Secret Identity written by Alex Segura is his newest mystery novel. A stand alone novel after bringing his last series to a close.

A mystery that ties the murder of a freelance cartoonist into a controversial money laundering scam between two comic book publishing companies. A young woman, Carmen Valdez, has come to NYC to make her name in the comic book world. Taking a job at Triumph, she gets caught up in the murder of fellow employee and friend. She has come to NY from her Miami home, running away from her personal problems. She finds it is hard to outrun your problems. It is also hard in 1975 to break into the all boy network of comic artists and writers. Fun to read about all the real comic books and the cartoonists who are mentioned in this book.

Though it is fun to read about the industry, I did not find any characters that were developed well enough for me to care about whether they were honest or crooked or innocent or guilty. The plot is just not built up well enough to make the book compelling.

***3.5 Stars***

SECRET IDENTITY melds the fictional world of superheroes with the reality of 1970s New York through a young woman determined to find out the truth about her murdered friend. Segura’s take on a noir mystery is both entertaining and fresh.

As the reader, it became very clear to me the author has a firm grasp of the comic world. From the descriptions of the process to the development of The Lethal Lynx, there is a candidness and realness I enjoyed. And let us not forget the interjections of the actual comic between chapters. This was so smartly conceived and wonderfully crafted. Segura really shines here.

Then, on top of the narrative of Carmen trying to make it in a male-driven industry, there is a murder to which she is directly linked. The whole thing read like a 70s pulp mystery, and I am here for it. The characters, the setting of New York in this era, and the peeling back of the veil of truth by our amateur sleuth make this thriller particularly unique.

I love Alex Segura’s writing. He writes smart, interesting and perfectly imperfect characters incredibly well. Carmen is a great character, I would follow her anywhere. I gained a big appreciation for the world of comic books reading this wonderful book.

A very cool story that was both educational and exciting. I enjoyed it very much. I think the history of women in comics needs more light shined on it.

Comics have been Carmen Valdez's life since she was little. Now, a reporter has tracked her down to find out what the true story behind the mystery of the Lynx. That takes Carmen on a trip down memory lane to 1975 New York City when she was working at Triumph Comics, a struggling company competing with Marvel and DC. For the reader, there is intrigue, office infighting, creative processing, plus murder. Not everyone will get out alive. An interesting dive into a fictional comic company and heroine that rings true to the time.

A 1970s mystery in the comic book industry. A woman helps create a female superhero, but her involvement is kept secret. When her colleague is murdered, she is left wondering what happened, and she has no proof that she created the comic.

Secret Identity is a character driven mystery. Carmen wanted to create comics, and took a questionable offer from a colleague. She created a new comic superhero, but her name wasn’t on it. When her colleague was murdered, Carmen no longer has a connection to the comic.

Noir fiction for comic book fans. Secret Identity is a unique and gritty novel. The characters did not capture my attention as much as I would have liked, but the 1970s New York setting was fantastic.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

From the publisher:
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.

Secret Identity by Alex Segura was published March 22nd, 2022 by Flatiron Books.

My Thoughts:

Carmen, the main character, is interesting. She moved to New York from Florida and got into the comics industry as an administrative assistant. But, she aspires to more. She proves she is a talented writer, but gets none of the credit for her work. And soon the writer that was working with her is found dead. Carmen can't just accept that and move on. She starts her own investigation alongside the police investigation. And she is persistent. Much of the book is a noir style hunt for who is responsible for her coworker 's death.

It's also an interesting window into the world of comics at the time. It's well done. The pace of the book is good, not too many lulls. And the author wraps up the plot lines in a logical manner.

I also liked the comic book pages of the Lethal Lynx that were inserted every so often. They helped to illustrate Carmen and what she was experiencing.

I give this book 5 stars. If you enjoy noir with a strong female lead then you will like this book.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion.

As a huge comic fan (and occasional writer), I loved Alex Segura's SECRET IDENTITY mystery. That being said, there were times when I paused to wonder how accessible it would be for someone who doesn't know anything about comics to feel connected. There are several times when "famous in comics" names, characters, and publishers were referenced. Does someone not into this type of pop culture know what Marvel or DC even means?

The most unique part of this mystery is that Sandy Jarrell and Taylor Esposito have created actual comic book pages that are key elements to Carmen's story and her character's comic book pages. These vignettes hint at her search for a killer and act as a tether into the world of comic publishing to make Carmen's desires of writing a comic that much more real.

Aside from those instances, I think Segura does a fine job of showing what the business was like in 1975 when most of American literary and comic book publishing was centralized in New York City. The cityscape details are vibrant enough (for those who lived through it) to perfectly picture the grime of the the streets, the red light district, and the drug scene of the legendary CBGB's. In fact that nightclub plays an important role which Segura details through loving, vicarious adoration of Patti Smith, The Talking Heads, The Ramones, and Blondie. It's now a cliché to say the setting is also a character, but in the case of SECRET IDENTITY, I can't imagine the story feeling the same if it had been set anywhere else in the US.

Carmen Valdez, an ambitious 30-year-old Cubana woman, lives with her roommate Molly in a one-room apartment. That alone is so incredibly New York. Studio apartments. How awful. Not even one-bedroom. Just one room for everything except the bathroom. Molly is a musician so she's the link that brings Carmen to the CBGB scene. Their relationship is platonic, but essential. Molly is always there to scoop up Carmen after she's been through some aggravation or trauma.

Carmen is the secretary to comic book publisher, Jeffrey Carlyle at Triumph Comics. Segura has been a stalwart comic industry professional for years. He did his research here to capture what it was like in the 70s when people could smoke in their offices; when women and people of color were rarely given a chance to climb the ladder; and even something that still happens across all industries today--the dead weight of people who coast along because they're connected to someone in power.

Since she was a small girl in Miami, all Carmen could think about was creating her own comics. She gets a chance with a male peer who also wants to break in more substantially. The caveat is, since their boss Carlyle won't allow Carmen to write, the duo have to keep her name off the project. This is the birth of the Legendary Lynx credited to writer Harvey Stern and art by Doug Detmer.

Harvey represents almost like an alternate universe version of Carmen. They both want the same thing - to become writers. But Harvey has the advantage of being a white man. Yet, Harvey is a walking disaster. Carmen is suspicious of him with good reason. When they connect over creating comics, Harvey makes a pass at her assuming it's what she wanted. Carmen is a lesbian. We know she faces these kinds of come-ons all the time because she tells the reader or you get to witness it.

In Carmen's case, she doesn't openly discuss her relationships with anyone except Molly, but she doesn't exactly hide them either. When Carmen goes on dates, there's PDA. It's another New York thing, one can suppose. The free love of the 60s still going strong in the 70s. So, other than out in public assuming no one she knows is around, Carmen keeps her private life just that - very private.

One thing that seemed noteworthy about Carmen being created as a lesbian WoC working in comics, was that it started to feel like all women in the book were lesbians except for Molly. Not that there are many women in the book. It's about the aggressively male-dominated world of comics. Carmen manages to make one female friend in the industry, Marion, who works at a different comic house; this leads to a potential romance. Some readers might find the situation as queer-baiting. However, we know both women are gay and into each other. But the crimes that need to be solved get in the way of the relationship.

While SECRET IDENTITY has a couple of nitpicky things as noted above, I think mystery fans with any interest in pop culture will dig it. Today we live in a world where some creative teams stay on a comic title for over a decade or others become successful enough in the mainstream that they can fund their own creator-owned properties. If you don't know anything about how that works, you might wonder why this is important to the plot based in the 1970s. Back then, if someone make significant contributions to a character or title, they weren't paid very well. The man who really made Batman an icon died penniless and starving. His name is Bill Finger and it's one of the industry names Segura brings up. This fight still goes on to a degree today though it has gotten better. Now in the movie credits of blockbusters like Guardians of the Galaxy, Batman, and the Avengers, there are long lists of contributors. I have no idea whether they are paid or simply given a credit. Big corporate ownership is at the deepest depth of Carmen's struggles and sleuthing.

One final note: please read the acknowledgments. Segura's research was thorough and he lists every book source, every person, every documentary that helped Carmen's world feel authentic.

Terrific concept for a novel, so-so execution.

I love anything involving New York history, even relatively recently history such as this (circa 1975), and I’ve not seen someone hone in on the comic book industry for a book like this before.

Would someone really murder someone else over a comic book? I dunno, I’ve certainly heard dumber reasons for murder both in reality and in fiction. And it’s a great set up for a story.

The writing itself and the way the mystery unfolds isn’t quite as good in practice as it was in theory. There’s some sloppiness to the story thats irksome, and while interspersing the comic with the narrative was clever, the comic itself was…really not great. It begs the question: THIS is what all the characters were so worked up over?

A bright spot was protagonist Carmen, an interesting woman and an admirable heroine who was well-drawn but shortchanged in some ways by her author.

As a toss-off, fun read this book is fine, but I found myself wanting it to be smarter because the concept was so good. There’s a lot of loose pieces scattered around the story that don’t really have any relevance to the central narrative, and a lot about that central narrative that isn’t fleshed out the way it should have been.

Secret Identity is a literary mystery that takes place in the world of the comic book industry in 1975 New York. Carmen Valdez is a 20-somethimg assistant to the the head of Triumph Comics who has loved superheroes and dreamed of writing comics since her childhood in Miami. She thinks with this job she can show her boss that she' can cut it as a writer. He won't hear of it, however, because he doesn't think a woman can be a good writer of comics.

So when Harvey Stern makes her a proposal that they collaborate and only use his name until it's the right time to reveal Carmen as co-writer, she reluctantly agrees.

After working together, Harvey gets a phone call and rushes out, acting weird. When Harvey doesn't show up for work a few days later, Carmen goes to his place and finds him dead. The police think she's a likely suspect, so she goes on a search to find out what happened to Harvey. When another attack happens on another member of the industry, Carmen realizes she's in danger too. Will she get to solve the case, or will she end up the killer's next victim?

This was a very enjoyable read! I liked Carmen and her roommate Molly. The plotting was a little slow at first, but once I got settled in, it wasn't an issue. I also really liked the bits of the Lynx comic books, I thought it was a terrific addition to the reading experience. The world building was one of the best parts of this book. I felt like I was right there with Carmen in New York, experiencing the goings on of the city and the comic book industry in 1975. If you're a comic book fan or a mystery lover, this is the book for you!

My thanks to Flatiron Books, author Alex Segura, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I loved this book! What a perfect, perfect book in so many ways. Segura breaks out as one of the big stars of crime fiction in this book, something between THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY and the new Val McDermid novel. This novel features Carmen, a young (queer Latinx) woman who dives into the 1970s world of comic books and superheroes in order to fulfill her own dreams, and becomes witness (in some ways) and investigator (in many others) of a murder of one of her coworkers, a person she's happened to help establish himself and create a comic book through, using his male persona and her own creative genius, hoping she will someday be able to succeed as a creator all on her own without the front of a man. The creative ways Carmen's own story is revealed, diving deep into a comic book world Segura knows well and obviously loves much, only accentuates and really drives this narrative, with the passionate way Segura tells the story involving the reader to such a degree it's hard to put the book down. I loved this novel so much!!

I enjoyed every page of this comic book tinged noir-style mystery. With an original take on the publishing industry from a talented woman's perspective in 1975, you are instantly plunged into her struggle to create her own comic in a boys-club industry. After constantly being rejected, an opportunity falls into her lap. But she soon finds that she has more than just her career on the line as murder, conspiracies and intrigue start cropping up everywhere!

Between the well written characters, the easy flow of the storyline and actual comic pages inserted in the book, I was quickly enamored, and have this as one of my top mysteries of the year so far. Be sure not to miss it!

My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Here are the highlights of my NPR review:

Carmen Valdez is used to dwelling in the shadows in her personal and professional lives. When you're a queer, working woman in 1975, you learn to get cozy with compromise. Carmen is the Cuban-American central character in Alex Segura's Secret Identity. It's a masterful 1970s literary mystery featuring this artist fighting against the patriarchy and dodging bullets in the desperate, male-dominated world of comics.

With artists like her routinely shunted to the sidelines, Carmen works as a secretary for third-rate Triumph Comics while plotting her big break in her spare time. So when a coworker, junior editor Harvey Stern, invites Carmen to team up on a pitch, she has a groundbreaking idea for a more realistic new female led series all ready to go.... The collaboration between Harvey and Carmen is successful, even if she's pulling far more than her own weight. And Harvey is only slightly less shady than their sexist boss, Triumph's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Carlyle. But then Harvey gets a bullet in the head before they can reveal her true role. It forces the aspiring author to stay in the shadows even as their creation, the street vigilante the Lynx, becomes the company's top seller. That leaves Carmen scared and frustrated, but also determined to find out what happened to her friend and hopefully, finally, claim her rightful place in the sun.
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Well-steeped in cultural history, Segura draws his protagonist's life with subtlety and sensitivity. Segura effectively balances the realities of Carmen's personal and professional challenges with the joy of creativity and friendship in a novel that manages to be thought-provoking and fun. The last ace in this deck is the consistent pacing and intensity of the plot; it's full of twists but free of red herrings. Secret Identity is a satisfying choice for lovers of comics, twentieth century historical fiction and mysteries that make you think.

4/4-1/2 stars

My second 5 star read for 2022. The Secret Identity is is a gold mine. When I first read the synopsis, I was very hesitant to read. Not being a comic book fan, I've been slowly diving into this world. I wish Mr. Segura would consider creating a actual comic about THE LETHAL LYNX.

This book is a murder mystery set during the 70s in the world of comic books. Carmen secretly help create a comic and the person who received the credit for the creation is murdered and Carmen has to figure out, behind the scene who's the culprit.

This is my first book written by Alex Segura and I can promise that it's not my last. I loved the main character and all her quirks. She's vibrant, strong, smart, and is someone that I would love to call friend. The way Mr. Segura introduced me to this world was a wonderful experience. The comparison of New York from then and now was very striking. This story was full of twists and turns and u didn't want the story to end. Mr. Segura has picked up another fan and I can't wait to read his next one.

Wishing that an actual comic book is created.

#SECRETIDENTITY #NETGALLEYREVIEWS #ANOTHER5STARREAD

Big thanks to Mr. Alex Segura, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley! We know of Mr. Segura from his Miami Noir Peter Fernandez Mysteries, which you should know , please go check those out also after reading “Secret Identity” Which I have a feeling after reading “Secret Identity” you will be looking into Alex’s back catalog. His new novel, out now! (March 2022), is a mystery also, but this time we are set in 1970’s New York City! I love history and I love the city, so I really enjoyed the history and setting elements. The story is a murder mystery about a woman that moves to NYC to work in comics in the 70’s. She ghost writes with a male colleague, themes of gender roles play a large part of the novel which are expertly discussed. One day the colleague is murdered and we are off on our murder mystery against the NYC background. Really cool story with in depth character study Carmen Valdez as she investigates the murder and pursues her dreams and destiny! And remember when we were kids, and asked if there were any pictures in this book!? Ha. Well the comic artwork is extremely awesome! Even if you are not a comic / graphic novel person, it really adds to the themes of the novel, and looks really cool! Thanks for reading!

I’ve always liked the idea of a story that somehow involved the comic book industry in some way. Maybe it’s because it’s a niche industry, but I think the dramatic scale of comics translates well to some intriguing character-oriented drama. Personally, I think it’s cool to tell a story of another genre in the settings of the comic book industry. And that’s what I loved about Secret Identity, where Alex Segura writes a compelling mystery set in the world of comics.

Taking place in the ‘70s, Alex Segura’s novel follows the story of Carmen Valdez, a Latin-American assistant at publisher Triumph Comics (a perfect old-school name for a comic book publisher of that decade if you ask me), who aspires to write her own stories in the industry. Luckily, she gets the chance to write a comic for the publisher thanks to one of her co-workers wanting her help in writing a character, though her involvement is kept under wraps. However, tragedy strikes when her co-worker is found dead with a gunshot to the head. Carmen decides to unravel the thread of events that led to the murder.

There is a great mystery story that is being told here, and I think having the plot set in the world of comics is a great premise. References to famous comic book creators are listed and despite Triumph Comics and Carmen Valdez being fictional characters, there’s a realism to Segura’s style of writing which works so well to the point where there were times when I almost had the temptation to look up some of the characters, even if I knew they weren’t real. There’s a lived-in quality to the world that was enjoyable to read. It adds to what I felt was the almost “noir-esque” quality of the mystery being told here, as Carmen investigates various clues to unearth who may have murdered her co-worker.

The realism of the world Segura crafts showcases the flaws of the industry. Carmen wants to break into the comic book world, but she must deal with a dismissive attitude upheld by certain figures, which speaks to how the industry has always marginalized women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, and the like because they didn’t fit into a dominant ideology of what the quintessential comic book writer is supposed to be. While things are better on the representation front in the real world, it isn’t any better, especially when considering how difficult it can be for a creator, who’s not a cisgender straight white man, to break into comics. Because of this, certain aspects of the marginalization that are depicted in the story feel rather real when considering what has happened in the industry. The marginalization isn’t upfront, but it is passive, which is worse.

Through the marginalisation Carmen faces, Segura creates a compelling character study that meshes well with the murder she investigates, especially with regards to her motivations and her desires. There’s an interesting character-oriented direction as we learn more about Carmen’s life and the subtleties as she develops over the course of the story are incredibly written. And it does this perfectly especially when Segura utilizes an almost comic book-y style of narration. Secret Identity is a suspenseful thriller about the comic book industry that is introspective about the world it is set in.

I kind of loved Secret Identity. It was a mystery without being a thriller (which is just so wonderful in this day and age of everything having to be a thriller). The world of comic books is completely foreign to me, so it was nice to read about a "brand new world" and expand my horizons a bit.

Alex Segura writes a literary mystery set in the world of comic book publishing in the 1970’s, when the industry seems to be spiraling downward. Carmen is the assistant to the head of Triumph Comics. She grew up reading comics and her dream has been to write her own some day. Her boss does not necessarily agree with this idea, but when a co-worker and friend asks her to co-write a new series she decides this might just be the way in.

After the first couple of issues are released to some success her co-writer is murdered and this sets up Carmen trying to find out what really happened. As she gets deeper into her own investigation, other people become involved and she realizes there are secrets that run extremely deep.

The book started a little slow for me, but I am glad I stuck with this one. The back half of this book is very intriguing and fast paced when it is all said and done. It had a noir feel throughout the writing, and it completely worked for this particular book. Very fun book with lots of twists and turns.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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 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.

The collision of worlds can provide rich fodder for storytelling. Not in the literal sense, of course (although plenty of excellent speculative fiction has sprung from just such a scenario), but rather finding new ways to combine contexts in the service of a compelling tale.

Take “Secret Identity,” the new novel from Alex Segura. It’s a mystery with noir elements, only set in the world of comic book publishing in the mid-1970s. It might sound strange, but these oddly shaped pieces have been fit together to form something altogether different, a story both of and beyond its parts.

Fast-paced and quick-witted, it’s a novel that takes full advantage of its disparate elements, finding room for moments seedy and sublime alike as it takes the reader on a twisting and thoughtful ride.

Carmen Valdez has loved comic books since she was a little girl growing up in Miami. She loves them so much that she’s trying to make a career out of them. She works at a small publisher called Triumph Comics, serving as the personal assistant to Jeffrey Carlyle, owner and editor-in-chief. Triumph is a bit player in the business, lacking the cachet of the one-two titans of Marvel and DC. Still, Carmen works hard, always holding in the back of her mind her dream of writing her own comic book.

So when Harvey Stern, a junior editor at Triumph, comes to her with a proposal – a team-up where they would come together to create a new character and the stories to go with it – she leaps at the chance. Her other efforts have been dead-ended, and sure, her name won’t be on the work to begin with, but eventually, she’ll be able to reveal herself.

And so The Lethal Lynx is born, a character built heavily on the foundation that Carmen has been building her entire life. It’s an idea with great potential, to be sure.

When Harvey turns in completed drafts without consulting her, Carmen begins to suspect that she has been tricked. But when someone turns up dead, Carmen finds herself thrust into the shadows in a manner that she could never have predicted – shadows from which no hero, not even The Lethal Lynx, can rescue her.

Throw in some unwanted intrusions from her past and a few new acquaintances with opaque and questionable motivations and you can see just how complicated things are for Carmen. And if she isn’t careful, she’s going to find herself trapped in the middle of it all. Can she stay safe AND realize her dreams? Or is the new state of affairs simply too messy?

I’ll concede that “Secret Identity” was likely always going to click for me because of my deep-seated affinity for comic books in general and that era in particular. That affinity was the main reason I picked up the book in the first place. But while Segura fully embraces the opportunities offered by that setting – we even get some pages of “The Lethal Lynx” sprinkled throughout – it’s all a means to an end. Specifically, crafting a thoughtful and entertaining mystery.

(Note: The “Lethal Lynx” pages are quite good – evocative of the period, yet very much their own. More aren’t necessary, but I’d have enjoyed seeing them regardless.)

Bringing this kind of noir sensibility into the brightly-colored world of comic books might seem counterintuitive, but the truth is that the industry was definitely struggling during this era, with smaller companies falling by the wayside left and right. By building on the underlying sketchiness of these lower-tier operators, Segura develops a story of high stakes nestled within a world of low stakes. It’s an engaging juxtaposition that makes for great reading.

Carmen Valdez is an interesting protagonist for a story such as this, an outsider desperately seeking a way into a world of which she’s always dreamed. Her circumstances are in many ways reflective of those lived by the heroes in the comic books that she has grown up loving. She is passionate in her love, whether it be for art or an individual, but also relentlessly self-aware. Smart and capable, yet also vulnerable, she makes for a great hero in a story about those who create heroes.

Of course, all of this is in service to a very sharp and sturdy narrative. One hesitates to give away too much – it IS a mystery, after all – but it’s important to note that while the world-building is top-notch, it is the story being told that truly elevates this book. Page after page, chapter after chapter, we’re swept along as the shadows deepen and Carmen’s journey tumbles to a conclusion.

“Secret Identity” is a book that will resonate with mystery lovers, comic book lovers and really anyone who digs a well-crafted story well told.