Mark Stevens
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Buried by the Roan was a 2012 Colorado Book Awards Finalist

REVIEWS:

"As the story unfolds, the question arises: If it's a crime when an individual commits an act that is clearly morally wrong, what does it mean when a corporation does the same thing on a larger scale? To its credit, Buried by the Roan refuses to avoid this uncomfortable question, even as it fulfills its promise as a page-turning summer mystery read."
High Country News

"Robin Cook, a bestselling author of 31 thrillers, famously said that mysteries should be about something beyond the puzzle in the mystery itself. Buried by the Roan has plenty of hot topics to occupy book club (and other) discussions without hitting us over the head with the very real issues at its core." 
Patti Phillips, Nightstand Book Reviews

"Once readers have sampled this Allison Coil novel, they will want more. Good western stories don't grow on trees these days, and Stevens provides real entertainment and food for thought about where the New West is heading." 
Durango Herald

"Buried by the Roan is flat-out terrific. Everything you expect from a first-rate mystery is here: Savvy sleuth Allison Coil, hunting guide on-top-of-her-game, gorgeous Colorado mountain setting, gripping story where the pages practically turn themselves, and eloquent writing to boot. If you haven't yet discovered Mark Stevens, this is your opportunity!"
Margaret Coel, author of The Wind River Mystery Series

"Mark Stevens does a few things extremely well. First--he cares about his characters. You can feel his love for them in every sentence. Little nuggets like knowing exactly what brand of jeans Allison Coil loves above all other material possessions (Cruel Girl), his playful, sexy sense of humor as he toys with Allison, dangling the ever so hot and hunky Colin in front of her while frustrating her every attempt to take him to bed. Mark entangles you in the character, life and thoughts of Allison Coil. You want to follow her to the end of the line...It's a winning combination that carried me through the book and left me thankful that I bought Antler Dust this year when I had the chance. It's time to start at the beginning and read more about this kick-ass chick, Allison Coil, and her beloved Roan Valley."
Think Banned Thoughts 

"I couldn't put this book down! Great dramatic writing, fast-pace narrative, and I loved every minute I spent with Allison Coil."
Helen Thorpe, author of Just Like Us and Soldier Girls

"John Grisham and James Patterson have nothing on Mark Stevens, and you won't find a more compelling protagonist than Allison Coil."
Mark Graham, co-author of the The Natanz Incident

"Few male writers would dare to create a tough-minded protagonist like Allison Coil. Mark Stevens has brought this off and intimately succeeded at making her the heart of this tense environmental drama."
Stephen Singular, author of The Wichita Divide

"Mark Stevens deftly leaves clues in our path that we miss at first, then slap our foreheads when we should have picked up on them. My forehead was flat by the time the killer was unveiled in the end. His depiction of the mountainous terrain of Colorado is even better than a tourist brochure, and made me want to visit his mystery's setting. Just as soon as I finished the book."
C.M. Wendelboe, author of Death Along the Spirit Road

"Buried by the Roan weaves a fast-moving tale that is entertaining, topical and eloquently written."
Judith Schwartz, Stapleton Front Porch Newsletter

"The writing is crisp, the plot is intricate, and the description of the scenery takes the reader into the beautiful mountains. Both the level of tension and the weather worsen as the stakes get higher. When Allison is struggling to survive, the reader will shiver even if he or she is sitting on the beach: it is that realistic. The characters are well-defined and three-dimensional...the subject matter couldn't be more timely. If you've wondered what all this frenzy over natural gas and fracking is about, you'll find your answer here. Mr. Stevens has written an excellent mystery, and I look forward to the next volume in the series." 
Over My Dead Body 

"Colorado writer Mark Stevens clearly has an affinity for the leading character in his two mystery novels. That holds true whether you consider that character to be hunting guide Allison Coil or the Flat Tops Wilderness Area where she plies her trade and solves murders on the side....Once again, he's conjured up a suspenseful tale featuring an easy-to-like protagonist and a landscape Stevens clearly knows well, and treasures....For the outdoors-savvy Coil, who can hold her own in the male-dominated world of hunting, contentment comes from being on a horse in these mountains. At times, Stevens all but puts you on the trail with her, sharing her satisfaction at being outside with the aspen and scrub oak for company. Coil is a survivor of a jet crash, and it is in these mountains that she finds mental healing and her place in the world - but not an escape from it. In Stevens' books, society's more sinister forces manage to find her, but also find the tough stuff she's made of - even as she continues to make the same discovery herself."
Grand Junction Sentinel

"Mystery fans can delight in Mark Stevens who has authored Antler Dust and Buried by the Roan. Stevens is a seasoned journalist and public relations pro who has created a Colorado-based crime fiction series featuring Allison Coil, a hunting guide who works in a wilderness area north of Glenwood Springs. Stevens used his know-how to create these two page-turners. Antler Dust opens on the first day of hunting season in the Flat Tops Wilderness area when two hunters are missing. Buried by the Roan begins when a body of a hunter is found on the shore of Oyster Lake deep within the same wilderness. Coil is sharp, and Stevens is a great story teller. Read one, and you'll be hooked. It is highly recommended reading."
 Fort Collins Coloradoan
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