I didn't care for this at all. The plot never intrigued me, the characters never gripped me. I kept waiting for something to hAppen but never did

"What's the difference between a vigilante and a superhero?" Questions of superhero lore have historically been the subject of comics, graphic novels and movies--full of color, spandex suits and a deluge of action through imagery. In The Reign of the Kingfisher, T.J. Martinson novelizes the superhero comics form with such a meticulous yet fluid style, readers may forget there is no artwork.

Following the death of the Kingfisher, an enigmatic, larger-than-life sentinel who dealt with bad guys outside the confines of the law, Chicago's violent crime rate steadily increased. Thirty years later, the mystery of the Kingfisher is given new life via a ransom video. Disguised as a member of the hacker protest group Liber-teens, a man threatens to kill hostages until the cops release the Kingfisher's unpublished autopsy report and admit they helped fake his death.

Retired journalist Marcus Waters is brought in to view the video since he spent his career writing about the Kingfisher. When he provides a big clue the police seem less than anxious to pursue, Marcus's reporter gut and desire to save lives spur him to investigate, aided by a brilliant Liber-teen hacker and a disgraced cop.

In portraying a gripping race against time and into history, Martinson packs the narrative with details that set the stage minutely yet organically. On its face a breakneck thriller, Kingfisher also delves into themes of morality and vigilantism, corruption and justice. Martinson's debut is compelling, artistic and, quite simply, a blast.

STREET SENSE: While comic fans should love this one, you don't have to be one to enjoy it. At its core there is a compelling mystery and nice character work. Action, conspiracy, crime, betrayal, a madman threatening to kill innocent people, what could be better?

A FAVORITE PASSAGE: Heroes are named by history and judged by the future.

COVER NERD SAYS: I like this cover. A lot. But this is one of those times a book synopsis is really what won me over. It sounded so different, like a graphic novel in non-graphic form, and I wanted to see if that could be pulled off. The answer is yes, and I think the "superhero-ish" theme of this cover serves the book well. Also dig the color palette.

I'm not much for super hero anything, but I decided to try The Reign of the Kingfisher anyway. It's an entertaining and engaging read, but I didn't love it. I think it's just my personal preference and not really the story. It's great for the right reader. Unfortunately, it's a miss for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Reign of the Kingfisher takes place 30 years after the death of the titular Kingfisher, a superhero/vigilante who took out criminals in Chicago. A gunman is holding people hostage, and his demands are that the police release the medical examiner's report of the Kingfisher's death, to prove he didn't actually die. The story alternates points of view for three different characters who get caught up in the fray including a retired journalist, hacker, and a cop on administrative leave. The story also flashes back to the Kingfisher heyday at times. It is a strength of this book that the Kingfisher is actually the least interesting thing about it. I liked that he was presented as someone who operates in an ethical gray area - is he a hero at all? What drove the story for me, though, was the characters, in particularly Wren and Tillman, who are the story's true heroes, as one of the other characters notes. I really liked their storylines and found them both to be compelling characters. The book got off to a bit of a slow start, but once it took off I found it hard to put down. I'm finding it hard, though, to figure out how I felt about this one. I liked it, but it ended up being a well done, but almost run-of-the=mill mystery/thriller. I enjoyed it but wanted a little more.

Unfortunately I thought this was a disappointing book. It doesn’t deliver on the suggestions of the premise and is not really a superhero novel, plus the romance at the center of the book is so unconvincing it made me want to laugh. I would recommend it to fans of high-octane thrillers from the likes of Harlen Coben, rather than Sci fi readers.

It’s always nice to start off a month of reading with something decent and I love superhero stories, but this book managed to exceed all of my expectations. In fact, it might have set a new bar. Superheroes are a thing nowadays, kind of a like a fad and I do have an entire theory worked out about how the genre popularity correlates with the increasingly helpless experience life is becoming due to societal decline, etc., but alas there are now too many of these movies and tv shows. And most of them follow the stereotypical comic book superhero formula (or get away from it in weird and unwelcome ways, yeah, I’m talking about you, DC universe, way to f*ck up Superman) and that never really interested me. It’s too black and white, too easy. Good for an occasional mindless sort of fun at best. But then every so often a superhero story gets done right. Moral complexity and all that. Most recently on screen The Umbrella Academy has done it. Absolutely terrific tv show, Netflix has really outdone itself there, do yourself a favor and check it out. And on the literary side of things this book is a perfect equivalent, a superhero story done right. But that’s actually reductive or insufficient, because there was so much more here. It’s a story of a city (Chicago) that once found itself in a care of a vigilante, whose work lead to lowered crime rate, but wasn’t received with uniform praise and welcome. In fact, the Chicago’s underworld considered him to be a major problem and the low rent criminals he occasionally took out utilizing (arguably) too much brutality thought of him as someone reinforcing racial barriers. But then he died. The city has settled into its ways and learned to take care of itself. And now, 40 years later, someone is demanding to know the truth about his death and will broadcast killing until the city (and the city’s police chief) comes clean about the fate of Kingfisher. So this isn’t just a superhero story, this is a serious dramatic work and a murder mystery. And every aspect is done perfectly. The mystery…the culprit isn’t revealed until 90% and it’s a complete surprise. I read tons of mysteries (just pure, straight up suspense mystery thriller) and they seldom get it this right. And the drama…well, let’s just say this author can write. This book drew me in with the very first sentence. It’s like someone telling you a story in a most cinematic way and yet it has all the advantages of literature i.e. layers. This books is mesmerizing, it unfolds like…ok, I can’t think of a thing that unfolds perfectly to compete the metaphor, so let’s just say it unfolds like a perfect multicourse meal until the most delicious of deserts. It’s just such a satisfying read, the characters are so striking and realistic and interesting. And although Kingfisher himself remains a mystery, it actually works really well, because his anonymity leaves it so that anyone can pick up the gauntlet or assume the mantle, because heroic acts should not presuppose a mask and tights and darkness and superpowers come in all different varieties and can be put to good use in a variety of ways. So the book ends like that, with a pretty optimistic message, like a proper superhero story ought to. It’s a book that’s quite dark in tone, but uplifts in its finale. Absolutely awesome, pleasure to read, loved this one. For a debut, this is most auspicious. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.