Flynn Martin is a TV reporter looking to redeem herself after her involvement in a botched hostage situation on live TV. While she waits for her network to put her on air again, she keeps her eyes and ears on the street, hoping she’ll find something that will save her career. When a young TV reporter Robbie McGrath is found dead in her apartment, all signs point to the notorious PDQ Killer. Only PDQ hasn’t claimed any victims in the past 15 years. And Flynn isn’t completely convinced that this is his work. Harry Kugel, an HR employee with the Colorado Department of Education, knows for a fact that it is not the work of PDQ. That’s because he was PDQ, and he’s since worked hard to reform his ways. But he can’t risk the damage to his legacy, or for the police to come searching for him again. So he reaches out to Flynn to nudge her in the right direction. But even he couldn’t have predicted the events that follow. No Lie Lasts Forever by Mark Stevens is a psychological thriller where two strangers enter a reluctant partnership with very different goals in mind.
Book
Even though Flynn is technically suspended until further notice, she can still ask questions and investigate stories. So when Harry begins leaving cryptic, untraceable messages directing her to find the truth, she is skeptical at first. But then he become bolder in his efforts to get her attention. Even breaking into her home and leaving clues. So she has no choice but to take his instructions more seriously. She’s also investigating Robbie’s last movements, wondering if her latest story made her a target.
Meanwhile, Harry becomes more and more frustrated with Flynn’s lack of progress and failure to follow his explicit instructions. He becomes more unhinged and feels the pull of his old desires. Only he’s losing his touch. And in his attempts to threaten Flynn and her loved ones, he makes some mistakes that threaten his decades-long anonymity.
Review
Stevens returns to thriller with No Lie Lasts Forever. The concept of a former serial killer working with a disgraced TV reporter to protect his reputation is interesting. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and trying to see how all of the clues and circumstances fit together. However, the pacing was rather slow for a suspense novel, and there was a lot of filler within the plot. The book also has almost too many characters. If I weren’t taking notes along the way, I would have lost track. Plus, the plot was predictable from the get go. I could see where it was going by 15% of the way through. Even so, the last 50 pages are where the action gets good, leading up to a satisfying ending.
Mark Stevens returns to the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about writing thriller novels and plans for the future. Keep an ear out for the interview and preorder No Lie Lasts Forever, available June 1.
