★ 01/10/2022
Set in 1975, this outstanding novel from Anthony Award winner Segura (the Pete Fernandez series) stars Carmen Valdez, an obsessive comic book fan since her childhood in Miami, Fla., who now lives in New York City and works on the periphery of her dream as an assistant at Triumph Comics, an afterthought in the then flailing comics industry dominated by Marvel and DC. When Triumph junior editor Harvey Stern approaches the creatively gifted Carmen to help him pitch a new series, it’s the opportunity to finally see one of her ideas come to life. Carmen agrees to Harvey’s request that she ghostwrite until he can leverage her involvement. They create the company’s first female superhero, the Lethal Lynx, who’s an immediate hit, though Harvey’s erratic behavior and the sudden arrival of an old flame from Miami complicate matters. When Harvey is murdered before he publicly acknowledges Carmen’s role, she’s forced to look for answers as she seeks to prevent someone else from transforming the Lethal Lynx into something soulless. Carmen navigates the shifting loyalties within the industry with aplomb. Segura’s infectious passion for superheroes shines in this page-turning mix of murder mystery and coming-of-age story. Agent: Josh Getzler, HG Literary. (Mar.)
"A unique fusion of noir and comic books set against the gritty backdrop of 1970s New York, Secret Identity is the kind of page-turner I know I'll binge-read." —Zakiya Dalila Harris
"Segura’s book works on so many levels, it’s almost hard to keep track—as a love letter to comic books, it’s as powerful as anything since Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000). And as a thriller, it’s smart, perfectly paced, and wonderfully atmospheric—Segura captures the intense, grimy milieu of 1970s New York with aplomb. You don’t have to be a comics fan to love this novel; it’s a masterful book filled with real heart and soul. A triumph."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"Darkest noir meets the vibrant world of comics in the hands of Segura... His reverence for the medium comes across vividly here.... A superlative one-of-a-kind novel." —Booklist
"Outstanding... Segura’s infectious passion for superheroes shines in this page-turning mix of murder mystery and coming-of-age story." —Publishers Weekly
“Segura's fond affection for comic books comes through in this mashup of pulpy murder mysteries and 1970s dingy New York streets.” —Silvia Moreno-Garcia, New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic
“Alex Segura is one of the great gentlemen of crime fiction. A calm and measured soul who happens to be a firecracker of a writer. Secret Identity is his best yet—a glowing love letter to Serpico-era NYC and the rock and roll frontier of the American comics industry. This is a writer at the top of his game.” —S. A. Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears
“Just as Chinatown forged the water wars of California into unforgettable noir, Alex Segura’s Secret Identity excavates rarely mined material—the secret history of the comics industry exploiting underpaid, uncredited creators—and transduces it into a genuinely poignant thriller that pulsates with the lonely claustrophobia and third-rail delirium of city life.” —Sean Howe, author of Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
“Secret Identity is astonishingly entertaining. Electric prose, breathless pacing, and Sandy Jarrell’s stunning art make for a roof-top leaping read you won’t soon forget. As a comic vigilante fights for justice in a heartless city, her talented creator finds herself the target of men keen to cash in on her talent no matter the cost. The resulting dual narrative is beautifully spun and relentlessly gripping, reminding us that heroes and villains do exist—and we’re all quite capable of being both.” —PJ Vernon, acclaimed author of Bath Haus
“With Secret Identity, Alex Segura perfectly recreates the 1970s comics industry, while at the same time creating a unique new character in the center of that world, and giving her a murder to solve as she struggles with the sexism of her times. This book was a page-turner in the best ways, but the characters and their lives felt so real that I found myself wishing it would continue even past the mystery. A truly special noir book.” —Ed Brubaker, Eisner-winning writer of Criminal and Winter Soldier
“Taut, fast-paced and wildly entertaining, Secret Identity merges classic noir with the three-color world of superhero comics in a way that will delight fans of both.” —G. Willow Wilson, author of The Bird King and Alif the Unseen and co-creator of Ms. Marvel
“Comic books, murder, and that knife of noir that Alex Segura wields like a surgeon. Secret Identity is a new and beautiful exploration of genre, revealing the darkest depths of our true selves. This isn’t a book, it’s a full, daring experience.” —Brad Meltzer, bestselling author of The Lightning Rod
“A cleverly-plotted mystery meets the vibrant setting of the 1970s New York comics scene in Secret Identity. Alex Segura’s new novel explores the masks people wear in exquisite detail, and I loved everything about it.” —Kristen Lepionka, Shamus and Goldie Award-winning author of the Roxane Weary mystery series
03/11/2022
This novel from comics creator and author Segura ("Pete Fernandez" mysteries) works on many levels: it's a coming-of-age story, a murder mystery, a paean to comic books, and a snapshot of bygone times. In 1975, young Carmen Valdez, an avid reader of comics from way back, flees family drama and a romance gone wrong in Miami. She heads to New York, when the city and the comics industry are both struggling. Dreaming of writing a series herself, she gets a job as secretary to the boss at Triumph Comics, a third-tier comics publisher. Her dreams are thwarted by sexist coworkers and her boss; nobody will give her a chance as a writer. Then her coworker Harvey suggests that they cowrite a new character and reveal her involvement to the world once it's published. But Harvey starts acting strangely and then he's murdered. The character they cocreated, the Lethal Lynx, is the first female superhero and while it's a big hit, Carmen's name isn't on the page. She must find a way to get the credit she deserves and find Harvey's killer, but she also has to deal with a dogged detective, quirky and shady characters, and her Miami troubles following her to the Big Apple. VERDICT For fans of graphic novels (this book includes panels from the protagonists' "Lethal Lynx" comics) and heroine journey stories.—Liz French
Aida Reluzco beautifully narrates the story of a woman who is trying to become a comic-book writer in 1975. Reluzco voices the frustration of Carmen Valdez as she tries to break into the white, male-dominated industry. She gets tantalizingly close when she becomes the office manager of a struggling third-tier comics company. In those days, the only thing more rare than a female comic-book writer was a Cuban, lesbian comic-book writer. Her life is filled with turmoil when she finally ghostwrites a hit character, the Lynx, and her coauthor is murdered. One criticism is Reluzco's pronunciation of "Carmen," which is noticeably inconsistent. But, overall, the audiobook paints a vivid picture of the 1975 comics world at a time when DC and Marvel fight for domination. M.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Aida Reluzco beautifully narrates the story of a woman who is trying to become a comic-book writer in 1975. Reluzco voices the frustration of Carmen Valdez as she tries to break into the white, male-dominated industry. She gets tantalizingly close when she becomes the office manager of a struggling third-tier comics company. In those days, the only thing more rare than a female comic-book writer was a Cuban, lesbian comic-book writer. Her life is filled with turmoil when she finally ghostwrites a hit character, the Lynx, and her coauthor is murdered. One criticism is Reluzco's pronunciation of "Carmen," which is noticeably inconsistent. But, overall, the audiobook paints a vivid picture of the 1975 comics world at a time when DC and Marvel fight for domination. M.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
★ 2022-01-12
A secretary at a comic book company tries to track down a co-worker's killer in this taut thriller.
For nearly as long as she can remember, Carmen Valdez has loved comic books. The superhero stories sustained her during her rough childhood in Miami—they were “an intangible thing that got her through her own day-to-day.” When she moves to New York in 1975 and finds a job at Triumph Comics, she sees a chance to get her big break in the industry, but it doesn’t turn out well—her co-workers turn out to be “a squad of over-the-hill assholes,” and her boss has no interest in letting her try her hand at a writing gig. When a writer named Harvey Stern approaches her to collaborate with him on a project, unbeknownst to their boss, she warily accepts; they come up with an idea they think will surely be a hit. And it is, but Harvey is murdered, and Carmen finds out that he failed to credit her for her work before his bloody demise. So she sets out to track down his killer, all the while trying to figure out how to be recognized for her work by her oblivious, sexist boss. Meanwhile, she’s forced to deal with the sudden reappearance of her ex-lover, who’s shown up in New York under mysterious circumstances. Segura’s book works on so many levels, it’s almost hard to keep track—as a love letter to comic books, it’s as powerful as anything since Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000). And as a thriller, it’s smart, perfectly paced, and wonderfully atmospheric—Segura captures the intense, grimy milieu of 1970s New York with aplomb. You don’t have to be a comics fan to love this novel; it’s a masterful book filled with real heart and soul.
A triumph.
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