1--What is the title of your latest release?
NO LIE LASTS FOREVER
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A retired serial killer coaxes a disgraced journalist into finding the imposter trading on his name.
When a reporter dies in a shockingly familiar way, the media rushes to announce the return of the PDQ Killer. The city of Denver reels, but no one more than Harry Kugel. After all, he is the PDQ Killer—or was fifteen years ago. And he didn’t do this.
Still working to reform his ways, Harry won’t let an amateur murderer ride his twisted coattails and risk drawing the police back his way. To protect his legacy and quiet new life, he’ll have to expose the copycat. Without exposing himself.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The idea came to me when I was living in Denver, where I lived for nearly 40 years. It seemed like a natural fit. Any big city would have worked, but why not set your novel where researching a location is right at hand?
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
The protagonist of No Lie Lasts Forever is seasoned television reporter Flynn Martin. The answer is “yes, absolutely.” She’s kind of a composite of the many solid reporters I met, both in print and television, when I worked as a reporter. Flynn may not be the warmest person on the planet, but she cares about her job and she cares about her city.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Determined, risk-taker, and smart.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That the technology around the television news gathering business changed dramatically since I was television news producer years and years ago, but the basic process of gathering information and going after interviews never changes all that much.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as a I go, always reading back a chapter or two before I start the new one. I can’t have too much slop in my rearview mirror in order to keep going.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
My latest is making the perfect broth for ramen. I think there are 8 million ways to make it and I’m still searching for the perfect one. The broth is key. The veggies and noodles are a snap after you’ve got the right broth in place.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I write at the dining room table. It’s wood. It’s simple. There are no other desk-clutter distractions.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Willy Vlautin. The Horse. Motel Life. Don’t Skip Out on Me. Etcetera. Plus he’s a great musician known for two bands – The Delines and Richmond Fontaine.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain. A masterclass in reducing a story to its essence.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
For No Lie Lasts Forever, it was an email from my agent that forwarded an email from the editor at Thomas & Mercer saying she “loved” the book and read it in one sitting. Actually she used stronger language than that but we’re here in polite society, aren’t we? The funny thing is she was the first editor to read the novel—about 24 years after I wrote the first draft. It’s a long story.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Crime fiction. Followed closely by narrative non-fiction.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
15--What is your favorite season?
Late summer/early fall.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Pretending it’s just another day.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’ve listened to the Scriptnotes podcast for years, with John August and Craig Mazin. It’s about writing screenplays. I don’t write screenplays, but I love the way these two guys talk about stories, characters, plot, drama, dialogue—everything.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Impossible question to answer, but I do love most anything Asian. Especially Thai.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I’m lucky enough to play bass guitar in two rock and roll bands.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
A follow-up to NO LIE LASTS FOREVER is with my editor. And my agent is shopping a novel set in the world of rock and roll.
Zodiac with a terrifying twist, in a taut thriller from author Mark Stevens about a reformed serial killer and the disgraced journalist he coaxes into finding the imposter trading on his name.
When a reporter dies in a shockingly familiar way, the media rushes to announce the return of the PDQ Killer. The city of Denver reels, but no one more than Harry Kugel. After all, he is the PDQ Killer—or was fifteen years ago. And he didn’t do this.
Still working to reform his ways, Harry won’t let some amateur murderer ride his twisted coattails and risk drawing the police back his way. To protect his legacy and quiet new life, he’ll have to expose the copycat. Without exposing himself.
Disgraced TV journalist Flynn Martin holds the key. After a botched hostage situation, she’ll do anything to revive her dying career—even hunt down a monster who executed one of her own.
Harry must convince Flynn to follow him into the heady world of a killer. But with the law closing in and a rival at large, he starts to feel the familiar pull of old urges…
Thriller [Thomas & Mercer, On Sale: June 1, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781662529597 / ]
The son of two librarians, Mark Stevens was raised in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and has worked as a reporter, as a national television news producer, and in public relations. The Fireballer (Lake Union, 2023) was named Best Baseball Novel by Twin Bill literary magazine and named a Best Baseball Book of the Year by Spitball Magazine. His novel Antler Dust was a Denver Post bestseller in 2007 and 2009. Buried by the Roan, Trapline, and Lake of Fire were all finalists for the Colorado Book Award (2012, 2015, and 2016, respectively), which Trapline won. Trapline also won the Colorado Authors League Award for Best Genre Fiction.
Stevens’s short stories have been published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, and Denver Noir (Akashic Books). In both 2016 and 2023, Stevens was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year. He hosts a regular podcast for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and has served as president of the Rocky Mountain chapter for Mystery Writers of America.
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