When Colorado author Mark Stevens finished “No Lie Lasts Forever,” he figured he’d written a stand-alone mystery. His editor thought otherwise, and demanded a sequel. That could make some of Stevens’ fans squeamish, because they thought the serial killer known as PDQ, Harry Kugel, who terrified them in the first book, was safely locked up in Super Max.
Kugel’s reappearance is pretty terrifying for reporter Flynn Martin, too. She’d risked her life to find the mysterious Denver killer, who had murdered three people, then disappeared for 15 years, before she outed him.
“Two Truths and a Lie” opens with a judge sentencing Harry to three consecutive life terms. Flynn ought to feel safe, but as he leaves the courtroom, Harry whispers to her, “This is not over. No way. No how.”
And of course, it isn’t. Almost immediately, Flynn begins receiving threatening notes. One is left in her son Wyatt’s backpack at school. Flynn is convinced Harry is behind the threats. So she visits him in Cañon City, forcing a confrontation that leaves her shaken and more convinced than ever that Harry is exacting his revenge. She’s terrified that her son is also in danger. But how can he do it when he’s locked up?
Meanwhile, Flynn has a job to do. Her career as a television reporter, which was nearly over after she failed to prevent an on-camera suicide, bounced back after the PDQ killer’s capture and trial. Now she’s a high-profile reporter, assigned to cover the disappearance of the Klines, a family in Arapahoe County. The disappearance comes on the heels of a double murder in Franktown.
There’s no sign of a break-in at the Klines’ house. Nothing’s missing. Packed suitcases, identification and credit cards were left behind, and newspapers were piled up on the porch. A neighbor’s camera caught the Kline car leaving at 4 a.m., but no one has seen or heard from them in days. Flynn covers the disappearance like any other reporter until she finds one of the threatening notes on her car, parked near the house. Flynn can’t help but wonder if there is a frightening connection between the family’s disappearance and PDQ’s vengeance.
Working with her camerawoman Tamica, Flynn discovers that the family were members of New Hope Church, a right-wing evangelical congregation. She gets a tip that all is not well with New Hope’s finances, and the smarmy minister seems to be living beyond his means.
Flynn finds herself immersed in a web of violence that is as dangerous as her search for PDQ. She knows that Harry is involved in the disappearance of the Klines, the Franktown murders as well as that of a woman Flynn interviewed on an unrelated story. She’s left Wyatt with ex-husband Max, a cop, but even Max can’t protect the boy. Nor can Axel, a new boyfriend who first contacted her after the PDQ trial was over.
If you thought “No Lie lasts Forever” was scary, just read “Two Truths and a Lie.” Stevens, who lives in Manassas (and is a former Denver Post reporter), is a versatile writer who started out penning a mystery series with a female sleuth, then switched to “The Fireballer,” a critically acclaimed novel about baseball. “Two Truths and a Lie” is part of a Flynn Martin trilogy; the final one is bound to have Stevens fans checking the locks on their doors.
Two Truths And A Lie
Author: Mark Stevens
Pages: 459
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
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