This was a really creative, original book. It was also really confusing - for me anyway. It probably would've helped if I'd read the book that came before it. As it was, I had a hard time connecting with the story and its characters. I appreciated the effort though and can easily see how other readers could be enthralled by the tale, especially if they had already read the first one.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

As a follow up from the previous novel, Segura continues to bring a wonderful amount of character and heart to their work along with a healthy does of addicting suspense and comic book love.

As a comics fan this was such an intriguing and thrilling ride. I really enjoyed the way this was crafted. I had not read Secret Identity and felt that it was not necessary to read this book, but now I might have spoiled some things for Secret Identity with this book (oops). The pacing of this was perfectly laid out. We get a thrilling start to hook us, followed by a build up to the real action of the plot as Annie navigates the truth behind the comic The Legendary Lynx, who truly owns the rights, and why do the owners of Triumph Comics want her on board to create the return of this character. The mystery hooked me and had me flying through this one.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for my eARc. All thoughts are my own.

Alter Ego was a propulsive and well-written read. I liked the audio narrator. the character study was thorough.

I really wanted to like this one, as I've really enjoyed other work by Alex Segura, but Alter Ego failed to hit the mark for me.

Alex Segura follows up his acclaimed SECRET IDENTITY with a book tied to its predecessor but standing firmly on its own two feet. IDENTITY unfolds against the backdrop of the struggling comics industry in the 1970s, while EGO is set now, in the era of media consolidation and franchise fatigue. Annie Bustamante is a comics artists turned filmmaker whose latest production is mothballed by a Hollywood studio looking to save money. An unlikely lifeline is tossed her way: a chance to reinvent the Legendary Lynx, the character whose origin story is detailed in IDENTITY. To bring her dream project to life, she’ll have to tangle with a once-storied filmmaker facing a #MeToo-driven reckoning, shady business interests, and the still-unsettled ghosts behind the Lynx’s creation. As in IDENTITY, the action is punctuated with gorgeous graphic art of the Lynx’s adventures. Segura’s love of comics lore as well as his savvy about how the business has evolved over the decades comes through loud and clear on every page. The ending is somewhat conventional, but it doesn’t diminish the fun and fervor of this worthy successor.

Annie Bustamante is now best known for being an acclaimed director, but her latest project has been shelved for a tax break. As she is looking for new projects she is drawn back to one of her greatest passions in the arts, comic books. Her passion for the longest time has been to work on the Lethal Lynx comics, an old character that is now long out of print. Then she gets an offer from Triumph Comics, claiming to own the Lethal Lynx character, and offering Annie the chance to work on a new line of Lethal Lynx comics. But the offer has a lot of strings attached, including a maligned director trying to tie the Lynx into a new film series. Annie begins working for Triumph, only to discover that everything about the character's origin and Triumph's motivations may not be what it seems.

Full disclosure I did not read Secret Identity before reading this book, not fully realizing that it was a side sequel. That said the opening chapter did a good job covering the ground that I imagine Secret Identity covered before the book moves on to mostly new characters set in the same world (but it is a sequel, the book very much comes back around to the aftermath of Secret Identity in a very good way). Alex Segura seems to have a lot of fun writing about the background deals that help comics get made and the new interactions between the comics industry and Hollywood motivations. Annie is a fantastic lead, always questioning others motivations and fighting for who she cares about. Segura splices Annie's backstory into the character to create a fuller picture of the woman she became and why she is so passionate in her fight to save the Lethal Lynx. The book builds to a very exciting climax and has plenty of reveals to keep the reader invested. Between chapters there are also excellently drawn comics pages the help add to the story. A great book for comics lovers or those wanting to learn a little more about the comics industry, and a great thriller on top of that.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a copy of Alter Ego in exchange for an honest review.

While I did not know that this was a sequel, I feel like it was executed well as a book apart from being a sequel, meaning the reader can go ahead and dive into Alter Ego without having to have read book 1. Not quite interconnected standalones, because there is quite a bit of context the reader misses out on, I think.

There are not many books out there that dive into comic artistry and that side of publishing, and while I don't generally go for thrillers, this one had me on my toes! Very well done and enjoyable. I recommended this to a few friends.

“Alter Ego” is a sharp and spellbinding mystery, set among the cutthroat world of comic book publishing. Alex Segura, author of the Pete Fernandez series of books as well as “Secret Identity”, the predecessor to “Ego”, has created an immersive environment with a tough-as-nails protagonist, Annie Bustamante.
Ever since she was a child, Annie has dreamed of creating her own comic books. A huge fan of “The Lethal Lynx”, Annie spends her days doodling and drawing up new plots for the series with her best friend, Danny. Years later, Annie is a single parent and a relative success in the movie industry, having left the comic book world behind. When the new owner of Triumph Entertainment, the company behind “The Lethal Lynx” reaches out to Annie to ask her to deliver a modernization of “Lynx”, Annie is over the moon. But she has been in the business too long to jump without doing her research and she soon finds out that anyone who has a connection to the Lynx, both now and in the past, is dead. Does Annie want to fulfill her childhood dream enough to risk her own life?
Segura’s “Ego” is the second novel, a follow-up to “Secret Identity”, however it isn’t necessary to read the first novel at all, as “Ego” focuses on different protagonists and a different plot and, in fact, even takes place in a different time frame (“Identity” took place in the 1970s whereas “Ego” is modern day). Although there is some overlap in background characters and the environment itself, readers can expect to jump right in with “Ego” and not feel lost. In fact, you don’t even need to be a comic book fan to enjoy Segura’s latest.
Annie is a powerhouse worth cheering for. A single mother and recovering alcoholic, she has made her mark in the Hollywood film industry completely on her own merit. She is the farthest thing from naïve, and she takes no prisoners, even if they are smarmy titans of the entertainment world. She is a woman of morals and values, and her bravery and strength mirror the admirable traits of her hero, the Lynx.
“Ego” is told in modern day, when Annie is raising her pre-teen daughter and is battling with the choice (and the Hollywood titans) to redo “Lynx”, and in the past, when we learn about Annie’s friendship over time with Danny, and how her love of comics grows hand-in-hand with her love for her best friend.
“Ego” is an in-depth look behind the curtain of the comic book industry, which on its own is interesting, but the dark secrets, and the bodies that pile up, made me want to continue turning the pages. Segura’s “Ego” is a unique experience that stands out among the crowd.

**Review: A Clever Dive into the Shadows of Creativity**
**Rating: 3.5/5**

Alex Segura’s *Alter Ego* is an engaging exploration of creativity, nostalgia, and the murky world of intellectual property, blending a love for comic book lore with a tense, character-driven narrative. While it shines in its commentary on the pitfalls of artistic ambition and corporate greed, the story sometimes stumbles under the weight of its lofty ambitions.

Annie Bustamante is a compelling protagonist—sharp, flawed, and relatable. Her passion for the Lethal Lynx resonates deeply, especially for readers who understand the cultural and personal weight of beloved characters. Segura captures the thrill of rediscovering a forgotten gem and the frustration of navigating the cutthroat entertainment industry. Annie's struggle to balance her creative vision with the compromises demanded by Triumph Comics is authentic and thought-provoking.

The novel’s pacing is uneven, however. The first half excels in setting up the stakes, particularly Annie’s skepticism about Carlyle’s offer and the intriguing anonymous warnings. But the second half occasionally bogs down in exposition and industry jargon, which might alienate readers less familiar with the comic book world. The mystery surrounding the Lynx’s rights and the “dark truth” Annie uncovers is satisfying, but it doesn’t deliver the jaw-dropping impact the buildup promises.

Segura’s love for storytelling is palpable, and his meta-commentary on the creative process—particularly the labels society places on artists—adds depth to the narrative. Yet, the novel’s emotional arcs sometimes feel secondary to its cleverness, leaving Annie’s personal journey somewhat underexplored.

*Alter Ego* is a strong read for fans of comic books, behind-the-scenes dramas, and morally complex protagonists. It’s not perfect, but it delivers enough intrigue, sharp dialogue, and heartfelt moments to make it worthwhile. For those with a love for superheroes and the creators who bring them to life, Segura’s novel is a thought-provoking tribute to both.

Another wonderful hit from Segura. An amazing follow up for fans of Secret Identity while not being a mandatory read to enter. Segura gives an amazing voice to his lead. Many moments in this book got very large reactions from me while reading. I hope for more from this world in the future.

Alter ego is the sequel to segura 2022 novel, secret identity. While the earlier novel was set mainly in the past, this one takes place in the present with a strong anchor to the past, Annie is a burgeoning film writer who left the comic book world to pursue this other career. However, she finds herself pulled back in after the death of her journalist friend and discovers many secrets that tie to the legendary lynx-a beloved comic from the 1970s.

This book is a love letter to comic books and comic book lovers. The timeline shifts all over from the 1970s to the early 2000s to present day and Annie is a fully developed character through these shifts. We see her heartbreaking relationships with her family and her best friend Danny and her battle to overcome alcoholism. I loved Annie and rooted for her. The shifts are a bit jarring at first so make sure you pay attention to what timeline you are reading. The chapters are short so moving between the timelines is like a jolt of whiplash,

While it is not imperative to read the secret identity it will help. I made the mistake of not reading it first and was somewhat disoriented by all of the callbacks. This again is a reader issue and not the writer issue.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Setting a thriller in the world of 1970s comic books was a winning combination for author Alex Segura’s 2022 novel Secret Identity. He returns to the modern world in his new sequel Alter Ego.

Alter Ego takes a critical look at the present landscape of comics, corporations, and IP, while plotting a new thrilling mystery involving the creation of comic "The Legendary Lynx."

This time the story focuses on Annie Bustamante, a revered filmmaker who cut her teeth in comics before leaving the medium behind. She’s convinced to return with an offer to work on her favorite obscure character, The Legendary Lynx.

When the company behind the comic’s revival begins to act shadily and fires Annie from the project, Annie realizes there is more at stake than just her story being published.

The character of Annie takes a little while to connect with on the page because the early sections heavily use shifting timelines to connect Annie’s past, present, and the murder of her friend, journalist Laura Gustines. As you get further along in the book the flashbacks flow better and Annie starts to feel like a more fleshed-out character.

Her origin in comics, her tragic relationship with her best friend Danny, and her life after motherhood all lead to the crossroads presented to her with the Lynx. Saving the Lynx’s legacy is Annie’s driving force — and source of danger.

Annie isn’t just an avatar for comic book fans who fall in love with older stories, she has a surprising personal connection to the comic that fuels part of the intrigue of the story. You'll be invested as she tries to unravel what really happened during the creation of the Lynx and why someone is now willing to resort to murder to hide the truth.

Although technically the novel provides enough details about the events of Secret Identity that you don’t have to read the first book to understand the second, having an existing connection to the Lynx’s origins will endear you more to the plot. It’s easier to understand Annie’s obsessions with these figures of the past if you’ve already spent time with them, though being a deep fan of anything can also help you relate.

It also allows you to focus more on the primary mystery of who wants to cover up the Lynx’s creation rather than making sense of the minute details of what happened during the creation. The details of those events is enough to be its own book and it was!

If you've read Secret Identity you'll also be familiar with the work of artist Sandy Jarrell, who has adapted her style to create "Annie's" beautiful pages sprinkled throughout the book. What fun is a book about comics if you can't include any artwork?

Like the original, the novel still borrows from the real world of comics for references and world-building that will speak to comic book fans while also relying on the history of the purely fictional Triumph Comics. The world-building expands further this time to also include Hollywood and a director figure, Arturo Spinoza, who feels like a hodgepodge of lauded directors, some of whom have been exposed for bad behavior.

The focus on the danger of AI and struggle for creator's rights will feel timely for anyone who follows any of the creative industries (and should be a flag to anyone not familiar to become aware of how it impacts the ethics of consuming entertainment).

For fans of mystery thrillers who love the world of comics, or who at least won’t mind the heavy dose of comic book enthusiasm in the pages, Alter Ego is a great pick.

I always enjoy a book that teaches me something, and I very clearly learned that I didn't know a lot about comics, or the timeline of their history, until reading this. I have not read Secret Identity, so I think there's some context I missed, but that did not make this any less of any engaging mystery and a character whose story I wanted to know, and that I wanted a safe resolution for.

Annie Bustamante is delightful. A mix of strong, creative, and working to heal her broken parts, she was a character I could respect even when I questioned her decisions. She had such good perspective on the people around her, the men and the women, and was aware of her biases even if she did not deny them.

Not to mention, the LYNX! What a character. What a parable within the story that helps explain why so many people were so attached to this comic, and wanted it to come back. I would love to read it, but I'm okay with it only existing in this imaginary world.

There were sometimes too many references - where 3-4 would've sufficed you get 7-10, even 15-20, and it started to feel more like a textbook than a fictional story. That's my only complaint though.

If you want a mystery thriller, with or without a love of comics, you will enjoy this.

Thank you so much to @netgalley , @flatiron_books , and @alexsegurajr for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bam! 💥 POW! 💥 Smash! ‼️

This comic book driven read is a super fun time! The plot follows a comic book artist trying to revive her favorite character without getting caught up in the muckety muck of the business side of the industry with all the action you’d want from a comic book.

The mixed media of having some of the comic book pages was a welcomed surprise. They were inserted in all the right places. The plot flowed smoothly through the rise and falls of the female lead and the comic book itself. Annie Bustamante, the FMC, is the heroine we all need as a real life super hero.

There was mystery, suspense, heroism, and nostalgia wrapped into an excellent package. The cast of characters was colorful and all had a specific and clear role to the story. The writing style made this an easy read that kept me turning pages just to see how everything would turn out.

If your a comic book or superhero movie fan, this is a must-add book for your TBR

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I will start by saying that I did not read the first book in this series, however, Alter Ego is advertised as a standalone sequel, which I definitely think is true. You do not need to have read about Carmen Valdez, as you are told about her in this follow-up anyway. This premise was right up my alley. I enjoy comic books and graphic novels, but I have never read a fiction book about someone involved in their creation. This felt unique because of that. What I also enjoyed was that you did not need to be a comic fan to enjoy this. It will help, for sure, but I don't think it's necessary.

What didn't feel as unique was the main character, Annie, and her decisions that made no sense given what was happening to her. One of her main goals is to keep her daughter safe, yet when presented with explicit death threats she ignores them? The other characters felt somewhat one-dimensional as well. We had the crappy boss, the creepy coworker, the megalomaniac, etc. I also had a really hard time believing that anyone would seriously care that much about the Lynx when it was stated multiple times that she was an obscure and much forgotten character. Why would this character that no one seems to remember even have a massive panel at comic con? And why would people be willing to kill over her IP. The plot was so frustrating because it didn't seem to make sense.

The pacing was okay, but this book does have a lot of flashbacks. The reveal was predictable, but the ending was satisfyingly given everything else. Overall, I don't think I'll be reading anything else in this series, but I would be interested in reading the actual comic, as the Lynx's powers were never really discussed. 2.5/5 stars, rounded up to 3.

I got to read Alter Ego by Alex Segura. Alter Ego is the standalone sequel to Secret Identity and after reading this book, I definitely need to go back and check out Secret Identity. The story follows comic artist Annie Bustamante who gets hired by a mysterious new studio that owns one of her favorite heroes growing up, the Legendary Lynx. This book quickly steers into a pulpy mystery with conspiracy and murder. With Alex also having worked in comics, you see his love for the art form in how he has Annie talk about it as well as the themes of this book revolving around art vs corporations. While I haven’t read Secret Identity, this book worked really well to place me in this world as along with the written word we also have beautiful art with excerpts from the fictional Lynx Reborn comic throughout the novel. I highly suggest this book to anyone with a love for comics, film, and superheroes.

Alter Ego by Alex Segura, I read the Kindle version and listen to the audio narrated by Frankie Corzo, and I do think I preferred the audiobook although I was not a big fan of the attitude Miss Frankie was trying to portray. I know a lot of reviewers didn’t like this book in despite the confusing time distortion a really like the story it was trying to tell. I also found the story somewhat believable because since the 1940s and 50s mobsters have been trying to get in to Hollywood, but for a niche comic, IDK that part wasn’t so believable. I also want to mention instead of a daughter. She could’ve been replaced by a pet dog for all the importance. She meant to the story. She was almost a non-character. Now having said all that for those who like being entertained and especially those who read the first book I think, we’ll find this one pretty OK if you can keep up with the time jumps the contradictions I must admit I still enjoyed the story. I do believe if the book could be reworked with a more believable reason why an award-winning director became persona non grata then this would’ve been a five star read because the main character was an awesome character. In the comics she was trying to push sounded just as awesome. There were just certain things in the book that didn’t jell, but I would be lying if I said, I didn’t like it because I did. #NetGalley, #McMillanPublishing, #AlexSegura, #Alter ego,

This is such a fun mashup of mystery, thriller, comic books and character development!

Annie Bustamante is successful as a filmmaker, author and comic book artist who's always wanted to work with her favorite superhero the Lethal Lynx. When Bert Carlyle, son of the founder of Triumph Comics, asks her to work with another filmmaker with dwindling fame on a Lethal Lynx project, she's torn. Then, ,she starts receiving anonymous messages and her paranoia feels grounded in reality. Although she feels the creative spark with the Lethal Lynx, she has to face uncomfortable truths about the character.

I always love a book where I can feel how the author was having fun writing it, and Alter Ego is absolutely one of those books! I really enjoyed how Segura intermingled different storytelling elements to create a suspenseful, immersive ride.

I wish I would've known this was a sequel/companion to a previous book so I could have started there, but I had an absolute blast reading this. It somehow captures the feeling of a comic book arc but in novel form. Memorable characters, excellent pacing... I'll be seeking out Secret Identity and looking forward to Segura's next.