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Sometimes the people we trust most are hiding the darkest secrets. Lies to Forever by Marlene M. Bell is the kind of suspense-filled story that slowly pulls readers into a web of deception, emotional tension, and mystery. From the very beginning, there’s an unsettling feeling that not everything is as it seems, and that’s exactly what keeps the pages turning. If you enjoy stories filled with twists, secrets, and characters forced to face difficult truths, this book definitely gives readers plenty to unravel.
About Lies to Forever Book
First they stole her trust. Now they want her life.
April Manning’s generous nature has always been a gift, and her greatest weakness. After being conned out of her life savings she’s left with an eviction notice and one last hope: reclaiming her old job at an architectural firm, even if it forces a showdown with head architect Hunter Ellis, her cheating ex-boyfriend.
There’s only one small hitch. The owner of the firm is dead, and the last thing April expects to find is the bloody murder weapon on her doorstep.
As the killer runs free, disturbing reminders arise from April’s troubled childhood, and suspicion flares at every turn…from the mysterious new handyman, to an estranged family member she’s tried to forget. Only one thing is certain. Death is stalking April, and she must unmask the killer before they land the fatal blow.
Book Details:
Book Title: Lies To Forever by Marlene M. Bell
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 316 pages
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Release date: March 2026
Content Rating: PG because: There are a couple of references such as “hell” or “damn” in the dialog. No sex. Mild attraction. Mild description of dead bodies. Not too graphic. No strong language.
Meet the Author:
Marlene M. Bell shares many traits with the bold protagonists she writes. Her Annalisse series stars a New York antiquities appraiser who chases dangerous criminals in far-flung locales. The series has won eight international literary awards and an avid fan base around the world. When Marlene’s not busy plotting her next novel, she’s exploring her wooded Texas ranch with camera in hand and thirty sheep faithfully in tow. As an accomplished painter and nature photographer, she’s always hunting for the next spark of inspiration – or the next adventure calling her name.
Visit her online: website ~ Facebook ~ X~ Instagram ~ Goodreads
Marlene M. Bell Author of Lies to Forever Interview:
At what point did you decide to be an author, and what was your path to publication?
Writing books was never on my radar. This venture began when our 4H club asked me to write a book on how to raise sheep. Once I wrote the book, I found it enjoyable and decided to try writing fiction. The publication path was difficult and spanned almost ten years to publish my first series book. There is a huge learning curve to becoming an author and honing skills to keep readers wanting more. My experience took the most time researching different genres and knowing what readers expect in each one.
What do you do when a new idea jumps out at you while you’re still working on a book? Do you chase it or do you finish your current project first?
I use an index card system to outline each book. When I’m in the middle of a work-in-progress and an idea strikes me as a good point for a future series book, I take notes on a 4 x 6 card or jot it down in the journal I keep with me always. Staying with the current work keeps the flow and focus on a single story, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking ahead.
Who is your favorite character to write, and why is that person your favorite?
Villains are the preferred characters because I’m able to put crazy thoughts in their minds and actually allow them to follow through on plots to subdue my main characters. On the good guy’s side, I like my series private detective, Bill Drake because he’s the peacemaker between Anna and Alec’s relationship issues. He’s a good friend and good listener able to keep his wits and emotions out of their way.
What are some books or authors that you would recommend to our readers?
What I like in a novel or author might not be for everyone. Lately, I’ve switched beyond reading the mystery genres so much (because I write mostly mystery,) and venture more into thrillers these days. Frieda McFadden books are addictive in their own creepy way. I also enjoy reading police procedurals from lesser-known authors who work with my developmental editor. When one of her authors publishes a new book, I typically buy it if it fits the genres I read. Authors such as: Louise Penny, Karen Rose, and many others have come to my rescue when I’ve had trouble finding my words in a new book I’m writing. Reading is the only way forward to writing well.
Tell us what you enjoy most about writing mysteries.
Stumping the reader with the use of red herrings and having nearly all characters capable of committing the atrocity on a victim. It makes me smile to hear from a reader who reviews a book and mentions how they were surprised or even shocked at the final outcome. Book four in the Annalisse series, COPPER WATERS, is like that. I’ve yet to hear anyone say they had the killer figured out for that one. Avid mystery fans like to be surprised. It can be a letdown if the reveal comes to soon.
What have you found to be most challenging about writing in mystery and suspense?
Most of my novels have both elements. An ongoing relationship and murder will find its way into most all stories. The hardest part for me is staying within my genres. It’s not unusual to find thriller scenes sneak their way into my books due to the depravity of the villains. I have to rein myself in at times because my imagination tends to go in places it need not go in that single installment.
Have you been able to incorporate your previous experience in your jobs/education in your writing?
Yes. A HUSH AT MIDNIGHT ventures into one of my old employment haunts. My first job fell in my lap as a counter receptionist at a city-county airport. I was 18 at the time. Handing out keys for rental aircraft to young men, (mostly) who were learning how to fly light aircraft. Not a bad job for a single girl fresh out of high school! Except for being propositioned there by married men, the airport was a great place to work.
The victim in HUSH is an elderly ex-WWII female ferry pilot with a colorful history. In the story, I dropped a little of the flying expertise I picked up at the flying service. My sheep raising experiences also came in handy in COPPER WATERS and the travel to a New Zealand sheep station. My own background seems to bubble up in most of my novels. The children’s book, included.
Do you identify with your main character, or do you create a character that is your opposite?
My main characters are indeed me at times. I write what I know and what feelings I’ve had over the years. As a teen, I was fifteen going on forty years of age. The teen years were a time to move through and beyond. because it felt more natural to think like an adult.
I tend to believe people are basically honest, but have been fooled many times. My characters are naïve and can fall into this pattern. Annalisse Drury lost her parents and went to live with her aunt, and I moved in with a grandmother who had a difficult time when my grandfather passed and left her alone. “Mutually beneficial” for my grandmother and nurturing for me as well. You’ll read all about that term in A HUSH AT MIDNIGHT.
Is there anything you would like people to take away from LIES TO FOREVER?
We all have a history and uncomfortable memories. Being too trusting a person and giving to a fault without eyes fully open, can make you vulnerable.
Do you have any odd (writing) habits?
I wouldn’t call it odd, but rather a bad habit. Being an excessive editor of my own prose while I’m drafting each novel rears its head in every new book. I’m a perfectionist in all things, and still work at letting small details go in my manuscripts.
What has been the toughest criticism you have received as an author? What has been the best compliment?
The toughest criticism is a review such as: “I stopped reading beyond the first several pages. DNF.” (Short for Did Not Finish.) In those cases, my writing struggled to keep the reader’s interest and they couldn’t be bothered. I’ve been told that I have a short and punchy writing style in some editorial reviews. If readers prefer slow rolling, British-style historical mysteries, as an example, I completely understand that my style might not be a good fit. We each have our own way of telling/showing a story.
The best compliments are statements that evokes a strong emotion. I never tire of hearing, “I kept turning the pages and stayed up all night to finish it.” Thankfully, I hear this more often than criticisms.
Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?
The biggest point I’d make to aspiring authors is to read, read, read, before taking the plunge as a writer. Secondly, I would recommend studying all of the genres (if fiction is where you want to be,) and understand that each genre has its own set of rules and pitfalls. Some writing rules are tabu to be broken by new authors. Bestselling authors are a different story because they’ve acquired a reader following waiting for their next book. Non-fiction is totally different than fiction. This genre also has its own rules. Learn them if that is where you want to go as an author.
In my own writing journey, I stayed away from reading other works of fiction for fear of plagiarizing and inadvertently stealing from other writers. In practice, that doesn’t happen if you allow your own imagination to take over and use other authors to unlock your skills. Not reading anything for the first few years hurt my writing progress terribly. How could I know what readers expected if I wasn’t reading what others were saying in print?
What is your favorite line from your book?
I carefully craft first lines in the opening chapter. In my opinion, that single sentence should set the tone for the rest of the book. This is the opening line from LIES TO FOREVER:
“I WAS EVICTED twenty minutes ago.” This line sets the scene and April’s angst while she stands in the elevator to her old boss’s office—dreading what’s to come if she isn’t hired back as an interior designer.
To date, what is your favorite (or most difficult) chapter you have ever written?
Without question, the most difficult chapter would be the yacht scene on the Aegean Sea in the first Annalisse book, STOLEN OBSESSION. I lost track of how many times that chapter was rewritten to capture the action properly. Marauding men approach in another boat and try to steal the vessel my main characters and his family are sailing. I won’t give away the scene, but I wanted to portray it accurately and put the reader on board experiencing the same horrors the family had to endure. How many movements and thoughts were too much or too little? Did Annalisse have enough time to go over things in her head with detail when violence happened so quickly? Action scenes with conflict are the most challenging.
What is your take on book boyfriends? Do they actually exist? Or do they set the bar for “real-life men” impossibly high?
Yes, and yes! Using the OUTLANDER book series as an example, the writer did an incredible job of portraying Jaime, the handsome and caring Highlander, as a man who would make most of us swoon dead away. In real life, I doubt that an old-fashioned man like him would exist in the modern era, but we can all dream. The hard part for writers is making their leading man fit in the, “Whoa! He’s to die for,” mold and still have the character believable. I catch myself watching old movies and commenting how that would never happen in real life. Fiction authors have to be careful not to make the leading guy too perfect or too gorgeous. At the same time, we want the reader to be swept away by the possibilities that a guy like him could exist.
Have you ever experienced writer’s block? How did you deal with it?
Thankfully, it’s not an issue. If words sound rusty, the solution I use is reading another novel by a good author. Having my trusty outline cards by the keyboard keeps me out of trouble in the writer’s block department. Some scenes are written extensively on the cards so I can’t stumble at the keyboard. It helps.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
My husband and I have raised various sheep breeds for the past 44 years. I’m also an artist and photographer who loves to take pictures of our woods and beautiful landscape. LIES TO FOREVER takes place in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains in winter. I’ve been able to incorporate my own pictures for description in the book. If I get tired of sitting behind my desk, I like to walk outside and sit in a pen of lambs to take my mind to a kinder, gentler place.
Thank you for having me for our little talk with your readers.
My Book Review of Lies to Forever
Lies to Forever by Marlene M. Bell was a book I couldn’t wait to dive into once I received my advanced reader copy. From the description alone, I expected a fast-paced suspense story filled with twists, danger, and the kind of mystery that keeps you flying through the pages late into the night. The overall concept behind the story absolutely delivers on that potential because the storyline itself is strong, emotional, and honestly unsettling at times.
If I hadn’t personally lived through years of being stalked and harassed myself, I probably would have struggled to believe some of the situations April experiences in this story were even possible. But because of my own past, this book hit differently for me. It made the fear, anxiety, and emotional toll feel far more believable and personal. I found myself needing to know how things would ultimately turn out for April and whether she would finally find peace by the end.
That said, while the story itself was compelling, the pacing didn’t always keep me fully locked in the way I expected. And honestly, that surprised me because the premise is incredibly solid. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but at times it felt like there were either too many details slowing the momentum down or not enough depth in certain moments to keep the suspense consistently building. Because of that, I wasn’t able to completely devour the book the way I originally anticipated.
Even so, I still recommend this book to readers who enjoy mystery and murder-style suspense novels. The emotional tension, stalking elements, and mystery surrounding the story definitely make it memorable. Judging by many of the other reviews during this book tour, most readers also seemed to rate it highly, with many giving it between four and five stars.
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Enter the Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of Lies to Forever, Marlene M. Bell is hosting a special giveaway filled with fun prizes for readers, including a $100 Amazon gift card. Click the image below to visit the giveaway page and enter.
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