Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Flatiron Books (2022), 368 pages
Description
"From Anthony Award-winning writer Alex Segura comes Secret Identity, a rollicking literary mystery set in the world of comic books. It's 1975 and the comic book industry is struggling, but Carmen Valdez doesn't care. She's an assistant at Triumph Comics, which doesn't have the creative zeal of Marvel nor the buttoned-up efficiency of DC, but it doesn't matter. Carmen is tantalizingly close to fulfilling her dream of writing a superhero book. That dream is nearly a reality when one of the Triumph writers enlists her help to create a new character, which they call "The Lethal Lynx," Triumph's first female hero. But her colleague is acting strangely and asking to keep her involvement a secret. And then he's found dead, with all of their scripts turned into the publisher without her name. Carmen is desperate to piece together what happened to him, to hang on to her piece of the Lynx, which turns out to be a runaway hit. But that's complicated by a surprise visitor from her home in Miami, a tenacious cop who is piecing everything together too quickly for Carmen, and the tangled web of secrets and resentments among the passionate eccentrics who write comics for a living. Alex Segura uses his expertise as a comics creator as well as his unabashed love of noir fiction to create a truly one-of-a-kind novel--hard-edged and bright-eyed, gritty and dangerous, and utterly absorbing"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member tapestry100
When I first heard about @alexsegurajr’s SECRET IDENTITY, a noir murder mystery set in the world of 1970s comic book publishers, I knew right off I wanted to read it. What I wasn’t expecting was in addition to the murder mystery, Segura also delivers a story dealing with the hyper-sexist world
What’s already a great story is improved on with interspersed pages of the comic Carmen helped create. These glimpses into what The Legendary Lynx comics would have looked like just add more of a real-world feel to the story, which is already sprinkled throughout with the names of actual comics greats from the time.
As a lifelong comic book fan myself, I really enjoyed the setting for SECRET IDENTITY, and I wish I could actually read The Legendary Lynx. The murder mystery is well-paced, the characters are all fleshed out and feel real, the writing creates the dirty feel of NYC in the 70s… this is just a great book overall. SECRET IDENTITY by Alex Segura will hit shelves March 15, 2022.
A huge thanks to @flatiron_books and @goodreads for the advanced copy of SECRET IDENTITY in exchange for an honest review.
Show More
of comic books in the 70s (which is still prevalent today, unfortunately), as seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Carmen Valdez, who desperately wants to break into the comics business as a writer, but being a woman means that is almost impossible for her. When she is finally presented the opportunity to help create a female hero for the company where she works as a secretary, she thinks she’s found her chance. However, when she’s convinced by her partner, Harvey, to keep her part in the Legendary Lynx’s creation a secret and Harvey is subsequently murdered, Carmen must find out what happened to Harvey if she’s ever going to be able to prove she is really the brains behind the Lynx.What’s already a great story is improved on with interspersed pages of the comic Carmen helped create. These glimpses into what The Legendary Lynx comics would have looked like just add more of a real-world feel to the story, which is already sprinkled throughout with the names of actual comics greats from the time.
As a lifelong comic book fan myself, I really enjoyed the setting for SECRET IDENTITY, and I wish I could actually read The Legendary Lynx. The murder mystery is well-paced, the characters are all fleshed out and feel real, the writing creates the dirty feel of NYC in the 70s… this is just a great book overall. SECRET IDENTITY by Alex Segura will hit shelves March 15, 2022.
A huge thanks to @flatiron_books and @goodreads for the advanced copy of SECRET IDENTITY in exchange for an honest review.
Show Less
LibraryThing member muddyboy
A book centered in the dark cutthroat world in the comic book industry, The main character, Carman Valdez, is trying to break into the industry that is totally dominated by men. Eventually a man she is working with is murdered and the book evolves into a mystery about who killled her colleage.
Show More
Putting her life on the line she struggles with getting credit for a comic she developed (Lynx) along with solving her friend's murder. I liked the book. It is easy to read and entertaing. Show Less
LibraryThing member SESchend
Want a good mystery that happens to be set in 1970s NYC and among the Bronze Age of comics creation? Great read for fans of either!
LibraryThing member gothamajp
I enjoy Segura’s comics work and was looking forward to his entry into the thrillers-set-in-the-comics-industry sub-genre.
Unfortunately it didn’t really work. Set in the New York of 1975 it promised a noir-vibe but didn’t deliver. The central mystery wasn’t that mysterious and the
My main problem was that I really didn’t care about any of the characters or what happened to them, and I’m still unsure of motivations of some of the key players.
On the comics front the constant name dropping of comics industry people was distracting and threw me out of the fictional world building.
I’m not sure including sample pages from the comic that was central to the plot was a good idea. They looked like a cheap mid-90s indie comic rather than the ground-breaking art described in the text. - I think the book would have been improved by leaving more to the reader’s imagination. Maybe it works better for someone not as familiar with comics history.
Unfortunately it didn’t really work. Set in the New York of 1975 it promised a noir-vibe but didn’t deliver. The central mystery wasn’t that mysterious and the
Show More
protagonist took way to long to do anything proactive.My main problem was that I really didn’t care about any of the characters or what happened to them, and I’m still unsure of motivations of some of the key players.
On the comics front the constant name dropping of comics industry people was distracting and threw me out of the fictional world building.
I’m not sure including sample pages from the comic that was central to the plot was a good idea. They looked like a cheap mid-90s indie comic rather than the ground-breaking art described in the text. - I think the book would have been improved by leaving more to the reader’s imagination. Maybe it works better for someone not as familiar with comics history.
Show Less
LibraryThing member GeauxGetLit
Sometimes it’s hard to rate a book that is completely out of your norm. I have never been a fan of Superheroes nor comic books. I was delighted to give this book an opportunity though, because of personal growth and ability to relate to many of my children who enjoy mixed media.
This wasn’t an
I will say that Alex Segura’s overall writing was excellent and the overall plot was intriguing enough to make me want to continue.
I will recommend this one to all comic book fans alike and especially for my own who only want to read comics…this is a perfect way to get them to read an actual book also.
Thank you NetGalley and FlatIron Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my gifted copy.
This wasn’t an
Show More
easy read for me and it did take me a few weeks to get through. That is only because of being easily distracted by the “comic” aspects of the book. I will say that Alex Segura’s overall writing was excellent and the overall plot was intriguing enough to make me want to continue.
I will recommend this one to all comic book fans alike and especially for my own who only want to read comics…this is a perfect way to get them to read an actual book also.
Thank you NetGalley and FlatIron Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my gifted copy.
Show Less
LibraryThing member whitreidtan
My husband and sons are huge comics geeks. I am not. But somehow I came across this title and thought it would be perfect as a Christmas gift. In fact, I've apparently thought it would be perfect for my husband two Christmases in a row. As I came into the house this year, pleased as punch with my
Carmen Valdez grew up in Miami, loving comics. When she moves to New York City in 1975, she takes a job with Triumph Comics, a publisher several steps below Marvel and DC. She's the publisher/owner's assistant but what she'd really like to do is to write comics. But the industry, which seems to be fading out, is not welcoming to women and their perspectives. She is frustrated but she continues to try and break into writing despite her boss's constant dismissal of her scripts. So when Harvey, a mediocre writer at Triumph, comes to her and tells her he wants her help writing a script, she agrees despite knowing she can't admit to her involvement with the book, if it even gets published. Carmen and Harvey, but mainly Carmen, create a female superhero named Claudia Calla, the Lynx. After Harvey turns the six scripts in without Carmen's name on them, he is murdered. So now Carmen needs to figure out how to reclaim her character, who turns out to be a runaway hit, who killed Harvey, and if she's now in danger too.
Segura obviously knows the comics industry and its history and he deftly weaves them into a story about much more than comics. Carmen is dealing with the misogyny of her chosen industry, the homophobia of the age, and the gritty reality of living in 1970s New York City. Her feelings about Harvey (he's a friend, he's a jerk, he's a friend, he's only a co-worker acquaintance, he's a friend, he's a double crosser, he's a friend, etc.) are completely inconsistent and change page to page depending on which feeling drives the story better. There are also several plot threads that come to great prominence and then just peter out. Illustrated pages from Lynx's comic book were sprinkled throughout the story but were distracting, not having enough connection to the plot of the story to make them valuable to the story, especially for a non-comic reader like me. I do think that my husband and the son who will be getting this pre-read copy for Christmas this year will enjoy the book more than I did.
Show More
discovery, I glanced down at his bookshelves, only to see this same book already there. I hid this year's copy and asked him about it. He said he has not yet read it but was looking forward to it. Crestfallen (and now needing another gift for my husband), I decided to read it myself so I could best determine which of my sons was getting the duplicate gift. This was completely out of my wheelhouse and I didn't have the insider comics knowledge or interest that I suspect elevates this novel.Carmen Valdez grew up in Miami, loving comics. When she moves to New York City in 1975, she takes a job with Triumph Comics, a publisher several steps below Marvel and DC. She's the publisher/owner's assistant but what she'd really like to do is to write comics. But the industry, which seems to be fading out, is not welcoming to women and their perspectives. She is frustrated but she continues to try and break into writing despite her boss's constant dismissal of her scripts. So when Harvey, a mediocre writer at Triumph, comes to her and tells her he wants her help writing a script, she agrees despite knowing she can't admit to her involvement with the book, if it even gets published. Carmen and Harvey, but mainly Carmen, create a female superhero named Claudia Calla, the Lynx. After Harvey turns the six scripts in without Carmen's name on them, he is murdered. So now Carmen needs to figure out how to reclaim her character, who turns out to be a runaway hit, who killed Harvey, and if she's now in danger too.
Segura obviously knows the comics industry and its history and he deftly weaves them into a story about much more than comics. Carmen is dealing with the misogyny of her chosen industry, the homophobia of the age, and the gritty reality of living in 1970s New York City. Her feelings about Harvey (he's a friend, he's a jerk, he's a friend, he's only a co-worker acquaintance, he's a friend, he's a double crosser, he's a friend, etc.) are completely inconsistent and change page to page depending on which feeling drives the story better. There are also several plot threads that come to great prominence and then just peter out. Illustrated pages from Lynx's comic book were sprinkled throughout the story but were distracting, not having enough connection to the plot of the story to make them valuable to the story, especially for a non-comic reader like me. I do think that my husband and the son who will be getting this pre-read copy for Christmas this year will enjoy the book more than I did.
Show Less
LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
Alex Segura’s Secret Identity: A Novel follows Carmen Valdez, an assistant at a minor comic book company in 1975 New York City. Growing up in Miami, she loved comic books and has fond memories of sharing them with her father as a little girl. She finally made it to the industry, but the company
One night, her coworker comes to her asking to partner on creating a new book. It’s the opportunity Carmen has been waiting for, if not perfect, and she sketches out the major points of a character somewhat inspired by her own life. Just as their character is ready to go to print, Carmen finds her friend murdered.
She begins retracing what happened to him and where he went, learning about a seedy underbelly of third-tier comic publishers and slowly discovering people’s secrets as she begins to act more like her character. Complicating matters are ghosts from her own past catching up to her in New York and clouding her instincts.
Segura crafts a solid noir story while fully immersing the reader in the comic book market of the mid-70s, with the clash between those who wanted to elevate the art form and others who viewed it as a way to make a quick buck on something ephemeral. Elements of the story and the world Segura created with fictional publisher Triumph resemble Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, if only in his success in integrating his fictional world into actual history. The rest is pure Segura, with a solid mystery that draws the reader in until they can’t put the book down. Great for comic book fans, but welcoming to newcomers as well.
Show More
is struggling and her boss won’t entertain her pitches.One night, her coworker comes to her asking to partner on creating a new book. It’s the opportunity Carmen has been waiting for, if not perfect, and she sketches out the major points of a character somewhat inspired by her own life. Just as their character is ready to go to print, Carmen finds her friend murdered.
She begins retracing what happened to him and where he went, learning about a seedy underbelly of third-tier comic publishers and slowly discovering people’s secrets as she begins to act more like her character. Complicating matters are ghosts from her own past catching up to her in New York and clouding her instincts.
Segura crafts a solid noir story while fully immersing the reader in the comic book market of the mid-70s, with the clash between those who wanted to elevate the art form and others who viewed it as a way to make a quick buck on something ephemeral. Elements of the story and the world Segura created with fictional publisher Triumph resemble Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, if only in his success in integrating his fictional world into actual history. The rest is pure Segura, with a solid mystery that draws the reader in until they can’t put the book down. Great for comic book fans, but welcoming to newcomers as well.
Show Less
Awards
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — Mystery/Thriller — 2022)
Anthony Award (Nominee — Novel — 2023)
Macavity Award (Nominee — 2023)
Lefty Award (Nominee — 2023)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
368 p.; 9.45 inches
ISBN
1250801745 / 9781250801746