The Reign of the Kingfisher, T.J. Martinson
The Reign of the Kingfisher, T.J. Martinson
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The Reign of the Kingfisher
A Novel

Author: T.J. Martinson

Narrator: L. J. Ganser

Unabridged: 13 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/05/2019


Synopsis

"Tension and suspense are maintained on high with L.J. Ganser's narration of this Chicago mystery...He gets inside the motley characters who carry a major part of the plot, portraying each personality distinctly." — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

30 years ago a superhero tried to save Chicago. Now the city is again under siege, in this gritty, suspenseful, and beautifully written story from award-winning debut author T.J. Martinson

Somewhere in Chicago, a roomful of people have been taken hostage. The hostages will be killed one by one, the masked gunman says on-screen, unless the police will admit that they faked the death of the legendary superhero called the Kingfisher and helped him to give up his defense of the city thirty years ago.

Retired reporter Marcus Waters made his name as a journalist covering the enigmatic superhero’s five years of cleaning up Chicago’s streets. Then the Kingfisher died, Chicago resumed its violent turmoil, and Marcus slid back into obscurity.

But did the Kingfisher really die? And who would take hostages connected to the Kingfisher's past attempts to clean up the streets? With the help of disgraced police officer Lucinda Tillman and a young hacktivist named Wren, Marcus will explore the city's violence, corruption, and chaos to figure out if the vigilante hero died tragically, or gave up hope and abandoned the city—and for the hostages, the clock is ticking.

Praise for Reign of the Kingfisher:

"The Reign of the Kingfisher is an extraordinary novel. Martinson's prose is so stunning, and his characters so indelible, that I'd suggest you read it even if you don't read comic books and have little interest in superheroes." — Emily St. John Mandel, bestselling author of Station Eleven

About T.J. Martinson

T.J. Martinson is from Illinois and is currently working towards a PhD in English from Indiana University – Bloomington. The Reign of the Kingfisher is his debut novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jeffrey on October 05, 2019

”He’s either alive or he isn’t. And if he’s dead, then God rest his soul. But if he is alive, well, God forgive him. Because I’m not sure what the hell he’s waiting for.” For five years, the city of Chicago was protected by a vigilante, a man of superhuman strength who interceded to protect those who......more

Goodreads review by Chris on August 29, 2019

*This is my dark horse, out of left field candidate for book of the year* I was cruising Goodreads for something that seemed a little different and ran across a review for this by someone named Bandit and what they wrote convinced me to buy it and give it a try. Greatest decision of my life. This is......more

Goodreads review by Bandit on March 06, 2019

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 ho......more

Goodreads review by Dax on October 30, 2019

I was looking for something a little different from my usual fare and came across a positive blurb from Emily St. John Mandel about TJ Martinson's debut novel. I am a fan of Mandel's but don't particularly care for superhero stories. I gave it a try anyway and came away impressed. Martinson's novel......more

Goodreads review by Blair on March 07, 2019

(2.5) Ugh, it's always really disappointing when this happens: a book seems wildly promising at the beginning, is engaging for a while, then nosedives so hard that by the end you wish you'd never bothered. Sadly, that was my experience with The Reign of the Kingfisher, a thriller set in an alternate......more


Quotes

Praise for The Reign of the Kingfisher:

"From the start, Ganser sets a strong pace in a style that is reminiscent of true-crime movies. He gets inside the motley characters who carry a major part of the plot, portraying each personality distinctly. Moving between their stories effortlessly, he pauses just enough to allow listeners to keep up without disrupting the intensity." -AudioFile Earphone Award