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A review by crowsandprose
The Reign of the Kingfisher by T. J. Martinson
4.0
This would get a 4.5 if I could give it a little more love.
The Reign of the Kingfisher is a tense, well paced and well plotted mystery-novel about a vanished superhuman vigilante, and the things his disappearance left in his wake, still causing ripples over thirty years later. A disgraced cop, a journalist, and a hactivist teen get involved in the mystery through three seperate threads, and weaving their now and the past of one now-chief-of-police leading to the nightmare of today.
When Marcus is called for information about a hostage situation demanding the release of the information they claim they have on the fact the Kingfisher isn't dead, things spiral out of control. Reaching out to past contacts, he finds he didn't know as much as he thought it did. Tillman, the disgraced cop, is contacted by a fellow officer who knows she can go where he can't. Wren, hacktivst teen with an Anonymous-esque group, gets involved for all the wrong reasons: her lover convinces it's a good idea, and it's really not.
I feel like the first two thirds of the book are excellently done. Pacing is great, character moments are excellent, history is woven with the present wonderfully. The third act, however, is why this isn't a five star novel. So close, but there's a loss. As soon as one conversation occurs, I know who the killer is. I also think the fate of Stetson, chief of police who fancies himself bigger than he is, doesn't resolve nearly enough and he comes out of this far too clean for his part in the larger story. He doesn't deserve what he got.
Overall a very great novel that does stick its landing, but comes down with some turbulence. For a debut novel, it's wonderful and I hope to see more from T. J. Martinson soon.
The Reign of the Kingfisher is a tense, well paced and well plotted mystery-novel about a vanished superhuman vigilante, and the things his disappearance left in his wake, still causing ripples over thirty years later. A disgraced cop, a journalist, and a hactivist teen get involved in the mystery through three seperate threads, and weaving their now and the past of one now-chief-of-police leading to the nightmare of today.
When Marcus is called for information about a hostage situation demanding the release of the information they claim they have on the fact the Kingfisher isn't dead, things spiral out of control. Reaching out to past contacts, he finds he didn't know as much as he thought it did. Tillman, the disgraced cop, is contacted by a fellow officer who knows she can go where he can't. Wren, hacktivst teen with an Anonymous-esque group, gets involved for all the wrong reasons: her lover convinces it's a good idea, and it's really not.
I feel like the first two thirds of the book are excellently done. Pacing is great, character moments are excellent, history is woven with the present wonderfully. The third act, however, is why this isn't a five star novel. So close, but there's a loss. As soon as one conversation occurs, I know who the killer is. I also think the fate of Stetson, chief of police who fancies himself bigger than he is, doesn't resolve nearly enough and he comes out of this far too clean for his part in the larger story. He doesn't deserve what he got.
Overall a very great novel that does stick its landing, but comes down with some turbulence. For a debut novel, it's wonderful and I hope to see more from T. J. Martinson soon.