I received this from Netgalley.com.

I'm always searching for a new series to read but this one was disappointing. It felt contrived and predictable.

I must have missed the memo that said I was gonna fall in love with this and automatically give a high rating. 🤔

2.25☆

I absolutely loved this crime thriller and the character Detective Antonia Scott! Antonia is pulled out of self-imposed seclusion to investigate crimes that are occurring against Spain’s wealthiest families. The crimes include murder and kidnapping. I switched between the book and audiobook while reading this one because I did not want to put it down! The audiobook is well narrated. Luckily there will be more coming since the next two books in the series are being translated to English. I cannot wait to find out what other crazy cases Antonia will be assigned to investigate!

Thank you @minotaur_books @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for allowing me to read and listen to the book and audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have read by Gomez-Jurado and he is an author work reading. The protagonists in this book are certainly intriguing. Jon is a dedicated police officer, but he is not on the best of terms with his superiors, so when he fudged the rules a bit, he was in danger of being dismissed in disgrace. He is offered a reprieve if he offers to take a special assignment, which involves a secret asset who is notoriously difficult to work with. Surprisingly he and Antonia turn out to be a good pair and they are able to successfully solve a rather macabre crime. There will be more from this pair and I look forward to visiting them again. I received this as an arc from net galley and am under no pressure or a positive review.

Ramona Thompson

Red Queen is a masterfully macabre murder mystery, bursting with brutality and brilliance. Featuring Antonia Scott, a protagonist that should draw comparisons with some of the greatest fictional detectives, Juan Gómez-Jurado crafts a compelling plotline with the perfect balance of psychological torment and physical danger. There is a reason this book has sold millions of copies in his native Spain.

After being suspended for framing an abusive pimp, Bilbao police officer Jon Gutierrez finds himself blackmailed into the hardest job he’s ever taken on… convincing Antonia Scott to return to the field for a highly secretive and sensitive investigative unit. After a personal tragedy befalls her, Scott has chosen to live an almost hermetic life, barely leaving her apartment other than to make her nightly pilgrimage of penance.

When the body of a wealthy teenage boy is found ritualistically drained of all its blood and displayed in one of his family’s homes, Scott’s handler has no choice but to force her out of her self imposed retirement. What started as a single murder investigation soon turns darker when a billionaire’s daughter, and heir apparent, is kidnapped. The sinister rationale for the kidnappings will force Scott and Jon to use all of their mental and physical skills to locate the woman before time runs out.

The first in a trilogy, Red Queen should be read by fans of the Sherlock Holmes and Lisabeth Salander series. With some similarities to enhanced capabilities seen in The Dark Fields/Limitless by Alan Glynn, Gómez-Jurado puts his own unique stamp on the concept in this series.

How good is this book? Well it made me want to learn Spanish so I can read the remaining two books in this trilogy. They cannot be translated and released fast enough for my liking.

Great writing and really enjoyed the characters and the story! This is not a book that I'd typically pick up and read or that would interest me. However, it definitely did keep my attention and overall, thought it was pretty good.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this for my honest review.

Two unique detectives take on a difficult case. Jon Guiterrez is a disgraced cop. He was filmed planting drugs in a pimp's car and now faces potential criminal charges. He's approached by a man who calls himself Mentor who will make everything go away if he just does one small favor for him.

Antonia Scott has a gifted forensic mind, but a personal tragedy caused a mental breakdown. Now all she does is spend nights in hospital with her comatose husband and days in her empty apartment. Jon has to convince her to take a case assigned by Mentor.

The body of a young boy has been found drained of blood and posed in his parents' house in an exclusive and very secure neighborhood of Madrid. He had been kidnapped and a demand was made to his mother who runs one of Europe's largest banks. When the demand wasn't met, the boy was killed. There is a lot of pressure to cover up the crime.

Then the daughter of the world's richest man is kidnapped, and another demand is sent to her father. Her father isn't going to meet the demand which leaves Antonia and Jon just a few days to find and rescue her. But the regular police don't want to cooperate since they are led by a real glory hound who sees solving the case as the road to fame and promotion he desperately wants.

Not only are Jon and Antonia avoiding notice from the villains, but they have to avoid the police too. Antonia's keen observation skills and unconventional mind help them discover clues that the police don't. But the villain has a new plan in mind: kidnap Antonia's four-year-old son.

I enjoyed this story which was translated from the Spanish and is the start of a trilogy very popular in Spain. The characters of Jon and Antonia were very complex and nuanced. The mystery was both gritty and involved. I'm looking forward to reading more about these two unconventional detectives.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of this new book by a, new to me, author. I’m pleased to be able to offer my thoughts and opinions.

Honestly, I didn’t think this was going to be a book for me and can’t remember why I requested a copy. In fact, I believe I started it twice and finally on the third go finished the book.

It is a bit convoluted from the standpoint of how this Red Queen team of investigators are recruited and set up to work serious crimes. Even more the international setting (Spain) and some language difficulties made it a bit more so, but persevere and you will be glad you did. I was!

Antonia and Jon make a good, if off-beat, team. She with enhanced intuitive skills and he a good detective always on the verge of trouble. Between them they investigate two high profile cases, a murder and a kidnapping. They will go to great lengths to bring the criminals to justice.

What makes this an excellent read are the character profiles. Antonia and Jon each have their own complicated back story. Both intriguing and unlikely to be shared to broadly, but revealed slowly as their partnership comes together. It makes for an interesting parallel to the primary plot line.

This is supposed to be the start of a trilogy featuring Antonia and Jon. I will be interested to see where the author takes them and us.

I received an ARC of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I was very excited based on the synopsis and also the fact that it occurs in one of my favorite places, Madrid, Spain. The action starts right at the beginning and doesn't let up. A page turner for sure, and also an intelligent mystery - the author has clearly done extensive research about various settings and historical aspects. I found the Madrid history portions absolutely fascinating. And the characters! What a great team. Both Antonia & Jon are described and characterized in great detail - they essentially become real people. I am very much looking forward to reading the next 2 installments!

I will probably be in the minority here in my take over this beginner to a trilogy (originally in Spanish).

Taking place in Bilbao Spain, Antonia Scott is a forensic genius who is legendary at solving baffling crimes and works for a specialized secret agency until a personal tragic event pushes her into a self-imposed retirement. She reluctantly returns with a new partner, Jon Gutierrez, a disgraced and suspended police officer, to investigate a macabre murder and possibly related subsequent kidnapping. The protagonists must quickly learn to trust each other and develop a rapport as they race to meet the kidnapper’s timeline.

There’s a very descriptive (and personally unsettling) violent encounter with police/villain and some surprising twists, but I found myself not as invested as I should have been with this story. From the beginning I felt I was playing catch-up with the narrative, like I had been dropped into the middle of a story, and with that start, I never really connected well with either protagonist. I also found myself alternately pitying of and frustrated with Antonia, and overall Jon’s character seemed almost superfluous to me. The villain’s storyline was intriguing but also murky in some details.

Overall, not stellar but I’ll give it an OK.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing the free early arc of Red Queen for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

I really liked this at the beginning, then I lost interest a bit in the middle, then got back into it near the end. I think my waning interest was entirely a me thing and had nothing to do with the book.

The main mystery gets solved in this but it seems like there's a plot that will cover all three books in the series. This can be read as a standalone if you choose.

Rep: gay main character

CW: kidnapping, murder, death, animal death, imprisonment, gay slurs, needles, torture, blood, cancer mention, parental abuse, suicidal ideation. Some things are described off page or as occurring in the past, but many happen on-page.

I read the first half of this in one sitting, and the second half the next day. The story just drew me in and held me. The characters are very well developed, but not in length at any one time - details are provided when they naturally become apparent due to the scene action. Fast paced, seamlessly written. I will absolutely seek more by this author.


I’m giving the briefest blot sketch, to not give away secrets; and I’m giving it second because so many novels I read have these elements – but this book was so much richer than normal and I haven’t been able to pin down why. The novel is set several cities in Spain, which I don’t often run into, and enjoyed.

So: we have a member of the police force in trouble for actions he took trying to right a wrong; and a reluctant genius (associated with a mysterious organization) with whom he is partnered for an off-books mission. We have a serial offender with unclear motives. The complexity builds along with the tension.

Author Steve Berry summed it up as, “Intriguing. A labyrinth of a mystery.” I agree. Really terrific book, highly recommend – and now I’m off to seek out the author’s next book.

The setting: Madrid. Antonia Scott, a brilliant recluse whose special skills have solved dozens of crimes. Jon Gutierrez, a gay policeman who lives with his mother; suspended because he bent the rules. They are thrown together to solve two off the books [high-profile] crimes/related cases while maintaining a low profile! Add in the mysterious Mentor--their handler; who's calling the shots.

Both Antonia and Jon are flawed and it takes them quite a while to find their rhythm to work together. They're chasing after clues and in fact, make a good team [once Jon learns to read her triggers/signals].

This is a fast-read thriller. Serious and driven, with a smidge of humor.

A twist or two [which I belatedly detected before it was totally spelled out].

Towards the end it definitely reminded me of money heist--with all the complications and intricacies of planning. And I could see it setting up a sequel [yes; in fact it's a trilogy--coming belatedly to the US]. Also: I could surely see this as a mini-series.

Hugely popular in Spain.

I always wonder about translations but this translator is highly regarded.

3.5 but rounding up because it just hit me at the right time.

Antonia Scott is one of the smartest people on the planet and is one of the best investigators. She has retired and won’t leave her apartment. Joe a disgraced detective is offered a chance to redeem himself is he can get Antonia to come out of retirement to investigate a new case. This book is action packed and gives you a glimpse into Spanish police procedures. Joe and Antonia work well together as characters. This book is translated from Spanish so it is a little rough to read at first until you get used to it. Thank you to net galleydsa for an advanced readers copy.

So I'm sure you have heard of "Red Queen" by Juan Gomez-Juardo, right? I mean it has sold over two million copies and has been published in 17 different countries, The number one selling series in Spain for years and soon to be series on Amazon Prime? Well neither did I but luckily it will soon be translated to English from Juan Gomez-Juardo's native Spanish so I was very fortunate to dive into this one absolutely blind.

And on page one I was introduced to one of the most fascinating characters I have seen either in print or film in Antonia Scott. Scott is probably the world's smartest human being with the highest IQ. She has self banished herself for life to her apartment and in order to keep her sanity she has a daily three minute mediation on suicide. We are introduced to her mediating on how fast her body will reach before hitting the concrete below and how she will acquire the contraband needed to kill herself. She is probably a much better companion then my wife in a Escape Room.

We are also introduced to Jon Guiterrez, a disgraced former police officer who has been tasked with trying to get Scott to leave her apartment and assist with a secret investigative unit trying to solve crimes off the grid. A bloody and horrible crime has been committed and they need Scott to help solve.

And that's it. That's all I want to say about this and the plot and you should just go in this one blind. But it has one of the best duos I have seen and just a fascinating team with Scott and Guiterrez. Just great chemistry between those two Not to mention dark bloody crimes and Secret Underground Units.

Just remember this is a translation. I thought it was pretty hokey at first but then again when I watch foreign shows on Netflix I always watch with the original dialect with English Subtitles. This one reads like a Spanish film dubbed in English. But you soon get use to it as the pages start to fly by. Highly recommended!

I really appreciate St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for letting me review this book and it has a publication date of March 14, 2023.

What sets Juan Gomez-Jurado’s Red Queen apart is the main characters. Each has their own foibles and in my opinion it what’s draws the reader to them. The case starts off as a macabre murder and winds its way to a kidnapping. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the read enthralled with the cases. Red queen is the first book of a trilogy and I’m anxiously waiting for the sequel.

From the book cover, " Introducing Antonia Scott - the most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander - in the international bestselling thriller that has taken the world by storm.

Red Queen is the first book in a trilogy that has sold over 2 million copies in Spain, sold to seventeen countries, and is the basis of an Amazon streaming series to debut in 2023.

Antonia Scott—the daughter of a British diplomat and a Spanish mother—has a gifted forensic mind, whose ability to reconstruct crimes and solve baffling murders is legendary. But after a personal trauma, she's refused to continue her work or even leave her apartment.

Jon Gutierrez, a police officer in Bilbao—disgraced, suspended, and about to face criminal charges—is offered a chance to salvage his career by a secretive organization that works in the shadows to direct criminal investigations of a highly sensitive nature. All he has to do is succeed where many others have failed: Convince a recalcitrant Antonia to come out of her self-imposed retirement, protecting her and helping her investigate a new, terrifying case."

I liked the writing style, am looking forward to reading the other two books in English hopefully soon. The book was macabre but so riveting. I learnt about police procedures in Spain, a little bit about the underground old city and lamented the loss of old style journalism. I don't want to give anything away about the plot so will end with my reaction when I read the last page was noooo I want to know more.

Thank you to Net Galley for my ARC copy. The review is my own.

Reads like Girl with a Dragon Tattoo meets Alex Cross crime thriller. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC
#50books2023 #netgalley #netgalleyarc #redqueen #juangomezjurado

“Red Queen”(The Antonia Scott Trilogy #1) by Juan Gómez-Jurado. Translated by Nick Caistor ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Crime Noir. Location: Madrid, Spain. Time: Present.

Antonia Scott (30+) lives in a Madrid loft apartment with no furniture. She has the highest IQ ever recorded. Her gifted mind and photographic memory reconstruct crimes and solve murders like no one else. Antonia’s mind didn’t always work this way. And now, with her husband Marcos in a 3-year coma, she won’t work or leave her home.

Jon Gutierrez (40+) is a suspended Bilbao police investigator. From the Basque region, he has a barrel-shaped chest and weight-lifter arms. The mysterious “Mentor” offers him a chance to save his career by working for the secret Red Queen project. His job: travel to Madrid, convince Antonia to take a new case, protect her while she investigates.

The case: A wealthy teen boy’s body is found with no blood in it; then Greta, the world’s richest man’s daughter, is kidnapped. Antonia discovers the connection to a murderous psychopath known as Ezekiel. The problem: Antonia and Jon are so different that neither enjoys their partnership. (Jon: “Pulse normal. Back to bitch mode. Yep, she’s fine.”)

Author Gómez-Jurado skillfully divides the narrative between Antonia, Jon, Greta, and others for differing points of view. He incorporates flashbacks to slowly tease out Jon and Antonia’s back stories-their relationship is the key to success or failure. Gómez-Jurado’s plot serves plenty of red herrings. Nick Caistor’s translation is easy to read and flows well. A map of Madrid labeling neighborhoods would help.

The book is as original as it is gritty and twisty. Possible triggers include claustrophobia and generational child abuse. If you liked "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", this is your kind of book. Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Press, St. Martin’s Press, and Juan Gómez-Jurado for this early ebook copy. It’s 5 stars from me 🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️Publishes 3/14/23.

A new series from Spain with two unlikely protagonists; one a brilliant person with emotional and psychological issues and the other a LGBQ police detective on administrative leave and soon to be terminated. They are part of a new non-sanctioned force that will be headed by a “Red Queen” in each European country.

Very entertaining and unique story that went quickly with multiple side stories. Different story than normal but very enjoyable.

Exciting and enjoyable crime thriller. Flawed but interesting and likeable main characters, complicated and fast-moving plot. What's not to like? Other than the gore, of course. :)

Will be looking for the second in this series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.