Secret Identity

I might have enjoyed this book more if I had been really interested in comics and graphic novels. I felt that the details and dropping of well-known comic characters names, writers, and artists was overdone. Carmen was not a particularly likable character in my opinion. I don’t quite know why, but I never warmed up to her. All the mystery cloaking her affair with Katherine was irrelevant as was her strange relationship with her parents. I understand that her “coming out” was difficult for them and from what I gather, they didn’t take it all that well, but we weren’t told what happened. Did they threaten to disown her? Why did she react so negatively toward them, to the point of cutting them out of her life? Her phone call to her father in the end was weird. She refuses all calls from her father and then suddenly wants him back in her life—because she almost died? And why was the detective so interested in Katherine? That was never explained and could only have been a red herring dragged into the story very ineffectively. Her confrontation with the person who had killed her friend and beaten her other friend was crazy. She had back up….yes. BUT where was the back up before she was shot? A little late, in my opinion. She could have been killed. I felt the motivation for the initial murder was insufficient. Why did the murderer need those documents? Revenge yes. But why was he so intent on “getting it back”. Couldn’t he have reconstructed the idea on his own? Maybe I don’t know enough about the comic industry to understand what was so important about those documents.

Purchased brand new hard back book. Received with torn cover that was poorly taped together.

It’s rare that a piece of fiction, whether it be movies, tv, or novels, is told around the world of creating comics like Secret Identity by Alex Segura. Yes, we have an abundance of comic book fiction pieces, but these revolve around the characters in the comics, not those who create them. Secret Identity crosses the boundary between novel and comic in such a perfect way with suspense, action, mystery and intrigue while also dealing with the day-to-day of making comics.Secret Identity: A Magnificent Blend of Creating Comics and MysteryIt’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 brings his expertise in writing comics to Secret Identity by bringing to life the richly unique world of comic book creation. His inside knowledge on making comics is apparent in the pages of Secret Identity. This novel has amazing connections to publishing comics, while also brining complex characters and intricate plot twists to the table. The novel seamlessly blends fiction with the uniqueness of the comic book industry, creating an immersive reading experience.Secret Identity starts off with a bit of a slower pace, but quickly picks up as Carmen delves deeper into the mystery surrounding her. The novel dives deep into comic creation, but is truly about Carmen’s journey as she grapples with issues of identity, ambition, betrayal and loss. The character development adds depth to the narrative allowing us to connect with Carmen on a personal level. It doesn’t hurt that she loves comics.Getting a taste, albeit a fiction and exaggerated taste, of the inner workings of publishing comics is fun in its own right, but adding mystery and intrigue to the story is simply a home run in our books. The mix between mystery/thriller and straight ahead comic book publishing fiction is unique and just up our alley.Telling a story dealing with comic creators, publishers and those who work in the comic industry doesn’t seem to have a broad audience, but am I ever so glad Alex Segura took this risk with Secret Identity. What Segura gives us in the end is a masterfully crafted novel that offers us a glimpse of the world of creating comics while delivering a gripping mystery. Those with a huge love for comics as well as those who have only a basic knowledge on how comics work will enjoy this novel.

Carmen Valdez has come to New York after a disastrous love affair in her hometown of Miami. She has landed a job as a secretary at Triumph Comics, her dream profession. She hopes to eventually work her way up to being a writer as she has been working on a female hero for several years on her own.When a co-worker gets the chance to write something for the boss, Carmen is disappointed it wasn't her. But the co-worker asks her to collaborate with him. Carmen gives him six of her female character's, The Lethal Lynx, scripts only to find that he turns them all in to the boss with no cowriter credit for her, claiming the work as his own. Carmen goes to his apartment to confront him, only to find him lying dead, shot in the head.Who would kill him? When the police don't seem to be making any progress on the case, Carmen starts to investigate herself. Another woman in the comic business is attacked and put in a coma and then Carmen herself is targeted. What is the secret that someone doesn't want to come out?This was an interesting novel apart from the mystery itself, which was great. I enjoyed the setting of New York in the 1960's and 70's and the look into the comic business before the advent of graphic novels. Carmen is gay and her love affairs add another dimension to the story as does the difficulty of being a woman in a man's world before women gained more equality in the work place. I listened to this novel and the narrator was great as Carmen. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

I finished the book. I’m not sure why. The book is laced with perspectives and terms and plot elements completely out of sync with the era in which it is set. And the research around New York landmarks, the comic industry, media of th time and other facets of the time period are incredibly superficial. The plot is contrived. Gave it two stars because I finished it. Won’t read anything else by the author.