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No Lie Lasts Forever by Mark Stevens | GSMC Book Review Podcast

·52 min·3 clips

Mark Stevens says his novel centers on "a retired serial killer" hiding in plain sight.

1. GSMC Book Review Podcast speaks with Mark Stevens about No Lie Lasts Forever, a crime thriller centered on a retired serial killer and a television reporter. 2. Host Sarah introduces Mark Stevens as the author and explains that the episode is an author interview for the GSMC Podcast Network. 3. The episode asks how No Lie Lasts Forever grew from a 24-year-old idea into a published novel with Harry Kugel and Flynn Martin. 4. Stevens says Harry is a state department of education bureaucrat who once killed three people and now wants to remain hidden in plain sight. 5. Stevens says Flynn Martin is a senior television reporter whose career is damaged after a hostage situation at a convenience store. 6. Stevens describes the book as a mutual-redeption setup, with Harry helping Flynn get information and Flynn helping Harry protect his reputation. 7. Stevens says the case starts when a new murder looks exactly like Harry's earlier killings. 8. Stevens says Flynn is skeptical when Harry first contacts her and treats the messages as anonymous troublemaking. 9. Stevens says the editor wanted the book updated for 2020s television reporting, including phone-based live shots and backpack rigs. 10. Stevens says he worked with Denver television reporter Kelly Werthmann to check newsroom routines, field reporting, and editing. 11. Stevens says he grew up outside Boston with two librarian parents and knew from middle school that he wanted to be a reporter. 12. Stevens says he spent about 19 years in journalism before moving into school district communications for Denver Public Schools and the Colorado State Department of Education. 13. Stevens says the original idea arrived suddenly while he was driving near Denver and he wrote a full novel about it 24 or 25 years ago. 14. Stevens says the manuscript sat through several agents, a five-book Allison Coyle mystery series, The Fireballer, and another novel set in rock and roll. 15. Stevens says the book eventually sold after his agent sent it out again under a different title in March 2024. 16. Stevens says Flynn's determination helps her chase facts, but her laser focus can also be a weakness. 17. Stevens describes the episode's tone as conversational, reflective, and detailed, with Sarah asking follow-up questions about plot, revision, and craft. 18. Stevens talks in a measured, explanatory style and gives long answers about process, career shifts, and character construction. 19. Readers who like crime fiction, journalism stories, and dual-perspective thrillers will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a short promo-style chat with no craft discussion may skip it.

As heard by us

Crime fiction with a reporter's point of view and enough reporting-world detail to keep the stakes grounded.

The piece stays with Flynn's reporter instincts more than with plot mechanics. Sarah and Mark Stevens talk through how No Lie Lasts Forever grows out of skepticism, the habit of following one fact to the next, and the risk that comes when Harry Kugel first makes contact.

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Why you'd press play

If you like an author interview about a reporter under pressure, this one stays close to the facts.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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