit: How does your selection of this excerpt fit into the book as a whole and why did you choose it?
Stevens: It’s the opening chapter so it’s the bridge from “No Lie” to the sequel, recapping a bit of the first book but also putting the second one in motion.
SunLit: Both of these novels are set, in part, in a media world in which you spent a good portion of your career. And you appeared to draw on some characters who inhabited that real-life world in “No Lie Lasts Forever.” Did that experience inform parts of reporter Flynn Martin’s narrative in “Two Truths and a Lie”?
Stevens: In “No Lie” readers really didn’t get to see Flynn Martin do her job. At least, not very much. Early on in “No Lie,” she’s taken off air by her station for reasons I won’t go into here. So in the sequel, I wanted to make sure she was on the job, doing the reporting thing that she loves to do.
Yes, I spent a good portion of my career as a reporter but that ended long before the current media environment with the steady chatter on social media and also just the strain on reporters and criticism about journalism that seem commonplace today. So I tried to do my research about the working world of journalism today, particularly on the television side of the business.
“Two Truths and a Lie”
Where to find it:
- Prospector: Search the combined catalogs of 23 Colorado libraries
- Libby: E-books and audio books
- NewPages Guide: List of Colorado independent bookstores
- Bookshop.org: Searchable database of bookstores nationwide
SunLit present new excerpts from some of the best Colorado authors that not only spin engaging narratives but also illuminate who we are as a community. Read more.
SunLit: Throughout your career writing fiction you’ve gravitated to female protagonists. Was that a conscious choice, and was it challenging to hone the right narrative voice?
Stevens: The Allison Coil Mysteries were based on a female hunting guide I met in the Flat Tops Wilderness years ago. Her gender is what made the character compelling, to me, because she ran against stereotype. A woman working among mostly male clients, I figured, would be much more dynamic than a guy in that role.
When I came up with the idea for “No Lie” I knew the antagonist (retired serial killer) would be male. So the television reporter had to be female for balance and contrast. Yes, “No Lie” is a Flynn Martin Thriller but half the book is in the point of view of the bad guy.
I was daunted at first about trying to capture a female point of view, for sure. But at some point I realized I just needed to get one character right, Allison Coil. One person. One human being with a backstory, with wants, needs, ideas, emotions, attitudes, etc.
SunLit: Although this book is a follow-up to your previous thriller, did you pursue different themes in this iteration?
Stevens: I think so and hope so. “Two Truths and a Lie” finds Flynn in a very protective mode around her son (see “No Lie” for the reasons for that) also starting to keep her out for a possible new relationship. There are two things happening side by side in “Two Truths.”
One is her immediate awareness that the antagonist from “No Lie” may have spawned a copycat. And the other is a story she starts covering of a suburban family that disappears one night from their home. The story puts her into the dealings of a suburban megachurch and its sprawling business empire.
SunLit: What made you certain that this character would find her way into a trilogy? When, as a writer, do you know whether you’re ready to leave such a compelling protagonist and move on?
Stevens: When the editor bought “No Lie” she asked for two more. So it will be a trilogy. And no more. (Fine with me; some series go on too long.) I’ll be happy to move on.
SunLit: You moved from Denver to Mancos in southwest Colorado almost seven years ago. What is the writing community like where you live today?
Stevens: Well, in a word, robust. There’s a strong local group called Four Corners Writers that meets monthly in nearby Cortez to learn from each other. The group has already published two anthologies, too, and the first one won the Colorado Book Award for Best Anthology. Look for “Four Corners Voices” volumes one and two.
And anyone looking for an excuse to head down this way should check out the Mesa Verde Writers Conference (Sept. 2, 3, 4) and also the Mesa Verde Literary Festival (Sept. 5). In fact, any published authors who want to participate in the festival should fill out an interest form (at the link) ASAP.
SunLit: Tell us about your next project.
Stevens: After the third book is finished (later this spring or summer, I hope), I want to go back to a story I was working on about a small-town newspaper reporter/editor in southwest Colorado. (A guy, by the way.) So I guess the role of the media remains a keen interest.
A few more quick items
Currently on your nightstand for recreational reading: I just finished the breakneck thriller “I Did Not Kill My Husband” by Linda Keir (the writing team of Denver’s own Linda Joffe Hull and Chicago-based Keir Graff) and I’m now reading “The Heart in Winter” by Kevin Barry. I’m also making a point of reading the tantalizing short stories that Nick Arvin is posting on Substack — one a week for all of 2026. They are highly creative and sharply written, no surprise to Arvin’s fans.
Biggest influence that steered you toward pursuing literature: Early on, it was Patricia Highsmith and all her fabulously dark psychological thrillers and short stories, too. Of late, I’m being reinspired by James Sallis — his whole Lew Griffin series (deeply philosophical) and standalones like “Sarah Jane” and “Death Will Have Your Eyes.” I had an email exchange going with James Sallis that really meant a lot to me — and was very sad when he died earlier this year. But what a life and legacy.
Favorite character that you’ve written, and the actor who’d play them in the movie version of your book: Probably Frank Ryder, the troubled and haunted pitcher in “The Fireballer.” And I’d love to see him played by Lucas Hedges (“Manchester by the Sea,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”) Hedges would capture Ryder’s gravity, I think, very well.
A lit-based movie you liked better than the book: I’m going to cheat here and say after all the movie attempts at capturing Tom Ripley, the Netflix series “Ripley” finally nailed Patricia Highsmith’s most celebrated character. Andrew Scott is perfectly creepy and the black and white cinematography was off the charts. But the premise of this question is evil.
A celebrity voice you’d choose to read your latest book’s audio version: Oh, I think Gillian Anderson’s voice would be perfect. But I’m thrilled with the work of actress Ina Barrón on both “No Lie” and “Two Truths and a Lie.”
Favorite library you’ve ever visited: The town library in Lincoln, Massachusetts, where I grew up.
Favorite book series – at any age – that you’ve read: The Lew Griffin Series by James Sallis. Almost anti-mysteries, more about the human condition than solving cases. With one big whopper twist in the very last book, “Ghost of a Flea.” Brilliant stuff. Prepare for ideas, not action.
Favorite place to write: Dining room table.
More fun as a writer, first draft or final edit: First draft. Nothing more “fun” than a blank page. Call me strange.